Tag Archives: giving

“No Strange Fire: Honoring God in Worship” (Leviticus 10:1-3 sermon)

Posted on 2018/04/09 by Shawn Thomas

When I was pastoring in Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal came to our church one Sunday to share his testimony. It was a big day; we had one combined service, and every seat was filled, with standing room only. There were … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized, worship | Tagged Abba Father, Acts 5, Ananias & Sapphira, Apostle John, awesome God, balance, Bible, caesar banquet shamed, cat in church, celebrities in the church, clothing, creativity, dress, dress and worship, entertainment, entertainment and worship, familiarity, fear of God, focus in worship, giving, glory of God, God's word, Governor Bobby Jindal, Hebrews 13:28–29, house of prayer, hypocrisy, Leviticus 10:1-3 sermon, Lord's Supper, Malachi 3:10, Nadab & Abihu, obedience, prayer, preaching, regulative principle, relationship with God, respect, Revelation 1:13, Revelation 1:17, reverence, salvation, scripture, singing, songs, strange fire, testimonies, testimony, Unseen presence, worship, worship planning | Leave a comment

It’s Not Too Much

Posted on 2018/02/26 by Shawn Thomas

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.’” (Exodus 13:1-2) It is striking that God has … Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies | Tagged Abraham and Isaac, Exodus 13:1-2, giving, love, obedience, sacrifice, service, tithe, tithing, vocation | Leave a comment

“When The Lord Is Your God” (Genesis 28:10-22 sermon)

Posted on 2018/01/29 by Shawn Thomas

In our daily Bible reading this week we read one of my favorite passages from the Old Testament. I love it because it shows what happens in the life of a person when the Lord really becomes your God. We … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Abraham, Abraham worship, Bethel, Bible Reading, church, commitment, daily Bible reading, devotions, Eric Metaxass, faith, Franklin Graham, fruit, Genesis 14:20, Genesis 28:10-22, give back, giving, God’s house, grace, I Chronicles 29:14, Jacob, Jacob tithe, Jesus, Job 41:11, Law, Lordship, MasterLife, Melchizedek, OCC shoeboxes, Operation Christmas Child, personal worship, quiet time, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 5:11-12, salvation, Samaritan’s Purse, tithe, tithing, tithing and grace, tithing and Law, worship, Yahweh, YHWH, you shall know them by their fruit | 1 Comment

“The Narrow Way To Heaven” (Matthew 7:13-14 sermon)

Posted on 2017/10/23 by Shawn Thomas

A few years ago Cheryl & I were going to a big public event, and we were looking for the line to get in. We saw this one big crowded line, so we figured: That must be the one we … Continue reading →

Posted in Doctrine/Theology, Sermons | Tagged Acts 4:12, Bible, Christology, Cornelius Acts 10, doctrine, Eric Metaxas, eternal life, evangelism, giving, God's word, heaven, hell, Here I stand, hypothetical situations, I John 5:12, Jesus Christ, Jesus deity and humanity, Jesus only way, John 10:9, John 14:6, Martin Luther, Matthew 7:13-14 sermon, missions, missions giving, narrow way, narrow-minded, Noah, objective truth, offerings, one way, Oskar Schindler, Reformation, salvation, scripture, sola scriptura, the cross, truth, truth is narrow | 4 Comments

“Asking & Discerning” (Matthew 7:6-11 sermon)

Posted on 2017/10/02 by Shawn Thomas

I loved our Children’s Ministry Bible presentation last week, and I especially appreciated how Dr. Amanda mentioned that she is teaching our kids the importance of CONTEXT in scripture. It’s hard to overstate the importance of that in Bible interpretation. … Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged Acts 13:45, asking, church fundraisers, compromise, discerning, discernment, donations, evangelism, Ezra, fundraising, giving, government, Holy Spirit, III John, Johann Tetzel, Luke 23:8, Mark Twain Innocents Abroad, Martin Luther, Matthew 7:6, Matthew 7:6-11, missions, missions giving, missions support, Pandering, pearls before swine, prayer, Reformation Day, salvation, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, spiritual abuse, wisdom, witnessing | Leave a comment

“Your Best Investment” (Matthew 6:19-24 sermon)

Posted on 2017/09/04 by Shawn Thomas

In his epic novel “Les Miserables”, Victor Hugo writes about a rich, retired merchant who attended the church in the town — M. Geborand — who had accumulated an estate of 2,000,000 francs in the manufacture of cloth. M. Geborand … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Matthew sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged budget, Burke United Christian Ministries, Dr. David Burleson, eternity, faith, finances, Genesis 28, giving, He is no fool, heaven, Houston flood, I Peter 1, I Timothy 5, III John, imperishable, investments, Jesus, Jim Eliott, kingdom of God, local church, loss, Luke 12:16, mammon, material possessions, Matthew 19, Matthew 6:19-24, money, pastor support, perishable, rich young ruler, tithe, treasure, Walt Disney World | Leave a comment

“Don’t Be A Hypocrite!” (Matthew 6:1+ sermon)

Posted on 2017/07/31 by Shawn Thomas

“Beware!” If you are out driving, and you come across a sign in the road that says “Beware!”, you are going to pay attention, and proceed very carefully, aren’t you? And you should. You know there is something dangerous ahead, … Continue reading →

Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged actor, alms, applause of heaven, church, Facebook, fasting, giving, heart, humility, hypocrisy, hypocrite, hypocrites, Jesus, John 11 Jesus prayer, let your light shine, Luke 20:20, Matthew 23, Matthew 5:16, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:1-18, model prayer, motivation, NBA home court, Pharisees, poor in spirit, praise, prayer, pride, private prayer, public ministry, pure in heart, recognition, righteousness, scribes, singing, tip of the iceberg, worship | Leave a comment

Passing On What Was Delivered To Us (Lord’s Supper Message, I Corinthians 11:23-26)

Posted on 2017/04/13 by Shawn Thomas

Several years ago there was a couple who was driving on a remote stretch of highway in Florida, where there had been a number of crimes committed in recent days. Unfortunately the couple had car trouble and got stranded, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged communion, evangelism, forgiveness, giving, I Corinthians 11:23-26, Lord's Supper, ministry, teaching, tradition | 3 Comments

What Is Love?

Posted on 2017/01/16 by Shawn Thomas

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (I John 3:16) Everyone has some idea of what love is: songs and poems have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged brotherly love, feelings, giving, I John 3:16, John 3:16, love, sacrifice, true love | Leave a comment

“An Abundance For Every Good Deed”

Posted on 2016/03/03 by Shawn Thomas

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” (II Corinthians 9:8) The last phrase in this verse should cause many … Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized | Tagged giving, good deeds, II Corinthians 9:8, material blessings, money, stewardship | Leave a comment