One of the places in Scripture where the Holy Spirit’s work is seen most clearly is in Romans 8. In fact, 20 of the 30 mentions of the Spirit in Romans occur in this chapter alone. And this brings us to vv. 26-27, which are a beautiful summary of the Spirit’s work in our lives […]
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 […]
The book of Acts is the story of all that the risen Lord Jesus continued to do and teach through the witness of his church in the power of his Spirit. In chapters 1-12, Luke focuses on the growing church in Jerusalem and the spread of the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. In chapters 13-28, […]
For new creations in Christ, who have been born again by the Spirit through the word of God, Bible reading is like inhaling and prayer is like exhaling. Yet if we are honest, we all struggle to pray at times. We feel guilty when we don’t pray, inadequate when we do pray, and sometimes we […]
* The audio for this sermon is unavailable due to a technical difficulty with the recording. The following is Pastor Matt’s sermon manuscript: All of us love a good story. We love stories about epic challenges between good and evil, ultimate showdowns between the weak and the strong, and thrilling contests with an unlikely hero. […]
After learning about the church in Antioch (Acts 11:19-30), Luke includes a fascinating incident involving Herod and the Jerusalem church before transitioning to the missionary activity of Paul. Here, we read of the martyrdom of James, the miraculous deliverance of Peter, but also the earnest prayers of the church. We love to read exciting (and […]
Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said: “The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and most urgent need in the Church, it is obviously the greatest need of the world also.” Why? Because only in the word of God do we discover man’s real need and God’s […]
The Psalmist declares: “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). Yet one of the staggering truths of Scripture is that our sovereign God is pleased to unfold his unchanging plans through prayer; the Almighty has purposed to act in response to the prayers of his people. And we […]
One of the most convincing proofs that the risen Lord Jesus had poured out the promised Holy Spirit can be seen in the events following Peter’s sermon on Pentecost. Luke not only records that those who received Peter’s words were baptized were added to the church (v.41), but he also gives a comprehensive portrait of […]
