While Paul’s travel plans might be easy to understand on the surface, there’s much we can learn about his love for the church. His travel plans reveal what Paul desired to see in the churches: the blessing of refreshment, fellowship, and prayer. In this passage, pastor Matt explains that the church is where the blessing […]
As he concludes his exhortations to the strong and weak Christians in the church at Rome, Paul turns our attention once again to Jesus Christ, giving the church a final and conclusive plea: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). While at first glance this may […]
Having addressed matters of personal conviction in Romans chapter 14, the Apostle Paul turns his focus from correcting the contentious believers to exhorting them to pursue humility and unity. Paul reminds them of the example of Christ, the sufficiency of Scripture, the nature of God, and the welcome that every believer has into the family […]
As we began to look at Romans 14 we saw that there were certain opinions dividing the church at Rome along ethnic lines. Both Jewish and Gentile believers were quarrelling over disputable matters, such as food and observing special days. The strong-in-faith were tempted to look down on the weak for their apparent “legalism;” and […]
In Romans 14-15, Paul addresses the non-essential issues that were causing strife in the church at Rome. And the principles laid out here continue to teach us how to handle matters of conscience while preserving gospel fellowship. In this sermon, pastor Matt begins to show us that Christians are to love and accept all those […]
When reading Paul’s letters, it’s easy to gloss over his greetings and introductory remarks. Yet when we look carefully at what Paul is saying, we find there is much we can learn about the Christian life in the local church. In this sermon, pastor Keith considers Paul’s introductory remarks to the Roman Christians, highlighting his […]
In the book of Acts, we see the early church marked by a joyful devotion to doctrine, to fellowship, and to prayer. In this sermon, Pastor Matt describes the gospel culture we aim to cultivate at ECC and how we strive to be a church centered on the word of the risen Lord Jesus, transformed […]
One of the greatest difficulties that the early church faced was the sharp division that existed between Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles). When we read our Bibles, it’s often hard for us to grasp just how serious this separation was. We certainly know what division looks like and estrangement feels like, however; just consider the year […]
Over the years, ever since our church’s first worship service held on August 18, 1944, God has shown himself faithful to the assembly of his saints gathered here at ECC. He has continued to lead his children along every step of the way by his sovereign grace. And as we look towards the future, our […]
