Willingdon Church Podcast

When we enter a new school year, we are filled with expectancy. Will I like my new class? Will I connect with the teacher? Will I make the soccer team? Will I have a role in the school play?If we’re off to university, our anticipation is taken to a new level. How will I adjust to the larger campus environment? Will I find the workload overwhelming? Will I have the discipline to finish my assignments on time? Will I be able to make new friends?1 Samuel 9 opens with a sense of expectancy. God is going to give Israel a king!! The people of Israel are entering a new chapter of their history. They have never had a king. Who will it be?Today’s story is a story of God’s guiding hand and active intervention in a person’s life. The story invites us to ask how God is guiding our lives. What should you and I expect?God’s “more” means that God is already on the move.God’s “more” receives God’s confirmation.God’s “more” requires trust in God.God’s “more” is for every disciple, every day, everywhere.

Have you heard of the shortest play in world drama? Samuel Beckett was an Irish playwright, novelist, and poet. Guinness World Records acknowledges his play, entitled “Breath”, to be the shortest play in world drama. It lasts about 35 seconds.As the curtain opens, you see a stage littered with rubbish. A single light illuminates it. There are no actors and no words. The first thing you hear is a faint cry of a baby being born, then the sound of someone inhaling, then someone exhaling. The light slowly dims.  And then a final cry. Is that it? “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!” Ecclesiastes 12:8 Is this mist of a life pointless?Praise God! “Vanity” does not have the last word. The final six verses of Ecclesiastes put the whole book into perspective. They do not contradict the Preacher but rather provide a compelling conclusion. They tell us how and why the book was written.The Words:  How were the words written? (vs. 9-10)The Word:  Who is the author of the words?  What is their purpose? (vs. 11-12)The Way:  What should be our focus? (vs. 13-14)

Life can be full of joy, but can also be overshadowed by the end of our story. Yet today matters specifically because tomorrow is coming. Remembering God in the midst of every day living allows us to rest in Him and enjoy the life we were made to live.Rejoice in the good gifts of life.Remember the God who gave us life.Rest in the God who holds on to us.

We’re nearing the end of 2026. As you look back on this year, have things gone the way you planned? Did your efforts give you the results you wanted? Chances are, many of our outcomes were not what we anticipated. Although we sometimes feel like we’re in control and know the future, life’s unpredictability can often leave us wondering what to do. How do we live with certainty in an uncertain world? How can we make decisions when we don’t know what will happen? Thankfully, you’re not the only person wondering these things. People have been asking for thousands of years, including the Preacher’s audience.In this week’s passage, the Preacher acknowledges that we must live with uncertainty in this world. At the same time, we can find certainty in the God who created the world.Today we’ll learn to …Live with uncertainty.Live without certainty.Live certainly with God’s certainty. 

What do we do when life doesn’t happen as we expect it to?  Sometimes we think that if we’re just fast enough, strong enough, and smart enough, we’ll be able to manage our future and avoid the pitfalls of our “times.” But the Preacher says, “time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time.”In our passage, the Preacher does not deny God’s sovereignty but writes from the perspective of one “under the sun” (from a finite, limited human perspective). Many things that occur in life have the appearance of being the result of pure chance.In an evil time, people are like fish, happily swimming along, but then suddenly caught, or a bird singing as it flies through the air, but then unexpectedly snared. Calamity suddenly and unexpectedly falls upon people. We are not masters of our fate.  Life does not always work out the way we expect it to. Somehow our wisdom must include both the general principles of wisdom, found in Scripture, but also the wisdom necessary for the seemingly absurd exceptions.Today we’ll look at …Wisdom’s Discernment (amid calamities)Folly’s Dullness (on the everyday path of life)Wisdom’s Caution (under foolish rulers)Wisdom Personified

How do you know whether or not God loves you? How do you evaluate that? Because KNOWING something to be true, and FEELING secure in the truth of what you know, are not always the same thing. Life has peaks and valleys, and it’s easy to talk about God’s love toward us when we are standing on the peak of life, enjoying the view from the top, but when you’re in the midst of the valley and the fog of suffering rolls in, it can be a struggle.This text enters directly into all of that. The Sovereignty of GodThe Certainty of DeathThe Gift of Life

