I have referenced the revival that recently broke out at Asbury College in several of my sermons. I truly love the thought of hearts being turned toward the Lord with renewed zest and zeal. I also love hearing about new people trusting in Jesus as Savior and worshipping Him now as Lord. The non-stop worship that happened at Asbury College reminds us that God responds to the needs and wishes of His people when they desire Him most of all.

Our country has experienced several revivals over the span of its existence. Revivals are often called “spiritual awakenings” because people who participate in revival talk about their hearts, eyes and ears being more open to the presence of God by His Spirit. Here’s a little history on revivals in the U.S.

The first great awakening happened in the 1730’s-40’s when America was still under England’s rule. Churches had become very lax in the expectations of their church members. Jonathan Edwards is well-known for his “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sermon and ministers like John Weasley, Charles Wesley, and George Whitfield are several other instrumental leaders who shared expository sermons calling people back to refocus their lives on the things of God. Through the teaching of Edwards and the traveling ministry of Whitfield, starting in Georgia and working up to Massachusetts, the colonial people were convicted of their sin and renewed in their need for Jesus. 

Again, in the 1820’s-50’s America had become complacent in living biblically virtuous lives and had fallen away from practical morality. Charles Finney offered a fiery message of repentance. In big tents, constructed for meetings lasting weeks and weeks, he instituted the “Crying Bench”, where he invited those renewing or professing faith to proceed down front and make a public commitment to Jesus. The Awakening theology is clear in Finney: Jesus calls everyone and anyone can heed the call. 

At the conclusion of the Civil War and following the great Chicago fire, a third great awakening happened between 1875-1885 in Chicago, where people now realized their desperate need for God and their dependence on Him for help and guidance. An uneducated shoe salesman named D.L. Moody had broken out of the normal practices of the church and began a Bible study for street children. Moody went on to preach all around the country to more than 100,000 million people. The appeal was simple: Jesus wants you the way you are, come to Him now because He’s coming back soon. 

On April 9, 1906, the Spirit of God moved in the hearts of people again and a revival broke out in a Los Angeles church at 312 Azusa Street. The revival helped integrate the church into a more harmonious, unified community, bringing together rich and poor, black and white, male and female. It focused on believers being different from the world and focusing on the love of God and others. Many manifestations that demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit happened in this awakening.

Another awakening began in 1910-1970 where pastors and preachers began gathering large groups of people in crusades. Billy Sunday, a professional baseball player turned preacher, was direct and powerful with the Gospel message. Billy Graham entered the scene in 1949 with his Los Angeles crusades that caught the attention of the press. The Jesus Revolution broke out in the late 1960’s-70’s and people who had been considered outcasts and hippies became born again believers. Graham went on to hold more than 400 crusades in 185 countries, attracting millions of people to surrender their lives to Christ.

There are several common threads woven into each one of these times of revival. They all came on the heels of difficult and dark times. They all came after believers and leaders in the church realized how far they were from the things of God. And lastly, they all came by the power of the Holy Spirit moving in the hearts and lives of people repenting of their sin, apathy, and ignorance towards God. The revival or awakening that happened at Asbury College came on the heels of a very simple sermon and a call for

repentance. The presence of God was felt, and the planned short chapel service attended by only a few people did not end at the scheduled time. The people there desired to keep worshipping God as they continued to sense His presence and as word got out, people flocked from all around the campus. Soon, people from all over the world began to inundate the small college campus in droves over the next two weeks.

Which leads us to this question, “Would you like to experience revival at Wildwood?” Be careful how you answer because another common thread that occurred in each one of these revivals was the people who participated put aside their routines, schedules and agendas and focused their lives on seeking and worshipping God. They spent hours and days and even weeks focusing solely on the presence of God and offering their lives in worship to Him. To sum it up in one word, here’s what it would take… change.

We would have to be willing to admit our failure to live our lives focused on God and His ways. We’d have to repent of our sin and apathy towards Him and ask Him to revive our love for Him. And maybe, just maybe, if we do those things and sincerely seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, God may respond by granting us a greater awareness of His presence by the power of His Holy Spirit.

“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Let’s all ask ourselves if we believe God desires to do a new work in our church. If He does, will He start by doing a new work in each of our individual hearts, and if He will, let’s cry out to Him together for revival at Wildwood.

