We're back! Join Pastor Ray, Pastor Brett and Silas each week as they answer your questions relating to last week's Sermon! Today we discuss the topic of Spiritual Gifts, Church denominations and the Holy Spirit. Have questions of your own? Don't hesitate to email us at ask@willingdon.org.
00:00 Intro
00:58 Sermon Series Overview
12:21 The Landry's favourite reality TV show
13:30 Spiritual Gifts and what makes them different
16:40 Can I desire a different gift?
22:25 Quinn Hughes Trade but Spiritual Gifts?
23:53 Are there elevated Spiritual Gifts in the Western Church?
25:10 Understating denominational differences and what unites us
42:28 Why do some Evangelical Christians see the Holy Spirit as a force?
This Podcast is a companion podcast to our Sunday sermon. Join the Pastors of Willingdon and Austin Heights each week as they dive a little deeper into each topic, answer questions and provide a few laughs along the way.
Website: https://willingdon.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willingdon/
Today we begin our new winter sermon series: “United in the Spirit: One God at Work in One Body.” The series is based on 1 Corinthians 12-14. The fact that Paul devotes three chapters to spiritual gifts indicates that understanding how the Spirit of God works in and through the body of Christ is of great importance!
Sometimes people are afraid or hesitant to have this conversation. Some will say, “I love Jesus, but I’m not so sure about the Holy Spirit.” Others may be familiar with spiritual phenomena in other religions: ecstatic experiences, speaking in tongues, spiritual healings, and communication with the spirits. They may shy away from the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts because they don’t want to be deceived. Others may be familiar with church contexts where some spiritual gifts are elevated above others. Where there is hunger for status and recognition, people will seek to have the most valued gifts. In Corinth, the specific issue was a glamorized elevation of the gift of tongues.
How does Paul approach this issue? He seizes the opportunity. The Corinthians’ unhealthy focus on the gift of tongues provides an excellent opportunity to have a much broader conversation about the work of the Holy Spirit in the church family. He begins the conversation by laying the theological foundation for the exercise of spiritual gifts.
1. Discernment through Confession (vs. 1-3).
2. Diversity within Unity (vs. 4-6).
3. Determination for Flourishing (vs. 7-11).
The Gospel of John was written by John the Apostle who had a very close relationship with Jesus. Due to his close relationship with Jesus John’s Gospel is also written in a very relational way. John’s states his purpose for writing the Gospel in Jn 20:31 where he says he wrote it “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
The Gospel of John is full of Christ’s miracles proving Jesus was the Messiah, but it is also filled with people having significant encounters with Jesus. One of those encounters was with a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus. His curiosity drew him out at night to meet with Jesus who took time with him, taught him, and pointed him from the darkness into the light.
Around the world today, there is a significant longing for good leadership.
We long for good government leaders, but it is not just in the political arena that we long for good leaders. Children long for good parents, wives for good husbands, students for good professors, young men and women for good mentors, and church members for good pastors. Where do we find good, strong, compassionate leadership?
In response to our question, Isaiah 9 rings with hope. The Good Shepherd King is …
We have a Christmas Season conversation for you today with the whole Preaching Team! Join Nat and the guys as they chat about ways to read your Bible in the new year, tips on sharing the Gospel over Christmas and more. We'll be back with our regular Q&A Podcast in the new year.
00:00 Intro
1:09 God's Great Big Story Stories
11:19 Being In Community and In The Word
15:30 Engaging with Scripture
30:20 Help, I fell off my Devo Plan
40:27 Sharing the Gospel at Christmas Gatherings
55:41 Outro
This Podcast is a companion podcast to our Sunday sermon. Join the Pastors of Willingdon and Austin Heights each week as they dive a little deeper into each topic, answer questions and provide a few laughs along the way.
Website: https://willingdon.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willingdon/
Yet in the dark streets shineth the everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. Those simple lines from a familiar Christmas carol speak powerfully of what humanity needs, what we long for. Fear requires a Mighty God to defeat it. That’s the promise the prophet Isaiah delivered to the people of Judah so long ago. It’s the promise that the Jews under Roman rule longed for at the time of Jesus’ birth, and it’s what our world so desperately needs today.
The answer to fear is the Mighty God as humble child. Our Scripture text for this Christmas advent season, Isaiah 9:1-7, provides us with an amazing description of the true hope for all people everywhere, and for each of us specifically. Today we will look at how Jesus meets us at our points of fear, confusion, and weakness.
This morning we continue in our Christmas Advent series, “That’s My King.” As Pr. Vinh reminded us last week, we remember, during Advent, that Jesus has come and we remember that He is coming. We live in the “in between” time, where we still see the darkness, we still experience sorrow, and we still feel compressed by evil forces at work around us.
We ask ourselves questions like: Will God ever intervene in my situation? Is He doing anything right now? We question His wisdom and His timing.
The title ascribed to the Son of God, Wonderful Counselor, speaks to our questions.
