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7PM Christmas 2016

Christmas was full and crazy in 2016 with our fullest suite of events ever - with Carols by Laserlight, A Little Swing Christmas, Carols by Candleight, Crib Service, A Little Folky Christmas, Midnight Communion and of course Christmas Day. 

Watch the trailer for the 2016 Christmas season or watch some of the highlight talks below. 

CAROLS BY LASERLIGHT Joey Mitchell, 03/12/16

Yep the haze machine went a bit crazy in 2016, nevertheless here is Joey smashing it out of the park at Laserlight.

CHRISTMAS BY CANDLELIGHT, Bev Dobson, recorded 11/12/16. 

The delightful Bev Dobson takes gives us a few seasonal things to think about and ponder at Christmas time.

 

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

Heroes of Faith (7PM Series)

The Old Testament is literally full of biblically sized heroes, yet despite being written many years ago - how were they like us, how did God speak to them and what can we learn from these heroes of faith?

HEROES OF FAITH: Elisha - Faith for Miracles, Rob Scott Cook 06/11/16

Faith for miracles. Deep in the history of Israel we read of a prophet who is used by God to heal the sick, raise the dead, multiply food, and bring extraordinary revelation. What was the secret of Elisha's anointing for miracles? Can faith release similar miracles today?Bible Ref: 2 Kings

HEROES OF FAITH: David - Faith for Warfare, Clare Thompson 13/11/16

Faith for Warfare. David's battle with Goliath is one of the best known stories in the bible. God seems to enjoy using apparently insignificant people to win great victories. Can the story of David help us find faith to face our Goliath's and see God's victories. Bible Ref: 1 Samuel 17:45-47

HEROES OF FAITH: Hannah - Faith to Pray, Tim Dobson 20/11/16

Faith to pray. Real faith has the capacity to persevere in prayer in the face of disappointment. Hannah took her disappointment to God and saw extraordinary fruit from her prayer. Bible Ref: 1 Samuel 1&2

HEROES OF FAITH: Abraham - Faith to Obey, Jon Wilcox 27/11/16

Faith to obey. Sometimes faith is a long obedience in the same direction. That was Abraham's life; he is fittingly called the father of faith. Bible Ref: Hebrews 11v8; Genesis

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

A Culture of Faith (7PM Series)

Faith isn't something that is like a book that we bring down off the shelf whenever we talk about Christianity. Faith is something that is interwoven into our being, perspectives and understanding - so how do we not only have a culture of faith, how do we have a life full of faith?

A CULTURE OF FAITH: The Goodness of God, Clare Thompson 02/10/16

Someone once said 'the opposite of faith is certainty'. How hard is it for us to trust in the invisible God? We want our community at Woodlands to have confidence in the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ so we can reveal the invisible God to the world he loves so much. Our sermon series begins this Sunday with Faith in the goodness of God'.

Bible Ref: Ephesians 2v4

 

A CULTURE OF FAITH: Saving Faith, Dave Mitchell 09/10/16

What's the difference between believing in God and having faith in God? And if you have faith in God does it mean you don't have to 'do' anything to be a Christian and go to heaven? Even at the time of the early Church there were tensions about ‘faith’ and ‘works’ and how discipleship and a holy life fitted into a doctrine of faith and grace. So, what does it mean to have a saving faith?

Bible Ref: Galatians 2v16-21

 

A CULTURE OF FAITH: Faith in spite of circumstances, Rob Scott Cook 16/10/16

The book of Job is part of the ‘wisdom literature’ of the bible. Using the medium of story it is a fascinating account of the challenge of holding on to faith in God when circumstances are at their worst. It provides a ‘case study’ that is timeless in exploring what it means to keep faith in God when there is suffering and he seems far away.

Bible Ref: Book of Job

 

A CULTURE OF FAITH: 'Both-And' Faith, Nigel Savage 23/10/16

A gift is something you usually get straight away. A fruit takes time to grow and we need to wait for it. Faith is described in the bible both as a gift and a fruit of the Spirit. What's the difference and do we need both aspects? And how do we find faith in the everydayness?

