On Sunday, August 7, 2016 I preached a message at Wildwood Community Church based on Colossians 1:15-23.  This message was part 3 in the “Come Together” series.  Below you will find the sermon audio and video to listen to watch or share.  You will also find at the end of the audio and video the song “No More Night” performed by Kellie Koch and Greg Hill.

 

To Listen to the Sermon Audio offline, download here:

Come Together #3

 

To Listen Online, use the media Player Below:

 

To watch the sermon, use the Vimeo Video below:

The sermon will post here when available.

 

On Sunday, August 7, 2016 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Colossians 1:15-23.  This message was the third and final part of the “Come Together” series.  Below are a set of questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.

 

Sermon Questions:

1. Read Colossians 1:15-23
2. When you think of Sunday morning worship attendance, do you think of it more in terms of its various parts (sermon, music, offering, etc.) or in terms of WHO is being honored?  Why?  How would remembering that we come together because of who He (Jesus) is influence your attitude regarding corporate worship?
3. What stands out to you most about the description of Jesus from Colossians 1:15-23?  Anything “new to you” in this description?  Anything you maybe have forgotten about the person of Jesus Christ?
4. How does failing to remember who Jesus is negatively impact the way we live our lives?
5. What applications did you take from this Sunday’s sermon?

To download a copy of these questions in pdf form, click here.

As I write this, thousands of people have descended upon the Chesapeake Energy Arena, lining “Thunder Alley” in order to welcome Russell Westbrook (and his new contract extension) to a press conference.  The temperature is hovering near 100 degrees, and press conferences (especially ones hosted by the Thunder) are usually somewhat predictable, but that did not stop thousands from flocking to the ‘Peake at the end of a workday.  Why did people go to the Arena today?  Because of him.

Exactly one month ago, OKC felt the sting of the face of the franchise, Kevin Durant, leaving the Sooner state for the Bay area.  The past 30 days have put all Oklahoma on “Westbrook watch,” wondering if number zero would be the next player to break our hearts.  Instead, Russ is coming back to the Thunder and looks genuinely happy to do so.  He is an amazing talent, one of the five best basketball players in the world, and we are lucky to have him lead our franchise in the post-Durant era.  Because Westbrook was in the house, people showed up to pay homage.  They came because of him.

In our celebrity centered culture, we make a lot of attendance decisions based on WHO is being honored.  We tend to show up when the important people are there. 

Why do I share this story?  I share it because I think sometimes we devalue church attendance because we forget who is being honored.  We fail to show up to church because we have made church about a volunteer job we have to do, or a group of friends we need to see, or a message that might be interesting, or a set of songs we may or may not like.  When we make church about the WHAT, we sometimes lose our enthusiasm for participation.  But, we are not coming together on Sundays just to do some WHATs.  We come together on Sundays to celebrate Someone.  To worship Jesus.  We come together because of who He is.

A couple of weeks ago at Wildwood Community Church, we began a sermon series called “Come Together.”  This series sought to answer the question, “Why do we come together for worship on Sundays?”  So far in this series, we have been reminded that:

• We come together because of who we are – members of God’s household.  (Ephesians 2:19-22)
• We worship Him in Spirit and in Truth as we remember the who, what, when, and where of worship.  (John 4)

This coming Sunday, we will wrap up this series by looking at Colossians 1:15-23 together in a message which will remind us that we come together because of who He is.  We hope to have you join us this Sunday as we worship at 9:30 and 11:00.  We will also be watching the baptisms and hearing the testimonies of 14 people (divided between the two services) who were baptized this past month at Wildwood.  Make plans to join us this Sunday!

 

This morning at Wildwood Community Church, Pastor Brian Hayes preached part two in the “Come Together” series.  The message was based on John 4.  Below you will find the sermon audio/video to listen to/watch or share.

 

To listen offline, download audio at this link:

Come Together #2

 

To listen online, use the Media Player below:

 

To watch the video, use the Vimeo link below:

On Sunday morning, July 24, 2016 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Ephesians 2:19-22.  This message was part 1 of the “Come Together” series.  Below you will find the audio and video from the message for you to listen to/watch or share.

 

To listen offline, download the message via this link:

Come Together #1

 

To listen online, use the media player below:

 

To watch the video, use the Vimeo video below:

 

On Sunday, July 24, 2016 at Wildwood Community Church I preached a sermon based on Ephesians 2:19-22.  This message was part 1 of the “Come Together” series.  Below you will find a set of questions related to the message for further reflection or group discussion.

 

Sermon Questions:

1. Read Ephesians 2:19-22
2. If someone asked you, “Why do you attend church on Sunday morning?”  How would you answer?
3. Do you think that modern technology has helped encourage or discourage Sunday worship attendance?  Why or why not?
4. Ephesians 2:19-22 describes the diverse unity God has created in the church.  In what way does remembering WHO we are encourage you to gather with other believers and worship on Sundays?
5. What applications did you take from this Sunday’s sermon?

 

To download a pdf version of these questions, click here.