Tag Archives: discipleship

“What Real Faith Looks Like: Total Commitment” (James 1:6-8 sermon)

Posted on 2024/05/06 by Shawn Thomas

One time Cheryl, our son Michael & I were waiting to place an order in the drive through line at a fast-food restaurant, and it looked like the people in front of us were having a difficult time making up … Continue reading →

Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons | Tagged answered prayer, Book of James, choices, choose, Christian life, commitment, cool vs. Christ, dipsuchos, discipleship, double-minded, doubt, faith, genuine salvation, Hipster Faith, I Kings 18:21, James, John Bunyan, Joshua 24:15, Landry Jones, Matthew 6:24, Mr. Facing Both Ways, no man can serve two masters, one master, Pilgrim's Progress, prayer, salvatiion, seeking God, tossed by the wind, total commitment, two-headed snake, unanswered prayer, Whitney Hand, whom will you serve | Leave a comment

“Putting God First” Matthew 6:33 (2024 New Year Message)

Posted on 2024/01/08 by Shawn Thomas

President Lyndon Johnson’s wife Lady Bird once gave a speech to wives of congressmen. She told them she had once asked Lyndon what he felt were the three most significant priorities in his career, and he named what he felt … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged calendar, chief end of man, commitment, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, decision-making, decisions, discipleship, Exodus 20:2, first, first commandment, garden of Eden, Gibeonites, giving, glorify God and enjoy Him, Hebrews 10:25, Jesus Lord, Jesus operating system, Jonathan Edwards heaven, Joshua 9, Katherine Graham's Washington, Lady Bird Johnson, Lord's Day, Lordship, Lyndon Johnson, Mark 1:35, Matthew 6:33, morning priority, New Year, no Bible no newspaper, prayer time, priorities, Proverbs 3:9, Psalm 5:3, putting God first, rich young ruler, Sabbath, salvatiion, schedule, sin, spiritual warning light, Sunday worship, Ten Commandments, tenth, tithe, Westminster Confession, worship | Leave a comment

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson: Mark 8:31-9:1, “Followed”

Posted on 2023/09/30 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of Mark 8:31-9:1, “Followed,” for Sunday, October 8, 2023. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: Just after Calvin … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews, Uncategorized | Tagged baptism, begone Satan, Bible study, Bible study teacher help, Bourges, Caesarea Philippi, Calvin Coolidge, confession of faith, Daniel 7 Son of Man, deny self, discipleship, Edmund Starling, eternal life, eternity, Explore the Bible, follow Me, Jesus, Julius Caesar, kingdom of God, Lifeway, Mark 8 Bible Study, Mark 8 Sunday School, Mark 8:31-9:1, Messiah, Peter, Roman soliders branded, Simon Peter, Son of Man, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school lesson help, Sunday school teacher help, take up cross, teacher overview, tract Not I But Christ, transfiguration, Vercingetorix | 5 Comments

“Coming To Worship Jesus” (Luke 21:38 sermon)

Posted on 2023/08/21 by Shawn Thomas

Charles Spurgeon once told a story about how Caesar Augustus was invited to a feast in his honor; but the attendance was so poor, and the feast was so mediocre, that he arose in the midst of it and lamented: … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged beauty of holiness, C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon Caesar Augustus, church, church attendance, clergymen, consider Him, day of preparation, discipleship, family, Hebrews 10:25, holiness, humility, II Samuel 24:24, Isaiah 66:2, Jesus, Jesus glory, Jesus return, John 19:42, Luke 21:28, pastors, Philippians 2, preparation, preparation for worship, pride, Psalm 96:9, Sabbath, sacrifice, sacrifice that cost me nothing, salvation, sleep, Sunday, Sunday morning worship is a Saturday night decision, Sunday sabbath, Sunday worship, worship, worship Jesus, worship sacrifice | Leave a comment

“Swimming Upstream” (Luke 1:57-66 sermon)

Posted on 2023/07/17 by Shawn Thomas

I was in a river canoeing one time, and it was shallow, and the current was pretty strong, so just for fun I decided to get out and see how far I could swim against the current. So I jumped … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged burden, church, commitment, convention, discipleship, following Jesus, freedom, giving church, glorifying God, glory God, God obedience, going against the current, John the Baptist birth, Luke 1:57-66 sermon, obedience, obey God, obeying God, Romans 12:2, salvation, song trust and obey, standard procedure, swimming upstream, tithe, tithing, trust and obey, Zecharias and Elizabeth | Leave a comment

Lifeway Explore the Bible: John 12:1-11, “Why Wasn’t This Sold?”