Bible Ref: 1 Corinthians 12v9

 

A CULTURE OF FAITH: Faith & Worship, Dave Mitchell and April Ballard 30/10/16

“For when we cease to worship God, we do not worship nothing, we worship anything.” ― G.K. Chesterton. Faith in God is best expressed in worship and it's a priority for us at Woodlands whenever we gather together.

Bible Ref: 1 Corinthians 14

 

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

Great Expectations (7PM Series)

A 4 part series looking at some of the DNA of Woodlands Church.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Sunday, Tim Dobson 04/09/16 

It is remarkable how quickly the early Church, a community rooted in Judaism, with the Sabbath (the 7th day) as a sacred day, pivotal to their national identity, took on Sunday, the first day of the week as their defining gathering day. 

It’s also interesting how in our contemporary culture, the practice of keeping Sunday special is disappearing. Is Sunday still 'special'? Is there a blessing to discover in keeping that Sunday weekly rhythm of worship?

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Sunday, Dave Mitchell 11/09/16

Jesus equates ‘greatness in the kingdom of God’ with servant hood. The early church saw servant hood as a privilege and an 'imitation' of Christ, the servant king. To be called by God into his service is part of discipleship. 

To serve means to use the gifts God has graciously given us and to see those gifts grow. Serving God involves both serving in Church and serving in the world. How can service be a blessing for us as well as those we are serving?

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Giving, Ed Marsh 18/09/16

The Old Testament has a lot to say about giving in the context of worship based around the practice of tithes and offerings. These offerings were a way of responding with gratitude to God for his mercies and the New Testament builds on this foundation with practices that demonstrate radical generosity, ‘in view of God’s mercy.’ Something about the nature of the kingdom of God is expressed in generous giving; how do we make this a key part of our discipleship today?

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Belonging, Rob Scott-Cook 25/09/16

Church is the community of God’s people. So significant was this idea to Paul that one of his favourite metaphors for the Church was ‘the body’, with the implication that we are as vitally connected to one another as the organs in the human body are. If we are really to ‘belong’ we need to find our place in community. When Church becomes large it can become anonymous. 

Most of us thrive when we are known and know people. Being known is key to participation and discipleship. Jesus was at ease in crowds and attracted crowds but did his discipleship mainly amongst a group of twelve.

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

Summer Open Themes (7PM Series)

During this summer season we revisited some previous topics and also gave our speakers some summer freedom...

MAKING SPACE FOR PRAYER, Rob Scott Cook 07/08/16

Please note, due to a technical error this message is just audio.

BE STILL AND KNOW, Tim Dobson 14/08/16
Be still and know: Your true self - Your enemy  - Your God. Bible Ref. Psalm 46

REST OF SOUL, Dave Mitchell 21/08/16
Bible Ref. Psalm 103

RESTORED SOUL, Nigel Savage 28/08/16
Bible Ref. Psalm 1

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

Hello. We are the 'Burger Church' :)

Every year we put on a huge free BBQ to welcome students to Bristol. Freshers' Week is lots of fun, but it can also be a bit stressful and disorienting, especially if you're new...

With this in mind, we figure a tasty burger and a warm welcome might help Bristol feel a little friendlier for folk who are just settling in. So tell your friends, get involved - and don't buy lunch in freshers' week! #BurgerChurch.

Wider Witness (7PM Series)

We're called to share our lives and faith in our homes, workplaces and beyond but what does it mean to be a witness in a wider modern world today?