As the pinnacle of God’s creation order, we humans are uniquely positioned in the world to rule and reign as His subjects; yet, because of the Fall we do it imperfectly. This leaves us feeling frustrated at so much we don’t understand, and to the point that we often doubt that God is at work. In this “aside” within Ecclesiastes, the reader is confronted with the reality of not being able to know everything in this life and yet called to pursue wisdom and live in a way that honors God in the process. Wisdom is Knowing the King’s Word (v.1-9)Wisdom is Knowing the King’s Judgment (v.10-13)Wisdom is Knowing the Knowable King’s Unknowable Ways (v.14-17)

We are constantly striving to make sense of life and secure our hearts' deepest longings through our morality, our goodness, our pursuit of wisdom. Yet in Ecclesiastes we are met with the uncomfortable reality: even our best schemes leave us wanting. What hope do we have when we come face to face with our insufficiencies?Our scheme of moralismOur scheme of goodnessOur scheme of wisdomOur salvation: Jesus Christ

Have you found yourself in a complex situation, where things did not appear to be right (a bit crooked), and your friend asked you what you were going to do, and you just shook your head and answered, “Who knows?” Is there biblical wisdom for situations where you just don’t know what to do next?In this life, under the sun, we all have pleasant moments – when life is just gliding along fabulously – and we all live through unpredictable, crooked, complex moments – those moments that alter the course of our lives, that make everything stop like a traffic jam. What is your “traffic jam” moment?  The Bible doesn't offer a one, two, three step solution to life’s complexities. It doesn’t say, “Just do this and this and everything will be perfect, just the way you want it to be.” The God of Scriptures is too wise for that simplistic approach, but He does offer wisdom.In a complex situation, …Submitting to God’s sovereign hand is better than fighting it.Meaningful reflection is better than superficial frivolity.Calm patience is better than angry emotional outbursts.Living wisely in the present is better than dreaming about the past.Paying attention to God’s work is better than lamenting what might have been.

One of the great delusions of our day is that we think we can alter the shape of reality.  Sadly, for us, reality is a solid rock!  We can’t change it or move through it.  We can choose to adjust to the reality of the solid rock or crash into it, even though a lighthouse may be flashing warning signals throughout our life journey.The reality is that we were created by God to worship Him alone, because He alone is the Giver of Life and He alone can fill our hearts with life each day. We were not designed to worship other gods or idols.  The universe was not designed to have other human beings, other things, or other pursuits become so central to our lives that they receive our wholehearted devotion.  We were designed to worship God alone and be shaped by Him, not by idols.Our problem is distractions.  And the distractions end up shaping us.  Why would we be drawn away from worshipping God to value people, things, and pursuits more highly than Him?This passage invites each of us to reorient our hearts appropriately. The Design:  Worship GodThe Disease:  DistractionsDistraction 1:  Injustice in the WorldDistraction 2:  MoneyDistraction 3:  The Blessed LifeThe Cure:  ContentmentReflection Questions:What is distracting you today?a particular justice cause?the lure of material wealth?the blessed life?something else?What could you do this summer to remove these distractions and nurture your oneness with Jesus?

My heart and mind are full of so many things. Distractions. Dreams. Worries. Demands. Ideas. Joys. Busy thoughts. The things of life: Laundry, dishes, oil changes, emails, text messages, transporting children, parenting, planning meals, a full-time job, a good dose of sitting in traffic, health concerns, wondering about the future, occasional doomscrolling on Youtube. Lots of times, my brain is pretty full and if you could hear everything in my brain (or me yours), you might wonder how my brain would possibly hear anything more from anyone. You might wonder the same about yourself.That’s pretty natural I think. And it certainly reflects the common western cultural tendencies for bustling busyness and measuring our worth in all of our accomplishments. We like to be busy. And we also don’t like it. What’s the most common response to the question: How are you? The response I hear more than any other: BUSY. Busy days. Busy people. Busy brains.None of these things that I listed above as things that fill my brain are wrong or evil (except maybe dishes, or Youtube) – but what they can create in us, when all clumped together and piled on to one another – is a distracted and divided heart – and habits that can negatively influence how we approach our relationship with the Living God.This passage invites each of us to reorient our hearts appropriately. Guard our steps as we enter worship Talk less, listen moreKeep our dreams properly orderedIn our dealings with God, don’t overpromise and underdeliverStand in awe of God

