Tag: Ephesians 2

I believe in the holy Christian church, the communion of saints

Matt Erickson1 Comment

This past weekend at Eastbrook, we continued our preaching series entitled “Living the Creed: Connecting Life and Faith in the Apostles’ Creed.” This series walks through the Apostles Creed as a basic summary of our faith but also as a way to live our faith out with God in the world. Each weekend of this series will explore the biblical and theological roots of the Apostles Creed, while also providing specific spiritual practices and approaches to living out what we know as we ‘proclaim and embody’ the Creed in our daily lives.

This weekend I continued preaching on the third article of the creed: “I believe in the holy Christian church, the communion of saints.” This automatically raises the important question for today: can I really still believe in the church?

You can find the message video and outline below. You can also view the entire series here. Join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

Do We Really Believe in the Church?

The challenge of the church

The challenge within us

Considering what it means to believe in the church

A Church Worth Believing In

The church is holy

  • Made holy in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 2:9)
  • Becoming holy through the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:3)

The church is universal/catholic/Christian

  • What “catholic” means and doesn’t mean
  • The universal mission of the church (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8)
  • The multi-everything nature of the church (Revelation 7:9-10; Galatians 3:26-29)

The church is a communion of saints

  • “Communion” as community unified by Christ for Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)
  • What are “saints”? (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Living Out Our Belief in the Church

Seeing the church through the eyes of Jesus

Expanding our vision through the global church

Being the church through the power of the Holy Spirit

Dig Deeper

This week dig deeper in one or more of the following ways:

To Live as One for the Sake of the World

Matt EricksonLeave a comment

This past weekend as part of our preaching series, “United,” with other churches I had the privilege of preaching at Kettlebrook Church. This final week of the series I expanded upon the statement that the church is called to live as one for the sake of the world. I explored the two halves of Ephesians 2 in order to look at the way God has made us one with Himself through Christ and also made us one new humanity together through Christ. I explored that portion of Scripture with some attention to the reality that, as Archbishop William Temple once said, “the church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of its non-members.”

You can find the message video and outline below, starting at 24:48. You can also view the entire series here. Join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.

Made One: the positional unity of the church in Jesus Christ

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This past weekend at Eastbrook Church we continued our series entitled “One: The Being of God in the Life of the Church.” The first message in the series, “God is One,” explored how unity comes through the Triune God’s indwelling presence. This second message looks at how Jesus is the One who both brings salvation and creates unity within the church.

You can view the message video and outline for the message is below. You can follow along with the entire series here and the devotional that accompanies the series here. You could always join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.

“His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,  and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” (Ephesians 2:15-16)

The Saving Work of the One God (Ephesians 2:1-10)

  • The barrier between God and humanity
  • The barrier broken down
  • The movement from death to life in Christ

The Unifying Work of the One God (Ephesians 2:11-22; 3:4-6)

  • The barrier between humanity one with another
  • The barrier broken down
  • One new humanity in Christ

The Oneness of God’s People as the Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:15; Romans 12:3-8)

  • One Body in Christ
  • Unity within Diversity
  • Diversity within Unity

Dig Deeper

This week dig deeper into the theme of the unity of our Triune God in one or more of the following ways:

Eastbrook at Home – November 1, 2020

Matt EricksonLeave a comment

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Today is All Saints Day, where we remember we are part of a “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1-2) spread through many places and ages who have led the way before us in the journey of faith in Christ.

Join us for worship with Eastbrook Church through Eastbrook at Home at 8, 9:30, and 11 AM as we continue our series on unity entitled “One: The Being of God in the Life of the Church.” This weekend I focus on the way that Jesus makes us one as His people, drawing mostly from Ephesians 2.

Join in with the daily devotional for this series here.

We are also calling the church to a season of prayer and fasting during this series. Find out more info here.

We also continue in-person services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 AM this weekend at the Eastbrook Campus, but you do need to RSVP ahead of time. Find out more info here.

Each Sunday at 8, 9:30, and 11 AM, you can participate with our weekly worship service at home with your small group, family, or friends. This service will then be available during the week until the next Sunday’s service starts. You can also access the service directly via Vimeo, the Eastbrook app, or Facebook.

If you are not signed up for our church emailing list, please sign up here. Also, please remember that during this time financial support for the church is critical as we continue minister within our congregation and reach out to our neighborhood, city, and the world at this challenging time. Please give online or send in a donation to support the ministry of Eastbrook Church.

Preach the Gospel to Yourself Daily

Matt Erickson2 Comments

sunset

Recently, I was talking with someone about what we most need in our lives for growth and I was reminded of the simple truth that we need to take in the message of the Gospel in Jesus Christ everyday. Wherever we are and whomever we are, the highest priority is that we preach the simple message of good news to ourselves daily. In simplicity that message is as follows:

  • we are sinners who were lost in the death of sin and brokenness of evil
  • God reached out to us in Jesus Christ apart from anything we have done (or will do)
  • God has forgiven all our sin through Christ’s sacrifice, reconciled us to Himself, defeated the powers of evil, and showered upon us His grace and truth
  • God has given us a place of belonging with Him by making us part of His family through the sufficient work of Christ both for now and eternity

There are so many things in our daily lives push back against the gospel. People come to us with all sorts of messages about who we are and who we’re not, what we’ve done and what we haven’t done. We may hear words like this: “you’re a failure,” “you’re a loser,” “you’re too prideful,” “you’re too weak,” or more. If we are honest, many of these things are true. Yes, we are sinners who always need forgiveness. Yes, we are broken in many ways and always need the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit to remake us.

The gospel overpowers us with a message different from those that come to us from others or even from ourselves.. That message centers us within the reality that we are loved, saved, and forgiven by God through Jesus Christ. We are trophies of His grace and held in the divine embrace both now and forever with God!

We all need to take in that message daily. One good way to do that is to slowly read portions of Scripture which rehearse those fundamental truths with us. One of my favorites is Ephesians 2:1-10, where Paul summarizes the gospel in very basic form. Let me encourage you to read it every day for the next week to remind us of the basic gospel message we always need.

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.