On Sunday, February 26, 2023 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on 2 Corinthians 4:7-15.  This message was part 5 in the “Mission: Brief” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find sermon audio and video to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-15
3. In what way is the gift of the Gospel a “treasure?”  In what way are our earthly lives like “jars of clay”?
4. What do you treasure most?  Your “self” or your Savior?  What is the evidence of this in the manner you live your life?
5. What are some examples you know in your own life or those close to you where people have walked with God through difficult times leading you and others to praise God for your seeing Him work through their experience?
6. When you think of planning for “the future” how far ahead do you think?  To this lifetime only, or do you include eternity?  How does what Paul says in 4:14-15 encourage you invest in others for Christ today?
7. What are some ways you can serve others in Jesus’ name THIS WEEK?
8. What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To listen offline, click the link to download:

Mission: Brief #5 2.26.23

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In a drawer in our kitchen sit a stack of clear plastic containers. Some are square, others are rectangles, and still others are circular. These “lidded” containers have grown in number over the years. Most were considered disposable by another, but have been kept by us for re-use.

They are basically worthless by themselves. If I tried to sell them on eBay, my guess is they would not even get an opening bid of $1 … for all of them. That said, they prove VERY USEFUL for my family. We store food inside them that ultimately is used to nourish our bodies. Their value is found NOT in what they are, but what is IN THEM.

I say this today, because in 2 Corinthians 4:7-15, the Apostle Paul says something quite striking. He compares our lives to plastic disposable lidded dishes. He indicates that (for the Christian) the most valuable thing in our lives IS NOT OUR LIVES. The most valuable thing about a Christian is CHRIST IN THEM THE HOPE OF GLORY.

God has placed His glorious gospel in our souls … a true treasure no doubt … even though our earthly lives are fragile and (in some sense) transient. In his words, “this treasure is found in earthen vessels.” Earthen vessels were the cheap tupperware of the ancient world. Paul’s point was clear … compared to God’s glory, our lives are not that spectacular – a mere container for His true treasure.

This is a perspective that is all but lost today. We live in an era that champions the individual human life above all else. The most important thing is WHAT I WANT. A post-enlightenment, post-modern perversion that sees the world as a hierarchy with ME on top. To people living in this world, enduring persecution and suffering and hardship for Jesus Christ so that others might come to know Christ is pure lunacy. Yet this is what Paul says our lives are all about!

Instead of seeing our comfort and desires as ultimate, Paul sees the glory of God as the true treasure … a treasure we should sacrifice all to both possess and share.

Human lives matter — for sure. We are created in the image of God and Jesus came to die for us! However, human lives are not ultimate. Your comfort is not ultimate. There is a greater Treasure designed to fill your bowl … and when this Treasure fills your heart, it nourishes for all time.

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church in part 5 of our “Mission: Brief” sermon series, we will look at 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 together. Make plans to be with us in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 … and bring friends!

On Sunday, February 19, 2023 at Wildwood Community Church I preached a message on 2 Corinthians 4:1-6.  This message was part 4 of the “Mission: Brief” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find the audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
3. How would you assess your current involvement in ministry/service to Jesus?  Are you serving?  Used to serve (but don’t currently)?  Never really served in Jesus’ name?
4. What does Paul say in 4:1 that encourages you to “get in” or “stay in” the game?
5. What examples have you seen (either friends, yourself, or public figures) where Christians have taken shortcuts or tampered with God’s Word in some way to be more “relevant” or to serve themselves in some way?
6. The minds of the perishing are veiled to the truth.  How does this impact the way you criticize AND pray for the lost?
7. Have you given yourself to Jesus as your LORD and Savior?  Tell the story of how God opened your eyes to see the truth of the Gospel (Acts 26:18).
8. How can you serve others in Jesus name (in word and deed) this week?
9. What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To listen offline, click the link to download:

Mission: Brief #4 2.19.23

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Have you ever wanted to quit the ministry?  I say this to both the vocational and lay minister.  The past couple of years have seen an alarming number of Pastors and missionaries leave the field … but also communities are dotted with people who once served weekly who now sit on the sidelines.

