Evangelical Community Church (ecc)

Matthew 20:20-34 The mother of James and John tries to call dibs on positions of prestige for her sons, believing Jesus' reign will be as an earthly king of Israel. Jesus asks if she understands what she is asking--he has just told them that he will suffer and be crucified. To be "first" in Jesus' kingdom is to lead in humility and service. Is this your mindset? Do you know some of the opportunities to partner with ECC in serving the Bloomington community?

We know Thomas as the doubter, but have you also looked at him as a believer and a worshiper of Jesus? Join us as Pastor Dan helps us take a look at Thomas' response to encountering the Risen Lord.

Jesus' death was much more than a resuscitation or a near-death experience. He was dead, but God brought him back to life. Because of this, death is not the last chapter in the book of our lives, but the introduction to the next book--the book of eternal life. Jesus, who leads his people like a good shepherd, has made an end to sin and death for those who will follow him. Will you follow the Good Shepherd?

Luke 22:66-23:49 Jesus was very alone on the cross: the people had turned against him, his followers had deserted and even denied knowing him, and God himself turned his back on him as Jesus suffered the consequences of our sin. Jesus' response to rejection and betrayal is remarkable. How great is his love!

On what we now call "Palm Sunday," Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king, but not the kind of king the people thought. Jerusalem was the stage for the final battle against sin and death, with Jesus emerging the victor and establishing his kingdom of peace and salvation.

As Christians, we often say, “I’ll be praying for you.” Sometimes this promise is encouraging and other times it sounds like a polite Christian cliché. But suppose Jesus promised to pray for you--would that impact the way you think about life? It seems like it ought to be encouraging, even empowering to know that the Son of God is praying for us.

When Jesus instructed the disciples to love one another, he knew it was a difficult assignment that would involve complicated choices. When he said that God was a loving heavenly father who would provide only good gifts to his children, he really meant it but his definition of ‘good’ and our idea of ‘the good life’ are often quite dissimilar. He did not promise that loving one another and being loved by God would solve the problem of suffering. When Jesus was about to leave this earth he told the disciples that their life would not be a rose garden. Here is the stark reality: loving God and loving people actually produces suffering. How is that good news? The words of Jesus are always good news but they are not always easy.

Jesus talks to the disciples about coming difficulties, his leaving, and his sending the Spirit. How was it a good thing that Jesus was leaving? What were the benefits of the coming Spirit?

Jesus' admonition to his disciples to “remain in me” was both a mystical spiritual reality that defies precise definition and a practical directive to abide in him (the vine) and bear fruit. Discipleship is a combination of at least three things: it is a way of thinking, a way of living, and a mystical supernatural experience.

Christ-followers past and present experience tension and a sense of mystery in living with two worlds in view--this world and the next. The way Jesus addressed the disciples' questions about the future didn't give them all the answers, but it provided them with perspective for a journey that is not aimless but includes an ultimate destination.

How do we reconcile the seemly harsh, judging God of the Old Testament with the emphasis on Jesus' love and kindness in the New Testament? Dr. Paul Copan is Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University and the author or editor of numerous books.

Jesus brings the Sermon on the Mount to conclusion in this "here's the takeaway" passage. The parable of the wise and foolish builders might seem foreboding, like a prediction of calamity for those who don’t build properly, but it is also a description of what it means to follow Jesus’ teachings. He tells his audience the pathway to the good life and reminds them that if they live according to his teachings they will be like the wise builder, inheriting the solid, substantial, good life of God’s kingdom.

Josiah continues the series on True Community moving us to consider Jesus' lesson on love.

In this passage, we see Jesus performing another healing miracle, this time healing a paralytic man. But the healing goes beyond that - Jesus offers the man a "deep healing," and the great news is that He offers it to us, too!

Jesus steps into the normal order of things in the synagogue and does something out of the ordinary, even shocking, that deepens their understanding of God. Jesus' audience consisted of people committed to the word of God, and so are we, but sometimes our human interpretation of how things are or ought to be leads us to set this view up as a tradition that we simply accept as reality. Are you willing to let Jesus challenge your interpretations?

Luke 9:51-62 "The Gospel Has No 'Easy Button' " When Jesus called his disciples to “come and follow,” he did not suggest that their life would become easy. He actually suggested that discipleship came at a great cost but that the investment paid eternal dividends. There are many famous authors who have addressed the cost of discipleship and many more who have lived the reality without writing about the experience. One thing is certain, following Christ does not mean that our life becomes easy but the life of a disciple includes remarkable rewards. This week we will consider with Pastor Bob the challenges and blessings of following Jesus.

Bob looks are the community of God's people in the Old Testament and what it means for us today.

Josiah reminds us that the need for community existed since creation, even prior to the fall into sin, and reflects our being made in the image of God who exists in eternal community.

Matthew 7:7-12. Jesus describes God as a most loving father. In fact, it appears he believes that God will give us whatever we want. “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find…” On the surface, these seem like open-ended promises...but are they? Suppose you asked for what was not in your best interest. Would a good parent give it to you anyway? Is it possible that a good parent would deny a request to their children? Giving a child anything that he/she asks for is not exactly good parenting, is it? Surely we ought to evaluate the promises of Jesus in light of these experiences, shouldn’t we? How are we to understand this teaching of Jesus?

Josiah kicks off the semester's new series, "True Community".