On Sunday, October 31, 2021 the sermon is based on 2 Thes. 3:1-2. This message, “Winning Prayers,” by Kevin Bradford, is the conclusion to our “For the Nations” event from October 23-31 at Wildwood (find details here). Below you will find questions related to this message for personal reflection or group discussion.
Sermon Questions:
Pray
Read 2 Thes. 3:1-2
How would you rate your prayer life? Do you feel that most of your prayer requests are answered with a “Yes”?
What do you consider to be the keys to an effective prayer life? Have you ever tried praying the prayers of Scripture?
This passage underscores the need to pray for the church’s outreach. What two facets are highlighted?
Do you know any of Wildwood’s Global Outreach partners? In what ways could you personalize your prayers for those who present the Gospel to non-Christians?
Although our “For the Nations” week is wrapping up, there are still many opportunities to connect with our partners, both locally and around the world. Contact the church office for more information.
How many balls can you juggle at one time? How many plates can you keep spinning? For most of us, that answer is pretty small. One, two, three … maybe? Even the greatest performers in the circus struggle to do much more than that! We all have our limits and our experience reminds us of this all the time.
And yet …
Our God is not limited by the things we are limited by. He is aware of ALL situations … ALL people … ALL plans. He is able to keep the whole world spinning, juggle all the components of the universe, and do so without even breaking a sweat. Our God is an awesome God!
What a joy it is to know that our God is not confined by us … but He is committed to us … and He desires to use us to spin the Gospel to the nations.
During these few days at Wildwood, we are talking about how we can be “For the Nations” as a church. This Sunday, October 31, we will conclude our “For the Nations” week with our Director of Global Outreach Kevin Bradford (a career missionary and seminary professor in Brazil) guiding us into God’s Word. We will also hear from more of our missionary partners. Hope you make plans to join us in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service, or online in the stream at 9:45 (or anytime after).
My guess is “movement.”At least that is how I would answer that question.I would far rather be a part of something that has a positive direction and that is making a meaningful difference instead of simply attending a meeting.Most I know would echo that sentiment.
So, let me ask you … when it comes to your church involvement, would you rather be a part of a Sunday/Wednesday meeting, or would you rather be a part of a Spirit/Word movement of God?Yeah … me too.
That is why it is with great enthusiasm that I invite you to join us at Wildwood over the next week as we will be aligning our meetings with a major movement of God in the world.By His grace and in His mercy, Jesus is pursuing the nations of the world, offering them eternity and sharing with them His love.How is Jesus doing this?Through the mission of His church, of which Wildwood is a part.
At Wildwood, we talk about being “For the Nations” following Jesus to the glory of God, and we partner with individuals and organizations all over the world to plant churches, preach the Gospel, train pastors and missionaries, and minister God’s love and grace.
Make plans this weekend to join us Saturday night, October 23, 2021 at 6:30 in our worship center as we hear from one of the men God is using the most for Christ in the Middle East.At this kickoff event, we will hear more about what God is doing in some of the hardest to reach places on earth.
Then on Sunday morning, October 24 in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 worship services, this same man will be guiding us into a study of Colossians 1:24-29.We will also hear from other Wildwood missionary partners.We can’t wait for Sunday!Find out more about these events and the rest of the festivities in our “For the Nations” Week by visiting wildwoodchurch.org/nations2021.
Let’s be a part of this movement together to the glory of God.See you Saturday and Sunday!
On Sunday, October 17, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Acts 13:1-3. This message was the “preview” to our “For the Nations” event that will occur from October 23-31 at Wildwood (find details here). Below you will find questions related to this message for personal reflection or group discussion. You will also find the audio and video of the sermon to listen to/watch, download, or share.
Sermon Questions:
Pray
Read Acts 13:1-3
Have you ever been on a missions trip before?What was the purpose of the trip and what are the strongest memories you have of the experience?
In 13:1 we see a list of leaders from the church in Antioch.This is a diverse group!Have you ever been a part of a group of people with very diverse backgrounds that came together as one?What created the unity?How does Jesus make this kind of unity among diverse people possible inside the church today?
When was the last time you prayed and fasted for the mission of Jesus in the world?You can pray TODAY … but also you can join us as a church on October 28 as we pray for the mission of the church in the world at 6:30pm in our worship center.
In what way are you personally participating in taking the Gospel to the world?Giving, prayer, personally going, helping send others?Join us throughout the “For the Nations Week” October 23-31 as we interact with many Wildwood has SENT to the world!
What stands out to you most from this message?Any particular takeaway?
To access these questions in pdf format, click here.
I am a sinful person.My desires are not always pure and my actions not always righteous.More often than I want to admit, the grid through which I process a situation is “what’s in it for me?”
Can anyone relate?
Because of that, I should not be surprised that in my flesh, I often think that whatever I see is for me.Last slice of cake?Must be mine.Last $20 in my wallet?Must be for MY lunch.$50 for a birthday gift?What do I WANT?Our flesh puts the center of gravity in OURSELVES, putting everyone and everything around us in our orbit.
This attitude is not just present in our attitude toward things, it also even filters into the way we think about our church.We want the best leader leading MY small group.We want the best preacher preaching the service that I ATTEND.We want the best worship band leading ME in worship on Sundays.We want the coolest most amazing Youth or Children’s Pastor impacting MY KIDS.We put ourselves at the center, and we don’t let anything get too far removed from our gravitational pull.
Because of this dynamic, we find what happens in Acts 13:1-3 quite alien.A long time ago, in a time before ANY CHURCHES sent people out on mission trips, one church (in Antioch) released their beloved Senior Pastor and his hotshot young teaching protege out on an extended missionary journey.They took up a collection, they released them from their Antioch specific duties, and they sent them off to lead OTHERS, to preach to THOSE WHO HAD NOT HEARD, and to lead OTHER PEOPLE’S FAMILIES to the throne of grace.All this meant that the pulpit in Antioch and the Sunday school classes in their hallways would be led by someone else.How amazing is this!?!?
