We are making some changes to our schedule of Sunday events on Sunday, August 1, 2021. Our church has experienced an unusually high degree of illnesses and we want to give families a chance to heal while protecting our most vulnerable.
For those that decide to worship from home, we do plan to stream our worship live online as we do every Sunday. You can watch on our website, Facebook, or our YouTube channel. Last Sunday we experienced internet problems on campus. We are trusting that our provider resolved their issues. However, if we are unable to stream live we will let you know on our Facebook page and will post our worship on Facebook and YouTube later in the afternoon. Please reach out to your Sunday School teacher if you have further questions.
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Prayer as a Measure of Your Spirit-Filled Life
Each month this year our staff will choose a different aspect of discipleship to share as the focus for that given month. Discipleship is the process of growing to be more like Jesus, part of The Journey every Christian embarks upon when surrendering their life to Christ. The discipleship focus for the month of August is prayer. In my personal studies, I’m working through John Owen’s 820-page volume on the work of the Holy Spirit. John Owen was an English Puritan of the 17th century who witnessed the rise of the English Separatist movement as well as its fall when Charles II ascended the throne and dashed the hopes of an English commonwealth. Others have said that John Owen was the “Holy Spirit theologian of the Puritans,” and his extensive work proves that we have much to learn from him. Of note, Owen deals a lot with the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer, recognizing that Christians cannot pray without the help of God. Not only is the spiritual exercise of prayer beyond our human ability, but the sinful nature we carry inhibits our capability to pray. He writes, “The matter of our prayer respects the depravation of our nature, and our wants on that account.” Yet, the Holy Spirit is imparted to believers to help them fulfill their privilege and duty in communing with God. Therefore, prayer acts as a sort of measure as to how completely a Christian is Spirit-filled. Spirit-filled Christians have an effective prayer life. Owen notes that the Holy Spirit is performing two general works in a Spirit-filled Christian to aid him in prayer. First, the Spirit makes us want to pray. Secondly, the Spirit gives us the ability to pray—not in general, but upon each prayer event. But how can we know that the contents of these prayers are Spirit-led when our own deficiencies and depravities crowd our thinking? After all, we need the Spirit to help our weakness, because we don’t even know what to pray for without His help (Rom 8:26). Owen offers three requests that are regular elements of a Spirit-filled prayer life. First, Spirit-filled Christians are concerned with praying for their own lack of faith and unbelief. He points out that such a concern in prayer rightly frames our approach to prayer—we need the Lord’s aid in every aspect of the Christian life. Owen is helpful not to guilt Christians into prayer, but to remind us that in our flesh, none of us succeed in intimacy with Christ. Spirit-filled Christians pray for the seeds of doubt and unbelief that exist in their lives to vanish in His presence. Second, Spirit-filled Christians are constantly aware of the prayer requests that fulfill our own carnal interests. Prayer is not merely listing the things in life you want, but rather connecting to the heart of God and voicing how His mind and will can be fulfilled in your life. Or as Owen puts it, “the Holy Spirit gives the soul of a believer a delight in God as the object of prayer.” Spirit-filled Christians pray for the things of interest to the Father. Third, Spirit-filled Christians leave prayer with a view of God on the throne. Their prayers have been so saturated with overcoming doubt and satisfying the mind and will of God in their lives that their end goal has been achieved when they can close with a higher view of God’s supremacy. Owen’s “throne of grace” aspect in prayer is not a mere intellectual affirmation that God is important but becomes an all-consuming realization that carries the Spirit-led Christian throughout His day after communing with his sovereign Creator. Spirit-filled Christians frame their communion with God in a way that maintains the integrity of God’s loftiness. Do you pray? If so, do your prayers demonstrate the Spirit of God within you? As you spend time this month assessing your own spiritual temperature, pay special attention to your prayer time, because prayer is a demonstrated measure of your Spirit-filled Christian life. (Written by Shawn Nichols, Pastor) Oklahoma City, OK: Families in our church continue to manage seasonal illnesses and a few COVID cases. COVID has certainly not escaped the news cycles, where we are hearing of an increased number of cases, variant strains, and vaccine metrics. Given the likelihood that we are moving into cold and flu season, Wilmont wants to communicate our initial plan to help members and guests feel safe while in worship and Bible study. The following precautions are implemented and recommended for your health and peace of mind:
If you have questions, concerns, or recommendations for church-wide health and safety, please reach out to our CaringWell team through email or by calling 405.634.6773. Each month this year our staff will choose a different aspect of discipleship to share as the focus for that given month. Discipleship is the process of growing to be more like Jesus, part of The Journey every Christian embarks upon when surrendering their life to Christ.
