UGA Wesley: Recent Episodes
UGA Wesley Foundation
A collection of talks from our Wednesday night services. Wesley happens every Wednesday at 7PM on our property, 1196 S Lumpkin. We would love for you to join us!
In seasons of change, there can be a lot of unknowns. While we don’t always know the specifics of what the future holds, we can live with the assurance that God has good purposes for us and is a waymaker in the wilderness.
In its essence, worship is living our wholes lives in service to God, our King. One of the most important ways we can do that is by loving others. Jesus called this the second greatest commandment. As we do this, the songs of praise we offer with our lips are pleasing to Him when we sing.
In this message, Bob talked about Jesus revealing to us the unfailing love of God. God’s love for us isn’t a function of how we’ve been living, but of who He is. God is love. He’s always true to Himself. Thus, no matter where we find ourselves, we can always turn back to Him.
In this message, Bob teaches that Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords; that He is fierce and gentle all at once. Fierce to those who want no part of Him, but gentle to everyone who comes to Him broken and repentant, hoping for a new beginning and a new chance.
Jesus is "the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being," which means that God is who Jesus reveals Him to be. In order to decide WHY Jesus is worth our whole lives, we must come to the realization that God isn't who our pain and life experiences tell us He is. To discover who God is, we must look at the story of Jesus, who, for the good of the world, became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
God speaks His 'musts' into every one of our lives. 'Musts' are the inner knowings He calls us to; things that lead us into the plans and purposes He has for our lives. Three 'musts' He has for every student are: ‘I MUST live for more,' ‘I MUST find healthy community,' and ‘I MUST develop my own real relationship with Jesus Christ.’
Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we are invited into a new way of thinking and a new way of living that may look different than we expect. As we come to terms with that, we respond by realigning ourselves to the truth of Jesus and His Kingdom ways.
From the beginning of time, humanity has been trapped by the power of sin, shame, and death. But when Jesus died on the cross, he overcame all of those things and changed everything! The cross changes our lives because it restores our hope, covers every sin, and makes freedom possible.
Jesus prays in the garden, “Not my will, but yours be done." In this prayer, He shows us what true love looks like. We are called to love God like Jesus does. To do this means surrendering our desires to His perfect and pleasing will. Jesus shows us how we can discern God’s will and carry our cross as we join with Jesus saying, “Not our will, but yours be done."
Many of us have had experiences with God that feel like a mountaintop moment—an encounter, a breakthrough, a deeper revelation. And while those moments are wonderful, it can sometimes be hard to know how to move forward into the hard parts of life or into the everyday ordinary moments that make up our day-to-day life. In the Transfiguration story, we see the disciples have an incredible experience and then turn to face the many trials of everyday life. From this example, we learn how to lean on those big mountaintop moments to trust that God is the same to us yesterday, today, and forever.
Testing is such a core aspect of the human experience, and oftentimes the circumstances associated with being tested are fertile soil for temptation. How do we navigate this? By looking to Jesus... He is our model for overcoming temptation and living an abundant life in the Kingdom of God.
In His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus read the prophecy of Isaiah 61 that begins by saying, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” Jesus's fulfillment of this prophecy showed that He sees us and is near to the broken. The life of Jesus ushered in a new found hope for those who are written off by society. Jesus deeply cares about those who are often overlooked, and if we are to walk in the way that He did, we should care about them too. Because of His life, we get to live in more freedom, hope, and abundance.
The message of the birth of Jesus is that God came to us. Not for perfect people who didn’t need Him, but for sinful, broken people who He could save, heal, and deliver. The right response to His coming is to fully repent of our sins and to worship Him as King.
Latasha Morrison is a bridge-builder, reconciler, and a compelling voice in the fight for racial justice. Latasha gracefully brought us a message this week about living an uncomfortable life in order to keep Jesus at the center of racial reconciliation as we pursue the Kingdom of God, "on earth as it is in heaven." Our world needs renewal; we need a fresh anointing to stand against the sins of this earth. Latasha challenged us with these questions: How is my life persuasive for the gospel? How am I treating others? Am I behaving like a credible witness, genuine and authentic in faith, pure in heart, and peacemaking? Listen in on this gentle but firm message and let yourself be challenged by God in new ways.
John Wesley once said, "Give me one hundred people who fear nothing but sin, or desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergy or lay, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth." In this message, Bob shares about the heart posture we are called to have as we pray for God to ignite a revival fire on our campus, in our city, and in our world. Just like Isaiah responds in Isaiah 6:8 when God asks whom He should send, we hope to cultivate a life where we would also eagerly respond to God when it comes to revival, saying "Here am I. Send me!"
