Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
November 9, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
ENGAGEMENT 2025: Call to the Wild
November 2 – 29, 2025
As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Matthew 10:7
The Growing Church
Acts 2:42-47
HEAVEN AND EARTH
The Bible contains the story of how heaven and earth have been connected since creation and will be connected in eternity. Since the beginning of time, the Triune God has been revealed through this dynamic and incredible reality. God, His Word, and His Spirit – all are on display since creation.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
-Genesis 1:1
See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.
-Isaiah 65:17
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
-Revelation 21:1
INCARNATION: God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. The ministry of Jesus marks the launching of a new era – Heaven has come to earth! This is also known as Inaugurated Eschatology.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made . . . the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
-John 1:1-3, 14
ASCENSION: Jesus ascended to the Father in Acts 1. This is a significant event in the dawning of the Age to Come. God’s original plan for humanity and creation now has become a reality. Heaven and earth have merged together, and a Human Being (Jesus Christ) is now enthroned with the Father. Jesus is Lord over all the earth!
PENTECOST: The Spirit of God was given after the Ascension of Jesus as a demonstration that God always desires to dwell with His people. His presence guarantees the manifestation of His power so that His purposes will be accomplished.
This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.”
-Acts 2:16-17
CHURCH: This is the new global community of God’s people. The Church is the new Temple of God – God is present with His people! As members of the Church, we have been commissioned to the task of making disciples of all nations and filling the earth with His glory!
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
-Matthew 28:18-20
INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP: The Church must be intentionally engaged in making disciples! The first church was committed to discipleship: Instruction, Worship, Community, Generosity, Engagement.
Flourishing Together
Following The Jesus Way
Knowing God Experiencing God Serving God
Saved Shepherded Sent
Shaped
CONGREGATIONAL COMMISSIONING
Leader: Jesus said, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’”
Congregation: Amen.
Leader: There are people in our families who need to know the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Congregation: As we go, we will proclaim.
Leader: There are people in our neighborhoods who need to know the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Congregation: As we go, we will proclaim.
Leader: There are people among the nations who need to know the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Congregation: As we go, we will proclaim.
Leader: There are people missing from the table who need to know the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Congregation: As we go, we will proclaim.
Leader: Amen. May you be filled with the Spirit of God, empowered to proclaim the Good News about the Kingdom of God. As you go, proclaim!
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
November 2, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
ENGAGEMENT 2025: Call to the Wild
November 2 – 29, 2025
As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Matthew 10:7
The Wide, Wild World
Acts 1:6-8
CONTEXT: The earthly ministry of Jesus was concluding. These are His final instructions prior to His Ascension.
COMMISSION: Jesus commissioned His followers to be His witnesses in the wide, wild world! The Gospel was not to be contained in Israel but was to be proclaimed to the ends of the earth!
CELEBRATION: Jesus has invited everyone to the table. Who is missing?
CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER:
CONGREGATIONAL COMMISSIONING
Leader: Jesus said, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’”
Congregation: Amen.
Leader: There are people in our families who need to know the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Congregation: As we go, we will proclaim.
Leader: There are people in our neighborhoods who need to know the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Congregation: As we go, we will proclaim.
Leader: There are people among the nations who need to know the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Congregation: As we go, we will proclaim.
Leader: There are people missing from the table who need to know the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Congregation: As we go, we will proclaim.
Leader: Amen. May you be filled with the Spirit of God, empowered to proclaim the Good News about the Kingdom of God. As you go, proclaim!
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
October 25, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
FALL 2025: It is Not Good . . . to be Alone
September 7 – November 1, 2025
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
Genesis 2:18
I Want to Know What Love Is!
1 Corinthians 13
Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
Theme for Fall 2025: It is Not Good to be Alone
Theme for Engagement 2025: Call to the Wild
HUMAN FLOURISHING: One of the domains currently being researched in the Global Flourishing Study is Close Social Relationships
What’s love got to do with it?
Rare is the person who does not want to love and be loved. Love appears to be intrinsic to our humanity. Sociologists may dissect behavioral mechanics behind the claims of love. Branches of medical research may explore the biochemistry of love. But, however explained, it is almost universally agreed that we need love in order to live and flourish as human beings.
-Patrick Mitchel, The Message of Love
PRIORITY – Love is foundational to everything in our lives!
PERSONIFIED – Love is connected to feelings but love itself is not a feeling!
POWER – Love is a powerful force that can overcome selfishness and hate.
PERMANENCE – Love is forever!
