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 […]
This is the first sermon in a three-week series on the mission of ECC. Disciples of Jesus are made when the members of the church, the body of Christ, experience life centered on God’s Word together. In Acts, we see the early church experiencing life together as “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and […]
What is the church? A typical, modern-day conception of the church is that it is a building where you go to hear preaching and singing once a week (or at least on Christmas and Easter). But the question is a bit misleading. The church is not so much a what but a who. According to Scripture, the […]
The scene described in Revelation 5 is one of cosmic significance. Here we see, in the right hand of him seated on the throne, a scroll sealed with seven seals (Rev. 5:1). This scroll is a symbol of the sovereign purposes of God for all creation. But the question the angel poses (Rev. 5:2) is […]
As Abraham and Isaac journeyed up the mountain in the land of Moriah, Isaac asked: “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Gen. 22:7). By faith, Abraham responded that God would provide for himself the lamb. Few, if any, could comprehend that centuries later a child would […]
At Christmastime, we love to sing traditional carols and hymns, proclaiming that “all is calm, all is bright ’round yon virgin mother and child—holy infant so tender and mild.” With such a peaceful description of Jesus’ birth, it’s easy to forget the bitter cup of God’s wrath which he came to drink in full. In […]
Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, summarizes the gospel of our salvation: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, he was buried, and he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Though the spotless Lamb of God was slain to take away the sins of the world, three […]
“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 […]
In this sermon delivered on Christmas morning, Pastor Dave opens up God’s Word to reveal and explain the gracious gift of the incarnation: how God himself came to dwell among us, live for us, suffer like us, and die to save us from our sins.
Addressing the people of Israel, the prophet Isaiah rightly foretold of God’s impending judgment coming against the nation. They were to be destroyed, ripped out of their homeland, and forced into exile, “thrust into thick darkness” (Isa. 8:22). Yet this darkness ultimately was not referring to their physical exile but their spiritual exile, their separation from God […]
“And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:5). The story of the repentant thief who was crucified alongside of our Lord provides one of the most stunning pictures of sovereign grace, human inability, regeneration, and justification by faith alone in the […]
Jesus, the baby born in the lowly manger, was the great plot twist in redemption’s story. The promise of a Messiah was made all the way back in the garden, in Genesis 3:15, and stretches across the pages of the Old Testament. Even in the final book of Scripture, we see a picture of this beautiful gospel […]
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). The resurrection […]
In this message, Pastor Dave Leandre explains the new vision and mission of Elmira Christian Center, as well as what we are resolved to do in the year 2015: seek the Lord with all our heart. By experiencing life together, centering life on God’s Word, and connecting out community to Christ, we, as a local church body, […]
Christmas in the church is treated by many, unfortunately, as merely a “season”. We proclaim the truths of Easter year round, and rightly so, but Christmas events seem to be only appreciated during one month out of the whole year. However, the incarnation is what makes the events that transpired during Easter weekend to be of such […]
