14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a …
3 Simple Practices to Help us Grow to Look Like Jesus
This past Sunday at Eastbrook I preached on the sufficiency of Christ from Hebrews 10:1-18 in a message entitled "Sufficient." You can view that message below or here. Near the end of the message, I reflected on what the sufficiency of Christ means for us. One of the most important aspects of Christ's sufficient work …
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Roots: Looking Back and Reaching Forward
This coming weekend at Eastbrook Church we begin a new preaching series entitled "Roots: Looking Back and Reaching Forward." This series is the second of a three-part series related to our 40th anniversary as a church, following on our series, "Power in Prayer." This is a series celebrating our legacy as a church, and …
Exemplary Lives of Renewed Pastors
In reading J. I. Packer’s A Quest for Godliness some time ago, I came across this moving quotation from Richard Baxter about the need for pastors to attend to their own lives in ministry. Baxter was an interesting figure, best known for his writing of that classic of pastoral practice, The Reformed Pastor. Just a quick …
Recovering Holiness
As I continue to reflect on the nature of pastoral ministry, ministry in the North American evangelical church, and questions of ministry integrity, I find myself returning often to the topic of holiness. Even writing the word holiness makes me feel a little bit "old school." However, if I hold the tension of that uncomfortable …
Matthew Erickson 