Today, Pastor Brett, Pastor Brody and Silas answer your questions on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. Topics today include the relationship between baptism and communion, why we take communion once a month and more. If you have any questions for us related to next week's sermon, you can email them to ask@willingdon.org, and we'll try our best to include them on the show.
00:00 Intro
01:06 Summary
09:17 Relationship between Baptism and Communion
16:17 Frequency of Communion
23:06 Differences and Common Views on Communion
31:20 Reconciliation
45:32 Outro
This Podcast is a companion podcast to our Sunday sermon. Join the Pastors of Willingdon and Austin Heights each week as they dive a little deeper into each topic, answer questions and provide a few laughs along the way.
This Weekend's Sermon: https://share.transistor.fm/s/1d7f2a1c
Website: https://willingdon.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willingdon/
It’s always great to share a meal with friends, and even better when you’re invited to a special dinner by an honorable host. Jesus invites us to share in his Table – but in order to do that, we need to sit next to other believers, some of whom we might not be so warm toward. What does Jesus have to say about how our unity with one another reflects the unity we have with him? And what can be done to reconcile us to one another?
Today, Pastor Brett, Silas and Nat answer your questions on 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. If you have any questions for us related to next week's sermon, you can email them to ask@willingdon.org, and we'll try our best to include them on the show. Topics include headship roles in the family, discerning scripture and performative spirituality.
00:00 Intro
1:09 Sermon Summary
07:28 Performative Spirituality
15:18 Usage of "nature" in the passage and cultural understanding
18:53 How are we supposed to read a passage like this and understand it?
23:21 Do we need a commentary to do our devotions?
24:22 Suggestions on finding a good commentary
25:36 How to distinguish what are cultural vs universal issues when reading the bible?
30:00 Singleness
33:33 Difference between headship roles in the family
42:29 Advice for families where roles look a little different
44:22 Can I tease my husband for "being a man"
49:22 Outro
This Podcast is a companion podcast to our Sunday sermon. Join the Pastors of Willingdon and Austin Heights each week as they dive a little deeper into each topic, answer questions and provide a few laughs along the way.
This Weekend's Sermon: https://share.transistor.fm/s/6ed50f3b
Website: https://willingdon.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willingdon/
Do you ever feel like skipping something (a tense meeting, an exam, a chore)? If I could skip doing the dishes, I would do it every time. Whoever came up with the name “Skip the Dishes” for online food delivery was brilliant!
In our Life Group, when we have a meal together, we have a Life Group member who loves to serve the group by doing the dishes. Near the end of the meal, he quietly slips away and starts washing dishes. I am so thankful for him. Every Life Group needs someone like him!
But, you know, sometimes, it’s precisely when you do what you would rather not do, when you wash dishes, that you have an opportunity to grow, have crucial conversations, and gain new insights. Sometimes, facing what we would rather avoid, leads to a whole new understanding.
If we weren’t going through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians passage by passage, we might be tempted to skip today’s passage. It is one of the most controversial biblical texts in our day, yet it contains eternal truths we avoid to our own peril. It’s quite possible that some of us will go home unhappy today, but we may also be gifted with some interesting conversations.
Today, Pastor Ray, Pastor Brett and Silas answer your questions on 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1. Topics include buying and eating meat that is labelled halal, having gospel conversations with family members and Ray's trip to Ottawa! If you have any questions for us related to next week's sermon, you can email them to ask@willingdon.org, and we'll try our best to include them on the show.
00:00 Intro
00:43 Sermon Summary
05:30 Halal Meat
16:42 The Unknown or Dining with Demons
23:38 Uncomfortable conversations about an offensive Gospel without displeasing family members
31:42 How do I alleviate the shame of not meeting the standard of God
40:47 Ray's trip to parliament 😀
46:41 Engaging in politics as Christians
53:49 Dealing with the anger
57:58 Outro
This Podcast is a companion podcast to our Sunday sermon. Join the Pastors of Willingdon and Austin Heights each week as they dive a little deeper into each topic, answer questions and provide a few laughs along the way.
This Weekend's Sermon: https://share.transistor.fm/s/f6125431
Website: https://willingdon.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willingdon/
What is your general life posture? Are you suspicious of people’s true intentions – your family, neighbours, political leaders, and church leaders? Are you dominated by fear of those who oppose you? Is your life marked by anxiety in relation to what might happen – climate catastrophe, financial ruin, illness?
And, is there another way to posture yourself?
What overriding purpose guides your everyday decision making? Is your overriding purpose guided by personal desires (I want to be the best student, best athlete, be as influential as possible, make as much money as possible)? Or, do you prioritize the good of others?
And, again, is there something more?
Our Bible passage today answers these questions.
Today, we have a special episode featuring Pastor John Best and Ahmad. Ahmad serves with an organization called House of Ohmeed and is a partner in ministry. This is a discussion on the persecuted Church that you won't want to miss. We'll be back on our regularly scheduled Q&A Pod next week. If you have any questions for us related to next week's sermon, you can email them to ask@willingdon.org, and we'll try our best to include them on the show.