WIDER WITNESS: Following God's Initiative, Clare Thompson 03/07/16

The book of Acts describes some amazing conversions, not least the story of Cornelius in Acts 10. Very often these seem to be initiated by something miraculous happening to the convert prior to faith. How can we see more of that kind of 'divine appointment' happening today? Bible Ref: Acts 10-11

WIDER WITNESS: Kingdom Conflict, Dave Mitchell 10/07/16

Is the message of Jesus so powerful and challenging that it arouses opposition? Does the work of God's spirit provoke demonic opposition? C.S.Lewis once said 'Miracles and Martyrdom go together. What should we expect about conflict today? Bible Ref. Acts 12, 16, 19

WIDER WITNESS: Kingdom and Culture, Rachel Riddall 17/07/16

How can we bring a distinctive 'Kingdom ' culture in our witness without being weird? How does cultural sensitivity avoid cultural compromise? The early Church had to face these topical tensions too. Bible Ref. Acts 14, 15

WIDER WITNESS: Kingdom and Culture Out of Antioch, Dave Mitchell 24/07/16

The most powerful cross cultural mission of the Church came not out of Jerusalem, but Antioch. Bristol has 120 nationalities resident in the City. Can we be an 'Antioch' today? Bible Ref. Acts 13, 18

WIDER WITNESS: The Power of Testimony, Joey Mitchell 31/07/16

Worship Special; Testimony is amazing. It's not an argument, it's a witness. It can move us, teach and inspire us. Paul's testimony is recorded at least three times in the book of Acts. How often do we share ours? Bible Ref. Acts 20, 22

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

Momentum For Mission (7PM Series)

At the end of his time on earth, before he ascended to the Father Jesus gave two instructions to his disciples, ‘Stay’ and ‘Go’.  The ‘go’ is the ‘great commission’ at the end of Matthew’s gospel and referenced in Acts 1:8 is a call to make disciples of ‘all nations’, to go to ‘the ends of the earth’. The ‘stay’ is ‘stay in Jerusalem until you have been clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49) referenced in Acts 1:4.

MOMENTUM FOR MISSION: Reaching your city, Tim Dobson 01/05/16

This weekend lots of volunteers are serving our City in 'The Noise' project. We are exploring on Sunday the tension in some of the last words of Jesus between 'staying' and 'going' in His great commission. Do we 'stay' until we are ready, or are we equipped by going? Bible Ref. Acts 1v1-8

MOMENTUM FOR MISSION: Momentum & Balance, Rob Scott-Cook  08/05/16

Do we want a well balanced Church or a Church that is on the move and has momentum? Well 'both-and' is the right answer. The book of Acts shows how the early Church found balance while keeping moving. It's just like a bicycle really! Bible Ref. (Acts Overview)

MOMENTUM FOR MISSION: Pentecost Power, Dave Mitchell 15/05/16

Happy Birthday Church! We celebrate the day the fire fell, the wind blew, and the Church was launched into its calling. Bible Ref. Acts

MOMENTUM FOR MISSION: Kingdom Generosity, Rachel Riddall 22/05/16

Money matters. A spirit of generosity typified the early Church and enabled great things to happen. What should our model be for giving financially to the work of God today? Bible Ref. Acts 4v32-37

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

Prophecy (7PM Series)

The prophet in the Old Testament is someone raised up or called by God to speak to the people and act on his behalf. A prophet is sometimes called 'a man of God'; other terms include 'hazeh' - visionary or 'roeh' - seer. More commonly used is the word 'nabi', someone who announces. Prophets include women (Deborah). The names indicate the role; a prophet is God's messenger. There is an expectation that the Prophet will have God's Spirit and may perform signs and wonders. The prophet will have the ability to see in a visionary way to see from God's perspective, perhaps to fore tell as well as forth tell, and have supernatural insight for both large scale events and local insights.

PROPHECY: The prophet in the Old Testament, Clare Thompson recorded 03/04/16

Clare takes us through a whistle-stop tour of prophets in the Old Testament and the things that they pointed towards.

PROPHECY: A prophetic people in the New Testament, Rob Scott Cook 10/04/16

A brief overview of prophecy in The New Testament and what does that mean for us today?

PROPHECY: The openness of God, Nigel Savage 24/04/16

How do we understand the role of the prophetic and God’s nature? How do we respond to the a prophetic word? Bible Ref. 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

Soul Care (7PM Series)

SOUL CARE looks at the modern need to look after ourselves and our 'souls' spiritually.

SOUL CARE Series Introduction, Dave Mitchell 10/01/16

Our society focuses on material things. Human beings are more than creatures. They have a ‘deep’ placed, a soul that belongs to God.

