The book of Acts is not just the story of how the risen Lord Jesus built and established his church, but also how he continued to build up and strengthen his church through his Word of grace. We see this especially in Paul’s ministry of encouragement as be would revisit the churches he had planted […]
Many Christians today equate making disciples with “making converts.” We think the Great Commission is only about evangelism and reaching the lost. But true, Christian discipleship results from not just “going” but “staying” long enough to rejoice in the gospel and share life together. This is why Paul and Barnabas went back to visit the […]
The kingdom of God has never been just about one nation but a people from every nation. The promise to Abraham was about blessing the nations. Daniel saw the kingdom of God as a mountain filling the whole world. Isaiah saw the nations streaming into that kingdom as part of God’s people. And when Jesus […]
Psalm 78 demonstrates that, from Moses to David, Israel repeatedly failed to believe God. Despite his abundant mercy and grace, they failed to trust his saving power, to keep the covenant, and to obey his law. And one of the fundamental causes behind Israel’s constant sin and rebellion was that they forgot the Lord their […]
In contrast to the false doctrine of the legalists, which was only leading to ungodliness and worldly passions, Paul commands Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Only healthy, gospel teaching will produce true godliness in the lives of its hearers. Then Paul describes for Titus what a godly life of good […]
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 […]
Continuing his teaching on how we are to treat our enemies, Jesus unfolds further what it looks like to truly love others. Those who expect others to not be judgmental, condemning, or unforgiving, yet fail to extend grace and forgiveness themselves are hypocrites. Only those who have come to know the gospel of the kingdom—of the King who […]
The Apostle Paul has already described our Christian walk as being one characterized by good works , full of the love of Christ, and luminous with the light of the glory of God; this is how we are to fulfill the command to walk worthy of our calling (Eph. 2:10; 4:1; 5:2; 5:8). Continuing this description, he now explains […]
The people of God, reconciled to him through the death of his Son, to whom we are united by faith, are to live in a manner fitting of God’s workmanship. In view of God’s mercy, having been called out from the world to belong instead to the family and kingdom of God, we are to no longer […]