It was a blessing to host Bishop Ricardo Pereira from Cuba! He encouraged us to seek the anointing of the Holy Spirit and prayed for the release of God's power into our students' lives. Listen to hear the amazing testimonies of revival that are happening in Cuba!
True worship happens when we position ourselves to see whatever glimpse of God's glory He sees fit to reveal to us, and then respond by spiritually bowing down before Him and physically expressing our reverence in our own authentic way. God willingly gave His Son, who knew no sin, to become sin for us. This merits our full and complete surrender to anything and everything He might ever want our lives to be.
Evangelism happens any time the gospel is shared. One of the most effective ways to do that is to invite people to a service where they hear the gospel in the songs they sing, the biblically-based message they hear, and in the community they become a part of.
Your life is God's gift to you to do with as you choose. But, in any way you hold yourself back from Him, you won't like the person you become over time. While in every way you give yourself to Him, you'll love the change that the Spirit works in your life.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, the teacher emphasizes the meaninglessness of life left to our own control and pursuit of significance. When we acknowledge the foolishness of our expectations, then we are truly able to feast, celebrate, and enjoy the gift of life God gave us.
Simply put, Holiness is being set apart. This message dives into the theme that there is wisdom in knowing that God is Holy and revering Him as such. God calls us to live a life in pursuit of holiness.
The book of Job offers us wisdom on the character and ways of God. Learn about how God invites us to trust and come near to Him in our hardships as we look at an overview of Job.
Life has no meaning or purpose apart from God, but in Christ nothing we will ever do for God will be in vain.
Our words have power and there are blessings and consequences to how we use them! The model for how we can best use our powerful words is revealed to us throughout the Scriptures.
The book of Proverbs tells us that one of the ways we will grow in wisdom is by accepting the Lord's discipline, but a lot of times we don't know how to recognize it or we are afraid of it. By looking at the scripture of Proverbs 3 + 10, John 15, and Hebrews 12, we explore some of the ways and purposes of the Lord's discipline that are radically different from many of our human experiences.
Daniel discusses the biblical witness that true wisdom is not found from inside of us but from God.
Tonight's message is based off the verse from Colossians 1.22-23: "If you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel." Bob speaks a word of encouragement and perseverance to our body to hold firm to the faith that we have and to continue in it.
"If we are new creations, then why do we still sin?" It's a thoughtful question provided by one of our students in recent weeks. In this message Bob unpacks the biblical passages that help us answer this question and gives us hope for overcoming the sin in our lives.
Sam Collier is a Senior Pastor and Apostle at Story Church in Atlanta. He has a huge heart for revival and stirred up deep hunger for God amongst our students on this powerful and memorable night.
In the final week of our Tough Love series Bob talks about God's perfect design for our sexuality and why it is not a bad thing, but a blessing when placed in the right context.
What does it mean that marriage is a covenant relationship before God? What is God's design for marriage? Who should get married? And what are the four "dealbreakers" that should call off any dating relationship before it heads towards marriage? Bob answers all of these questions and more in this week's message on marriage.
In the first half of this message Daniel illustrates that the secret to dating well is rooted in loving well. If we can learn love people well and treat them in the way that we would want to be treated, then much of our questions about dating will also be answered.
In the second half of this message Daniel answers a series of questions about dating that our students have texted in and he responds to them without having seen the questions ahead of time. This night was a lot of fun and we hope you enjoy it!
In the first half of this message Bob makes the point that when God created man, He said that "man should not be alone" however, marriage is only one avenue for men and women to find companionship. This truth is equally true for people who are single. So how do people who are single surround themselves with healthy community?
In the second half of this message Bob invites two Wesley alumni onto the stage to talk about their experiences are single people now in their 40's. Lauren and Jeremy share some incredible wisdom that they've gained through their personal experience. They release hope and vision into our body about what abundance can look like in a life of singleness.
This week, Bob discusses how we can rely on the Bible, God's word, as a source of truth and hope. We can believe in what is written because of who Jesus is, and as a result, we can believe His promises for revival in our lives to be true.
Bob speaks on the subject of awakening and revival. God has a history of using His people around the world to spark revivals and inspire generations of Christians. We believe that same spirit is ready and wanting to revive the people in the city of Athens and the students at UGA.
In this message, directors Daniel, Melissa, and Leah discuss the topics of anger, sexuality, and approval as it pertains to living on the narrow road as Jesus describes in the book of Matthew!
