shawnethomas

“Don’t Waste A Good Crisis” (Hurricane Beryl message, July 2024, Psalm 46)

Posted on 2024/07/15 by Shawn Thomas

Just before the dark days of the Second World War, English Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously said: “Never let a good crisis go to waste”!

His statement has been adopted and re-quoted by many politicians in recent years: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” If there’s a mass murder, they use it to further their gun control program. If there’s crime committed against a homosexual, they use it to further hate crime legislation, and so on. “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” they say. In other words, their philosophy is that you can always use a situation to advance your political position.

Now, while we may not agree with that politically, there is a legitimate application that we can make to that spiritually. We all WILL experience various crises in our lives — Jesus said “in this world you will have tribulation” — and when we do, we really should not “waste” those experiences. What do I mean “waste”? I mean that God always has some purpose for what we go through; there is something good He wants to accomplish; some lesson for us to learn through it. So whenever we go through something hard, we need to make sure that we don’t waste that: “Never waste a good crisis.” Make sure you learn, and do, what God wants you to through it.

And … WE have been through a crisis this week, haven’t we? Do you think any one of us will ever say again: “Oh it’s just a CAT 1” hurricane?! That “CAT 1” hit us pretty hard here: No power/water for many of us; no air conditioning in this South Texas heat!; many are like our neighbor across the street, with a tree crashed onto the roof of their house. We have a pastor friend in Freeport who is recuperating from foot surgery in his home; his wife is battling cancer — and they had a tree branch crash through their ceiling — it literally rained through into their house the other day! It’s been a crisis week for many of us: no electricity, no water, no refrigerator/freezer, no food, no work, no tv, no comfort, no rest.

Yet in all of that, God has a purpose. He has things for us to learn; He has things for us to do. “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” I do believe that is true spiritually. So what are some things we can learn through this “Hurricane Beryl Crisis”? I want us to focus on three things this morning:

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Posted in Sermons | Tagged Bible, blessings, CAT 1, Corrie Ten Boom, COVID, COVID crisis, crises, crisis, crisis ministry, don't waste a good crisis, electricity, faith, give thanks, God, God is our refuge, gratitude, hurricane Beryl, In Christ Alone, Jesus, Lyndon Johnson, material blessings, ministry, My hope is built on nothing less, never let a god crisis go to waste, politics, prayer, Psalm 116:1, Psalm 46, Psalm 46:1, Robert Caro, salvation, Samaritans Purse disaster relief, saving faith, service, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, take for granted, thankful, The Solid Rock, trust, water, well, Winston Churchill | Leave a comment

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 6:1-15, “Serving” for July 21, 2024.

Posted on 2024/07/13 by Shawn Thomas

An overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” Sunday School lesson, for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders. Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text overview and highlights, illustrations, discussion questions for your class, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO:

??? Can you share a time when someone served you/ministered to you in a specific way that was meaningful to you???

(Here in Angleton, Texas and the surrounding area, we got a direct hit from hurricane Beryl, and we had so many limbs down at our house, blocking our driveway. I only have an electric chainsaw, and our power was out, so I was trying to cut some pretty big branches with a little pole saw. I got most of big limb’s branches cut off, and went inside to rest for a minute — but when I went back out, someone had cut the big main part of it into pieces for me and set it on the curb! I was SO thankful!

You/your group can share your experiences about someone serving you in a meaningful way, then talk about how meeting needs is so important — especially in the church, where we are to demonstrate God’s love for each other and for the world — and that our passage for today shows how the early church was led to minister to some people in their church who had needs.

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Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Acts 6:1-15, church, church growth, complaint, deacon, deacon ministry, deacon qualificatioins, deacons, diakoneo, diakonos, evangelism, Explore the Bible, Greek, grumbling, Hebrews, Hellenistic, hurricane Beryl, Jews, Lifeway, ministry, ministry to widows, Sanhedrin, service, serving, serving food, Stephen, Sunday School, the twelve, widows, wisdom, witness | 6 Comments

“No Spirit of Fear” (II Timothy 1:7 sermon/Hurricane Beryl, July 7, 2024)

Posted on 2024/07/07 by Shawn Thomas

In March 2020 about a dozen or so of our church members went on a mission trip to Mazatlan, Mexico, to minister with what is now James Trail ministry, with Dan & Meredith Shuman. It was a good trip, but as we started to get ready to come back we were hearing about this “virus” that was going around, causing a lot of concern. And when we came back, the whole world had changed, and honestly there was a lot of fear and panic.

