On Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Wildwood Community Church, we celebrated the baptisms of 19 people. Join us in praising God for His work in people’s lives! Below you will find links to the video stream of the 3 worship services (NOTE: the 8:30 and 11:00 services only include the baptism portions, while the 9:45 service has the entire service). You will also find a link to the audio of the sermon (which was only preached at the 8:30 service due to time constraints in the later two hours). Also, you will find a link to only the baptism testimonies.
Video from the 8:30 Service (baptism portion):
Video from the 9:45 Service (full service):
Video from the 11:00 Service (baptism portion):
8:30 Sermon audio to listen to offline (click link):
Here at Wildwood we are For the Nations Following Jesus Together To the Glory of God! Next Friday on March 10th, a group of college students from Wildwood are going to the Middle East for a mission trip to share the good news of Christ to those in a primarily Muslim country. Destiny & Brice are two of the students going on the trip and this week we had them on the podcast to hear more about the upcoming trip! Get to know Destiny & Brice listening to this episode and hear what the Lord is doing as He is preparing their hearts to preach the gospel in an overseas context! Enjoy!
On Sunday, March 5, 2023 at Wildwood Community Church, we will be celebrating the baptisms of 19 of our people! We will gather in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 worship service, sing praise to God, pray for our mission team that is going to serve in the Middle East over Spring Break, hear the testimonies and witness the water baptisms of 19 people, and even look at Acts 2:37-41 together. I can’t wait for this Sunday!!!!
As is our tradition on baptism Sundays, we will not have our adult/college/student/elementary classes meet (only our early childhood – Pre-K and below will be meeting.) The rest of us will be “all in” the worship center celebrating God’s faithfulness! Hope to see you Sunday in one of our morning services. See the graphic below to know who is being baptized in which service.
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:
Pray
Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-15
In what way is the gift of the Gospel a “treasure?”In what way are our earthly lives like “jars of clay”?
What do you treasure most?Your “self” or your Savior?What is the evidence of this in the manner you live your life?
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?
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?
What are some ways you can serve others in Jesus’ name THIS WEEK?
What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?
To access these questions in pdf format, click here.
Here at Wildwood we are For the Church Following Jesus Together To the Glory of God! One way we do this is with our College Ministry called College Life! For this week’s episode, we welcome on college student Ray Pasion who is a Senior at the University of Oklahoma graduating in May 2023. Ray grew up in Oklahoma and started attending Wildwood during his time in college. Hear about Ray’s journey and walk with the Lord and what it looks like for him to be involved in the College Ministry!
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:
Pray
Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
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?
What does Paul say in 4:1 that encourages you to “get in” or “stay in” the game?
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?
The minds of the perishing are veiled to the truth.How does this impact the way you criticize AND pray for the lost?
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).
How can you serve others in Jesus name (in word and deed) this week?
What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?
To access these questions in pdf format, click here.
Hey Wildwood family! Here at Wildwood we are For the Church Following Jesus Together to the Glory of God! For this week’s episode we welcome on our Adult Pastor Brian Hayes. Brian has been on staff at Wildwood for 14 years and has served the Lord faithfully in his time. Hear what Brian has to say about his time at Wildwood and what it looks like to serve the Lord as the Adult’s Pastor!
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:
Pray
Read 2 Corinthians 3:4-18
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?
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?
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?
What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?
To access these questions in pdf format, click here.