In this message, Bob kicks off a new series where we get to learn about Jesus's heart behind why walking on the "narrow road" is both difficult yet rewarding. As true followers and disciples of Jesus, we are called to take His teachings to heart and trust in His word to find real satisfaction in life and point others to the cross.
In this week's message, Daniel discusses how God is a Responder. He is looking for faithful, desperate people to partner with. As we roll back the curtain on our own insecurities self-fulfilling tendencies, we begin to realize just how desperate we are for God. It's in those moments where we see him rightly and get to respond accordingly out of the goodness and kindness of his character.
In this week's message, Bob discusses how God is trustworthy. In moments where we are faced with tough challenges and ask ourselves if we can trust God, we are met with the realization that He is faithful to His promises.
In this message, Bob discusses God as being a Restorer and Redeemer. Jesus Christ has come to redeem our sins through His shed blood on Calvary and restores the time the enemy has robbed from us. Christ’s redeeming us opens the way for Him to purify us. Trusting in God's character enables us to live in both freedom and victory, walking in step with the Spirit.
In this week's message, Bob discusses God's love; both what it means to love and how it shapes our lives. To love someone is to be for them, to bless them, and to go out of our way to serve them. As we experience God's love through Christ's sacrifice, our hearts are transformed into a posture of giving away out of the abundant love God has over all creation.
In this message, Bob explains that following Jesus, looking to Him in all we do and seeking to follow His commands, is how we best catch a glimpse of who God is. As John's gospel tells us, Jesus is God in human form and the Word made flesh. Aligning our hearts and minds with that of Christ is how we can best orient ourselves to live in the fullness that God created us for.
This week, Bob shares his heart behind why he believes revival is coming soon to UGA and the city of Athens. As we begin to return to the way things were pre-COVID, this message serves as a reminder of hope. What follows a shaking of destruction is a shaking of reconstruction, where God is going to rebuild what the enemy previously took away from us.
In this message, Daniel Simmons articulates how we as children of God can engage in healthy confrontation and conflict resolution to honor people in our relationships.
God’s will is for us to live unafraid. But the reality is that fear is something we all experienced in different aspects of our lives. How can we live bravely and become courageous in a world where fear is so common?
God is a near God, not a distant God. His design of life from the beginning was a life with us. There’s an invitation to become more aware of Him in our lives and to walk with Him further into who He designed us to be.
In this message, Erin looks at how sin, shame, and the Cross are all connected. Sin and shame were never a part of God’s original intent for humanity, and through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we no longer have to live under their power. Because of Jesus, we have been restored back to the holiness, freedom, and unhindered connection with God that we were made for.
In this message, Dustin explores the kingdom of God by looking through the drama of the whole Bible.
In this message, Aaron teaches on the implications and blessings of Jesus as our King. Be sure to come to our weekly Wednesday night services at 8 pm at the Wesley main chapel!
In this message, Bob teaches from the beatitudes and how we must not be so quick to judge others. Be sure to come to our weekly Wednesday night services at 8 pm at the Wesley main chapel!
Annie F. Downs, former intern at Wesley and current writer, speaker, and podcaster, came to talk to us about callings.
Bob speaks about God as a healer. We specifically dive in to stories about Jesus healing people physically in the Bible, and the testimonies of physical healing that we still see today, because of the work of the Holy Spirit.
Bob gives an amazing message about having the mind of Christ. This message is all about freedom from anxiety, depression, or addiction, and we believe it is such an important message for our generation.
Guest speaker, Jack Deere, came to talk to us again. Jack Deere is a well-known author, speaker, and teacher in the Christian community. He taught us on listening to God's voice, and the incredible position we have as children of the King to know His heart.
Tinasha LaRayé came all the way from California to speak to the Wesley body on Wednesday night. She talked about the inheritance that we have as the children of God.
Our guest speaker, Tinasha LaRayé, came all the way from California to come speak to our Wesley body about the inheritance we have as the Beloved of God.
In the second week of our series, Bob teaches about what truth we can stand on if everything unravels. How and why can we believe the Bible? Bob shares his personal experience of wrestling with doubt and asking God what truth He can stand on.
Daniel speaks about the doubts that we wrestle with even as Christians. He talks about how doubts and even unraveling are not always bad, as long as we turn to the Bible to find answers instead of to the world.
On the last week of our series, Bob talks about leaving a legacy of compassion like Jesus did.
Bob kicks off our Legacy series by asking us what we want our lives to be about. This message will challenge you to decide what you want people to say about you at your life's end. It's never too soon to start creating your legacy.