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
October 19, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
FALL 2025: It is Not Good . . . to be Alone
September 7 – November 1, 2025
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
Genesis 2:18
Working 9 to 5!
Proverbs 6:1-19
God has designed human beings to live as relational, social, and communal beings. From family, to friends, to acquaintances, to our vocation – we live our lives in relational contexts. It is God’s desire for us to flourish in and through those relationships!
POTENTIAL: God has created all of us in His image, thus we all have great potential to serve and honor Him.
PRODUCTIVITY: God has placed within us a desire to be productive and fruitful.
PERSPECTIVE: As Christians, we should have a Biblical and theological understanding of work!
The Bible begins talking about work as soon as it begins talking about anything—that is how important and basic it is. The author of the book of Genesis describes God’s creation of the world as work. It fact, he depicts the magnificent project of cosmos intervention within a regular workweek of seven days.
-Timothy Keller, Every Good Endeavor
When we hear the word “work,” we often think of what we are paid to do. Of course, getting paid is important to make a living, but work is not limited to what we are paid to do. Work is not defined by its compensation but by its contribution to others. Work is not first and foremost about economic exchange, financial remuneration, or a pathway to wish fulfillment; rather, it is about God-honoring creativity and loving contribution.
-Tom Nelson, Why Your Work Matters
Avad – Hebrew word found in the Old Testament in both noun and verb forms (over 430 times). It is translated into English as – service, worship, or work.
PROFIT: The profit gained through our vocation extends far beyond economic value. God uses us through our work to contribute to the common good, serve others, cultivate fruitful relationships, and extend the Kingdom of God!
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
October 12, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
FALL 2025: It is Not Good . . . to be Alone
September 7 – November 1, 2025
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
Genesis 2:18
It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!
Matthew 5:13-16
God has created all of us with an innate desire for significant and meaningful relationships. We find fulfillment and meaning as we live in relationship with God, with our families, with our friends, and with our church family.
As believers, we are also called to be disciples and to make disciples. We are to live purposefully in relationships so that we can help others to: Know God, Experience God, and Serve God.
Each person in our various relational webs needs . . . to be saved, shepherded, shaped, and sent!
This is for all the lonely people!
SALT AND LIGHT: Jesus challenges us to live influential, inspirational, and informational lives in the various relational contexts of our lives as disciples.
BIG PICTURE
Where and to the extent we are able, faithful presence commits us to do what we can to create conditions in the structures of social life we inhabit that are conducive to the flourishing of all.
-James Davison Hunter, To Change the World
INDIVIDUAL/EVERYDAY LIFE
Through our relational webs (neighborhoods, civic groups, athletic organizations, schools, etc.) we have numerous opportunities to practice faithful presence and Christian hospitality.
INCLUSIVE AND INVITATIONAL
We are to learn how to include people into our circles of relationships and invite them to a life with Jesus!
In a world where our neighbors do not understand our language, friendship—not argument—will become the place of evangelism . . . In the West, secularism is not an argument, it is a mood. The functional atheism we experience is not something that most of us have ever thought out, it’s just the way we feel. Anyone who knows relationship knows you cannot disrupt a mood with an argument, you must disrupt it with a presence.
-Justin Whitmel Early, Made for People
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
October 5, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
FALL 2025: It is Not Good . . . to be Alone
September 7 – November 1, 2025
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
Genesis 2:18
Your Spiritual Family
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
COMMUNION: As Christians, we gather at the Lord’s Table in community with our God and with our fellow sisters and brothers.
CONTEXT – The Corinthian church was beset with a lack of social cohesion and characterized by breakdowns in relationships.
Corinthian society was riddled by competitive individualism, and this ethos spilled over into the relationships in the church as wealthier members competed for followers. Socially pretentious and self-important individuals appear to have dominated the church. It is likely they flaunted their symbols of status, wisdom, influence, and family pedigree and looked down on others of lesser status. They appear to have wanted to preserve the social barriers of class and status that permeated their social world but were nullified in the cross of Christ. For some, the Christian community had become simply another arena to compete for status according to the societal norms.
-David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians: Baker Exegetical Commentary
CURE – The answer for the brokenness in the local church is for the church to . . . believe and behave like the Lord intended for the local church to believe and behave!
CHURCH – Paul referred to the church as a field, a building, and a body to help the Corinthians better understand the new family of God known as the church.
Why is the health of local churches such a huge concern? Because of what is at stake!
MISSION OF GOD – God is engaged in the redemption of humanity and the restoration of His creation.