The Bible and especially the psalms (e.g. 42, 62, 63, 84) talk about bringing our soul to God as a vital spiritual discipline.

SOUL CARE & PRAYER, Rob Scott-Cook 17/01/16

Prayer can be hard work, and a spiritual discipline. It can also be the overflow of the soul. The story of Hannah 1 Samuel 1:10-15 is about that kind of passionate prayer. Often prayer in times of deep distress or joy seem to flow from the ‘soul’, whereas disciplined intercession can seem more cerebral, perhaps aided by a list or journal. Is one kind of prayer more valuable than another? Bible Ref. Matthew 6.5-8

A THIRSTY SOUL, Simon Rotheram 24/01/16

Read Psalm 42, a classic expression of spiritual thirst. (C.f. Psalm 63). The longing of a thirsty animal in search of water contrasts with the waterfalls, breakers and waves that can be found in God, an abundance of water. Jesus uses the metaphor of water for the life of the Spirit in his encounter with the woman at the well in John 4 and his teaching in John 7;37-39.

Bible Ref. Psalm 145.16

REST OF SOUL, Pam Scott-Cook 31/01/16

Children should be loved and accepted unconditionally, before they have done anything of merit. It continues with sustenance, the practices that replenish the spirit that Jesus himself engaged in, such as times for solitude, friendship, enjoying creation etc. The third movement is ‘significance’, the sense of knowing who we are in God’s grace, and of how our lives point to him. The final phase is achievement, fruitfulness, and awareness that fruitfulness has come about not through a cycle of works, but a cycle of grace.
Bible Ref. Luke 11: 1-13

RESTORED SOUL, Dave Mitchell 05/02/16

What happens when we lose our way, lose our joy, and lose our first love? Restoration is a process which we can be part of as Church. The Psalms cry out for Restoration for a nation. Galatians 6:1 speaks of restoring a sinner gently. Restoration tends to be a walk, we fall in love but when we lose it we have to walk back into loving relationship. A restored Soul learns to be hungry again, to recognise idolatry (false compensations for soul hunger) and turn from it, to recognise sin and repent of it and to receive grace and mercy.

Bible Ref. Psalm 23.3

SOUL LOVE: MADE FOR LOVE Hannah Mitchell & Tim Dobson 12/02/16. 

In a world at a time where when we think about love we can use terms like 'soul mate', what does it mean to re-understand the nature of love through the lens of faith?

Bible Ref. Ecclesiastes 4.9-12

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

The Easter HymnBook Vol.1

The #EasterHymnBook has been designed as an audio experience to help give you some time and space to think about Easter this year. 

You may be familiar with church, you may not but we've brought together some thoughts, songs and readings that will hopefully help deepen your exploration of Easter and it's meaning to you, to us and to the world as a whole. 

You can experience the #EasterHymnBook track-by track or as a podcast but we’d encourage you to listen to it all in one sitting as a whole experience. 

We hope you enjoy it, but more than that - hopefully it helps you meet with Jesus in some way. 

TRACK LISTING: 
1. Egg. Sunday. Egg
2. John 19v16 to 17v16 - Paul Asterley
3. Whispers - Robin Mitchell
4. Conversation with Jen Lister
5. Chopin Nocturne in C sharp Minor (No.20) performed Manami Baba
6. Meditation Space / Dark Before Dawn
7. Wide Open - Colse Leung
8. An Easter blessing - Rob Scott Cook / Dawning - Colse Leung 

How Did Jesus? (7PM Series)

When we read the life of Jesus in the gospels, are we to see things that mark Jesus out as the unique son of God, or are we to see things that we are called to imitate and experience ourselves as followers of Jesus? I think the answer is yes (both and). In the series ‘How did Jesus’ we can explore some of those tensions; what makes Jesus unique, but what can we learn and copy today?

HOW DID JESUS HEAL? Clare Thompson 21/02/16.

