5. The Preeminence of Christ (Col. 1:15-19) – Paul M. Williams

Colossians 2:1-9 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 1st February, 2026. 

Part 3 The doctrine of God as it relates to the nature of His being is no small matter.  The first three centuries of Church history were consumed with this central issue.  In the second and third centuries, men like Praxeas and Sabellius argued that God was singular not only in being but also in person.  Sabellius taught that, like an actor wearing different masks on stage, God likewise assumed different modes at different times to manifest Himself to man.  In the Old Testament, God assumed the role of a Father; in the incarnation, the role of a Son, and in regeneration, the role of the Holy Spirit.  Modalistic Monarchianism was soundly defeated in the early centuries of the Church; yet, over the last one hundred years, this ancient heresy has resurfaced amongst those identifying themselves as Oneness Pentecostals.   In this third teaching part, we begin to examine the Biblical evidence for the doctrine of the Trinity while at the same time looking at early Church history and those heresies which confounded the persons of the Godhead. Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/3_The_Doctrine_of_the_Trinity_Pt_1.pdf

Colossians 1:24-29 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 25th January, 2026. 

Part 2 No movement ever existed in a vacuum.  From revolutions to reformations, whether political, social or religious, no movement ever begun in a vacuum.  Each was a product of their times, and it is no different when tracing the origins of the modern Oneness Pentecostal movement.  It too has a beginning that arose out of Classical Pentecostalism in the early 20th Century.   However, the heresies espoused by Oneness Pentecostals as they relate to the nature of God are not new.  Their denial of the Trinity in favour of a modalistic view of God did not have its origins in the 20th Century but in the 3rd Century, as shall be demonstrated in this second teaching part, examining the history of Oneness Pentecostals.  Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/2__History_of_Oneness_Pentecostals.pdf

Colossians 1:23 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 18th January, 2026.   

Part 1 On the surface, Oneness Pentecostals have many similarities to mainstream Pentecostals, and that is what makes them so dangerous.  They affirm the deity of Jesus Christ, they believe in the continuing gifts of the Holy Spirit, they believe the Bible to be the inspired and infallible word of God, they believe in the literal Second Coming of Jesus Christ, they believe in the final judgment of the wicked and in a literal hell.  On the surface, one would not find a great deal of disagreement; YET four main fundamental beliefs set them apart from orthodox Biblical Christianity.  This first teaching part examines, by way of introduction, these four fundamental differences. Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/1_Introduction_to_Oneness_Pentecostals.pdf

Colossians 1:20-22 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 12th January, 2026. 

Colossians 1:15-19 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 4th December, 2026. 

James 1:14 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, New Year's Eve, Wednesday 31st December, 2025. 

Colossians 1:14 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 28th December, 2025.