Tag Archives: following Jesus

Teacher’s Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson “Invitation,” for 12/14/25

Posted on 2025/12/06 by Shawn Thomas

For Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders. Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, lesson outline and highlights, illustrations you can share, discussion questions for your group, and spiritual life applications you can make. A video version of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Andrew, Baptist, call of the disciples, call to mission, Capernaum, church mission, church purpose, church purpose statement, December 14 2025 lesson, discipleship, ecclesiology, evangelism, Explore the Bible, fishermen, following Jesus, fulfill, instant obedience, invitation, James, John, lesson outline, Lifeway, Making of the President 1960, Mark Twain, Matthew, Matthew 4:12-25, ministry, ministry evaluation, ministry metric, ministry motto, missions, obedience, Old Testament prophecy, Old Testament quotes in Matthew, Reaching Teaching Caring, Ron Chernow, shawnethomas, Southern Baptist, Steve Jobs Walter Isaacson, Sunday School, Sunday school discussion questions, Sunday school help, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school lesson applications, Sunday school lesson illustrations, Sunday School teacher, Sunday School training, Sunday School University, Theodore White John Kennedy | 14 Comments

“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 | 1 Comment

“Our Imitation of Christ” (Philippians 2:5 sermon)

Posted on 2021/05/30 by Shawn Thomas

Birch Bayh was a Senator from Indiana back in the 1960’s. He and his wife Marvella ended up serving in Washington for some years, but they were admittedly “babes at sea” when they first arrived from Indiana. They were nervous … Continue reading →

Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons | Tagged attitude, Birch Bayh, discipleship, E.W. Starling and Woodrow Wilson, following Jesus, imitating others, imitation, Imitation of Christ, Katharine Graham's Washington, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson, Marvella Bayh, Matthew 14 Jesus and John the Bpatist, Phil Mickelson, Philippians 2:5 sermon, Philippians 2:6-11, Phroneo, salvation, selflessness, Starling of the White House, Ten Commandments, the attitude of Christ | Leave a comment

“Peacemaking: The Pinnacle of Christlikeness” (Matthew 5:9 sermon)

Posted on 2021/03/01 by Shawn Thomas

John Adams is probably best known as the 2nd President of the United States, but he himself wanted to be remembered for ONE thing more than any other. He wrote to a friend of his, ‘I desire no other inscription … Continue reading →

Posted in Beatitudes Series 2020 FBCA, Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged Beatitudes, blessed are the peacemakers, broke down the barrier, character of Christ, children of God, Christian, cost of peacemaking, David McCullough, DeShazer Fuchida, discipleship, eirene poeo, enmity with God, Ephesians 2:14-16, evangelism, following Jesus, forgiveness in the church, imitating Jesus, Jacob DeShazer testimony, Jews and Gentiles, John Adams, Matthew 5:9, mission trips, Mitsuo Fuchida, no prejudice in the church, one in Christ, outreach, peace with God, peace with man, peacemaker, peacemaking, prayer, prayer walk, racial divide, racism, reconciliation, salvation, sons of God | Leave a comment

“In His Steps” (I Peter 2:21 sermon)

Posted on 2019/08/26 by Shawn Thomas

There were many different college football teams represented here today: we had Longhorn fans, and Aggie fans; Houston and Baylor — even a few Sooner fans — and many others. There are a lot of college football teams to follow … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged Abraham Lincoln suffering, Carl Sandburg Abraham Lincoln, chastening fell upon Him, children, Christ suffered, Christian motivation, church, college football, discipleship, enemies, example, follow, follow Me, following Jesus, go to church, hardship, humbling, hupogrammo, I Peter 2:21, I Peter 2:21 sermon, imitation, in His steps, Isaiah 53, Jesus example, Jesus suffering, life, marriage beliefs, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Matthew 4 follow Me, ministry, motivation, no condemnation, pattern, persecution, personal response, respond, Romans 8:1, RSVP, sacrifice, salvation gift, submit to authority, suffering, trace, wrath of God | 2 Comments

Losing Your “Place” For Jesus

Posted on 2017/06/26 by Shawn Thomas

“If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both OUR PLACE and OUR NATION.” (John 11:49) Why did not the chief priests and the Pharisees follow … Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Uncategorized | Tagged count the cost, discipleship, following Jesus, John 11:49 | Leave a comment

“The King & The Disciples” (Matthew 5:1-2 sermon)

Posted on 2017/06/19 by Shawn Thomas

I have never in my lifetime seen the kind of vindictiveness expressed towards a president as we have seen evidenced towards President Trump: the hatred, lack of submission, people saying “He’s not my President”, etc. I was not a big … Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged 30 minute church service, Beatitudes, Bible, Bible Reading, Bible study, Chuck Quarles, Cliff Jenkins, commitment, consumer church, consumer mentality, convenience, crowds, daily bread, daily walk, Deuteronomy 8:3, devotional time, disciples, discipleship, entertainment, family, follow Me, following Jesus, God's will, God's word as food, Golden Calf, honey, Isaiah 53:6, Jesus, king, King Saul, Matthew 10:37, Matthew 4:4, Matthew 5:1-2, meat, milk, ministry, mission partnership, missions, Moses, Mount of the Beatitudes, Mt. Sinai, Pandering, persecution, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh mission churches, popularity, prayer, priorities, Psalm 119:103, quiet time, salvation, scripture, SEBTS, Sermon on the Mount, service, solid food, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, success, truth, walk with God | Leave a comment

“Following Jesus” (Matthew 4:18-22 sermon)

Posted on 2017/05/15 by Shawn Thomas

Our passage for today describes how Jesus saw Peter & Andrew, and James & John, with their boats and nets and relatives, that He said to them, “Follow Me.” And they got up, left everything, and followed Him. What would … Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged discipleship, evangelism, follow Me, following Jesus, Jesus, Matthew 4:18-22, salvation | 20 Comments

Are You Following?

Posted on 2016/09/01 by Shawn Thomas

“Come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21) It is worthy of our attention that no less than THREE times in the story of the Rich Young Ruler and its aftermath, the word “follow” was used:

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Uncategorized | Tagged discipleship, follow Me, following Jesus, Matthew 19:21, salvation | Leave a comment

The Action of Discipleship

Posted on 2016/06/15 by Shawn Thomas

“When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.” (Matthew 8:23) It is notable that after Jesus shared something about the commitments and priority of discipleship, that verse 23 immediately followed, describing the actions of His disciples: “When He … Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Uncategorized | Tagged discipleship, following Jesus, Matthew 8:23 | Leave a comment