In seasons of severe suffering, we experience life at the extremities. We have mountaintop moments where we see farther and more clearly than ever before. We have days where we can say with full conviction, “God has made everything is beautiful in its time. I have eternity in my heart. I know God is sovereignly accomplishing his purposes. I can rest in Him.”And then there are deep valley moments where we are in the depth of despair, where nothing makes sense and everything is dark. As we turn to the second half of chapter 3, the Preacher enters the valley of despair once again. He’s looking at life horizontally, from the perspective of one “under the sun.” This is repeated five times.Over and over again, he writes “I saw” (6x) or “I said in my heart” (2x). He looks horizontally at the harsh realities of evil, injustice, and death, and then the mad foolishness of the human treadmill, and finds more reasons to say that everything is meaningless (5x). In his reflections, he oscillates between the extremities of deep faith conviction and very unsettling questions.How do you move forward when you don’t understand why God has made life this way?The Harsh Realities of Evil, Injustice, and Death (3.16-4.3)The Mad Foolishness of the Treadmill (4:4-8, 4:13-16).The Wisdom of Bonded Relationship (4:9-12)

Can you step back, look at the past year, and say, “Thank you, God. This was beautiful”?In 1965, the folk-rock band the Byrds recorded Pete Seeger’s "Turn! Turn! Turn! To Everything There is a Season”. The lyrics of the song follow the Preacher’s most famous poem, found here in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, almost word for word. The song topped the Billboard charts and became an anthem of the 1960s peace movement. Some fathers will remember.The thoughts and phrases of the Preacher’s poem have found their way into the language of our pop culture. It’s a beautifully balanced rhythmic lilt, 14 lines pitting actions and emotional states against their opposites and intended to include everything in between.What matters are not the 28 individual elements, but all the elements taken as a whole - the multiples of 7 symbolizing completion or perfection. Within the whole, we see a gentle ebb and flow of different moods and experiences. Some things we long for, others shock us.  Ecclesiastes 3 gifts us with a vision of the whole tapestry of life. We are invited to step back and look at life with all its rhythms and turns. For some of us this is difficult. For some, it may be too painful, too unsettling. The text invites us to …Step Back to See the WholeEmbrace the Mystery of Longing to See it AllRevere the One Who DoesReflection QuestionsWhere are you on your spiritual journey today?Are you wrestling with the barbed wire?Are you grateful for the longing for eternity that God has placed in your heart?Are you in a place of reverence and awe?Are you grateful for God’s good gifts?Are you trusting God to weave together the threads of your life?How is God inviting you to respond to Him today?

Life is full and we give ourselves to so many people, pursuits, and passions. In the end, though, we know we will pass on and everything will be taken from us. How can we learn to enjoy and value the days we have? How does enjoying God change the joy we have in this life?Wisdom can’t secure you.Works can’t secure you.God can secure you.Reflection QuestionsWhat pursuits are stealing your joy? What would it look like for the gospel to put those pursuits back in submission to God’s good design?What are you passing on to those who come after you – works that will fade, or an example of enjoying God in everyday living?

What am I supposed to do with my life? What’s the whole point of living anyway? These are the big questions of life raised by the author of Ecclesiastes. But his quest to find answers left him frustrated and disillusioned – he calls it an unhappy business that God has assigned to humanity. This was bound to be the case because his was a research project conducted ‘under the sun’ – an exploration made apart from God. Nevertheless, his account of his futile quest has much to teach us. His seek-and-search mission for an answer to purpose of life led him to examine wisdom and knowledge, experiment with various forms of pleasure before throwing himself completely into work and the accumulation of wealth. But none provided the answer he was looking for. He was striving after the wind, and it left him empty.The Futility of Human WisdomThe Folly of PleasureThe Failure of ProductionReflection QuestionsReflect on a time when achieving a personal goal (e.g., career or academic success, a purchase) left you feeling empty. How does the author’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes 2:11 challenge your view of earthly pursuits?How can you intentionally experience life as God intended when faced with anxiety about unanswered questions or unmet desires?Jesus’ words to his followers in Mark 8:34-37 directly address the big questions of meaning raised by the author of Ecclesiastes. How does Jesus’ message speak to you personally?