CHURCH – Jesus established the church to serve as His instrument on earth to accomplish the Mission of God (Matthew 16:13-20).
COMMISSION – Jesus has commissioned the church to fulfill the Mission of God through both the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).
CHURCH - The Church is a purposeful community of gathered believers following The Jesus Way together in the fulfillment of His mission.
DISCIPLE - A Disciple: A person being formed by Jesus as they follow Him in accomplishing His mission.
How do we make disciples?
We lead people to:
-Know God
-Experience God
-Serve God
Every human being needs to:
-Know God: Be saved!
-Experience God: Be shepherded!
Be shaped!
-Serve God: Be sent!
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
September 28, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
FALL 2025: It is Not Good . . . to be Alone
September 7 – November 1, 2025
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
Genesis 2:18
Why Can’t We Be Friends?
1 Samuel 18-20
Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and social health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality rate of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity. And the harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished.
-US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy
God designed us as relational creatures who are to flourish in community. We have the capacity for and the need of friendships.
LOVE – Friendships are forged through love.
UNITY OF SPIRIT – Friends share a sense of unity and companionship.
The essence of Christian spirituality is following Christ on a journey of personal transformation. The distant land to which we are called is not heaven; it is the new creature into which Christ wishes to fashion us, the whole and a holy person that finds his or her uniqueness, identity, and calling in Christ. Spiritual friends accompany each other on that journey.
-David Benner, Sacred Companions
ACT LIKE FRIENDS! Friends take time to express their commitment to their friendship!
LOYALTY – There is an underlying loyalty expressed in true friendships.
INTIMACY – True friends share and confide in each other in healthy ways.
Ryan Chandler
Home is Where It All Begins
Deuteronomy 6:1-12
The idea of the introduction has to be, “Do you want a happy, healthy, whole home?” Everyone does, but how do we create that? Then the rest of the sermon is how to create that home. The ultimate answer is you need the Lord\
A healthy home begins with a healthy individual. “These commands are to be on your heart (Deut. 6:6).” You can’t pass along what you don’t have. You need to love God and listen to His commands.\
LISTEN
These three words are all connected. There is no Hebrew word for obey. The word they would use is shema – hear or listen.\
LOVE
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. What does that mean? Let’s dig into each one just for a bit.\
HEART
In our culture, the heart is often regarded as the seat of emotion. Not so in the ancient world. In the ancient world, it was the seat of reason and will. It’s the seat of decision-making. \
SOUL
Soul means your whole person. It’s your personality. It’s your body. It’s who you are in your entirety. \
STRENGTH
Strength is not only physical, but also encompasses your resources. It’s economic strength. Social strength. Wherever you are strong, use that gifting to love God.\
Loving God requires all of my inner being (all that I think and feel), my whole person (all that I am), and all that I can claim as my own (all that I have).
Transition: It begins within you, but it doesn’t stay within you. God calls you to share it with all those closest to you. \
Impress them upon your children. How?
Discuss it. Talk about the word of God with them. (What is a good tool that parents can use to talk about our faith with their children?) Grandparents, sometimes the best thing you can do for your grandchildren is to ensure they have a copy of the Bible. Discuss the stories in the Bible, focusing on biblical literacy. As they grow older, you can get into more advance conversations about difficult passages and theology.\
Get creative. Keep it in front of them in visible/tangible ways. In the Israelite and later Judaic religion, they took verses eight and nine seriously. Ancient Israelites would etch the Shema on the doorframes of their home. Today, Orthodox Jews take these verses literally by wearing the Torah on their foreheads and hands.\
What does that look like today?\
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
September 14, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
FALL 2025: It is Not Good . . . to be Alone
September 7 – November 1, 2025
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
Genesis 2:18
What Happened?
Genesis 3
Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
Theme for Fall 2025: It is Not Good to be Alone
HUMAN FLOURISHING: One of the domains currently being researched in the Global Flourishing Study is Close Social Relationships
Flourishing Measure Questions
I am content with my friendships and relationships.
My relationships are as satisfying as I would want them to be.
PARADISE LOST: In Genesis 3, we read the account of how humanity’s fundamental relationship—our relationship with God—was damaged.
In Israel, while there was undoubtedly a recognition of the inherent nature of sin, the biggest problem of the Fall was not concentrated in the change in human nature or the heart condition but in the loss of access to the presence of God and the reduced ability to participate in the blessing.
-John H. Walton, NIV Application Commentary: Genesis
PARADISE LOST: Genesis 3 provides the narrative that undergirds the Christian theological view regarding the pervasive effects of sin on all of humanity.
