Here at ECC, we are committed to connecting our community to Christ. While we certainly do this as individuals by preaching the gospel and loving our neighbors, making disciples of all nations is to happen through, and in the context of, the local church! Jesus said that he would build his church—a church of those who not […]
“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:10-11). Here is the tragedy of Christmas: the Word was made flesh, but the creation failed to know its very own Creator. […]
“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51). This is one of the more obscure mission statements that Jesus gave during his earthly ministry. While it is true that Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6)—who came to provide the way […]
Whom do you fear? Throughout its history, the church has always been faced with pressure to live out of a fear of man and this world rather than the fear of God. There is always the temptation to give into this world’s demands and live for the praise of man rather than God, proving that […]
Here in Luke’s narrative, once again, we find Jesus in prayer. But this time, something prompts a disciple to ask: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Prayer is one of the most vital spiritual disciplines, but it is also one of the most neglected. By failing to be devoted to prayer, we show that […]
The successful mission of the seventy-two signified that Satan’s kingdom was beginning to collapse (Luke 10:17-18). The captives and the oppressed were finding liberty, the poor were hearing the good news of the kingdom, the blind were receiving their sight—and it was all pointing ahead to the cross where Jesus Christ would decisively crush the […]
Throughout Luke, we’ve seen glimpses of Jesus’ divinity in his supernatural authority over sickness, demons, nature, and even death; he’s was not just a prophet or a good teacher but Immanuel, God with us. But in the event of his transfiguration, his humanity was peeled back enough for his divine glory to physically shine. As […]
What are we to do when faced with trials, suffering, hardship, sickness, or death? How are we to respond when God’s timing and purposes seem to be the complete opposite of what we expect from him? The interweaving stories of Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood both point us to our compassionate Savior and what it […]
All throughout Scripture, we are given glimpses the promise that one day sin and death will be no more. In the Old Testament, we see hints of this future hope through different characters, prophets, and events, all of which point to God’s final answer to the sting of death and the power of sin: Jesus Christ, the […]
What does it mean to be truly blessed? According to the kingdom of this world, the blessed are those who earn the most and have the best. They are the rich, those satisfied with the comforts of this life, and those who are accepted and praised by all. But according to Christ Jesus, the blessed are […]
“The chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe'” (Mark 15:31-32). As Jesus hangs upon the cross, suffering the physical pain of crucifixion and spiritual anguish of the […]
The miracles of Jesus, often the topic of much discussion and admiration, served a greater purpose than merely being examples to be sought after and replicated today; they were signs that pointed to greater spiritual realities and especially his identity and mission as the Son of God sent into the world to be the great […]
After over 400 years of silence, the word of the God came to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son, John – the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets. We read that “he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). But John wasn’t […]
Unique to Luke’s Gospel is the mention of two characters who play a small but profound role in the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. These two saints, Simeon and Anna, had been faithfully committed to serving and worshiping God. They knew that God had promised a Messiah who would come to save and restore his people and […]
The Gospel of Luke invites everyone to place their faith in Jesus Christ, the King who defeated death with his love. Over and over again, Luke shows us that the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, entrance into God’s kingdom, is an offer made to the entire world. But Luke doesn’t stop there. His […]