The healing ministry of Jesus is something he called and still calls his followers into. Jesus healing ministry begins after his baptism and testing in the wilderness. Bible Ref. Luke 4:31-40

HOW DID JESUS MAKE DISCIPLES? Joey Mitchell 28/02/16

Jesus prioritised making disciples, and commanded his disciples to do the same (Matt 28:19). ‘Infectious discipleship’ is a word for the year at Woodlands and our mission statement ‘Continually reproducing the life of Jesus’ is a statement about discipleship. Bible Ref. Luke 5:1-11

HOW DID JESUS TEACH? Rob Scott-Cook 06/03/16

Jesus teaching was extraordinarily popular with all kinds of people (c.f. Luke 15:1). He taught crowds, but also took the small group of 12 disciples aside (18:31) to explain more deeply his message, to answer their questions or reflect on his ministry.  What made Jesus’ message so attractive to them?
Bible Ref. Luke 15-18

HOW DID JESUS PRAY? Jon Wilcox & Dave Mitchell 13/03/16

Jesus’ prayer life was one of the most distinctive things about his relationship with God. It had a non liturgical intimacy. He called God by the intimate name ‘Father’. He practiced prayer as a key priority above the pressures of people. It was so distinctive that his disciples, brought up in the faith of their forbears, asked ‘Lord teach us to pray’ (Luke 11:1).

HOW DID JESUS SUFFER? Rachel Riddall 20/03/16

One aspect of the ministry of Jesus that we are explicitly called to imitate is suffering. Jesus said that his disciples must take up their cross. This is not a popular subject in contemporary Charismatic spirituality, yet throughout the world Christians are suffering through persecution more than at any time in history, sometimes literally taking up their cross.

HOW DID JESUS TRIUMPH? / EASTER DAY Tim Dobson 27/03/16

When Jesus hung on the cross, his opponents sneered ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ’ (v 35). How much of being saved actually depends on ‘not saving your own life’? How was Jesus utter trust and dependence on God fulfilled in his dying? How do we try and ‘save ourselves’? Where do we need to trust in God’s salvation more?

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

Overcoming Obstacles (7PM Series)

Henry Ford said "obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal". For us as followers of Jesus, we look towards Him not only our goal, but as our example.

RELEASE OF MINISTRY Pam Scott-Cook  

The extraordinary growth of the Church in Acts brought strain on the structure of the early Church. One of the signs of strain was some of the vulnerable people in the Church feeling overlooked. It also meant that the Apostles were becoming a bottleneck and that they were neglecting their primary callings. These kinds of pressures are familiar ones in any growing organisation but can really hinder kingdom growth. On the other hand, this kind of growth can also be an opportunity to release significant kingdom ministry.

Bible Ref. Luke 4:31-40

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: Persecuted Church, Dave Mitchell 12/06/16
Persecution has been part of the Church from its beginning as these chapters in Acts show. Persecution is also on the increase. Open Doors estimate that in 2015 7,000 Christians were killed for their faith, but millions of Christians are affected by lower level persecution and discrimination. What can we learn from the biblical record of persecution, and learn from the global persecuted Church today? Bible Ref. Acts 7 8:4

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: Global Partnership Sunday, Tim Dobson & Charmian Arevalo-Squire 19/06/16Acts chapter 8 describes the mission of the early Church across the first national boundary, the neighbouring country of Samaria. This is followed immediately by the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, where the good news of Jesus is conveyed by him to the heart of another more remote nation. The great commission of Jesus is being fulfilled, and we stand in a long line of witnesses to the nations of the world as we think about our own place in the global Church. Bible Ref. Acts 8

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: The Power of Encouragement, Rob Scott-Cook 26/06/16

Acts chapter 9 describes the conversion of Saul who has been a chief persecutor of the church. Saul has a vivid encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road but understandably encounters suspicion in the Church family. The key to him being accepted by the Church in Jerusalem, who haven’t witnessed the change in him first-hand, is the role of Barnabas whose name means ‘son of encouragement’. Bible Ref. Acts 9

Like what you've seen? Find more talks and videos on the Woodlands Church sermons & talks page.

Woodlands Church, Belgrave Road, Bristol BS8 2AA