Arthur Brooks, in his new book, The Meaning of Your Life, argues that meaning has collapsed for many today. He writes, “If your life feels meaningless, you will be disengaged and unable to deal effectively with your problems. You will almost certainly be depressed and anxious. Your life will have a void to it.”You may try the salve of therapy or try to distract yourself with scrolling, gaming, academic pursuits, business dealings, relational pursuits, or whatever, but your life will still feel hollow.The Preacher of Ecclesiastes asks questions that speak to the three elements of meaning:  purpose (is there a goal I live toward?), coherence (how do the events of my life fit together?), and significance (what gives my life value?). The book can be difficult and unsettling, but it ponders questions relevant to all generations and cultures.The prologue sets the mood for the entire book. It sadly describes the reality of someone who is getting it wrong, who is unable to grasp life’s deeper meaning.The Wrong QuestionThe Wrong WorldviewThe Wrong ObjectiveReflection QuestionsHow would you define your life purpose?How has your faith in Jesus enabled you to see the reason behind the events of your life, whether joyful or sorrowful?

Silas, Pastor Ray and Pastor Brett chat about Pentecost, the Tower of Babel and the Holy Spirit! We're taking a break for our Summer Series, but please email us at [email protected] for any questions you have during the summer. 00:00 Intro00:52 Babel or Babel02:25 Sermon Summary14:42 Feat of Weeks17:25 Gathered worship before Pentecost19:59 Does every Human have the Holy Spirit?32:07 Well Educated vs Gifted Teaching40:12 Looking forward to Ecclesiastes 45:30 Outro

In spring, we love the longer days, but we can’t wait for the warmer temperatures of summer.  And then, when it gets hot and dry in summer, we can’t wait for rainfall. In the fall, we can’t wait for the first snowfall (ski season is around the corner). Then we can’t wait for Christmas. And on it goes.When we think of relationships, if we want to marry, we look forward to meeting that special partner. And then we wonder when the engagement will happen. And then we can’t wait for the wedding day, and then for the first child to be born. And then we can’t wait for the child to grow up and get married.When it comes to work, we look forward to finishing a degree, landing our first real job, and receiving promotions. Some of us also look ahead to retirement. And if you live for a long time, you will find yourself longing for heaven.What are you waiting for today?  Do you see your waiting period as wasted time?While we wait, God is active.While we wait, God prepares us for something we cannot afford to miss.  While we wait, we are limited in what we see.  God sees it all!When the wait is over, be ready to testify to what God has done.The wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit is over.

Silas is joined by Pastor Brody and Pastor Richard as we finish off 1st Corinthians and answer your questions. We originally started this podcast at the start of the book, during our In-House Conversation series, and now we're here! If you have any input for us, let us know, and keep sending in your questions to [email protected]. 00:00 Intro01:15 Sermon Summary03:33 Inconvenient Relationships33:10 The Lord's Will49:20 Outro

We’ve made it to the end of the letter of 1 Corinthians. Paul details his travel hopes, the ongoing ministry, and the ministers serving with him. He gives greetings from other believers to encourage the Corinthians. But through the entire closing, he reminds the Corinthians of his love for them, even in the midst of church conflict. What does true Christian love look like when God’s people are hard to love?Love stays present.Love stands firm.Love centers on Christ

Today, Silas is joined by Pastor Ray and Pastor Jonathan! We cover topics such as tithing 10%, Preachers in Sneakers and Jonathan's love for tech! We have one more episode left in this series as we finish 1 Corinthians, so get your questions in for next week, [email protected]:00 Intro02:24 Sermon Summary10:50 What Are Treasures In Heaven?15:08 Pastors Who Do Have Monetary Wealth25:33 Advice for those outside the church who are critical about Church Spending32:18 Does the 10% still apply today?42:00 Time and Money47:43 Ray's spending habits52:11 Besides Church, how do you decide where to give55:16 OutroThis 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/

We don’t talk about money very often. Who taught you how to think about money?When I received my first payment, my mother said to me, “Ray, let’s open an account for you at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.” The teller window was so high I couldn’t see the woman receiving all my hard-earned money, but I went home with a gold-coloured bank book.  My fortune was safe, in the bank vault.  My mother said to me, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”  What’s your story? What did your mother (or father) teach you about money? Does the gospel story shape how you manage money today?  In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul transitions from the conversation about resurrection from the dead to daily life. The way we think about the life to come shapes everything in this earthly life, including how we handle money.The Money of GivingThe Motivation for GivingMechanics of Giving