What happened?  Why does our serving flame blow out?  How can we run a marathon in ministry and not just a sprint?   How can we avoid being an evangelist at 18 but a jaded cynic at 80?

Well in 2 Corinthians 4:1, the Apostle Paul says “we don’t quit.”  Certainly Paul had reasons to quit.  He had been beaten up, slandered, and belittled by many.  And not just Paul.  He says “WE don’t quit” in part referring to his traveling mates (Timothy, Titus, etc.) but also in reference to all clear thinking Christians.

How can we have a “we don’t quit” kind of ministry?  Well, Paul develops this idea over a long section of Scripture (one we will be looking at over a number of weeks ahead at Wildwood), but he begins his explanation in 4:1-6 by clarifying his understanding of the ministry.

The glory of Paul’s gospel did not fade … and neither did His Savior.  Paul’s privilege was to point people to Jesus.  It is our privilege as well.  With an unfading glory and a steadfast Savior, we remain faithful in His service.  

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church we will look at 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 in part 4 of our “Mission: Brief” sermon series.  Hope you can make it to our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service.  Let’s run this marathon together to the glory of God!

On Sunday, February 12, 2023 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on 2 Corinthians 3:4-18.  This message was part 3 of the “Mission: Brief” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find the audio & video of this message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read 2 Corinthians 3:4-18
3. What kinds of things do you think people tend to rely on to “qualify” themselves for ministry?  What does this passage tells us about how someone is made sufficient for serving others in Jesus’ name?
4. The New Covenant (in Christ) is compared to the Old Covenant (Law of Moses) in this passage.  What differences did you notice between the two?
5. The Christian life is a life of following Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit that leads to a transformation (or sanctification) of our lives.  We are being transformed into His image “from glory to glory.”  What are some ways that you have seen Jesus change your life in the past?  What are some ways you hope He changes your life in the future?
6. What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To listen offline, click link below:

Mission: Brief #3 2.12.23

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Over the years, I have preached many sermons, led many Bible studies, and shared many talks about faith with various groups of people. At this point, it is hard to remember all the longer series of messages … much less a single sermon, but I certainly remember one message I gave about 22 years ago.

To be honest, I don’t remember the passage of Scripture I was teaching, the main points of the message, or the details of any application. But I DO REMEMBER ONE THING: a piece of feedback I got after I finished the message.

A dear brother in the Lord came up to me after I finished and said, “Mark, interesting talk today, but help me out here … how is what you were teaching today ANY DIFFERENT from what a Muslim or Hindu or any teacher of another religion might say?”

This comment floored me. It causes me to still shake a bit in my boots. I certainly was not AIMING FOR Universalist Therapeutic Deism, I thought I was speaking “Christian.” Upon further examination, though, I found the punch of this comment landed squarely on the jaw of my message.

Though I had based the message on a New Testament text, I had not infused it with New Covenant Life. Like every other religion, I was saying, “DO, DO, DO” without regard for what Jesus has “DONE, DONE, DONE” and what the Spirit was “DOING, DOING, DOING.”

From that day onward, I have always tried to run the messages I preach through a New Covenant Gospel lens … to share anything else would be to serve Corn Flakes to dinner guests when Filet Mignon is perfectly prepared in the cooker.

The true Christian life is not like anything else. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:4-18, it is gracious (based on God’s power), glorious (revealing God’s character), and generous (ushering us boldly into a state of freedom to live the life we have been called to live.)

This Sunday morning at Wildwood, I hope to share the gracious, glorious, generous HOPE of the Christ-exalting, Spirit-infused Christian life in part 3 of our “Mission: Brief” sermon series. Hope to see you in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service as we worship and share communion together. See you then, and bring friends!

