Watch/Listen
Topic: Community
A Community of Healers
There are a number of popular songs that mention the importance and need for a caring community. Songs like “Stand by Me” or “You’ve Got a Friend” mention relying upon each other in a time of need. They also demonstrate how good things can happen to individuals who “get a little help from their friends.” In the Luke 5:17-26 passage, we see an account of Jesus healing someone, and a clear example of a caring community that desired to help bring healing and wholeness to their friend. Read More
A Place to Belong
Every human being is designed with basic yearnings and desires. One of our most basic desires is the need to connect with one another. However, in the overwhelming demands of modern life, we often do not listen to or even acknowledge these desires. Our lives and relationships look more like fragmented pieces than complete and meaningful masterpieces. To live out a beautiful life of belonging in God’s kingdom is to live in covenant community with one another. Read More
Prayer Games
The prophetess Anna understood the importance of praying with others. She spoke to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Today, we often live our lives isolated from otheres and are too busy to align ourselves with other believers. Anna shows us that being involved in a community of believers is an essential part of our walk with God. By looking at what Jesus taught in Matthew 18:19-20, we can learn three practical guidelines for cultivating a deeper fellowship with others in prayer. Read More
Finding the Story of Your Life, Part 2
In part one of this two-part series, the nature of the fenced-in self was introduced. This sermon dealt with the two that relate to the individualistic focus that characterizes the fenced-in self. Living within the four walls of the fenced-in self, we hide from others, trying not to reveal any weaknesses or short-comings, thereby we reject feedback as we live … Read More
The Right Context for Redemptive Community
This week Associate Pastor Dwayne Polk continued his discussion of community by taking a close look at the powerful biblical metaphor of the Church as the Body of Christ. He started off by marveling at the amazing work of God in creating a human being. Our bodies and their various features are truly miraculous. Not only did God have an amazing plan for the human body, God has an amazing plan for the Church, the spiritual body of Christ, through which God intends to accomplish the reign of God on Earth. Read More
The Right Heart for Redemptive Community
It was great to hear from Dwayne Polk—one of our Associate Youth Pastors—this week! Dwayne reminded us of an important word Greg delivered to Woodland Hills in June of 2004. God led Greg to speak these words to us: “I know of your passion in worship and fervor in proclamation, but you are too much of an event and too little of a community…become a community. Let all who have an ear to hear listen to what the Spirit is saying.” Dwayne then challenged us to look at what it would look like to be living in redemptive community. Read More
Ministers Behind the Ministry
This week we got a glimpse at the real Woodland Hills Church! The Body of Christ is made up of all the followers of Christ, not just the church staff. A healthy body makes efficient use of all its parts. The video we saw showed much more of our actual church body than we usually get to see. Greg referred us to two main texts to support this idea that church is about the people, not the building or just the leadership. Read More
Smelling Good
This week’s message on “Smelling Good to God” was drawn from Luke 1:8-10. Greg used this text as an opportunity to show how the Old Testament temple structure and worship offer insights into the language and imagery of the New Testament. A significant part of Greg’s message centered on the new reality of us, both collectively and individually being the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19). Collectively, as the community of faith, we are the Body of Christ, and the temple of God. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. So, what then does this mean? Since we are all now priests of God, we also share the responsibilities of priests. If we feel that our lives are not very dynamic and exciting in terms of our Christian walk, we may want to accept this challenge! God wants all of our lives. As we yield more and more to God, we will experience the peace that comes from drawing on the true source of Life. Read More
The Incarnational Community
Central to Greg’s message today was that the incarnation was not simply a historical act that ended at Christ’s ascension. It goes MUCH further than that! The Church IS the Body of Christ – we are the hands, the feet, the ambassadors, the temple, the Body through which God works. Therefore, we must share Christ’s attitude summed up by this phrase: be present, in love, without judgment. Read More
Remember When…
This week, Ike, our Associate Community Pastor, discussed how communion is meant to be a celebration. Ike takes us back to the first communion as an example of the power of remembering through sharing our stories. Could it be that when we take communion in a large group we miss out on something Jesus valued? Do we miss the faith- and community-building aspect that Jesus meant for us to experience? We need to hear how God “showed up” in each other’s lives to grow closer in community, to be encouraged, and to remember Jesus, to remember when… Read More
"Thank you all the way from Oregon. I deeply appreciate being shepherded by Pastor Greg and everyone else on the panels. You are a rare find in the church nowadays. Tackling tough questions with humility and a kingdom perspective. It has been life changing for me in such tumultuous times."
– Heather, from Oregon