00:00 Intro
1:28 Get to know Ahmad
6:35 Stories of Persecution
14:32 Standing strong through persecution in Canada
21:43 How can we respond to persecution in other places?
26:29 House of Omeed
36:13 Hope Partners
39:50 What can youth do to grow in their faith publicly?
42:25 How can we pray?
48:00 Prayer
This Podcast is a companion podcast to our Sunday sermon. Join the Pastors of Willingdon and Austin Heights each week as they dive a little deeper into each topic, answer questions and provide a few laughs along the way.
Willingdon Sermon: https://share.transistor.fm/s/a118ebbb
Website: https://willingdon.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willingdon/
Today is International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. The aim of the sermon today is twofold: 1) to help each of us be more prepared to stand strong in our relationship with Jesus even in the midst of suffering, 2) to stand with our brothers and sisters around the world who are experiencing significant suffering directly because of their faith.
Today, Pastor Ray, Pastor Brett and Silas answer your questions on 1 Corinthians 10:14-22. If you have any questions for us related to next week's sermon, you can email them to ask@willingdon.org, and we'll try our best to include them on the show.
00:00 Intro
00:40 Answering a Willingdon family question
04:35 Sermon Summary
09:29 Was there a particular verse that stood out to you while preparing?
17:29 Is partaking in Halloween festivities dining with demons?
26:21 How can we avoid sitting at multiple tables?
31:52 Can I have a financial planner? How can we discern what is Godly advice/teaching?
42:06 How can we discern when something good is taking God's place in our hearts?
51:46 Cultural Idols in the home
56:09 Outro
This Podcast is a companion podcast to our Sunday sermon. Join the Pastors of Willingdon and Austin Heights each week as they dive a little deeper into each topic, answer questions and provide a few laughs along the way.
This Weekend's Sermon: https://share.transistor.fm/s/18660be1
Website: https://willingdon.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willingdon/
Have you ever sat at the wrong table?
When you go to a wedding reception in Canada, it is not unusual to have a seating chart or table plan near the entrance to help guests find their assigned table. The seating chart determines who you will fellowship with during the reception dinner.
Separate from the guest tables is the head table. At the head table, you have the bride and groom with their wedding party. On that wedding day, the bride and groom are the only ones who have made a covenant with each other before God.
If you are a guest, you don’t even think of sitting in the groom’s chair, much less the bride’s chair. It is just inconceivable. Bride and groom will sit with the one they love. They know the one to whom they have made an exclusive commitment for life.
In our passage today, Paul talks about the possibility of sitting at the wrong table, having fellowship with the wrong people, and bonding with the wrong spiritual realities. What he shares with the Corinthian Christians, reflects Jesus’ love for them.
What is the table worthy of our love?
Today, Pastor Ray, Pastor Brett and Silas answer your questions on 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. If you have any questions for us related to next week's sermon, you can email them to ask@willingdon.org, and we'll try our best to include them on the show.
00:00 Intro
00:07 Start
00:48 Sermon Summary
07:30 Jewish History
10:00 Grumbling vs Questioning
16:59 Temptations vs Trials vs Testing
25:37 Why pray 'Lead us not into temptation?'
29:29 Behaviour modification vs healthy boundaries
42:43 What's my out?
54:28 Outro
This Podcast is a companion podcast to our Sunday sermon. Join the Pastors of Willingdon and Austin Heights each week as they dive a little deeper into each topic, answer questions and provide a few laughs along the way.
This Weekend's Sermon: https://share.transistor.fm/s/4b25915b
Website: https://willingdon.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willingdon/
Temptation is the act of enticing, alluring, seducing, or attracting a person to do what is wrong or evil. It is an enticement that appeals to our cravings (desires).
Is it possible for a person to not be tempted to do the wrong thing? Can anyone say that they have never given into temptation and fallen into sin?
What was it about status-seeking, grumbling, sexual immorality, and idolatry that made these sins so irresistible for the Corinthians? Why do they appear to be irresistible for us?
Is it even possible to resist a temptation that overwhelms us?
Today, Pastor Ray, Pastor Brett and Silas answer your questions on 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. If you have any questions for us related to next week's sermon, you can email them to ask@willingdon.org, and we'll try our best to include them on the show.
00:00 Intro
01:46 Recap
04:42 How did you first hear about the gospel?
11:46 What is the unchangeable message of the gospel
18:40 How do we contextualize the Gospel to a same sex attracted friend?
34:40 Real life examples of Gospel contextualization
47:02 Outro
This Podcast is a companion podcast to our Sunday sermon. Join the Pastors of Willingdon and Austin Heights each week as they dive a little deeper into each topic, answer questions and provide a few laughs along the way.
This Weekend's Sermon: https://share.transistor.fm/s/6942594c
Website: https://willingdon.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willingdon/