Even from another country I was hearing about all the fear that was going around, and on the flight home I felt led to change my message from what I was going to preach, to II Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

I said at the time that I couldn’t think of a scripture that many of us needed more than that one — and as many of us have been glued to the tv and internet weathercasts over the past couple of days, I felt convicted that we might need again to set aside the message from James that we had planned for today, and look anew at this passage from II Timothy. The specifics of our situation are a little different — but the principle, and our need to trust God in this time, is the same. So let’s look at what this verse has to teach us as we wait for the storm to come:

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Posted in Sermons | Tagged A Leopard Tamed, assurance, be not afraid, Bible, Christianity, confidence, COVID, COVID sermon, Death, discipline, Eleanor Vandevort, faith, fear, fear not, fruit of the Spirit, God, how to be saved, hurricane, hurricane Beryl, hurricane prep, II Timothy 1:7, In Christ Alone, Jesus, Kim Eaves, London Plague, love, Martin Luther plague, ministry, missionary, no fear, no fear in death, no guilt in life no fear in death, panic, power, Puritans, salvation, sermon, sound mind, Sudan, testimony, The Black Death | Leave a comment

Teacher’s Overview of Acts 5:29-42, Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson “Worthy,” for July 14, 2024

Posted on 2024/07/06 by Shawn Thomas

(A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO: ??? Did you/someone you know ever disobey a law/command/guideline, to do something you believed God wanted you to do?
(— A friend of mine and I shared the gospel one time in a college report to the class when the professor had warned us not to. She was pretty ticked off at us, and spoke against us in class.
— I went to India to share the gospel when there was a restriction in place against doing missionary work there …

You/your group can share any experiences you may have had, then transition to the fact that in our text for today, we see how Peter & the apostles in the early church obeyed God rather than men, especially in sharing the Gospel where they lived.

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Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged abortion, Acts, Acts 5, Acts 5:29-42, apostles, balance, Bible, Bible study, C.S. Lewis, chronological snobbery, civil disobedience, cost of discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, discipleship, Ephesians 1:13, evangelism, Explore the Bible, faith, Gamaliel, Geaux Therefore, God of our Fathers, gospel, hate crime, history, Holy Spirit, homosexuality, Jesus is Lord, Jewish Encyclopedia, lessons of history, Lifeway, Lordship, ministry, NOBTS, obedience, persecution, perseverance, Peter, Pharisee, Prince and Savior, repentance, Rex Butler, Romans 10:9, Romans 13:1, Ron DeSantis, salvation, Savior and Lord, sharing, Stephen Boissoin, submission, Sunday School, time will tell, transgender, we must obey God rather than men, Winston Churchill lessons of history, witness, workplace | 1 Comment

“What Real Faith Looks Like: True Religion” (James 1:26-27 sermon)

Posted on 2024/07/01 by Shawn Thomas

What does a “religious” person look like? What do you envision when you think of someone who is “religious”? Someone carrying a big Bible, or wearing a cross around their neck? Maybe somebody speaking from a pulpit, or singing a solo? What do you think of, when you think of a “religious” person?

Somebody might say, “Well now pastor, it’s not about ‘religion,’ it’s about a relationship.” And that’s true. The Bible doesn’t teach that we’re saved by doing a set of “religious deeds,” but through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross for us. We’ve got to have that personal relationship with Him to be saved — not just a set of “religious deeds.” But even understanding that, the Bible DOES use the word “religion” in a positive way. In fact, it does here in our text for today, James 1:26-27, where it says:

“If anyone thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

So the Bible doesn’t use the word “religion” solely in a negative way here. In fact, it says here that there is both a positive and a negative kind of religion. It says there is a “worthless” sort of religion, but also a “pure” kind of religion. So “religion” in itself is not bad, James says — IF you have the right KIND of religion. How do you know if you have the right kind of religion? That’s what we are going to look at this morning: what the Bible says here about the nature of true and false religion.

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Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons | Tagged Acts 4:12, Africa, African Queen, assurance, Bible, Bleak House, Book of James, Book of Mormon, bridle tongue, C.S. Lewis, Charles DIckens, Christianity, consumer religion, Dan & Meredith Shuman, doer of the word, false religion, Fight Club, God, hearers of the word, holier than thou, holiness, home, I Timothy 5, James, James 1, James 1:26-27, James 3, James sermons, James Trail Ministry, Jared Wilson, Jesus, Jesus only way, John 14:6, Katharine Hepburn, life, lifestyle, Luke 18, Mahatma Gandhi, Matthew 7:13-14, ministry, missions, missions starts at home, Mormon, Mormonism, Mrs. Jellyby, narrow gate, nursing home visitation, orphans, Pharisee and the publican, pornography, purity, real faith, real salvation, religion, religion starts at home, religious, Rock of Ages song, salvation, sanctification, scripture, self-righteous, test of salvation, True Religion, What Real Faith Looks Like, widows, words | 1 Comment

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 4:36-5:11, “Accountable,” for July 7, 2024

Posted on 2024/06/29 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 4:35-5:11 for Sunday, July 7, 2024, with the title, “Accountable.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO: ??? What is a name you would NOT give your child, because that name has a bad connotation for us today???