~Pastor Ric

I don’t know how you would assess 2022 as a year, but many have found it to be among the most difficult to endure. That seems strange since 2022 saw us coming out of a pandemic and moving back into our regular routines. The things we are doing may be the same as they used to be, but people don’t seem to be feeling the same about them. In fact, depression, anxiety, and stress are all at all time high levels according to psychologists and professional counselors. If you’re feeling some distress and a sense of hopelessness, you’re not alone. But I’ve got some good news for you. The new year offers new hope! One of my favorite prophecies in the Bible is found in,

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. ¹⁹ Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

The prophecies of Isaiah show up in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament writings. The things he wrote about the Messiah, hundreds of years before Christ came as a baby born in a manger, have intrigued both religious and secular scholars. His accuracy is divinely uncanny. Isaiah’s portrayal of a holy God who keeps His promises helps to remind us that the people of God who are living in the daily presence and power of our God, can live obedient, joyful, peace-filled lives regardless of the conditions that surround us.

In v.18 when the Lord tells us to, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old” it makes us wonder why God is telling us to leave the past behind -- especially when our favorite memories are of the past. But God isn’t telling us to forget about them. He’s telling us not to keep looking back and living as if they are the only good times we’ll ever experience. That’s why He follows by saying, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth”. He’s telling believers that what lies ahead can be even bigger and better than anything we’ve ever experienced! He promises to, “make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

That’s why we’ve decided to show you some things the Bible tells us about what we can hope for and expect in 2023, with a new sermon series called, “Rejuvenate”. Rejuvenate means “to restore vitality and give new energy” to what lies ahead. We’re going to revisit passages in scripture that remind us our future looks far better than our past – even if we had some pretty great times in our past.

When we walk closely with Christ, His holy perspective allows us to see new things God is doing daily which offer us great hope in what is yet to come! God promised a Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and He would come to save His people from their sins. This means nothing can stop those of us who trust in Him from seeking Him, finding Him, and living for Him, and nothing can keep us from experiencing more of His goodness in the days ahead. He has come! Christ has defeated death by rising from the grave and scripture tells us that He has ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of the throne of God as He intercedes on our behalf. This year has all the makings of being our best year ever!

I hope you will commit to being at Wildwood to hear some of the great things He has in store for us and become an active part of the Wildwood family! 

Happy New Year, Wildwood! ~Pastor Ric

Rumor has it that the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The World Health Organization said that we are on the tail end of one of the worst health crises that the world has ever experienced.

One of the places hit the hardest by the pandemic has been the church. According to data collected in April and May 2020 by Barna Group, one in three practicing Christians dropped out of church completely at the beginning of COVID-19. Moreover, church membership in the US dropped below 50 percent for the first time since 1940, according to Barna.

The latest figures from Pew Research Center show that once-regular churchgoers aren’t showing up like they were prior to the pandemic. While people steadily returned to church services in the first half of 2021, the trend hit a plateau in the second half of 2021 and that plateau continued into 2022. Going into the third year since COVID-19, congregations and their leaders are left with the reality that the people who worshiped alongside them before, may not be coming back. Overall church attendance has declined to about 2/3rds of what it used to be.

All of this information does not paint a bright picture for the future of the church but let’s remember what Jesus said to Peter after Peter told Jesus who he knew Him to be, “you are the Christ, the Son of God”.

Matthew 16:18 "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock (Christ) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

The meaning behind this verse tells us that no one has the power to overcome what God has ordained. Not even the power and plots of the devil and his fallen angels can prevail against faithful believers in Christ, i.e. the church. Satan and his minions cannot overcome the saved, those who believe in the redemptive work of God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ. They will prevail, according to God’s plan and provision for His church. But, that doesn't mean we should sit back and become complacent. Now, It’s time to grow!

We have two great opportunities this month to invite people to meet the people of Wildwood and be introduced to Jesus. We want them to see what God is doing in our church.

