Evangelical Community Church (ecc)

This is the first message in our new fall series - Real ID. This series will explore the blessings followers of Jesus Christ have in Him and how these spiritual realities transform who we really are. Ephesians 1:1-14 will serve as our framework for this series. Josiah will kick things off this Sunday with a message on what it means for followers of Christ to be blessed in Him with "Every Spiritual Blessing."

This centurion "outsider" was bold (perhaps desperate) enough to approach Jesus and humble enough to ask for help. Some might call it an opportunistic faith, but Jesus saw a simple, confident faith and called it remarkable faith. Consider with us this story and how it might reshape our ideas about faith.

Pastor Bob Whitaker speaks about the unique challenges and opportunities a Christian faces in the university.

This week’s passage lays out Jesus’ call to Peter to step into the middle of the greatest story ever told by trusting Him in faith and joining Him in the mission of proclaiming the Good News. Join us as we explore Peter’s call and the implications of this defining moment on our lives as followers of Christ today.

In this passage we see a man named Zacchaeus who had a planned but yet unexpected encounter with Jesus. Zacchaeus might have wished to be anonymous but upon encountering Jesus he dropped his guard and became totally honest with the Lord. It changed his life forever – honesty with God always produces change.

Several members of our Cx ministry team and upperclassmen share one thing they wish they would have known about their faith in Christ and a specific topic when they were in college (or earlier in their college career). Topics include: career, dating, personal identity, "Living the College Dream," and more.

Surely forgiveness is the most remarkable divine demonstration of grace that anyone can imagine or experience. John 8 tells a story of this remarkable gift from God, a gift that is the epitome of Jesus’ life and teaching. Divine forgiveness is wonderful, but to be fully appreciated it must be fully embraced – it requires both offer and acceptance.

Listen to Josiah as he leads us in thinking together about what it means for us to go "all in" in the way we approach our faith in Christ this year.

At least one thing is clear from Nicodemus' encounter with Jesus – knowing about God is not the same thing as knowing God. Being religious is not the same thing as having a relationship with God. We've heard Jesus' words, "you must be born again" so many times, but sometimes familiarity eclipses the meaning of words. Let’s go back to that encounter and try to understand it again.

Josiah Leuenberger gets the new school year kicked off with the first message in the series "This Year in Your Faith".

John the Baptist has several encounters with Jesus, the first coming while he is still in the womb of his mother. All these various encounters with Jesus tell a story of faith. As we consider John’s encounters with Jesus we realize that faith is not a static reality but a life-long experience.

This week we will return to our theme passage and consider how the good news is about justice. In the words of the prophet Amos, “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.”

This week we return to our theme passage and consider how the good news is about compassion. Scripture teaches that God is the protector of the poor and needy. So, how are we called to participate in this particular activity of God?

The good news about Jesus Christ is massive. Not only is it for everyone, it is about everything. As Christ followers, it is our responsibility to discover how to apply the good news to all of life. For the next three Sundays, we are going consider the expansive nature of the good news concerning Jesus Christ.

The series "Songs in the Night" comes to a close with Psalm 44, which recounts the experience and prayer of the people of God as a whole after a bewildering defeat leaves them feeling abandoned by God. This Psalm has a lot to say to us, not only as individuals but as the church corporate.

Mankind has struggled with depression through the ages. Even notable theologians and historical figures were not exempt from its effects. There are no easy answers as to its causes or its cures. What can we learn from the psalmist's struggle in Psalms 42-43 that will encourage us or those we know who are currently in this struggle?

The Psalmist Asaph finds himself comparing his circumstances with the success of people who were not following God's ways. How do we keep from letting this comparison game consume us?

This is the start of a four-week series, called "Songs in the Night" - a study of several psalms that prepare us for long, dark nights of the soul, periods of soul anguish. This week we'll look at Psalm 55 and the pain caused by deep betrayal. Where do we find comfort when we've been wounded by a close friend?

We usually consider prophecy to be words which predict future events. However, prophecy is more often about the present – a word from God concerning how we should live now. Such instructions are always connected to the past and the future. This is especially true in the book of Revelation, which quite literally is “The revelation of Jesus Christ…the Alpha and Omega…the Lord of heaven and earth.”

The final words of the Epistle of Jude summarize its message. There are many things that could distract us from following “the way, the truth and the life,” but God is faithful. If we keep ourselves in God’s love and wait for the mercy of Jesus Christ we will inherit eternal life. In the midst of the struggles in this world that is a promise worth hearing and believing.