Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church of Washington DC

God's Strength in Weakness

In this devotional message, Pastor Jim reflects on 2 Corinthians 12:5-10 and how you can depend on God's grace when you don't have the strength and power to deal with your current circumstances. That you can receive God's gift of strength in your life to strengthen you and direct your steps. This is what God does and what God is known to do. And God has always proven Himself to be faithful in supplying His grace to those in need. 

Colossians #4: Freedom From Something More

In this fourth sermon in our Colossians series, Pastor Jim preaches on the reality of Jesus Christ being the One who is truly sufficient for the times we live in right now. With Colossians 2:13-23 as the primary text, he explains, "When Paul writes about our lives being in Christ, this includes all of our human life, not just our future life in heaven with God after our bodily death. Our life in Christ includes our life in Christ today, our life in Christ tomorrow and our life in Christ in all the days to come. It includes the life we live when simply carrying out our daily routines and chores. It includes this moment in human history as we confront COVID-19." Even today, Jesus is enough to face the uncertainties, the unknowns, and the potential losses due to the coronavirus. Jesus is simply enough. 

Colossians #3: Living the Last Word

In this third sermon within our 6-week series on the book of Colossians, Pastor Lynn asks us to consider Colossians 2:2-14 as it relates to how we live and put into practice the last word Jesus gave us in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). As you think about this question, ask yourself, "What is this passage saying to me about what it means to be a disciple and to make disciples of Jesus?"

Colossians #2: The Mystery of Knowing

In this second message of a 6-week Colossians series, Pastor Jim preaches on Colossians 1:21-2:5, where Paul emphasizes that being in Christ gives you everything you need to fully know God. And like the Colossians, we too can know God in the fullest ways possible. We can know God both through our minds by using our capacity to reason and through our daily experiences interacting with God. This is not a choice between one (reasoning) or the other (experiencing). It is a both/and.

Colossians #1: Does Christ have the same place in your life that He holds in the universe?

In this first sermon of a 6-week series on the Letter to the Colossians (Col 1:15-23), Pastor Lynn asks the question, "Does Christ have the same place in your life that He holds in the universe?" He helps us to consider who we will become when we truly follow Jesus Christ. When we build our lives on Christ, they become different. There are things that will endure. The work God does in our lives, built on the Lord Jesus, lasts for eternity. 

Christ: The Wisdom and Power of God

In this message, Pastor Jim considers Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians where he explains the wisdom of God and the power of God. In 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, 2:6-13, Paul says, true wisdom and power come from God alone. Those who believe the message of the cross have done so only through the power of God. Revealing to those who believe and who are being saved that “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor 1:25).This is something that is not just to be believed but it is to be experienced by those who are called by God and then trust in Christ. Those who are presently being saved in Christ alone.

Valentines and Report Cards in the School of Discipleship

When Jesus gives the Greatest Commandment in Matthew 22:36-40, Pastor Lynn explains, "Jesus is saying there is no separation between God's law and God's love." That is, if you believe in and follow Jesus, you are enrolled in the school of discipleship. This is a school where we get both valentines and report cards. Listen to this insightful message as Pastor Lynn further elaborates this teaching by considering Romans 13:8-10 and Ephesians 5:25-28, 32-33 as well.

Inward-Outward Living

In this sermon, Pastor Jim preaches on John 15:1-7 and explains how we are to remain connected to Jesus through His Holy Spirit and His Words (an inward action), which produces good things in our life for others (an outward action). This is the flow of God’s life in us. Furthermore, by remaining, growing and bearing much fruit on the vine, we show yourselves to be Jesus’ students. People who are learning from Jesus. And what are we learning? How to love!

Spying on the Future

Pastor Lynn preaches on Isaiah 43:18-19 and Numbers 13:1-33 so we can consider what God is doing that lies ahead of us. It is almost like God is saying, "Instead of looking in the rear view mirror, I want you to spy on the future. It is already springing forth. Can you open your mind? Your heart? Your spiritual eyes? And glimpse at the future I have for you?" In other words, it is God saying, "I am doing something new! It's already happening! Can you get it? Can you perceive it?"

Are you OK?

In this message, Min. Leslie Harris preaches from Jeremiah 1:5, 29:11 and asks the question, "Are you OK?" The prophet Jeremiah was called by God to deliver a message to God's people. Jeremiah faced adversity, dealt with considerable stress throughout his life and had many life experiences that were anything but easy. Even so, after Jeremiah prayed to the Lord and told the Lord all his grievances, the Lord responded by saying to the prophet, "You are OK Jeremiah because I am the Lord and I have got this and I have got you." As Min. Leslie explains, this was the message of God to Jeremiah and it applies to us today as well.