Posted on 2023/02/25 by Shawn Thomas

(A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 12:1-11, for Sunday, March 5, 2023 with the title: “Why Wasn’t This Sold?” A video version of this overview is available … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged 5 Love Languages, Asbury Revival, Asbury Revival criticism, criticism, discipleship, doing vs talking, Explore the Bible lesson John 12, Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman Five Love Languages, gift, gift of service, God, heart, how to show love, John 12:1-11 Sunday school lesson, judge servant of another, judging, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson help, love, love God, loving God, loving others, Mary gift, motivation, motives, persecution, quality time, service, Sunday school lesson overview John 12, teacher help John 12, Teacher help John 12:1-11, Theodore Roosevelt Sr quote, time, touch, Why Wasn't This Sold, words of affirmation | 19 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson: John 10:7-14, 25-30 “I Know My Own”

Posted on 2023/02/11 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 10:7-14, 25-30 for Sunday, February 19, 2023 with the title: “I Know My Own.” (A video version of this overview is … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged abundant life, discipleship, eternal life, eternal security, eternal security John 10, Explore the Bible John 10 teacher help, Explore the Bible lesson overview John 10:7-14, I am the door, I am the gate, I am the Good Shepherd, Jesus Good Shepherd, John 10 Sunday School lesson helps, John 10:10 eternal life abundant life, John 10:27-29, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson John 10 teacher help, once saved always saved, perseverance of the saints, salvation, teacher help John 10 | 7 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson: John 1:40-51, “Come and See.”

Posted on 2022/12/04 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 1:40-51, for Sunday, December 11, 2022 with the title, “Come and See.” (A video version of this overview is available on … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Acts 1:8, Acts 1:8 church, Acts 1:8 Sunday school class, Charles Dickens Mrs Jellyby, discipleship, Dr. Francis Collins testimony, evangelism, evangelistic testimony, Explore the Bible lesson John 1, follow Me, Jesus is the ladder, John 1 Sunday School lesson, John 1:40-51, John 1:40-51 Sunday School lesson teacher help, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson help, Matthew 4:19, Oscar Thompson Concentric Circles, Reflections on the Existence of God, Richard E. Simmons III book, salvation testimonies, Shawn Thomas Sunday School lesson help, Sunday school lesson help, teacher's helps for Sunday School, testimony, witnessing | 8 Comments

“A Good Servant & The Word” (I Timothy 4:6 sermon)

Posted on 2022/10/24 by Shawn Thomas

Years ago Winston Churchill, who was for many years prime minister of Britain, had just published a collection of his magazine articles under the title Thoughts and Adventures (Amid These Storms). In Churchill’s biography, William Manchester writes: “As usual, (Churchill) … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged Bible, Bible application, Bible as bread milk meat honey, Bible like bread, Christian diet, daily Bible reading, discipleship, do the word, Ephesians 6:1, Facebook follow, follow Bible, follow Christ, Francis Bacon books, God's word, Hebrews 5:12, house on the rock, how to be saved, I Peter 2:2, I Timothy 4:6 sermon, man shall not live by bread alone, Matthew 4:4, nourishing God's word, Psalm 119:103, salvation, share Bible, share God's word, spiritual diet, taking root bearing fruit, teach children Bible, Twitter follow, Winston Churchill book, witness, Woodrow Wilson Bible, word of God | Leave a comment

“How To Run The Christian Race” (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)

Posted on 2022/10/17 by Shawn Thomas

For most of my adult like I ran for exercise, although I was never very fast. When we lived in Tulsa back in the 1990’s (when I was in my 30’s) I was probably in the best shape of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged Amy Grant Faith Walking People, Bible Reading, bitterness, Box Hill, Cherry Street Mile Tulsa, Christian life, Christian life not a sprint, Christian race, daily devotions, discipleship, endurance, England trip, entanglements, faith, feelings, fix your eyes on Jesus, forgiveness, friends, George Washington Delaware, Hebrews 12:1-2, holiness, ministry, not a sprint a marathon, one foot in front of the other, PE run, Peter what about this man, running, salvation, sanctification, say goodbye to the feelings, sin, two masters, your race | Leave a comment