Foundations Church Williamsburg

Jeff Wapner takes a look at the call of the young prophet Jeremiah and the excuses he gives in response: the demands of the task, his own lack of talent, the timing of the call and the danger of the message. But each excuse is met with a direct promise from God...

We live in a culture that teaches us that we should simply 'follow our dreams' - so when we come to Genesis 37, it is hard for us to interpret the significance of Joseph's dreams. As we conclude our series in the book of Genesis, Pastor Michael examines the 'devastation in the dream' - that brings Joseph into exile, slavery and imprisonment; the 'purpose in the pain' as God raises him to power in...

Having tricked his brother Esau and deceived his father, Jacob - the youngest of Isaac's twin sons - receives the coveted 'blessing' of the firstborn. It's a decision that forces him to flee for his life to escape his brother's fury. But after two decades in exile God finally calls Jacob home. Genesis 32 opens with the news that Esau is coming to meet Jacob with an army of 400 men. But Jacob's bat...

The God of Abraham is revealed by his call to go, to leave, to believe. But the God of Isaac is the God who calls us to stay, to wait, to trust. Isaac is the son of promise, the son of submission and the son of sacrifice. And his life points to that of Jesus who, like Isaac, willingly laid down his will, laid aside his rights and offered up his life as a 'living sacrifice' (Rom. 12:1)...

Genesis 12 marks the turning point of biblical history. The Lord finds a man, one solitary man, who is willing to leave behind everything he knows to pursue a God he cannot see. This is why Abraham is called the 'Father of Faith' because he answers the call to go, the call to multiply and the call to covenant...

After the flood comes a time when the people of the world found themselves in one place, with one language and one purpose - to "make a name" for themselves. This is the founding of Babylon - a city that throughout scripture becomes synonymous with the pride of man's heart - a pride that God punishes by confusing the languages of man. And yet, after the resurrection we see another glimpse of the p...

Man's descent into depravity cannot go unchecked forever. As Genesis 6 opens, God looks down and sees the wickedness not just of man's actions, but of the "thoughts of his heart" and determines to judge the earth. But in the midst of the total destruction brought by the Flood, God provides a way of deliverance for Noah and his family, and makes a covenant with him which points to a greater deliver...

Throughout history, no matter how dark the days on earth, God has always preserved for Himself a righteous remnant - those willing to honor and serve Him irrespective of the cost. Such is the line of Seth in Genesis 5 - when despite the expansion of wickedness men "began to call on the name of the Lord" - men like Seth, Enoch and Noah...

In 1871 Charles Darwin penned the celebrated sequel to his infamous work on evolution entitled, 'The Descent of Man' - an apt title for the unfolding narrative of Genesis 3-4 as sin takes root in the heart of Adam and Eve and produces destruction in the lives of all that follow after them. From the first moment that our forebears ate of the forbidden tree, they heard the voice of God, hid from the...

Rosh Hashana - the Jewish New Year Festival celebrates the birthday of the world, the day that God "rested from all the work of creating that he had done." In recognition of festival, Pastor Michael continues our journey through Genesis 2 - as the focus turns to man - male and female - created in the image of God - to rest, to work and to experience intimacy...

"In the beginning..." The Creation narrative of Genesis does not start with the stars, the sun, the moon or the planets - but with light. "In Him was life," John says in the opening of his gospel "and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." As Pastor Michael takes us through the first chapter of Genesis - we see these words of J...

"In the beginning..." We typically think of the Creation account in Genesis 1:1 as the start of the human journey. But there is something before the 'beginning' - a starting point located in eternity past as described by the Apostle John in the opening statement of his Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word..." Pastor Michael opens our Genesis Journey with an overview of biblical history - a histo...

9.8.19 - Firm Foundation by Foundations Church Williamsburg

As Paul draws to the end of the final chapter of his last letter, he urges Timothy to run his race well - preach the Word and fulfill his ministry. Imprisoned in Rome on death row, there is an urgency to Paul's message: time is short, lets make our live count for eternity...

2 Timothy 3 begins with the warning that the days in which Timothy finds himself are "perilous times". And such 'Fierce Times' demand 'Firm Beliefs' and a 'Fighting Faith' that is focused on the eternal perspective of Jesus' return.

We're called to fan into flame the gift of God within us, by the power of the Holy Spirit deposited in us, to proclaim the message of salvation entrusted to us. This is how Paul - imprisoned and facing certain death - urges Timothy to run his race: effectively, wholeheartedly and faithfully.

We can’t know freedom in Christ in our hearts without the fruit of the Spirit being demonstrated in our lives. In this final message of our series in Galatians, Pastor Michael describes the reality that God can't be mocked, “whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). You can’t live according to your selfish desires and then reap the fruit of the Spirit. So, Paul urges, us to walk, live...

A look at Paul's warning in Galatians 4 for us not to fall back into the weak, worthless and 'elementary' teachings of self-made religious experience, but to push towards maturity in Christ. Includes a brief introduction by Peter Ratcliffe - originally from the North East of England who now serves as a missionary in Paraguay together with his family. Learn more about the Ratcliffe family's journey...

As part of our focus on Freedom this month Foundations Church is delighted to welcome Charmaine Hedding founder of the Shai Fund (from the Hebrew 'Shai' meaning 'hope'). She speaks about her work throughout the Middle East with a particular focus on standing for the persecuted Christians of Iraq and Syria, promoting human dignity, providing humanitarian relief and demonstrating the love of Jesus i...

Join us for the second of our summer series of Freedom Nights as Jeff and Charlyn Wapner from the Foundations Church leadership team speak about abiding in the Truth of God's Word - the only way to find true Freedom in Christ.

7.14.19- The Gospel of Abraham (Galatians 3/4) by Foundations Church Williamsburg

Fear is a powerful enemy of freedom. It intimidates us so that we shrink back and refuse to obey God's voice. It terrifies and paralyzes us from stepping out in trust. And if we pay attention to its lies, we quickly become too scared to stand. Drawing from Numbers 13, Matthew 14 and 2 Chronicles 20, Michael and Bonni Hines open the 2019 Freedom Night series by describing how you can fight the batt...

7.7.19- Slaves, Spies & Traitors (Galatians 2) by Foundations Church Williamsburg

Each July we are reminded of the great freedoms we enjoy in this nation and the cost paid by those who have fought to preserve them for us. It’s a theme that Paul picks up in his passionate defense of salvation through grace alone in the opening chapters of Galatians. Described as the Magna Carta of Christian Freedom, the lessons from this letter are among the most important we'll ever learn...

Pastor George Williams, Church Planting Director for the Eastern Region of Open Bible Churches speaks on 'Being an Everyday Missionary' from Luke 15.