How do you think about your time on earth?In his book, The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek talks about finite games and infinite games. Finite games have a definite beginning and a definite end. Infinite games have no time horizon. If life a finite game or an infinite game?Sometimes we play the game of life as if it were a finite game. We try to get everything out of this life, accomplish as much as possible, experience as much as possible, right into our retirement. We live as if 60, 70, 80, 90 years on earth is all there is.  When we’re young students, we try to make all the right decisions and tick off all the right boxes, get into the best schools, get the best job, so that we can live the most perfect life possible, at least better than those around us.  As we grow older, we try to ensure that in the last chapter of the red tape, we are as healthy, wealthy, and free as possible. We live to get the most out of this very finite stretch of life.Is this how we should live life? What would motivate us to live differently? At least three things:The Fabulous MysteryThe Final FuneralThe Future Now and Forever

Today, Silas is joined by Pastor Bryan and Pastor Brody, the Biblical Education Department! They cover if there will be pets in heaven, more stories from Botswana, the new body and even ZOMBIES!00:00 Intro 02:08 Is there no hope for those who died before Christ came? 05:14 Sermon Discussion 10:35 ZOMBIES 17:47 Will there be pets in heaven?  19:45 Bodies in heaven 29:18 Cremation 34:40 Romanticizing death and the new body  43:26 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/

Death is the one unifying reality of humanity. Everybody dies. But God didn’t make us to die – He made us to live forever. And He made us for an embodied, physical, eternal life. How does Jesus’ resurrection assure us that we too will be given new bodies like His one day? And how does that change the way we live in these bodies we have today?Resurrection is continuity from creation.Resurrection is renewal through recreation.

We are in the climax of Paul’s letter to his beloved Church in Corinth. Up to this point he’s addressed spiritual and moral issues like sexual immorality, marriage and divorce, food sacrificed to idols, proper worship and spiritual gifts. There have been many compromises within the Corinthian church – influenced by the hedonistic culture around them. They’ve even begun to question the very finished work of the Lord they proclaim to serve. So, Paul writes to remind them about what it means to live as followers of the resurrected Christ, because nothing is more consequential for the Christian walk.Live Because of the Resurrection’s Reality (v.20-23)Live Under Christ’s Resurrection Reign (v.24-28)Live Resurrection Ready! (v.29-34)

Today, Pastor Ray, Pastor John and Nat recap this past weekend's sermons on 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. We touch on topics such as denominational differences, wrestling with the truth of the resurrection, and more! Continue to write in as we finish off 1 Corinthians over the next few weeks!00:00 Intro00:58 Sermon Discussion14:46 Have you ever wrestled with the truth of the resurrection? 20:11 Resources for learning more about the evidence of Jesus' resurrection23:45 Navigating the conversation of truth29:59 Does our spirit go straight to heaven33:18 Do people's ashes get resurrected?35:14 The new earth39:58 Are denominational differences ok if we all believe in the resurrection? 48:45 OutroThis 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/

A "high stakes" situation involves significant risk. The potential for either a large gain or a severe, substantial loss is high. It’s often a scenario with irreversible consequences. What might be some high stakes situations for you? Critical business decisions, major academic exams, legal decisions, financial gambles, marriage proposals??For followers of Jesus, when it comes to the resurrection of Christ, the stakes could not be higher. Our faith rises and falls on the truth of this historical event.  Today we will seek to answer three critical questions:What is the core message? (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)Why are the stakes so high?What are the facts?

Today, Pastor Ray, Pastor Brett and Silas recap Easter Weekend and answer your Easter-related questions. Continue to write in as we finish off 1 Corinthians over the next few weeks!00:00 Intro03:14 Austin Heights Weekend Recap05:55 Willingdon Weekend Recap 09:27 Sermon Summaries21:48 How do you prepare sermons for Easter Weekend?28:00 Timeline of these verses 32:31 Why did Jesus have to suffer such a gruesome death41:02 The wrath of God44:40 How is Jesus' death just if he was wrongfully condemned? 47:11 How do we understand the idea that God used humanity’s greatest sin for His greatest act of love?48:58 Is it biblical to say that God uses sinful and evil acts (though not causing them) to fulfill His purposes?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/

Is there something more than this – this time, this life - what I see today?If you’ve been attending Willingdon over the last year, you’ll know that we have been walking through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, those followers of Jesus in the ancient city of Corinth. We’ve talked about self-righteousness, idols, human rights, love, and sex. At times, it’s been spicy. Church can be interesting!!As Paul nears the end of his letter to Corinth, he writes, “I am going to remind of what really matters.” Here’s the core of the good news.  Without this core doctrine, all our conversation about preferences, freedoms, rights, spirituality, feelings – is kind of a waste of time.So, what’s most important?