Three kinds of disorder, covering the greater part of human suffering, make their germinal appearance in this chapter . . . In personal relations . . . In the spiritual realm . . . and on the physical plane . . . This multiple disarray is, from one aspect, his punishment, pronounced by God; from another, it is the plain outcome of his anarchy. Leaderless, the choir of creation can only grind on in discord.
-Derek Kidner, Genesis
PARADISE LOST: Genesis 3 recounts how sin leads to shame.
PARADISE LOST: Genesis 3 recounts how sin leads to blame.
PARADISE LOST: Genesis 3 recounts how sin leads to domination.
PARADISE LOST: Genesis 3 recounts how sin leads to separation.
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
September 7, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
FALL 2025: It is Not Good . . . to be Alone
September 7 – November 1, 2025
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
Genesis 2:18
God’s Plan
Genesis 2:18-25
Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
Theme for Fall 2025: It is Not Good to be Alone
HUMAN FLOURISHING: One of the domains currently being researched in the Global Flourishing Study is Close Social Relationships
Flourishing Measure Questions
I am content with my friendships and relationships.
My relationships are as satisfying as I would want them to be.
COMMUNION: As Christians, we gather at the Lord’s Table in community with our God and with each other.
Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and social health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality rate of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity. And the harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished.
- U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy
In Eden, Adam had the one thing you would think he needed, right? You would think that God was sufficient, right? But God himself said, “No, it is not good” . . . It is crucial to see that our capacity to be lonely with God is not a sign of God’s insufficiency or lack. It is a sign of his unfathomable generosity: God designed us to need people. You cannot experience God the way you were made to until you experience him alongside others . . . Our fullest spirituality is only possible with others. Our intended existence only works in community. Our highest call is only realized when we pursue it alongside others.
-Justin Whitmel Earley, Made for People
CREATOR: Our God exists in plurality and in perfect community in eternity.
COMMUNITY: Since human beings have been created in the Image of God, we have been designed by God to live in community with other human beings. This is God’s plan!
CONNECTIONS: Across the spectrum of our lives, we have the opportunity to develop meaningful connections with our fellow human beings.
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
August 31, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
AUGUST 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym
August 3 – September 6, 2025
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)
Keep Living!
Colossians 2:6-7
Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
Theme for August 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED SO FAR?
-We live in a broken and fallen world.
-Life is harder than we expected.
-No matter how things seem, God cares deeply for us!
-Control the controllables, leave the uncontrollable to our loving God!
TODAY’S LESSON: No matter what, keep on living!
EXEGESIS OF COLOSSIANS 2:6-7
-Plural verbs (ye, we)
-Progress
-Pre-eminence of Christ Jesus
-Passive participles
-Participatory participle
-Pupils
CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES!
CHRIST JESUS IS LORD! We must continue to submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus in our lives.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
-Philippians 2:9-11
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
-Romans 10:9
CONTINUE TO LIVE! No matter what, we keep living!
All these people were still living by faith when they died.
-Hebrews 11:13
But my righteous one will live by faith.
-Hebrews 10:38
For we live by faith, not by sight.
-2 Corinthians 5:7
COMMUNITY: We must stay connected to the Body of Christ – the Church.
Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
-Hebrews 10:24-25
CULTIVATION: Allow God to till the soil of your souls so that the roots of your faith grow deeper and deeper.
But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out is roots by the stream.
-Jeremiah 17:7-8
CONSTRUCTION: Keep trusting God to build and shape your life through your hardships.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
-Ephesians 4:14-16
CONDITIONED: Trust God to strengthen you in every facet of your life as you learn to be more resilient in the face of challenges.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
-Isaiah 41:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
-Ephesians 6:10
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
-Philippians 4:13
COMPREHENSION: Remember that God is always teaching us more and more about Him, His will, His ways, and His Kingdom.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways may ways,” declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
-Isaiah 55:8-9
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
-Psalm 32:8
CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE! So often we need to be reminded to just be grateful for all God has done and is doing for us!
Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all His benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
-Psalm 103:1-5
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES!
-Keep surrendering to the Lordship of Christ Jesus!
-No matter what, keep living!
-Stay connected to your church!
-Keep your soul “soft” in God’s hands!
-Look for how...
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
August 24, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
AUGUST 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym
August 3 – September 6, 2025
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)
You Can’t Control Everything, But You Can Control Some Things!