(EX: Adolph, because of Hitler; Judas, because of the traitorous apostle; Benedict, because of Benedict Arnold, and so on.)

Then = This morning we are going look at a passage which features two characters whose names have gone down in Bible infamy: Ananias & Sapphira. This lesson is actually not as negative as one might think; there is also a great positive example of sacrificial giving in this passage, as well as the famous negative example of hypocritical religion — and of God’s judgment on those who practice it.

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Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Accountable, Acts 4, Acts 4:36-5:11, Acts 5, Ananias, Ananias and Sapphira, appearance, awe, Barnabas, Bible study, Bible study helps, Charles Spurgeon, China, Christianity, church, Cyprus, encourager, example, Explore the Bible, fear, George Eliot, giving, giving story, God, God judge, heart, hypocrisy, Jerry Rankin, Jesus, John Wanamaker, Joseph, judge not, judgment, Lifeway, Middlemarch, motivation, ox, Psalm 139, Psalm 90, responsibility, sacrifice, sacrificial giving, Sapphira, secret sins, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, tithe, worship | 4 Comments

“What Real Faith Looks Like: Doers of the Word” (James 1:22-25 sermon)

Posted on 2024/06/24 by Shawn Thomas

In late 1942, the United States landed troops in North Africa to begin the liberation of Europe from Hitler’s Nazi Germany. In the early days after the invasion, the U.S. Army initially was not making much progress in their march across North Africa. General Dwight Eisenhower was frustrated with what many of his commanders were doing — or NOT doing! He wrote: “There’s a lot of big talk and desk hammering around this place — but very few doers!” (Rick Atkinson, An Army at Dawn, p. 59)

I wonder if that is how the Lord must feel sometimes as He watches us, His people, here on earth? Does He see a lot of “big talk,” “but very few DOERS”? I think the fact that God placed this passage here shows that this is indeed what He too often sees from His people: a bunch of “big talk,” but “very few doers” of His word!

Last week we saw in James 1:19-21 that real faith should affect every relationship in our lives: that we are to be “quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” towards our spouse, children, work associates, and neighbors. But, try as we may, we will fail at those things — and so we need to “receive the word implanted, which is able to save (our) souls.” Our only hope of heaven is to trust in Jesus’ righteousness, not our own.

But now James follows this up with a cautionary word here in :22-25. He says, “But prove yourselves DOERS of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” We need to make sure we don’t “lull ourselves into a false sense of complacency” by thinking that we’re right with the Lord, when we aren’t really doing what He commanded us to do. Let’s look at how James 1:22-25 says that “What Real Faith Looks Like” means being “doers of the word”:

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Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons | Tagged An Army At Dawn, application, better cheese, Bible, big talk, Book of James, change, change your life, Christianity, church, doers of the word, Dwight Eisenhower, Edward Dolnich, faith, few doers, God, hearer or doer, hearers only, hearing the word, Isaac Newton, James, James 1, James 1:22-25, Jesus, life change, Luke 3, Mark 6:20, Matthew 7:24-27, mirror, mirror of the word, New Testament, perfect attendance church, practical application, Psalm 119:11, repentance, Rick Atkinson, Robert Boyle, sanctification, scripture, The Clockwork Universe, what shall we do, word of God | Leave a comment

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 4:8-21, “Emboldened’

Posted on 2024/06/22 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, or Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 4:8-21 for Sunday, June 30, 2024, with the title, “Emboldened.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO: ??? Have you ever shared the gospel with someone who rejected it??? If you have, what was that experience like??

(I had one family member I shared with, tell me about his “out of body experiences” and how he did not believe the Bible. He was nice, but a bit condescending. One man I tried to share with on a door-to-door ministry slammed the door in my face — that’s never fun! Another man I witnessed to in India just couldn’t seem to get over the idea that there are a lot of different ways to God. It was very frustrating. So a lot of different responses ….

You/your group can share your own experiences, and then you can transition to our text for today from Acts 4:8-21, which describes how Peter and the Apostles shared the gospel despite opposition — a good example for us today.