Today, Pastor Ray, Pastor Brett and Nat chat about the Corinthian Church, who wrote the SOS to Paul and Christian Influencers. We continue in 1st Corinthians next week for Easter, but will be starting a new sermon series, Anchored Hope.  00:00 Intro00:50 Sermon Discussion14:53 Corinthian and Western Church Similarities24:06 Christian Influencers27:36 Women as Pastors and Elders30:54 Next Steps for Using Your Gifts35:48 Revelations During the Sermon Series41:10 Anchored Hope Primer45:33 OutroThis 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/

What’s the outcome of this whole discussion about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14?What should we conclude based on the theological foundation provided for spiritual gifts, the diversity of gifting within the body of Christ, the understanding that love is the more excellent way (and must inform and motivate everything), and the orientation given around the proper exercise of the gifts of prophecy and tongues?Our passage provides us with a fascinating glimpse into the worship service of the early house churches and offers some practical instruction.Share with the church familySilence for the church familyShalom in the church family

Today, Pastor Ray Pastor Brett and Silas answer questions about the relationship between trusting God and planning well, spiritual abuse and comparing our healing journey to others we may hear. 00:00 Intro01:04 Sermon Recaps10:53 Why Ray focused on faith, healing and miracles 12:06 Understanding the story of Paul in Acts17:00 Relation between Trust In God and Poor Planning29:07 Leaders who say I'm sick  because of a lack of faith or sin39:46 Comparing our stories to those of others we hear51:32 I'm nervous to use my gifts!58:47 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/

Imagine you go back in time 100 years and you are asked to explain to your grandparents or great-grandparents what a smartphone can do. The problem is that you don’t have a smartphone in your hand and the internet does not exist. You can only use words to describe the smartphone to them. How would you do it? Your grandparents or great-grandparents would have no frame of reference for what you would describe - a calculator, a camera (you can take selfies), a global information search engine, a video camera, a written messenger, an online store, a movie theatre … Because they love you, they might nod along and say, “Child, you have the best imagination”But what if you had the phone with you and could show them all the functions? They might not understand what they see, but they would most certainly know that smartphones are real and amazingly powerful. There is power in actual experience.When it comes to relationship with God, we ask some very fundamental heart questions: does He exist? If He does, can we know Him? Does he care?We can know God through reasoning based on evidence. And we have many reasons to believe in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. But we also long to experience the reality of the Resurrected Jesus. Can we experience his presence, compassion, and power now?The gift of faith is the Spirit-empowered ability to discern with extraordinary confidence God’s purposes and sustain unwavering confidence in God despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.The gift of healing is the Spirit-empowered ability to serve as the instrument God uses to restore people to wholeness (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual) through prayer, touch or spoken words, apart from natural means.The gift of miracles is the Spirit-empowered ability to pray for and see supernatural acts, where God receives the glory for the miraculous intervention.

Strap in! Today, Pastor Brett, Pastor Bryan Born and Silas share stories, answer questions, and just have a great time on this week's podcast. Hear some of Pastor Bryan's stories from ministry in Botswana, Bryan and Brett's stories about discovering their spiritual gifts, and whether we are born with spiritual gifts. 00:00 Intro02:22 Who is Pastor Bryan?03:21 Sermon Summary     08:20 Botswana Stories & Biblical Worldviews20:10 Expanding on the 1st Century Church35:42 The Standard of Faith 45:11 Are We Born With Spiritual Gifts?  50:37 How Bryan and Brett Discovered Their Giftings01:01:06 Personal Benefits While Using Your Gifts01:06:36 OutroThis 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/

We all want our lives to matter. We long for identity, belonging, and purpose. In Romans 12:3–8, the apostle Paul shows us that the gospel reshapes how we see ourselves, how we see the church, and how we use our spiritual gifts. Instead of measuring our worth by performance or comparison, we are called to measure our lives by Christ himself.The Gospel Reshapes how we see Ourselves The Gospel Reshapes how we see the Church The Gospel Reshapes how we use our Gifts 

