I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
-
Top Posts & Pages
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 2:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Worship the King," for 12/21/25
- “Immanuel: God With Us” (Matthew 1:23 sermon)
- "The Example of Joseph" (Matthew 1:18-25 sermon)
- "He Will Save His People From Their Sins" (Matthew 1:21 Sermon)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 sermon)
- "Your Response to Christmas" (Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Invitation," for 12/14/25
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
Categories
- "The Disciple's Character" series (Beatitudes Mt. 5:3-12)
- "The Disciplines of Disciples" series
- "This Is My Story" sermon series
- Beatitudes Series 2020 FBCA
- Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
- COVID-19 crisis assorted messages
- Current Events
- Devotions/Bible Studies
- Discipleship
- Discovering FBCA Membership class lessons
- Doctrine/Theology
- Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
- Explore the Bible Sunday School lessons
- Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages
- History
- Home & Family Life
- I Peter sermons
- India Mission Trip 2011
- Isaiah 53 sermon series Suffering Servant Glorious King
- John 3:16 sermon series
- Luke 10:38-42 Mary & Martha series
- Luke 2 Christmas series
- Matthew sermons
- Ministry
- missions
- Music
- Philippians sermons
- POTS (dysautonomia) articles
- Psalms studies and messages
- Revelation sermon series
- Reviews
- Sermon Illustrations
- Sermons
- The Model Prayer Series
- The Model Prayer series (FBCA 2020)
- This Week In Paradise (pastors family blog)
- Travel
- Uncategorized
- worship
Tag Archives: Philippian jailer
Teacher’s Overview of Acts 16:11-15, 29-40 “Every Opportunity,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for Oct. 6 2024
An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 16:11-15, 29-40, for Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 with the title, “Every Opportunity.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube … Continue reading →
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
|
Tagged baptism, believe in the Lord Jesus, Bible, Cheryl Thomas stroke, Christianity, circumstances, Emma Soames Mary Churchill's War, evangelism, evangelistic prayer, Explore the Bible, faith, fruit, Gene Warr, gospel, Hinduism, Islam, Jesus, Letters of Samuel Rutherford, Lifeway, Lydia, Lydia baptism, Mary Churchill, Max Barnett, ministry, mission, mission trip, opportunities, Paul & Silas, Philippi, Philippian jailer, prayer, salvation, Samuel Rutherford, second missionary journey, sharing gospel, SS lesson, Sunday School, witness, witness opportunities
|
7 Comments
“Suffering Servant, Glorious King: The Message” (Isaiah 53:1 sermon)
In the mid-1900s, a young English college student by the name of Brown Patterson went to Oxford to study English literature. Before classes began, he went out for a walk. There he saw a middle-aged man, wearing baggy corduroy trousers, … Continue reading →
Posted in Isaiah 53 sermon series Suffering Servant Glorious King, Sermons
|
Tagged Acts 10, Acts 16:31, Acts India Missiion, aim, arm of the Lord, Boswell Life of Johnson, C.S. Lewis, conviction, Ethiopian eunuch, evangelism, God, gospel, gospel message, hard heart, heaven, Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 2:14, II Corinthians 6:2, intercessory prayer, invitation, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 53 sermon, Isaiah 53:1, John 6:44, Matthew 16, Message, missions, Philippian jailer, power of the gospel, Psalm 16:11, relationship with God, response to gospel, Romans 10:1, Romans 1:16, salvation, salvation by grace, salvation prayer, sermon, Suffering Servant, thief on the cross, who has believed our message, works
|
Leave a comment
“A Confident Future” (Philippians 1:3-6 sermon)
Last week Cheryl & I went with Scott & Tina to get some fruit trees at the Fairgrounds — and we bought two different avocado trees and two satsumas. I LOVE avocados, so if those trees really produce a good … Continue reading →
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, Philippians sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
|
Tagged Aaron Ausmus police chief, Acts 16, anxiety, Apostle Paul prayer, avocado trees Texas, baptism, believe, building fund, Christianity, church, confidence, eternal security, faith, faith in Jesus saves, family prayer, fellowship, future, giving, God's protection, good deeds, good deeds vs. bad, gospel, gospel message, He who began a good work, He Will Hold Me Fast, I will never leave you, Isalm, Jesus prayer, John 17:12, judgment, keep them in prayer, Keith & Krysten Getty, koinonia, Lydia, ministry, missions, missions giving, Nabeel Qureshi, once saved always saved, participation, perseverance of the saints, Philippi, Philippian jailer, Philippians, Philippians 1:3-6, Philippians 2:13, Philippians 4:6, Philippians sermon, prayer, prayer warrior, praying, protection, Psalm 14, Romans 3, Romans 8:28-30, saving faith, scales of judgment, Seeking Allah Finding Jesus, service, share, The Ballpark in Arlington, there is none good, tithe, What must I do to be saved?, worry
|
1 Comment
“Seeking Him First” (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
This week I finished reading a book I had always heard about, but had never read: Herman Melville’s The White Whale or Moby Dick. In it he tells the story of Captain Ahab, who was obsessed with killing the great … Continue reading →
Posted in Discipleship, Home & Family Life, Matthew sermons, Uncategorized
|
Tagged Acts 16, anxiety, calendar, capitalism, church services, conversion, decision making, desperation, devotion time, dsicipleship, Eric Metaxas podcast, families, family first, finances, first fruits, follow Me, God first, home life, I Kings 3 Solomon, Islam, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kids baseball, kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven, Larry Burkett, Matthew 10:37, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 6:33 sermon, Moby Dick Herman Melville, money, Philippian jailer, Philippians 2:21, priorities, quiet time, religion in America, repentance, salvation, schedule, seeking, tithe, worry, worship attendance
|
6 Comments
“This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer” (Acts 16:25-34 sermon)
“And the prisoners were listening.” That phrase from the testimony story we just read in Acts 16 always sticks out to me. When Paul and Silas were unjustly thrown into the prison in Philippi, they didn’t bemoan their fate. The … Continue reading →
Posted in "This Is My Story" sermon series, Sermons
|
Tagged Acts 16:25-34, assurance, circumstances, conviction, evangelism, Philippian jailer, salvation, sermon, testimony, witness
|
12 Comments
shawnethomas 