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Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Acts 4, Acts 4:12, Acts 4:8-21, Annas, Baptist Faith & Message 2000, Bible, bold witness, boldness, Book of Acts, Brandan Robertson, Caiaphas, Christianity, cornerstone, Emboldened, evangelism, Explore the Bible, faith, God, gospel, Holy Spirit, I John 5:12, India, India mission, Jesus, Jesus only way, John, John 14:6, liberal, liberal Christianity, Lifeway, ministry, objective truth, persecution, Peter, platform, Sadducees, salvation, saving faith, Steve Bushey, Temple, University of Oklahoma women's softball, witness | 4 Comments

“What Real Faith Looks Like: Relationships & Righteousness” (James 1:19-21 sermon)

Posted on 2024/06/17 by Shawn Thomas

In the fall of 1871, explorer Harry Stanley found missionary Dr. Livingstone in Ujiji, Africa, after he had been lost to civilization for several years. It was then that he uttered those famous words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.” Staying there with Livingstone for some time, Stanley was immediately impressed with this Christian missionary, even though Stanley himself was not a religious man. Stanley said of Dr. Livingstone’s faith: “It is of the true, practical kind, never losing a chance to manifest itself in a quiet, practical way … It governs his conduct towards his servants, and towards the natives.” (Tim Jeal, Stanley, p. 122)

That is what genuine Christian faith does: it is not just something we “claim.” It should govern our conduct towards others: even servants. Even family members. And other church members. Towards everyone.

This morning as we continue our study in James, we see “What Real Faith Like” in relationships — and how even when we fail in our relationships, God can still give us His righteousness through faith in Jesus.

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Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like | Tagged A.T. Robertson, anger, Bible, Christianity, continual repentance, conversation, dads, Dr. Livingstone, ethics, evangelism, faith, fathers, Fathers Day, garden, gay Christian, gospel, Harry Stanley, hearing, holiness, humility, James, James 1, James 1 sermon, ministry, mouth, proverbs, quick to hear, real Christianity, receive Jesus, relationships, repent, repentance, salvation, sanctification, saving faith, sermons, Shekinah, sin, slow to anger, slow to speak, Sunday school class, teaching, temper, thrice was Moses angry, two ears one mouth, weeds, What Real Faith Looks Like, witness, word implanted, words, Zeno | 2 Comments

Teachers’ Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 3:12-25, “Placed” for June 23, 2024

Posted on 2024/06/15 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeways “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 3:12-26, with the title, “Placed,” for Sunday, June 23, 2024. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO: ??? Can you share a time when you heard someone purposefully give God the glory for something???
(EX: Recently, the University of Oklahoma women’s softball team won their 4th straight NCAA Women’s College World Series. They gave God the glory for what they had done:
“Just moments after the final out, ESPN reporter Holly Rowe spoke Sooners pitcher Kelly Maxwell, who made it known who she attributed the victory to. “I knew I was gonna give all the glory to God,” Maxwell said. But it wasn’t just Maxwell who put her faith on display. Her teammate, outfielder Riley Boone, made sure to give praise to God during the post-game press conference. Commenting on the season, Boone said she felt God’s “hand over this program” more than ever. “People are watching us, and they’re asking questions about, why do you do what you do? How are you even able to do this? And the answer is always God,” she added.” (Western Journal, 6/07/24)

There are a lot of examples like this that you/your group can share. Then say: this morning as we continue our study in the Book of Acts, we see where Peter and the apostles also gave God the glory for what He did, and used it as an opportunity to share the gospel.

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Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Acts, Acts 12:20-25, Acts 3, application, credit, deliverance, divine appointments, evangelism, Explore the Bible, God's plan, God's provision, gospel, Holy Spirit, How Firm A Foundation, how to be saved, how to share the gospel, humility, James 1:17, King Herod, Lifeway, Man's Need, Man's Response, missions, Moses, Old Testament, Old Testament prophecy, Old Testament quotes in the New Testament, personal application, Peter, portico of Solomon, repent, repentance, resurrection of Jesus, Romans 1:4, Ron and Patricia Owens, salvation, sharing the gospel, sin, Touch not the glory, witness, witnessing | 1 Comment

shawnethomas

“Don’t Waste A Good Crisis” (Hurricane Beryl message, July 2024, Psalm 46)

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 6:1-15, “Serving” for July 21, 2024.

“No Spirit of Fear” (II Timothy 1:7 sermon/Hurricane Beryl, July 7, 2024)

“What Real Faith Looks Like: True Religion” (James 1:26-27 sermon)

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 4:36-5:11, “Accountable,” for July 7, 2024

“What Real Faith Looks Like: Doers of the Word” (James 1:22-25 sermon)

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 4:8-21, “Emboldened’

“What Real Faith Looks Like: Relationships & Righteousness” (James 1:19-21 sermon)

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