The year 2033 will mark the 2000-year anniversary of Jesus’ resurrection, which we will celebrate four weeks from now. 2033 is only seven years away!Today, March 8, 2026, Metro Vancouver is among the most non-religious urban areas of North America. In 2021, according to Statistics Canada, 47% of the Metro Vancouver area self-identified as non-religious, 48% of Burnaby, 55% of Vancouver, and 52% of BC. About 3% of the Metro Vancouver population is in an evangelical church on any given Sunday.Who will reach Metro Vancouver? If not me, who? If not you, who? If not us, who?A Family on Mission with Jesus:  Everyone, Everyday, Everywhere!Discipleship: Follow JesusFamily: Grow TogetherMission: Multiply DisciplesFEEDFAITH – “God can do it here. God can do it through me.”EXPAND – “Don’t ask for a tricycle when you could ask for a bullet train.”ENOUGH – “I don’t need more stuff. I already have enough.”DISCOVER – “Don’t bring God to the lost. Discover God at work among the lost."

Join Pastor Brody, Pastor Brett, and Silas this week as they answer questions on leadership gifts, discernment, and being active members of the church.00:00 Intro 00:47 Sermon summary 04:08 Gifts for doing vs gifts for equipping 07:51 Shepherd-teacher or shepherds and teachers? 12:22 Who should have these leadership gifts? 17:20 Who are the saints? 22:01 How to test prophecy and walk in the spirit 34:45 How to unlearn harmful teaching 45:02 Ways to become more active members of the church 53:11 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/

We've all been gifted by God as we follow Jesus. But how do we know the right way to discover and practice our gifts? Jesus, the giver of the gifts, has given certain leadership gifts to help organize and empower his church. As we learn to practice our gifts together, we mature to be like Christ and find stability and assurance in our faith.The source of the giftsThe shape of the giftsThe strength of the gifts

Join Pastor Brett and Silas this week as they answer your questions on this week's sermon! Today's topics include; Prophecy and speaking in tongues.00:00 Intro 00:48 Gold Medal Game 03:57 Are tongues and prophecy a sign of maturity? 06:25 Baptism in the Holy Spirit 10:43 How and why pray in tongues? 12:37 Brett's experience with tongues 14:19 Overcoming fear of speaking in tongues 17:22 Are live translations a gift of tongues? 21:08 Prophecy that's not future prediction 24:31 Can prophecy still predict the future? 27:54 How do we know if we have a prophetic message? 33:20 Why don't we have capital 'P' prophets? 38:16 How do we understand prophecies of warning or rebuke? 40:25 How to start practicing prophecy and tongues 44:56 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/

Our mission is “to know Jesus Christ personally and to carry on his ministry.” To live out the mission Jesus has called us to we must be anointed, gifted, and empowered by the Spirit. All who follow Jesus would agree.I believe we would also all agree with Paul’s words, 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. In chapter 13, the chapter prior to today’s text, Paul highlights love as the essential virtue in the life of the church family. Without love for God and others, we are nothing. The sign of the fullness of the Spirit is love.  And love helps us discern which gifts are most worthy of pursuit. 1 Corinthians 14:12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. Seven times, in chapter 14, Paul talks about the importance of strengthening others through the exercise of spiritual gifts.What we sometimes struggle with is the last part of 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. To earnestly desire a spiritual gift is “to seek after passionately, to pursue with devotion.” Paul repeats the command in 14:39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.In that complicated Corinthian church, why would Paul encourage the practice of the gifts of prophecy and tongues?Be zealous for the building up of the body of Christ.Be zealous for prophecy that builds up, encourages, and consoles others.Pray for tongues and interpretation to build up the body of Christ.

Join Pastor Ray, Pastor Brian and Silas this week as they answer your questions on this week's sermon! Today's topics include; Cessationism, God's love for us and Brian.00:00 Intro00:49 Who is Brian01:10 Sermon Summary07:47 God's love "clicked."13:21 How can we help students understand God's love?19:57 Childish things in your faith you had to give up26:29 Balancing loving others and loving/taking care of ourselves?35:02 Practical Tips for Keeping "love" in the right order37:43 Cessationism 48:27 OutroThis 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/

What is FOR NOW and what is FOREVER?Candy? Homework? Being a baby? Being a student? Selfies?In 2025, more than 2 trillion photos were taken. For some age groups, 1 in 3 photos was a selfie! Come to think of it, I should take a selfie right now. ☺ Tons of self-love!!What is FOR NOW and what is FOREVER?God’s love? ❤️Our love for God? ❤️Loving others? ❤️Love Never EndsSpiritual Gifts Will EndLife Stages EndLove Never EndsSo, in the end, what matters?