Matthew 11:28-30
Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
Theme for August 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym
ACCEPTANCE: Life is often beyond our control.
JOURNEY: When we encounter the crises of our lives, we will embark on a journey that may include stages or seasons: dismay, disorientation, discouragement, despair, and desperation.
REDEMPTION: God can work redemptively in and through your journey to lead you to stages or seasons: encouragement, enlightenment, edification, and example.
RESPONSE: You can control how you respond to the crises and the various stages of your journey.
ENCOURAGEMENT
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
-Jesus (Matthew 11:28)
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
-Psalm 94:19
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
-Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
-Galatians 6:2
Hear my cry, O God; From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
-Psalm 61:2
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
-Psalm 62:1-2
ENLIGTENMENT
By faith these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
-Hebrews 11:13-16
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
-Hebrews 11:39-40
EDIFICATION
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
-Romans 5:3-4
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
-1 Peter 1:6-9
EXAMPLE
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
-2 Corinthians 1:3-4
SERENITY PRAYER
God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as He did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that He will make all things right,
If I surrender to His will,
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.
SUMMARY – WE CAN CONTROL THESE THINGS!
I can always run to God in my crises!
I can always share my burden with others!
I can keep worshiping God!
I can allow God to change my perspective!
I can let God strengthen me through my pain!
I can let God use me in the lives of others!
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
August 17, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
AUGUST 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym
August 3 – September 6, 2025
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)
God Cares!
Romans 8:31-39
Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
Theme for August 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym
ACKNOWLEDGE: Life can be hazardous to our health!
LOVE AND CARE: Never doubt God’s love and care for us
“NOTHING” . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
-Romans 8:38-39
PRESENCE: God never abandons us!
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee your presence?
-Psalm 139:7
INTERCESSION: God is at work on our behalf in the midst of our struggles and pain.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
-Romans 8:26
Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
-Romans 8:34
POWER: God is not just available to us; He is able to equip us and empower us to face our challenges.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
-Psalm 139:11-12
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
-2 Corinthians 12:9
HOPE: God will continue to guide us through our suffering and grace us with hope!
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed . . . so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
-1 Thessalonians 4:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. So that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
-Romans 15:13
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
-Romans 8:37
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
August 10, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
AUGUST 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym
August 3 – September 6, 2025
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)
Life is Harder than You Expected!
Job 5:7
Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
Theme for August 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym
AUGUST 2025
God Cares!
You Can’t Control Everything, But You Can Control Some Things!
Keep Living!
Life begins with hope and potential!
What can happen? LIFE can happen!
Job lost his flocks, his servants, and his children in one fateful day. Then his body was ravaged by disease from his head to his toe.
Job’s friend, Eliphaz, offered this summary of Job’s condition:
“Yet man is born to trouble as surely as the sparks fly upward.”
-Job 5:7
The Bible is clear --- life will not always be easy!
“In this world, you will have trouble.”
-Jesus
Life is harder than you expected!
-Traumatic Event
-Strained Relationship
-Serious Health Problem
-Crushing Disappointment
-Unchangeable Circumstance
-Painful Loss
How are we to respond to the challenges, the suffering, the difficulties that life may bring our way?
DESPONDENCY, DESPAIR, DEPRESSION
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD, “ he said. “Take my life, I am no better than my ancestors. Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
-1 Kings 19:3-5
God has provided the resources we need to face our suffering, our circumstances, our challenges --- with hope and resilience!
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
-Jesus (John 16:33)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
-Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them (Elijah and Elisha), and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
-2 Kings 2:11
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
August 3, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
AUGUST 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym
August 3 – September 6, 2025
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)
What Happened?
Genesis 3
Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
Theme for August 2025: Gold’s – God’s Gym
HUMAN FLOURISHING: One of the domains currently being researched in the Global Flourishing Study is Mental and Physical Health.
Flourishing Measure Questions
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IN US – According to the American Psychological Association, most people agree there is a “mental health crisis” in America.
ANXIETY – According to the American Psychiatry Association, increasing numbers of American adults are experiencing growing levels of anxiety.
Genesis 1-2 records the Creation Account in Scripture. Human beings were uniquely created by God in His image. He placed His blessing upon humanity. What happened?
PARADISE LOST – or perhaps, a deep sense of the loss of the intimate access to God.
Three kinds of disorder, covering the greater part of human suffering, make their germinal appearance in this chapter . . . In personal relations . . . In the spiritual realm . . . and on the physical plane . . . This multiple disarray is, from one aspect, his punishment, pronounced by God; from another, it is the plain outcome of his anarchy. Leaderless, the choir of creation can only grind on in discord.
