Tag Archives: love

Teacher’s Overview of Matthew 12:1-14, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, “Rejecting Legalism,” for 2/15/26.

Posted on 2026/02/07 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for teachers of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of Matthew 12 for February 15, 2026. Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations you can use, discussion questions for your group, and spiritual life … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Bible, Bible study, Book of Matthew, Byron Farwell Mr Kipling's Army, C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity, care, church, church legalism, church tradition, criticism, David McCullough Johnstown Flood, Deity of Christ, Explore the Bible, God, Jesus, legalism, Lifeway, Lord of the Sabbath, love, Matthew, Matthew 12, mercy, Oral tradition, ox in a ditch, Pharisees, Rudyard Kipling, Sabbath, sabbath breaking, Sunday School, Talmud, the Law, tradition | 2 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of Matthew 8 & 9, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, “Every Life Valued” for 1/18/26

Posted on 2026/01/10 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Matthew 8:1-4, 14-17, and 9:1-8, Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for January 18, 2026. Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text highlights and outline, illustrations you can share, … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged "Every Life Valued", A Christmas Carol, Bernard Ollivier Walking to Samarkand, Bible, Bible study, C.S. Lewis Weight of Glory, caring, caring for people, Carl Sandburg Abraham Lincoln, demons, Dickens, empty stomach, every person matters, Explore the Bible, forgiveness, God, gospel, healing, heaven, It Is Well, Jesus, Jesus authority, King Jesus, leper, leper colony, leprosy, Lifeway, love, mankind was my business, Matthew, Matthew 8, Matthew 8 & 9, Matthew 9, ministering to the sick, ministry, my sin o the bliss, outcasts, paralytic, paralyzed man, Peter mother in law, Psalm 32:1, salvation, Salvation Army, sick, sickness, sin, spiritual healing, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, William Booth, your sins are forgiven | 6 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-25, “Love” for Sunday 11/02/25

Posted on 2025/10/25 by Shawn Thomas

Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text highlights and outline, illustrations you can share, discussions for your group, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRODUCTION: You could begin the lesson … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged application, Bible, Bible study, commandments, commands, Deuteronomy 6, evangelism, Explore the Bible, family, God, gospel, grandsons, home, Jesus, keep commandments, lesson overview, Lifeway, love, love God, love the LORD your God, Matthew Henry, Message, mezuzah, obedience, obey, phylactery, righteousness, scripture, Shema, Shema O Israel, sons, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, witness, word of God, Yahweh, YHWH | 3 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of II Peter 1:3-8, 16-21, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson, “Be Equipped,” for 5/11/25

Posted on 2025/05/03 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of II Peter 1:3-8 and :16-21, for Sunday, May 11, 2025, with the title, “Be Equipped.” A video version of this overview is available … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Baptist Faith & Message 2000, Bible, Bible Reading, Bible study, Christian life, Chuck Colson, Colson I know the resurrection is true, daily Bible reading, discipleship, discussion questions, education, Explore the Bible, Explore the Bible lesson, eyewitness, eyewitness testimony, faith, God's word, gospel, II Peter, II Peter 1, II Peter 1:3-8, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, John Newton quote, lesson outline, Lifeway, love, process of spiritual growth, Psalm 23:1, Richard Bauckham, Richard Feynman, salvation, scripture memory, Shawn Thomas, Sherlock Holmes quote, spiritual growth, Sunday School, Sunday school help, Sunday School teacher, testimony, the greatest of these is love, The Lord is my Shepherd, The Scriptures | 5 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of I Peter 4:1-11, “Our Faith,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for 4/13/25

Posted on 2025/04/05 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of I Peter 4:1-22, with the title “Our Faith,” for Sunday, April 13, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged above all love, Bible, Bible study, Bible study lesson, David McCullough 1776, end of the world, eschatlogy, Explore the Bible, George Washington, God, good for love, gospel, holiness, Hope Thomas, I Peter, I Peter 4, I Peter 4:1-11, I Peter 4:10, I Timothy 1:5, Jesus, Lifeway, love, love covers, Martin Luther, plant an apple tree, priority of love, return of Christ, salvation, sanctification, second coming, Shawn Thomas, sin, spiritual gifts, steward, stewardship, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, surprise attack | 10 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of I Peter 1:13-25, “Our Mandate,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for 3/09/25

Posted on 2025/03/01 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of I Peter 1:13-25, for Sunday, March 9, 2025, with the title, “Our Mandate.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged "Our Mandate", "therefore living", accountability to God, agape love, agape vs philadelphia love, Andrew Jackson judgment, Bible, Bible application, blood of Jesus, brotherly love, Christian life, church, Explore the Bible, Francis Schaeffer, George Muller prayer, gird up your loins, gird your minds for action, gospel, grow in love, holy, How Should We Then Live?, I Corinthians 6:19-20, I Peter, I Peter 1, I Peter 1:13-25, II Corinthians 5:10, Jesus blood, Jon Meacham Andrew Jackson, judgment, judgment seat of Christ, Leviticus holy, Lifeway, love, love based living, love in church, Romans 12:1, salvation, sanctification, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, teacher help, therefore, Tim Keller prayer, word of God, word-based living, you shall be holy | 12 Comments

“Immanuel: God is With Us” (Matthew 1:23 sermon)

Posted on 2024/12/23 by Shawn Thomas

In David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Harry Truman, he writes about “This first Truman to reach Jackson County … Anderson Shipp Truman … was slight, gentle, soft-spoken, thirty years old, and without prospects. Nevertheless, Mary Jane Holmes, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Bible, Christianity, David McCullough, depravity of man, Emmanuel, Ephesians 1:13, faith, for You are with me, Genesis 6, Genesis 6:5, God, God is with us, gospel, Harry S Truman, heaven, Hebrews 1:3, Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 6:19, II Corinthians 13:5, Immanuel, Incarnation, Isaiah 7, Isaiah 7:14, Jesus, Jesus Deity, Jesus is GOd, judgment, love, Martin Luther, Mary, Matthew 1, Matthew 1:23, peace, Psalm 23, salvation, test yourself, The Best Christmas pageant Ever, the Lord is with you, Truman, where meek hearts will receive Him still | Leave a comment

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Exodus 2:23-25, 3:7-15, “Seen & Heard” for 12/01/24

Posted on 2024/11/23 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Exodus 2 & for December 1, 2024 with the title, “Seen & Heard.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Colossians 1:13, Egypt, Exodus, Explore the Bible, God, God cares, God's promise, gospel, Hagar, I AM, Israel, Jehovah, Jesus, lesson help, Lifeway, love, mission, Moses, name of God, Psalm 139, salvation, Shawn E. Thomas, shawnethomas.com, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school teacher outline, tetragrammaton, Thom Rainer, Unexpected Journey, Yahweh | 7 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 … Continue reading →

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 Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 2:41-47, “United”

Posted on 2024/06/08 by Shawn Thomas

And overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 2:41-47, for Sunday, June 16, 2024, with the title, “United.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Acts, Acts 2, Acts 2:41-47, apostolic teaching, At Arm's Length, baptism, believer's baptism, Bible, Bill Elliff, Book of Acts, church in Acts, Dan Emmitt, Early Church, Explore the Bible, fellowship, house of prayer, infant baptism, Jack Tillery, kidney transplant, koinonia, lesson overview, lesson plan, Lifeway, love, marks of the church, prayer, Simply Prayer, sprinkling baptism, Sunday School, Sunday school help, Sunday School teacher, unity, word of God | 3 Comments