Join Pastor Brett and Silas this week as they go through all the definitions of Love found in 1 Corinthians 13! 00:00 Intro02:19 Sermon Summary9:19 Loves is…11:15 Patient14:20  Kind17:44 Doesn't Envy20:05 Doesn't Boast/Arrogant23:05 Isn't Rude25:01 Doesn't Insist On Its Own Way28:50 Not Irritable31:46 Keeps No Record Of Wrongs38:49 Doesn't Rejoice At Wrong Doing41:53 Love Bares All Things43:05 Believes all things46:00 Hopes all things47:10 Endures all things49:15 OutroThis 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/

We are back in 1 Corinthians after a short break. This year Pastor Ray led us through 1 Corinthians 12  in our series ‘United in the Spirit’.Pastor Ray showed us how God’s spiritual gifts were at work in the Corinthian church. Some with more visible gifts began to feel superior, while others with less visible gifts inferior.We were reminded that gifts were never meant to elevate some or diminish others, but to build up the church together and bring glory to the God who gives every gift.But the Corinthian church could not help themselves because the culture around them taught them otherwise.Love is EssentialLove is DefinedLove is Displayed in Jesus

With the growth of atheism and widespread secularisation in the West, many have predicted the death of Christianity. But there’s an alternative story to be told. A new conversation on faith is emerging in our culture along with signs of a religious re-awakening among the younger generation. Justin Brierley has been at the forefront of charting 'The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God’. He’ll explain why 'new atheism’ has grown old and why human existence, human value and human purpose are pointing many people back to faith in Christ.Three reasons why the conversation on God has changed:God makes sense of human existence.God makes sense of human value.God makes sense of human purpose.

Join Pastor Ray, Pastor Brett, and Silas this week as they answer questions and ask questions about last week's Sermon! Today, Ray and Brett share how they deal with being in "prominent" roles in the church, encouraging those with "less prominent" gifts and more. 00:00 Intro01:14 Sermon Reflections12:33 Are All Not Gifts "Higher Gifts"?18:11 Honouring those who are "less prominent" in the Body23:40 Dealing With Spiritual Pride & Superiority 33:20 Functional Gifts and Apostles TodayThis 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/

When I was a child, the repository of human knowledge was placed on a bookshelf. The World Book Encyclopedia, first published in 1917, was the AI search engine of many families across North America for many decades.What was the most fascinating part of the whole collection? The clear pages of the human body! You could move from the outer skeleton to the inner organs, or go from the inner organs outward to the skeleton.  You could see how the human body was intricately woven together. It was a visual picture of a human body, composed of many interdependent parts and systems, working together for the optimal functioning of the whole body.In our passage today, the body of Christ in Corinth, runs the risk of becoming very ill. Some parts of the body in Corinth think they are more important than other parts of the body and do not really need those less valued parts. The system is malfunctioning.What does the Spirit of God say to those who think they are more than others?We are of equal value (vs. 21)We are interdependent (vs. 22-26)We are ordered (vs. 27-30)We follow a more excellent way (vs. 31)

Acts 12 is broken up between three death sentences: James – Peter, and Agrippa. Each teaches us something essential about trusting the Bible:James’ martyrdom shows the Bible was written early.Peter’s imprisonment shows the Bible was written accuratelyHerod’s death teaches us that we need to trust the Bible with our lives.

Join Pastor Brett, Pastor Jonathan, Pastoral Intern Eunice, and Silas this week as they answer questions and ask questions about last week's Sermon! Today, we discuss belonging, exercising your spiritual gifts and more. 00:00 Intro01:07 Sermon Summary05:34 Living out one’s belonging in the local church11:54 Exercising your gifts15:20 Can my spiritual gifts change over time?18:55 How can I discover my spiritual gifts?26:43 Holding back someone from using their gifts35:58 How to not overlook others and their gifts42:35 We belong because of what Jesus has doneThis 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/