-Derek Kidner, Genesis
THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK
“Understood from a Christian perspective, sin, wrongdoing, and rejection of God are ultimately the root cause of brokenness, illness, and death. Sin is understood as the cause of ill health at the most fundamental level . . . That does not imply that every instance of ill health is the consequence of one’s own sin . . . However, while certainly not every instance of ill health is attributed to a wrongdoing of the person, the deep connection between sin and ill health is portrayed in the biblical texts in various ways . . . The relationship between sin and ill health is sometimes pictured in the biblical text as the general all-persuasive fallenness and brokenness of the created order that is the consequence of sin and the rejection of God.
-Tyler VanderWeele, A Theology of Health
In Genesis 3 humanity experiences shame, blame, separation, judgment, banishment, and provision. The brokenness that resulted from the story recorded in Genesis 3 remains with us today ------ on every level of human existence.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT – Let’s acknowledge our need for our Good Shepherd in the face of our anguish.
Sermon 7.27.25 – Rev. Luke Stehr
Making, Baptizing, Teaching
Matthew 28:16-20
Acts 1:8
Romans 6:3-4
Galatians 3:26-28
Rev. Connor Torrealba
Sermon: Living a Godly Life
July 20, 2025
2 Peter 1:3-4
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
What is a godly life?
How did Peter get there?
How do we get there?
We are called to hold fast to truth, walk in holiness, and look forward to the day of the Lord.
A godly life: A life lived in right response to Jesus
How did Peter get there?
“For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” 2 Peter 1:16
Peter lived a godly life through knowing Jesus, following his example, and depending on the Holy Spirit.
How do we get there?
Do you know Jesus?
When was the last time you witnessed the majesty of Jesus?
Disciple: A person being formed by Jesus as they follow him in accomplishing his mission.
Katy Reed-Hodges
July 13, 2025
Clarity and Community
Romans 12:1-8 NIV
Romans 12:3b “as to each God has measured a measure of faith." (Dr. Terri Moore edition)
“The ‘measure’ here, then, is not a kind of measuring-jug containing different amounts of faith, apportioned to different people, but a measuring-rod, the same for all, called ‘faith’. It is up to each Christian to see where they come against that standard, since it is the only one that matters.” – N.T. Wright
“Understanding that Christians belong to one body and have in common the same grace of God and faith, will help stifle exaggerated ideas about one’s own status or ministry. And recognition of the significant contribution made by each member of the body of Christ will prevent one from thinking too highly (or too lowly) of himself or herself.” – Douglas Moo
Ryan Chandler
July 6, 2025
The Problem of Worship
Scripture: Psalm 95
Psalm 95:7d-11
Psalm 95:1-7c
When God is the focus of your worship, you discover your true meaning and purpose in life.
The Call to Worship
The Reason for Worship
The Result of Worship
The Call to Worship
Psalm 95:1-2
The Reason for Worship
Psalm 95:3-5
The Result of Worship
Psalm 95:6-7c
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
June 29, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
SUMMER 2025: You Are Here!
June 1 – August 2, 2025
Psalm 1
Flourishing Fruitfulness: Love Others!
Matthew 22:34-40
Psalm 1 Tree – A Flourishing Person
Two Questions from Human Flourishing Measure (One Slide)
-Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?
-I understand my purpose in life.
FOUNDATION: Who am I? Why am I here?
FORMATION: What is happening TO me?
FRUITFULNESS: What is happening THROUGH me?
COMMAND: The first command in the Bible is found in Genesis 1:28 – “Be fruitful . . . “
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
-John 15:8
Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) – remember the fruitfulness of the seed that fell on good soil.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
-Galatians 5:22-23
GREATEST COMMAND: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD . . . When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
-Leviticus 19:18, 33-34
Jesus is not simply advocating an emotional attachment or an abstract love. Rather, love here indicates a concrete responsibility, the act of being useful and beneficial to one’s neighbors, both Jew and Gentile. To love is to give to someone what that person needs. In the same way that individuals are called to care for themselves responsibly and attune their lives to carry out God’s will in their lives, they are to give themselves to others to care for them responsibly and help them attune their lives to carry out God’s will.
-Michael J. Wilkins, The NIV Application Commentary: Matthew
COMMUNITY: We are to love the people in our community through our actions.
CIRCLE: We are to love the people within our “circle” through our actions.
COMMISSION: We are to love the people of God’s world through our actions.