The discipleship focus for the month of July is teaching and discipling others. Many of us can remember a significant Christian leader in our lives that was instrumental in our coming to faith in Jesus Christ. One of the most amazing parts of Bible Christianity is how God empowers people to lead in great and mighty ways to impact the Kingdom of God. Those impacts may be explicitly stated and noticed, maybe from a pastor or church staff member, but they may also be more implicitly made, perhaps from a Sunday school teacher or discipleship/accountability partner. The beauty of The Journey that we are all on together at Wilmont Place is that there’s a place for every believer on that journey. Teaching and discipleship fall under “Developing Relationships” in The Journey. Developing relationships constitutes two things: developing relationships with Christ, and developing relationships with each other and fellow believers. Teaching and discipling others cover both of those bases! Teaching is a means by which disciples, or believers in Christ, are continually transformed to become more like Christ. That can be accomplished through Sunday school and our small group Bible study opportunities, as well as through our Sunday morning sermons. At Wilmont Place, we confess to be a Bible centric, text driven church. We desire for the Scriptures to stand on their own, to allow the Lord to speak to our hearts, and we ask for our teachers to hold fast to that truth with us, too. What does true discipleship look like? Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23-24: “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it”. It requires discipline from us to commit time, energy, and effort to the Lord as we seek Him through His Word, through prayer, and through serving others. Here’s some exciting news! In 2021, we officially launched Discipleship Groups at Wilmont Place! Discipleship Groups, or D-Groups, are an opportunity for a small group of people, ideally 4-6 individuals, to walk through life and Scripture together. This does not substitute or replace the need for our Bible study opportunities on Sunday morning like Sunday school, but this is a great way for believers to dive deeper into God’s Word with a group of people to build accountability and deepen relationships as we grow in faith with one another. Jesus said to His disciples in John 8:31-32, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” How is God challenging you this month? Maybe God is challenging you to engage in a small group Bible study during our Sunday school hour on Sunday mornings, maybe for the first time! Or, maybe God is calling you to invest time in a Discipleship Group and dig deeper into your relationship with the Lord. Make a commitment this month to plug in to one or both of these teaching and discipleship opportunities, and watch how the Lord will grow your faith in Him, and your relationships with one another. (Written by Jacob French, Music and Youth Pastor) 2 Corinthians 9:7 “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully."
June’s discipleship focus is Giving. What is giving to the church exactly? Is it giving your tithes? Is it giving to missionaries overseas? Or is it giving your time? It’s all these things, but most importantly it’s giving these things with a happy heart. You can give beyond your 10% percent or volunteer for every activity, but if you do it with a resentful or questioning heart, you are not giving to God. And certainly, if you are not giving even your 10%, then you are not obeying God. The Bible tells us that tithing is a way to show that we trust God with our lives and our finances. Ready for a truth bomb? Tithing wasn’t put in place for God’s benefit. He already owns everything. He doesn’t need our money. Instead, tithing is meant for our benefit because sacrificing a portion of our income helps us look outside our selfishness and makes us more aware of the needs of others. Proverbs 11:24 One gives freely yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Yes, tithing does pay the church’s utilities, staff wages, and helps in our church’s ministries. But more than all of that, tithing is an act of faith that helps us keep our priorities straight. It reminds us that we don’t own anything in this life. God is in control, and we’re only managers of what He has given us. Written by Monica Carbajal, Ministry Director to Families with Children |
About Us
Wilmont Place Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist church of 150 active members on the south side of Oklahoma City. Text-driven expository preaching, Bible-teaching, personal growth, and community evangelism define the culture and direct the activities and events of the congregation. The church is working through a formal revitalization strategy in which members become family and the community becomes ministry. Archives
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