On Sunday, February 5, 2023 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on 2 Corinthians 2:17 – 3:3.  This message was part 2 in the Mission: Brief sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for  personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find the audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download, or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read 2 Corinthians 2:17-3:3
3. Before you listened to the message this morning, how might you have answered the question, “What does your pastor most desire to see happen in your church?”
4. The Apostle Paul was unwilling to water down the Gospel message because he knew that the Corinthians needed the full (and real) Jesus, not some version of Jesus that Paul manipulated in his head.  What are some ways you sense people and ministry leaders today try to water down the truth of the Gospel to better fit in with our culture or to benefit them in some way?
5. What are some of the ways you have seen Jesus change your life over your time following Him?  What are some areas you are hoping for continued transformation in the year ahead?
6. Who is someone who Jesus has used to impact your life significantly?  How has God used them in your life?  Have you ever let them know the difference they have made in your life?
7. Who is someone who Jesus has laid upon your heart to pour into in this season of your life?
8. What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To listen offline, click the link:

Mission: Brief #2 2.5.23

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A couple of weeks ago I celebrated my 22nd year on staff at Wildwood Community Church.  It is really hard to believe it has been that many years.  If someone were to ask me what has “happened” during my time here, I could mark my experience many ways:

I could count the years by “title.”  For 5 years I served as the College Pastor, for 10 years I served as the Executive Pastor, and for the past 7 years, I have served as the Senior Pastor.  This would be one way to remember the time.

Or …

I could think about different big projects we have worked on over this span.  Watching the development of the “new” worship center, overseeing the construction of a children’s ministry building, or cheering on the mobilization of additional dollars toward outreach (locally and globally).  Each of these projects marked an era of our church’s history.

Or … 

I could think of different programs designed for service, training, or community that have launched in different eras over the past 2+ decades.  This is another way to count each season.

But, at the end of the day, for the right thinking minister, the target is not titles or buildings or programs.  These things are a part of ministry, but the growth of such things is NOT the definition of a healthy church or an effective minister.

So what should we be aiming at?  Well, the true target in ministry is to glorify God by seeing lives transformed in Christ.  That is our mission … that is our hope.

To say it another way, if 20 years of ministry produced bigger buildings, loftier titles, and new programs – BUT NO LIVES WERE CHANGED … well then, we would be spinning our wheels.  Ministers are not in the “org chart” business, or real estate, or instructional designers.  

No … we are pens.  Dipped in the inkwell of the Spirit, we long to see God use us to write Jesus’ Word on the hearts of people in a transformative way.  This is what I have hoped for over 20 years in ministry … it is what I hope for in the years that lie ahead.  If no lives have been changed than I wasted a lot of people’s time, trust, and treasure.

This idea of transformation is at the heart of Paul’s “Mission: Brief” in 2 Corinthians 2:17 – 3:3.  This Sunday at Wildwood, in part 2 of our series, we will look at these verses together as we talk about the target of life change in ministry.  

Jesus is in the business of changing lives.  Is He changing yours?  Join us Sunday in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 services as we talk more about this.  Hope to see you there … and bring friends!

On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on 2 Corinthians 2:12-17.  This message was the first in the “Mission: Brief” series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find the audio/video of the sermon to listen to/watch, download, or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read 2 Corinthians 2:12-17
3. Have you ever heard anyone describe the Christian life as a pursuit to “healthy, wealthy, and happy”?  What do you think is missing from this description?
4. What are some of the challenges you are currently facing “‘round the clock” of your life?
5. Paul describes a perspective that allows him to ‘round the clock and ‘round the world give thanks to God … it is the perspective of a triumphal procession.  To the best of your understanding, what do you think Paul is trying to tell us with the example of the “triumph” Christ is leading us through “always” and “everywhere”?
6. What are some ways you have sensed the “aroma of Christ” in the midst of the struggles or suffering of someone who was following Jesus?
7. How might God be glorified through your life as you follow Christ through your current challenges?
8. Your purpose in this life is to glorify God by spreading a knowledge of Christ throughout this world.  How are you living that reality out in your current context?  What might need to change as you live into this purpose?
9. What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To listen offline, click the link to download:

Mission: Brief #1 1.29.23

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