On Sunday, September 30, 2018 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a message looking at the “4 Fors” of Wildwood. This message was a part of “Looking Ahead” and concluded our 50th Anniversary Celebration. Below you will find the audio from the message to listen to or share.
To listen offline, click the link to download:
Celebrating 50 Years #3 9.30.18
To listen online, use the media player below:
To watch the entire service, view via our Facebook Live stream:
On Sunday, September 30, 2018, I preached a sermon at Wildwood Community Church highlighting the “4 Fors” as a part of “Looking Ahead” as a church. This message was the third installment in our 50th anniversary celebration. Below you will see a set of questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.
Sermon Questions:
Access these questions in pdf format by clicking here.
In prominent cities around the world, museums exist to tell stories of the past. Artifacts, plaques, and presentations combine to instruct and to inspire. Whether the subject matter of the museum is art, history, or science, one thing each museum has in common is that they are all D-E-A-D. The items in the halls of these buildings may inspire those in the present to make a better future, but the very nature of a museum is a chronicling of the past.
As you probably know, this month we are celebrating Wildwood’s 50th anniversary as a church. As a part of any anniversary, you spend some portion of time looking backward. This gives us a chance to remember God’s work in the past to inspire us for our present and our future. However, there is something significant we cannot forget . . .
The church is not a museum.
Mistakenly, translators of our English Bibles failed to properly translate Matthew 16:18b into accurate English. In Matthew 16:18b, Jesus says, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” In this verse, the Greek word “Ekklesia” is translated “church” by modern English Bible translators. The word “church” is actually a word with German roots that means “the Lord’s House” . . . and could even be translated the “Lord’s Temple.” The only problem is, Jesus did not speak German when He spoke the words of Matthew 16! The Greek behind that statement is better translated into English as “congregation” or “assembly of people.” For a variety of reasons (most of them political) the first translators of the English Bible (save William Tyndale who was killed for his translation!) called it a “church” and that translation has been the tradition ever since.
Why do I give that piece of history here? I give it because if the church is a PLACE . . . a BUILDING . . . it could be a museum – a place to simply look back and remember. However, the Ekklesia Jesus is building is a gathering of people. A Body. And it is ALIVE!
Remembering this, we know the church does not just have a past, it has a present and a future! This Sunday at Wildwood, we will be wrapping up the celebration of our 50th anniversary by looking ahead to some exciting opportunities we have as a church to invite the church, the community, the nations, and the next generation to follow Jesus together with us to the glory of God. Make plans to be at Wildwood this Sunday, September 30, 2018, at 9:45 or 11:00 as we worship together. O Church arise!
On Sunday, September 23, 2018 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon refocusing our congregation on the Mission of the Church. This message was part 2 in the 50th Anniversary celebration. Below you will find the sermon audio to listen to or share.
To listen offline, click the link to download:
Celebrating 50 Years #2 9.23.18
To listen online, use the media player below:
To watch the entire worship service from our livestream, view the Facebook Live event:
On Sunday, September 23, 2018, I preached a message at Wildwood Community Church on the mission of the church. This message was the second Sunday of our 5oth anniversary celebration. Below are a set of questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.
Sermon Questions:
To access these questions in pdf format, click here.
Think of any organization where you are a member. What is its purpose? Why does it exist? The answer to that question is meaningful and has real world consequences. Often times organizations summarize their purpose in a single mission statement to help unite the group around its common cause. A quick survey of some of the organizations my family is connected to reveals the following mission statements:
Norman Youth Soccer Association:
“To encourage, promote and stimulate interest and participation in the game of soccer by organizing recreational and competitive soccer teams; developing our players, coaches and referees; promoting sportsmanship; maintaining proper playing facilities; and operating in a financially responsible manner.”
Norman Public Schools:
“To prepare and inspire all students to achieve their full potential.”
Cleveland County YMCA:
“To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.”
Reading these statements gives you a sense of what these organizations are all about. For prospective members, the mission helps them decide if they want to align with the group. For existing members, the purpose reminds the regulars what they are collectively trying to accomplish.
As interesting and informative as the above statements are, it is also important to stop and think about what the mission statement is for the Church. What is our purpose? What are we called to unite around?
In Matthew 16:18b, Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!” This statement is critical on so many levels, but one thing Jesus makes clear here is that the church (the true church) is HIS. As a Pastor, if I view Wildwood as MY church, then I am building something that has an uncertain future, resting on a faulty premise of ownership. But, if I rightly view the Church as JESUS’ Church, then I can rest confidently in the glorious future He has guaranteed!
As it pertains to mission statements, the above principle of ownership makes a clear and important application: since the church is Jesus’ then He sets the mission, not us. And, since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, the mission He set out for His church in Matthew 28:19-20 still holds true today. Our mission is to: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always to the end of the age.”
Though the mission of the Church has not changed for 2,000 years, the articulation of that purpose can morph from time to time to refocus us (through contemporary language) on its original meaning. So, with Jesus as our captain, and Wildwood’s 50th anniversary as our catalyst, we want to take this Sunday (September 23, 2018) to remind us anew of the mission of Wildwood Community Church. This Sunday we will introduce some new language pointing to an ancient purpose for our church.
If you are new to Wildwood (either only been a Sunday or two or not yet attended) this Sunday is a GREAT Sunday to come and check us out. You will hear our understanding of our mission. If you have been around Wildwood for a long time, this Sunday is a GREAT Sunday to come and refocus on why we are here and the importance of our assembly.
Hope ALL of you can be with us Sunday in our 9:45 or 11:00 service as we remind each other of our mission together. Hope to see you there!
In 2018, Wildwood Community Church (where I have the privilege of pastoring) is celebrating our 50th anniversary. As a part of this celebration, Bruce Hess and I recorded a bit of the history of Wildwood in this brief history. Many thanks to Nick and Reagan Dyer for producing this video for us. But most of all, thanks to God for the blessing He has shown Wildwood over the past 5 decades.
King David lived a life marked by God’s blessings. As a young boy he was anointed Israel’s next King, became a military hero by knocking down the giant Goliath, and (as if that was not enough) he also was a prominent musician in his day – playing for the current king and his court. In his adult life, David was the King of Israel, a writer of sections of the Holy Scriptures, and a “man after God’s own heart.” Near the end of David’s life, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, David wrote Psalm 103 — a great Psalm of praise to God. This Psalm begins this way:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:”
Of this statement, John MacArthur says:
“We must not forget ALL His benefits, because He has forgiven ALL our sins!”
All believers in Jesus Christ can (and must) thank God for the benefits of our salvation, our ultimate healing (in glory), and the way God loves and cares for us (things detailed in the rest of Psalm 103). In addition to these things, though, as a church family, Wildwood Community Church has the privilege of blessing the Lord and remembering ALL His benefits to us as a church over the past 50 years. Since 1968, God has provided abundantly for our church family, and over the next 3 Sundays (September 16, 23, and 30) we want to bless His holy name together, forgetting none of these benefits!
This Sunday, September 16, we will be kicking off our 50th anniversary celebration in several special ways:
Make plans to be with us this Sunday, September 16 . . . and the rest of September . . . as we bless the Lord and remember His benefits together. Whether this Sunday is your first Sunday or you have been a part of Wildwood from the beginning, we have the privilege of following Jesus together. Looking forward to worshipping with each of you this Sunday at Wildwood!