To put this in practical terms, imagine a hypothetical situation where Wildwood gathered for worship on Sunday and had a particularly amazing time of worship and prayer … and at the end of that service, commissioned our Teaching Pastor Bruce Hess and myself (Senior Pastor) to take the Gospel to a foreign land, leaving Wildwood to serve in another field.Now some of you might be excited by the change, but some of you would also be sad by this development!What could enable a congregation to move past their personal agenda to take such missional action?
People with themselves at the center would almost never send someone they like to permanently serve someone else.They would want to keep them around to serve THEIR needs.However, in Christ, there is another option.
If Jesus (not us) is at the center, and His glory is at the forefront, then everything exists to honor Him.And Jesus has said that the Gospel is to go “into all the world, making disciples of ALL NATIONS …”So, churches in sync with the Savior do not collect ministers like stamps, but instead send them out to the ends of the earth.Instead of relegating missionary activities to those who “can’t cut it here,” the Spirit-empowered church is open to sending its best to those who have not heard.The task is that important!
In our worship services over the next 3 weeks at Wildwood, we will have a special emphasis on the Lord’s work through Wildwood helping us be “For the Nations” following Jesus to the glory of God.In these three weeks we will get to hear from some of Wildwood’s best and brightest who are proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth, particularly inside (or near) the 10/40 window. Please, please, please make plans to attend.This Sunday we will kick off this series with a preview message where I will be looking at Acts 13:1-3 and contemplating the unifying and primary task of the missionary expansion of the church, and Wildwood’s role in it.Make plans to join us this Sunday, October 17 in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 worship services, on online in the stream (wildwoodchurch.org/live) beginning at 9:45. Join us … and invite friends!
Friends, if you were at Wildwood this past weekend, you know that we have entered into a partnership with Compassion International, including helping connect sponsors for the children in the new church plant in Lagoa de Sao Francisco, Brazil. Many of you participated with us last weekend in this effort! Thank you and praise God!
We had 1,910 “stories viewed” in the Compassion Experience (Jey and Kiwi’s stories were shared in the trailer there in a powerful and interactive way). We also had 223 children around the world who received sponsorships last weekend, with 154 of those students being from our church plant partner in Lagoa de Sao Francisco, Brazil. WOW! What a generous response by the people of Wildwood. We are praising God for this!
This leaves only 46 children from the church plant in Lagoa still in need of sponsorship. Between now and Easter Sunday, the packets representing these remaining children will still be at Wildwood. You can stop by our Compassion table in the Gathering Hall each of the next few Sundays to join the team in sponsoring these kids.
[Online below, there is a short video summarizing this update]
On Sunday, March 10, 2019 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on the book of Romans entitled “For the Nations (part 2).” This message encouraged Wildwood regarding our partnership with a church plant in Brazil in partnership with Compassion International. To listen to this message or share it with others, use the audio below.
To listen offline, click the link below to download:
On Sunday, March 10, 2019 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a message based on Isaiah 49:6; Romans 1:8-12; 15:20-21; and 16:1-27. This message was the second part of the “For the Nations” series and highlighted the church plant partnership with Compassion in Lagoa de Sao Francisco, Brazil. Below are a set of questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.
Sermon Questions:
Pray
Read Isaiah 49:6; Romans 1:8-12; 15:20-21; and 16:1-27
Jesus is worthy of the worship and adoration of all people.Is this concept motivational for you in seeing the Good News of Jesus spread to the ends of the earth?
Have you ever been on a mission trip before?In what way were you encouraged by the faith of those who knew Jesus in the area where you went to serve?
To the best of your understanding, where are some places in the world today where the Gospel still needs to go?
In order to accomplish His mission, Jesus gathers believers together and invites them to join in His mission to take the Gospel to the lost.In what ways do you sense the Lord inviting you into this adventure?
Have you personally considered beginning to sponsor one of the children in the Compassion Center associated with our new church plant in Brazil?
What is one particular application you took away from this message?
To access these questions in pdf format, click here.
Wildwood Community Church is for following Jesus together to the glory of God. We are for the church, community, nations, and next generation following Jesus with us! As we live out this mission as a church, we are always looking for ways to reach out in line with this vision. One way we are living this vision out as a congregation is through helping plant a church in Lagoa de Sao Francisco, Brazil in concert with a fantastic set of church planters (& their team), two other Brazilian churches, and Compassion International. Wildwood funded the construction of the building where the church and Compassion Center meet, and in January I had the opportunity to visit this church on the weekend they dedicated the facility. What a blessing!
On the weekend of March 8-11 at Wildwood, we are celebrating God’s work through the church in Lagoa de Sao Francisco, but also presenting the opportunity for Wildwood members to sponsor children in the Compassion center in Lagoa de Sao Francisco. All weekend long, people can tour the Compassion Experience (an interactive walkthrough showing the life of a Compassion child) on site at Wildwood. Also, on Sunday, March 10, I will be presenting the vision and opportunity through this church plant in our Sunday worship services (9:45 and 11:00).
To help share the story of this church plant and the Compassion Center, check out these 10 one minute videos that cast the vision:
On Sunday, March 3, 2019 at Wildwood Community Church, David Robles (Pastor and Seminary President from Leon, Spain) preached a message from Psalm 67. This message was part 1 of the “For the Nations” series here at Wildwood. Below you will find the sermon audio from this message to listen to or share.
To listen offline, click the link below to download:
