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 […]

Continuing to emphasize the importance of the Church in God’s plan of redemption and the life of the believer, Paul explains the diverse gifts of grace given to the body of Christ for its continued spiritual growth and sanctification. Each member of the household of God has a unique role to play in the edification of the body […]

The prayers of Paul as recorded in his epistles are profound – not simply because of what they include, but also because of what they don’t include. As Pastor Tim Keller notes in his book on prayer: “It is remarkable that in all of his writings Paul’s prayers for his friends contain no appeals for changes in their circumstances.” While […]

Our God is a speaking God; he is a communicating God who reveals his glory in, through, and to his creation. As noted Christian apologist Francis Schaeffer put it: “He is there and He is not silent.” The apostle Paul writes that, “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the […]

Psalm 1 is one of the most well-known and cherished in the psalter. The idea of being blessed by God, being “like a tree planted by streams of water” (Ps 1:2), and prospering in all we do is surely wonderful. However, we often misinterpret this Psalm and understand it to be a list of legalistic requirements, instructing the reader to […]

Galatians 4:13 is crucial in our understanding of suffering in the life of believers: “You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first.” For the Apostle Paul, suffering is most definitely to be included in the “all things”, of Romans 8:28-29, that work together to bring […]

Psalm 78 could be called a hymn for the home – that is, this psalm reminds us that it is the responsibility of parents, family members, and even the covenant community, by God’s grace to teach our children about His holiness, His great and awesome deeds, and instruct them to trust and obey the Lord wholeheartedly. In this sermon, delivered on […]