Aaron Vickroy speaks about loving God through a right understanding of His love for us.
On the night after the election, we gathered for a short message then a night of prayer and worship. Bob speaks about the hope we have regardless of the outcome.
Bob speaks about the ultimate needs of our life being met in Jesus and only Jesus. He is the center of it all. Listen to the message to be reminded where we find our significance.
In this stand-alone message, Daniel talks about the importance of endurance. All of us face struggles, even when pursuing the callings God has on our life. We hope this message is an encouragement if you feel like you can't run another step.
Bob closes out our series by talking about re-digging wells of awakening. As a body, we believe that awakening comes to places where people cry out to God. So, why not here? We believe that God is moving in Athens, and He has promised us more.
Bob speaks in the fourth week of our series by talking about re-digging wells of prayer. The UGA Wesley Foundation has been built on prayer, and we believe it is time to return to our roots. Listen to Bob's message about the power of prayer.
In the third week of our series, Daniel talks about our heartbeat for worship. There are pitfalls we all fall into with worship, but we can always return to a simple version of worship.
Bob talks about re-digging wells of the Holy Spirit at Wesley. We believe that we as a body have been marked by a historic pursuit of the Holy Spirit. Bob teaches on how we can live in more anointing of the Holy Spirit now.
Bob kicks off our new series by talking about the our desire as a ministry to return to the sources of our intimacy with God. What does it mean to re-dig our wells? Why is this important to us?
Daniel wraps up our Unprecedented series with a message about racial unity and the church.
In week three of our Unprecedented series, Bob talks about how we can remain united in a divided electorate.
In our second week of the series, Bob spoke about the unprecedented global pandemic we are all living through. Learn how we as children of God are supposed to respond to 'shakings' in our lives.
Bob kicks off our first Wesley of the year by talking about how we can live united in these unprecedented times.
Daniel Simmons takes us through the rest of Colossians 2 and part of Colossian 3. He reminds us what the Bible teaches about Christian maturity and what responsiblity we have in response to what Christ has done.
In week 2 of Eat the Book, Bob continues into Colossians 2, celebrating the gospel and reminding us what it looks like live a life following Christ.
This week, Bob welcomes us to our new series Eat the Boook | Colossians. The goal is to not only teach us what the bible says, but give us the confidence to read the bible for ourselves.
Bob closes out the Netflix & Chill series answering your questions about sex. He covers everything from the basics about what the bible says to the uncomfortable topics that we avoid talking about.
In week 2 of Netflix & Chill, Bob answers your questions about marriage, engagement and "the one". He responds to the tough questions about divorce and provides biblical truth to back those reponses up.
To start off our new series, Netflix & Chill, Clay talks about dating. He answers questions that were sent in to share what it looks like to find and maintain healthy, Christian relationships and how to heal from ways you've been hurt by relationships.
Clay wraps up our Limitless series by discussing the obvious fact that we all sin and we all struggle. Thankfully we have a God that can help us overcome those sins and struggles that are seemingly impossible to overcome.
In week 3 of our Limitless series, Bob encourages us to remove the limits we often put on the Holy Spirit in our lives through teaching us how the Holy Spirit worked in Jesus' life and the New Testament Church. The Holy Spirit is a limit breaker and is far more available to us than we think He is.
This week in Limitless, Bob touches on what healthy marriages look like and reminds us that even though you have seen broken marriages, perhaps in your parents' lives, that you are not a product of that. Marriage is God's idea and it really matters to Him to lead you into a healthy and fulfilling one.a
Clay kicks of our new series, Limitless, by introducing the concept of how we as humans are limited and therefore how we tend to put those limits on God also. Through scripture, we are reminded that all things are possible through God and we see how God responds to those times that we put limits on Him.
The world tells us that WE ARE OWED something, we deserve this and that. In contrast, he bible tells us that in light of what God has done for us, WE OWE HIM our lives; we didn't deserve the mercy that he willingly gave us. It was a gift out of his kindness.
Do you ever wonder if God is really for you? Or if He is even there?
In week 3 of "Voices", Bob confronts these tough questions that we have and our doubts that often lead to confusion. He reminds us that doubts do not make you a second rate Christian, that you have to fight for your faith and that you should never let the things you cannot understand keep you from embracing the things you cannot deny.
Do you ever hear voices telling you that you're not enough or telling you that you don't measure up?
