Cefc

How do we build godly and loving relationships? 1 Peter 4:8,9 says, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” In this message, we will discover how to love deeply and sincerely. We will learn how to love in a way that covers over the sins of others, and we will find the key to showing hospitality even when our guest is a challenge! Most importantly, this passage will show us Christ’s love for us and how we can share that love with others.  

This Easter we consider the greatest event in human history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. But what does this resurrection of Christ mean for our lives today? The apostle Paul applies the death and resurrection of Christ to his life in Galatians 2:20 and this passage gives us three questions to ask ourselves:1. Have you been crucified with Christ?2. Does Christ live in you?3. Do you live by faith?

In Mark 7:31-37, Jesus reveals his compassion and empathy for a man who was deaf and was unable to communicate with others. Jesus displays both his humanity and divinity by privately healing this man, not treating him as a spectacle for the crowd. The gentleness and power that Jesus shows us in this passage, reminds us that we worship a personal and powerful creator. Our proper response to this miracle is to worship God and show compassion to those struggling around us. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did for me,” (Matthew 25:40). Join us at cefc.church.

In this passage, Jesus sent Peter fishing to avoid offending temple tax collectors. Jesus often offended religious people, but at other times he was careful to cause no offense. How do we know when it is okay to offend and when we should sacrifice our rights and privileges to avoid offending someone? Jesus paid a temple tax that he was not required to pay because he did not want to create an unnecessary barrier to the Gospel. We are called to follow Jesus' example of laying down our rights to make it easier for people to accept Jesus. Join us at cefc.church. 

Ten lepers asked for mercy and ten lepers received mercy; however, only one returned to give thanks to Jesus. Why is gratitude so rare? What would it look like to have an attitude of gratitude and a practice of gratitude? Luke 17:11-19 provides a lesson in gratitude. Learn why God requires us to give thanks and learn how gratitude brings us blessings. Join us as cefc.church.

How do you get a miracle? What type of prayer does God answer? The Bible records at least one prayer that Jesus always answers: “Have mercy on me.” Or as this passage says, “Have mercy on us”. Notice how the ten lepers prayed in Luke 17:11-19: The lepers prayed humbly; they prayed expectantly; and they were ready to obey. When we pray like the lepers prayed and ask God for mercy, God always gives mercy because God is merciful! Join us at cefc.church.

Once again Jesus shows his compassion by miraculously feeding the crowd, but how many times do the disciples need to see something before they get it? How many times do we need to hear something before we understand who Jesus is and why we can trust him completely?

Matthew 9:18-26 records two healing touches. The first is Jesus touching a 12-year-old girl and raising her from the dead. The second is a woman who touches the fringe of Jesus' garment and is healed of bleeding that has plagued her for 12 years. Jesus responds by rewarding the faith of any person who comes to him. Be encouraged to come to Jesus today!

Matthew 9 teaches us about faith, friends and Jesus. Friends with faith brought a man to Jesus for forgiveness and healing. These friends teach us that faith is not a feeling; faith is belief in action. We also learn that Jesus has the power to forgive because Jesus is God. Do you have friends who have faith? Are you finding forgiveness and healing in Christ? Join us at cefc.church

Mark 5:1-20 shows us that evil spirits are real and they are intent on destruction. Beware of the evil’s destructive power, but trust in the delivering power of Christ. Jesus can rescue us from demonic power so that we can tell others how much the Lord has done for us, and how he has had mercy on us.

When Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law and ministered to the crowds, addressing both physical and spiritual sickness, He was fulfilling the ancient prophecy of Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases." These miraculous healings serve as a testament to Jesus' ability to shoulder every burden we bring to Him. Jesus can do more than sympathize with our troubles; Jesus has the power to take our sins and burdens to the cross and abolish them. Matthew 8:14-17 presents Jesus as our ultimate healer.

In this passage, Matthew 8:5-13, Jesus meets a Roman centurion with great compassion, deep humility, and remarkable faith. The centurion believed that Jesus could heal someone from a distance, with just a word from his mouth, and that is exactly what Jesus did. 

The Lord is gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29), calling us to deeply rest in him (Matthew 11:28). But how do we do that when we experience trials and tribulations? The Lord teaches us how in Psalm 77. He teaches us how to move from tears of sorrow to tears of joy. Join us at cefc.church

Jesus says he is gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29). When Jesus came to earth he came in the gentle and lowly form of a baby, born to poor parents, and placed in a lowly manger. Because Jesus came in such an approachable form, we can come to him and find rest for our souls. Christmas is the celebration of Christ coming gentle and lowly to bring rest to all who would receive him. Join us at cefc.church.

The Christmas story illustrates God’s strong love for the lowly. God chose an unknown teenage girl to give birth to the Savior of the world (Luke 1:26-38). And God chose poor shepherds to be the first to come and see the newborn king (Luke 2:8-20). Since God has chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith, we should come to God with a humble heart and receive by faith the good news of Jesus Christ! Join us at cefc.church.

Christians claim that the coming of Jesus is Good News. But is that just wishful thinking on our part or is it faith based on evidence? Is the Christmas story just a fairy tale to make us feel better or is Jesus really the Son of God who came to save us from our sins and give us a better life? Visit us at cefc.church

God is not far from each one of us! God wants us to 1. Seek, 2. Reach, 3. And Find him. Like a father playing hide and seek with his daughter, God wants us seek Him and find Him. This passage urges us to Reason with our minds, Repent with our hearts, and Respond to the good news of Jesus! Visit us at cefc.church.

Acts 17:1-21 compares the way two different communities (the Thessalonians and the Bereans) responded to the message about Jesus. The response of the second community teaches us to receive the message of Christ with eagerness, while also checking to make sure that the message we hear matches with the message we read in the Bible. What is our attitude and our response toward the message of Jesus? Pray that God gives us the grace to have the same noble response as the Bereans! Visit us at cefc.church.