Advertise on podcast: Pastor Taylor Shippy's Sermons

Pastor Taylor Shippy - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 What makes a Christian leader trustworthy? In our survey of First Thessalonians, Paul pulls back the curtain on his ministry in Thessalonica—showing that the credibility of the message is inseparable from the character of the messenger. No impure motives. No tricks. No greed. No masks. No applause. Instead, Paul describes a ministry marked by gentleness, care, integrity, hard work, and a genuine desire to help others walk worthy of God. As we consider the people we allow to influence our faith, both leaders in our church and abroad, Paul’s words also turn the question back toward us: Do those people in our lives match the criteria Paul lays out?

Pastor Taylor Shippy - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 What if one of the most unlikely churches in the New Testament became the model for every other church? In the opening chapter of First Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul can't stop thanking God for a young, persecuted congregation whose faith worked, love labored, and hope endured. Their lives had been so transformed by the gospel that their reputation “rang out” far beyond their own city becoming the mold Paul wishes every church fit into… As we begin our journey surveying the Book of First Thessalonians, we ask ourselves challenging question: What would happen if our church fit the mold of the Thessalonian church?

What does it mean to be the Church? In Mark 3, Jesus calls the Twelve—not simply to believe in Him, but to be with Him and ultimately to be sent by Him. As His apprentices, they would learn to live like their Rabbi by watching, following, and becoming more like Him. And that's still the calling of the Church today. As we kick off a new ministry year at Gibbon Baptist Church, Pastor Taylor invites us to move beyond simply attending church and consider what it means to fully participate in the life and mission of Christ's Church. Called. Gathered. Sent.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Daniel 6:1-28 What would people find if they examined your life as closely as Daniel’s enemies examined his? In Daniel 6, Daniel is pressured to compromise his integrity and his faith—but instead of panicking, retaliating, or retreating, he remains steady, faithful, and true to God. His integrity and consistency don’t just carry him through the lions’ den; they become a witness to the living God. In this message, we consider what it means to live with integrity, consistency, and a faith that points beyond ourselves to the living God—especially when the pressure is on.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Daniel 4:1-37 What do we do when the people who have hurt us finally get what they deserve? In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar’s pride brings about his downfall—and eventually helps him find a 'new groove.' But this story also gives us a surprising picture of Daniel’s humility. Even when his enemy falls, Daniel doesn’t gloat. Instead, he shows compassion, speaks the truth without humiliation, and hopes for his enemy’s redemption. What might Daniel teach us about loving our enemies, the “Nebuchadnezzars" in our own lives?

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Daniel 5:1-31 A mysterious hand appears on the wall in the middle of a royal feast. No one knows what it means. No one can make sense of it. But Daniel can. And what he reveals is far more sobering than anyone expected. In Daniel 5, we encounter a king confronted with a message he cannot ignore—and a warning that reaches far beyond an ancient Babylonian banquet. What does the handwriting on the wall have to say to us today? Come listen as we consider the weight of the writing—and discover a surprising word of hope hidden on the other side of judgment.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Daniel 3:1-30 What if we’ve been telling the story of the fiery furnace all wrong? In Daniel 3, the spotlight usually falls on the three Hebrew young men who were thrown into a fiery furnace. But what if the spotlight is actually supposed to fall on an unlikely character? Join us as we continue our journey through the Book of Daniel in our series “Faithfulness in Exile” and discover what this unlikely main character has to teach us about faith, idols, and trusting God when we don’t know how the story will end.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Daniel 2:1-49 As we continue our series "Daniel: Faithfulness in Exile", we continue following Daniel as he learns what it means to trust God in a world ruled by powerful empires. In Daniel 2, a restless king, an impossible dream, and a towering statue reveal a truth that God's people desperately needed to hear in Exile—and still need today. When the kingdoms of this world seem overwhelming and the future feels uncertain, how do we remain faithful without compromising, fighting for control, or retreating in fear? Join us as we discover that every earthly kingdom has its limits, why God's Kingdom alone endures forever, and what it looks like to live with hope—even in the shadow of the statue.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Daniel 1:1-20 Have you ever felt the friction of trying to live out your faith in a culture moving in the opposite direction? Throughout history, God’s people have often found themselves swimming against the cultural current—facing subtle daily pressures to compromise their convictions. That’s precisely where Daniel and his friends found themselves. Their story begins with a crisis: four young men—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—are carried away captive to Babylon. Stripped of their home, language, and culture, these royal captives are recruited into the service of a pagan empire. Their world changed overnight, but what about their allegiance to God? The Book of Daniel traces how ordinary people navigate the subtle currents and overt pressures pushing them to abandon their commitment to God. Noticeably, these young men don't flee the culture, attempt to overthrow it, or quietly assimilate into it—instead, they learn how to remain faithfully devoted to God within it. Join us for the first conversation of our six-part series through Daniel 1-6 as we learn how to stand firm, hope deeply, and trust God in our own modern-day exile.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - James 5:16-18 Elijah is one of the most remarkable figures in all of Scripture—a prophet through whom God performed extraordinary things. Yet James reminds us that Elijah was "a human being, even as we are..." In this message, we explore the surprising truth that a deep, vibrant relationship with God is not reserved for spiritual superheroes; rather, God desires this intimacy with all of His children! The same God who met Elijah is still inviting ordinary people like us into an extraordinary life with Him!

Pastor Taylor Shippy - James 3:1-12 Have we forgotten the power of our words—or do we underestimate it? In James 3:1–12, Pastor James reminds us that our tongues may be small, but they possess tremendous power to direct lives, shape relationships, and even create worlds! Join us as we explore the power and responsibility of our words—and what it looks like to use them for blessing rather than destruction.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - James 2:14-26 What if faith is more than a noun—it's also a verb? In our message this morning, James confronts us was with a troubling possibility: that it’s possible to know all the right things about God, say all the right things about Jesus, and still lack genuine faith. James argues that authentic faith is like a sentence—it’s incomplete without verbs. Join us as we explore the difference between faith alone and a faith that works, a faith that merely tells and a faith that shows and tells. Because faith without works isn't just incomplete—it may not have a pulse.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - James 1:2-8 Have you ever wanted to cut a verse out of your Bible? If we're honest — most of us have. And the text we're sitting with today might be the one that finally tempts you to reach for the scissors. "Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2).  What if buried inside this strange, unsettling command is a pastoral wisdom still relevant for Christians today? And by leaning into what James is saying, there is promise about what God is quietly doing in the hardest seasons of your life.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-12 Pentecost Sunday In Genesis 11, humanity built a tower trying to reach heaven. In Acts 2, heaven came crashing down to earth. This Pentecost Sunday, we're reading those two stories side by side — and discovering that what God built at Pentecost is everything Babel was always reaching for and could never find on its own. We're traveling all the way back to Babel to discover that maybe God was never against what humanity was reaching for… He just imagined it differently. And what He imagined... looks a lot like Pentecost.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - John 2:1-12 What if the best advice we could ever hear came from the lips of Jesus’ mother? At a small wedding in Cana, a quiet crisis unfolds. The wine runs out. Panic spreads. And Mary simply says: “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5). In this message this morning, we explore the mystery of Jesus’ first miracle—and what it means not merely to believe in Jesus, but to actually believe Him. Somewhere between the filling and the pouring, water becomes wine… and we experience a miracle.