Tag Archives: giving

Teacher’s Overview of Matthew 2:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, “Worship the King,” for 12/21/25

Posted on 2025/12/13 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for for teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible series. Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations you can share, discussion questions for your group, and spiritual life applications. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged "Worship the King", Augustine of Hippo, Bethlehem, Bible study, Christmas, Christmas lesson, Christmas message, Christmas Sunday School, Explore the Bible, genuine worship, giving, giving as worship, Herod the Great, Herod's pig than his son, hidden agendas in church, humility, humility in worship, hypocrisy, hypocrites, hypocritical worship, joy, Lifeway, Macrobius, magi, Matthew 2, Matthew 2:1-12, Micah 5:2, missing heaven by 18", motives, obedience, obedience and worship, politics and church, prophecy of Christ, proskuneo, selling in church, shawnethomas, signs of genuine worship, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, the star of Bethlehem, visit of the magi, wise men, worship | 3 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of Deuteronomy 12:1-11, 29-32, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, “Undivided Worship,” for 11/09/25

Posted on 2025/11/01 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for November 9, 2025 on Deuteronomy 12. Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations you can share, discussion questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Asherah, Asherim, Bible, Bible worship, Biblical Archeology Society, compromise, David Foster Wallace quote, Deuteronomy 12, Deuteronomy 12:1-11, every man did what was right in his own eyes, everybody worships, Explore the Bible, feminism, First Amendment, giving, God, homosexuality in churches, idol worship, idolatry, illustration, Jesus, lesson outline, Lifeway, Lord's Supper, New Testament worship, Old Testament worship, Plains of Moab, prayer, priesthood of the believer, regulative principle of worship, Shawn E. Thomas, Shawn Thomas, Sunday School, Sunday school help, Sunday School teacher, tithing, Undivided Worship, worship, worship commands, www.shawnethomas.com | 10 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Exodus 25:1-9, 31:1-6, “Instructions” for 1/26/25

Posted on 2025/01/18 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Exodus 25:1-9 and 31:1-6, with the title “Instructions,” for Sunday, January 26, 2025. A video version of this overview that you can watch … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged "Instructions", Bezalel, building fund, contribution, EW Starliing, Exodus, Exodus 25:1-9 31:1-6, Explore the Bible, gifts, giving, heart, heave offering, I Corinthians 12:7, Lifeway, Michael Thomas, sanctuary, service, serving, spiritual gifts, Starling of the White House, steward, stewardship, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson help, Sunday school outline, tabernacle, talents, tithe, Woodrow Wilson | 9 Comments

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: … Continue reading →

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: Trusting A Benevolent God” (James 1:17-18 sermon)

Posted on 2024/06/10 by Shawn Thomas

One of my favorite scenes from the movies is from the holiday classic: “A Christmas Story,” when little Ralphie discovers the BB gun his father had bought him for Christmas. The dad watches with delight as Ralphie opens the box, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons | Tagged 119:68, A Christmas Story, bb gun, benevolent God, Book of James, born again, Ephesians 1:13, evangelism, faith, giving, God, God change, God good, God is good, God is good all the time, good, goodness of God, gospel, gospel message, I Timothy 2:4, II Peter 3:9, James, James 1:17, James sermons, Jesus, Jimmy Stewart, John 3:3, John 3:7, John MacArthur, Joshua Breland, Makr 10:18, Matthew 7:11, new birth, Nicodemus, Psalm 100:5, radio ministry, Ralphie, salvation, Shenandoah movie, Shenandoah movie prayer, shifting shadow, sun, sunlight, trust, What Real Faith Looks Like, witness | 1 Comment

Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 12:1-5, 13:11-18, “Promised”

Posted on 2024/01/27 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 12:1-5, 13:11-18, for Sunday, February 4, 2024, with the title, “Promised.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Abraham, Abram, Bible study, Blessed are the meek, blessed to be a blessing, blessing, Explore the Bible, faith, Genesis 12, Genesis Sunday school lesson, gentleness, George Washington, giving, Hebrews 11, humility, Israel, life map, Lifeway, Matthew 5:5, meekness, meekness Psalm, mission trip, missions, Numbers 12:3, obedience, Promised Land, Psalm 37, Psalm 67, rights, step of faith, Sunday School, Sunday School teacher, tithing, Trenton | 7 Comments

“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’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 8:10-22, “Land!”

Posted on 2024/01/06 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 8:10-22 for Sunday, January 14, 2024, with the title, “Land!” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: ??? Can you … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged "Land!", ark, But God, cancer, church, creation laws, deliverance, don't just do something stand there, don't just stand there do something, Edward Dolnick, Ephesians 2, eternal life, Explore the Bible, faith, faithfulness of God, flood, Genesis 8, Genesis 8:10-22, giving, giving testimony, God, God creation, gratitude, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, hope, I Samuel 13, judgment, laws of science, Lifeway, Matthew Henry, Noah, obedience, patience, Pinkerton's bbq, Psalm 130:5, sacrifice, sacrificial giving, salvation, Sir Isaac Newton, testimony, thanks, Thanksgiving, The Clockwork Universe, the flood, tithe, tithing, trust, trusting God, waiting, waiting on God, waiting on the Lord | 7 Comments

“Ungodly Appetites” (Habakkuk 2:5+ sermon)

Posted on 2023/10/30 by Shawn Thomas

In Leonia, New Jersey, a few years ago, a man was arrested for stealing a truck of Snapple beverages. After they investigated, it turned out that he had previously worked for Snapple, and had been fired from his job for … Continue reading →

Posted in Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages, Sermons | Tagged addictions, America judgment, appetite, Caylie Anthony, Colossians 2:21, debt, drinking, drugs, drunkenness, finances, giving, gospel, greed, Habakkuk, Habakkuk sermon, Jesus, judgment, legalism, materialism, money, more, more more more, pornography, retail therapy, salvation, satisfaction, shoppers high, Snapple, tithe, tithing, ungodly appetites, woe | 1 Comment

“Will Your Work Perish, or Last?” (John 6:27 sermon)

Posted on 2023/08/14 by Shawn Thomas

Every so often the U.S. economy will have a recession, or a depression — or even what they call a “Crash,” like what happened in 1929. One of the worst in our history was in 1873, when banks and businesses … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged 168 hours a week, 5 loves and 2 fish, baptism, Billy Graham, bread, call to ministry, Christian vocation, crash, depression, don't waste your life, Dwight Eisenhower, economic crisis, economy, endure, eternal, eternal investment, eternal life, eternal security, feeding the 5000, fellowship hall, fish, giving, I Corinthians 3:12-15, invest time, Jesus foundation, Jim Eliot, John 6:27, John Piper, ministry, missions, money, perish, priorities, recession, salvation, saved, saved yet so as through fire, service, sinners prayer, soul, stewardship, temporary, that man is no fool, This Is My Story, time, tithe, vocation, work, works | 2 Comments