The Fear of Man vs The Fear of God - Jeffrey Arthurs on Courageous Preaching
From Expositors Collective: Expository Preaching, Bible Teaching and Sermon Preparation by Mike Neglia
April 21, 2026 · 41 min · Season 7 · Episode 16
About this episode
Dr Jeffrey Arthurs discusses the importance of fearing God over man in preaching and offers practical insights for effective communication of Scripture.
Dr Jeffrey Arthurs joins Mike Neglia for a rich and encouraging conversation about preaching, courage, and the freedom that comes from fearing God rather than fearing people. The discussionincludes a striking quotation from Puritan preacher William Gurnall: "We fear men so much because we fear God so little. One fear cures the other." That idea opens the door to a wide ranging conversation about the fear of man in ministry and how a deeper awareness of God reshapes the way we preach, lead, and serve. Jeffrey Arthurs shares insights from decades of preaching, teaching, and mentoring preachers. Along the way he offers practical wisdom on understanding the people we preach to, communicating with clarity and specificity, and learning how different biblical genres should shape the way we proclaim Scripture. In this conversation you will hear about: The difference between fear of man and fear of the Lord in ministry Why specificity makes preaching more powerful The importance of understanding both the biblical context and the congregational context Haddon Robinson’s Subject/Complement approach to sermon structure The difference between feedback and feedforward when helping preachers…
People in this episode
Host: Mike Neglia
Guest: Dr Jeffrey Arthurs
Topics covered
- fear of man
- fear of God
- courageous preaching
- biblical genres
- sermon structure
- communication clarity
Keywords
- expository preaching
- courage
- ministry
- biblical context
- congregational context
- preaching style
- feedback
- feedforward
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