The first one is happening on October 9^th, and it’s called “Fan Day” which stands for “Friends and Neighbors Day”. It’s a simple concept. Let’s invite our friends and neighbors to join us for a great day of worship in our church services in a relaxed setting, wearing our favorite team colors, and then join us for some great Bible teaching and discussion in our Fusion classes. We can share a great time of fellowship in our tailgating party in the back parking lot after our services have concluded. Our fusion classes will provide some tasty food and friendly fellowship along with a great corn hole competition, a chili cook off, and lots of fun and games for the children! Here’s the catch, Fan Day will ONLY be successful if you invite some new people to join us! Otherwise, it’s just another church get-together and not an outreach. At the end of the day, we’ll look the same with no new friends to hear the gospel and join in on the fun. That's what Fan Day is supposed to be all about!

The second BIG event happens at the end of the month on Sunday, October 30^th and it’s become one of our biggest outreach events. It’s called Trunk ‘N Treat! We’ll have cars decorated and lined up with their trunks full of candy to hand out to our neighbors and their children. We need your help to provide the candy and the trunks because in the past we’ve had close to 1,000 people from our community come to get treats and many of them don’t attend Wildwood or any other church. They not only get lots of candy, but they also see Wildwood providing a safe and wholesome place for their children to have a fun night and full bags of candy! We’ll also give them a Bible tract that shares the gospel and they’ll get to meet some pretty great people who want to show God's love and hospitality to our community. It’s a great event that will hopefully lead to our guests coming back to check out our worship services later!

When Jesus asked His disciples who people said He was, they gave a lot of different answers. But the truth was, many didn’t know. But Peter did! And so do we! Our job is to help make Him known to others. That’s why we have decided that being His church is still important. Will you invite others to come join in these fun events so that our neighbors and friends in the community will hear the gospel and discover who Jesus truly is? Rumor has it that the church is declining -- BUT, wWe can put those rumors to rest! Let’s join together with God in not letting the gates of Hell prevail against us! It’s time for us to grow Wildwood!

There is something a little scary and a little exciting about a new beginning. The uncertainty of what lies ahead may make us anxious, but the anticipation of moving in a new direction offers new adventure. I believe we're in a new beginning stage at Wildwood. The last two years have brought a lot of change. We were separated and isolated for a long time and new habits were formed. People have become accustomed to not going to church, but the value of attending church in person hasn't changed. The Bible is clear about not missing church.

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

--Hebrews 10:24-25

The word "Day" is capitalized in that verse to refer to the return of the Lord and the time when everything changes. The new beginning starts. The Lord will call those who are His to be with Him and the world will go through seven years of the worst time in all of history right before the Lord returns to rule and reign on earth for one thousand years. Those who believe in Him will be saved to rule with Christ; those who do not believe in Him will be held by their sins for eternal judgment.

We all have big events that lie ahead in our futures that we're watching and waiting for. Things like our 16th birthday, or the day we graduate from high school or college. The day we get married or get our first job. Some are looking forward to the day they will retire from work. But the one day we should all be mindful of is the Day the Lord will return. When that day comes everything changes for everyone. Two lines will form, those who believed and belong to Christ, and those who didn't believe and therefore do not belong to Him and His family. There is not a single day that lies ahead that is more important than the Day of the Lord!

We should all be looking for it by living like it could happen at any moment. Meanwhile, we should be doing the things the Lord has left for us to do until that Day arrives. We should be living lives that honor Christ. He makes a statement that I think we should always be mindful of in the book of John:

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."  

--John 14:15-17

We are called by Christ to keep His commandments. The last commandment He gives us before He ascends to the right hand of the throne of God, and the assignment He gives us the power of the Holy Spirit (the Helper) to fulfill, is found in Matthew 28:

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" (vss. 18-20)

This is what we should all be doing right now, making disciples! We are surrounded by people in our neighborhoods and communities who come from "all nations." That is why our mission statement at Wildwood reads,

"Leading people to become believers and passionate followers of Jesus Christ."

As a church, we have rallied and united under this command, to make disciples (believers) and teach them to obey everything Jesus has commanded (passionate followers). So I'm asking you to please join me in sharing the gospel with those around us and invite them to Wildwood where they can grow. Here's an easy way to remember to share the gospel. It's called the ABC's of evangelism:

A: Admit you're a sinner. Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

B: Believe in Jesus as Savior. John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

C: Confess Jesus as Lord. Romans 10:9 - ""If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

We can do this and honor our Lord together and this temporary setback of the last two years of separation and isolation can actually catapult us into the greatest time in Wildwood's history if we simply "obey His commandments."

I hope we will! Let's do this, Wildwood!

~Pastor Ric