Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church of Washington DC

Faithful Presence

In this devotional message Pastor Jim preaches on God's faithful presence.  After Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the apostles Peter and John were confronted and questioned by the ruling authorities in the temple courts for healing a lame man. As recorded in Acts 4:5-24a, 31-35, the faithful presence of God was with them as well as with the believers who gathered together in the unity of the Holy Spirit. In addition, people in the local community witnessed God working in them and through them. All of which reminds us of how we are created to live vibrant and dynamic lives sustained by the very presence of God as we go out into the world empowered by the Spirit.

Releasing the Power of God's Word in Our Lives

In this message Pastor Lynn asks us, "What is the Word of God accomplishing in your life?" And to answer it he focuses on Ezra 7:6-10, an example of how God's Word can bring forth in us the attitudes, the actions and the character that God desires to produce in our lives. Ezra was a priest in Israel (and contemporary of Nehemiah) who provided a model of how the Bible can reshape our lives. Like Ezra we can release the power of Scripture in our lives by preparing our hearts, studying the Word of God, putting it into practice (James 1:19-25) and teaching it to others. 

Repair - Instead of Despair

In this message Pastor Lynn explains, "The book of Nehemiah is a powerful example of how faith can transform our lives and even our communities." In the first chapter something happened when Nehemiah prayed: he found hope. Then in chapter 2 Nehemiah shows us that when our lives, or the world around us, lies in ruins we have a choice between despair and repair.  In fact, Nehemiah provides a model for rebuilding life so that it has meaning, peace, purpose, security. And from this biblical story we discover how the people of faith can rebuild communities. 

The Amazing Grace of God

In this week's message, Min. Leslie Harris preaches from Romans 5:18-21 and Ephesians 2:8-9 to remind us that as Christians we need to remember who we are called to be, who we represent, and what we are called to do in this world. As these  scriptures say, we are all sinners saved by grace, and having experienced the grace of God in our own lives, we are likewise expected to show grace to others unconditionally. And as Min. Leslie puts it, "When we are willing to show grace, we demonstrate the love of God and disarm what might otherwise be a hostile situation." Listen to this timely message on how living a grace-filled life is essential to our Christian witness because it's through God's grace that we demonstrate God's redemptive and reconciling love for the world. 

When Victory Feels Like Defeat

In this week's message, Pastor Jim preaches on 1 Kings 19:1-18 when the prophet Elijah flees from the northern kingdom of Israel fearing for his life. Elijah experienced deep personal despair soon after he had celebrated a great victory of God. Something we may relate to in our own lives. That is, when victory leave us feeling defeated. Yet, God is present with us. God always loves us. God always cares for us. God is constantly directing us in his mission of love in the world. We are never alone. You may also want to listen to the worship song, "One Thing Remains," which is mentioned at the end of this message. It can be found here on Youtube.
 

Two Kinds of Success

In this message Pastor Lynn preaches about seeking success as a servant of God in a broken world. He focuses our attention on the kind of success illustrated by Nehemiah when he asked God, "Lord, would you grant me success in serving others." Reminding us that success  is not about recognition or reward. But for Nehemiah it included seeing his life in the context of the larger Jewish community in which he was a part. Raising the question: how do we deal with the broader issues impacting us and the communities in which we live? Listen to how Nehemiah 1 and Mark 10:35-45 answer this very question.

Experiencing God

In this week's devotional message Pastor Jim reminds us of how God comes to us in deeply personal ways, enters our life and speaks with us. God shows up unexpectedly by making the first move. After reflecting briefly on Luke 5:1-11, Pastor Jim then considers how the psalmist in Psalm 24 sings about this dynamic relationship with God from the context of worship in the temple. The place where the Israelites would go to have a face-to-face encounter with Yahweh, the God of Israel. And as people throughout the generations have known in their relationship with Jesus, we can experience God's presence and receive God's great love and joy for us in the midst of our troubles and as we gather together for worship.  

Does the universe have a moral compass?

This message is given in the form of a modern paraphrase of the Book of Job. It is a retelling of the conversation between Job and his friends as well as the conversation between God and the satan. But this time the central figure is "Joe," who is a modern man suffering from severe loss of family, income and health. Through his elaboration of this biblical story, Pastor Lynn explains, "Somehow deep within me there is a spirit that knows there has to be justice and love. And how can I know they are absent if they don't exist?" The texts for this message are Hebrews 2:14-18, 4:14-16 and Job 16:16-21. 

In the Midst of Crisis, God is Still God

In this week's devotional message, Min. Leslie draws from Psalms 3:3-6 and 145:17-21 to direct our attention to God, who is nearby no matter what happens to us, even in times of crisis. Times when we can indeed say the world is not as it should be, and times when we cannot help but feel a sense of disappointment knowing that things should be better than they are. Yet, the One who is constant, the One who has not changed, the One who is still the same today, yesterday and forever is God. And God's love for us is real and God is near. So, let the good news from the Word of God, which declares God's unchanging love for us and divine providence over us, be a source of joy and happiness in your life today. 

God's Salvation is Everlasting

In this message, Pastor Jim preaches on Isaiah 51:1-16, words spoken to Israel at a time when they were living in exile after having lost everything to the fierce Babylonians. While they were living in a foreign land God spoke through the prophet Isaiah these words of hope and about being a just people.  A message that was meant to remind the people that God was for them and God was working out his deliverance on their behalf. Even as they were living in this time of exile. Now, listen to how God spoke to his people about changing their perspective regarding what was happening to them. And then afterwards, consider listening to Hillsong's memorable recording, "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" by going to the Youtube video here.