How does a disciple of Jesus Christ grow in his or her faith? How do Christians grow in genuine love for one another and delightful obedience to their Lord? Having just been told by Jesus to walk in love, to pay attention to one’s manner of life so that no one is caused to stumble, […]
The third parable of Luke 15, like the two before it, is again about something that is lost. “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” is one of the most well-known and cherished of Jesus’ parables—and for good reason! Many of us have experienced the realities described in the first half of this parable. Though we were […]
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 […]