Bob's message in Week 2 of "Voices" reminds us that it is very normal hear these voices of condemnation and accusation and to believe them, but that it is in no way what the Lord wants for us. He has freedom for us in those things if we choose to take our thoughts captive and start believing and living out of God's truth.
What voices are you choosing to listen to? Is the voice you listen to freeing you with the truth or filling you with lies?
In the introduction to our new series "Voices", Bob reminds us that there are a lot of voices in our lives telling us to believe a lot of different things. He encourages to always choose God's voice, which is constantly pointing us to the truth.
What's holding you back from what God is calling you to? Are you scared of failing or not being enough?
The last segment of the "Just Do It" series talks about God calling us to use and invest in the gifts He has given us, and not to hide from them. By delving into the Parable of the Talents, Clay reminds us to always trust in God and to remember that God just asks us to be willing.
What's holding you back from forgiving the people that have wronged you in your life?
In week 2 of the "Just Do It" series, Bob talks about forgiveness and how it is one of the most important things we can do. He shares the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21-25 and explains how it translates to God's forgiveness for us and how we are supposed to forgive the ones around us.
What's holding you back from investing and inviting people? Why is the word evangelism so scary?
Bob starts off our "Just Do It" series this week talking about investing and inviting others into the Kingdom. He gets to the root of why we are scared to do so, and provides some encouraging biblical truths to help us take that leap of faith.
Why does God allow temptation in our lives? What was His purpose in allowing the serpent into the Garden of Eden?
In the final message of the In the Beginning series, Bob talks about why temptation is a daily part of our lives. Bob emphasizes that it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense; however, we have to remember that God has a purpose for everything He does.
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Why is it so important that we read the Bible? What do we do with what God's Word says?
In week 3 of In the Beginning, Bob delves into the second chapter of Genesis to explain the importance of God's Word and why it has been put in place. He starts off in the Garden of Eden where there are two trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God tells Adam and Eve not to eat from the second tree; not to deny them from something, but to protect them. God essentially uses the whole Bible for this reason: because He loves us and wants to protect us. He wants us to live by it - simply because He says so.
What do we think determines our value? Our we finding our value in the things we do or the things we have and not the things that God has done?
In week 2 of this series, Clay Kirkland addresses the common belief that our actions determine our value. He reminds us that our value is not determined by what we do, rather it is determined by what God has done.
Where do we go for answers when life leaves us in a mess of chaos? We go back to the beginning, where the answers to so many of our questions about life are trully revealed.
This is the frst message in a four week series on the book of Genesis. In this message Bob speaks on God's desire to bring his order to the chaos in your life.
What does it actually mean to build your house on the Rock? Does it just mean that you need to believe in God? No, James says that even the demons believe in God, and shudder. So what does it mean?
Join us for the final message from the Sermon on the Mount series as Associate Director Aaron Vickroy gives us insight into how to trully live your life for God.
Have you ever asked God for something but then been frustrated by his delay? Or wondered if He was even listening when you asked? Have you given up completely on asking?
Associate Director Taylor Childers takes us through part of his own personal journey of asking God, being frustrated with God, and learning to ask again and again.
Anxiety. It plagues this country, and more specifically the students of this campus. But Jesus says that in His Kingdom we don't need to worry; we don't need to be anxious as sons and daughters of the King.
Associate Director Taylor Childers takes us through Matthew 6:25-34 and unpacks what Jesus has to say about worry.
In last week's message, Bob told us why our hearts matter so much to our Father. Aaron continues that thought, but takes it one step further. If our hearts matter to God, they must also matter to us. Aaron gives four simple tips to making your heart matter in regards to lust and pornography.
Our hearts, not just our actions, matter to God. Bob takes us through scripture from Matthew 5 that deals directly with the anger in our hearts and why that matters to God.
In this message Bob Beckwith walks us through the full armor of God and speaks on what it looks like to trully live under that covering.
Wesley's Director of Freshman Ministries gives us a powerful message on how to live a life worthy of the calling the Lord has for us.
Bob takes us through the first chapter of Ephesians, teaching that the power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us even now.
Bob concludes The Naked Truth series with an important lesson on how to look for that significant other.
Clay answers the questions that all students want to ask as he gives very practical advice on how to date well.
Bob invites Jessica Longino & Lindsay Atkinson, both Wesley directors, to answer a few questions on singleness & how the Lord designed singleness purposefully.
Bob begins our series on relationships by establishing that the purpose of a relationship can never be to find or complete yourself.
Bob implores students to see the life change that can happen when we seek a fresh infilling of the Spirit for our lives.