Erie Evangelical Free Church (Erie, IL)

How We Purposefully Embrace Death

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg teaches the second week of our Back-to-School series, "The Final Bell," in which we discuss the biblical significance of embracing death. Last week we discussed the need to embrace the reality of death in order to allow Jesus' victory to sharpen our focus, clarify our purpose, and deepen our joy even in the loss and pain of physical death. That's all well and good, but HOW do we do that? We find out in this week's message.

Why We Must Embrace Death - Psalm 90:12-17

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg kicks off the first week of our Back-to-School series, "The Final Bell," in a discussion about death. We know death is important (we talk about Jesus' death). We know death is inevitable (we talk about how every person dies and faces judgment). But, still, we often keep it at an arms-length. We prefer not to deal with it in relation to MY life and YOUR life. Why must this not be the case? Psalm 90 gives us a beautiful answer.

Obadiah 1-21 - Fire and Ashes

Pastor Jonathan concludes our series, "Behind the Shield," by looking at the end of the story of Esau's family, Edom, in the Old Testament book of Obadiah.

Genesis 36:1-37:1 - Leaving a Faith-filled Legacy

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues our series, "Behind the Shield." Everyone wants to live a life worthy of being remembered. But what is our standard for what we deem worthy of remembrance? Genesis 36 offers us a comparison between two lives and two legacies. This comparison gives us two godly guidelines for how we can leave a faith-filled legacy.

Genesis 35:16-29 - Finishing What Was Started

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg leads us through the next message in our series on the life of Jacob. This week we find Jacob's part of God's plan to bless the world coming to a close. This conclusion is not full of the grand excitement one might expect. Jacob is faithful and God takes care of him, but we are reminded here that our job is not to fulfill OUR purposes. Instead we, like Jacob, are to finish the mission to which God has called us for HIS purposes.

Genesis 35:1-15 - A Fitting Response to a Faithful God

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg jumps back into our study of Genesis in our series, "Behind the Shield." Sometimes the responsibilities, concerns, or even joys of everyday life can steal our focus and leave us in a "rut". This isn't necessarily wrong, until it steals our attention from what God has called us to do. In these times we must reset our focus on the faithfulness of God. How does that change the way we respond? We see the answer in Genesis 35:1-15.

No Greater Love - John 15:9-17

Pastor Ron Eckberg delivers a special Memorial Day message at EEFC. Memorial Day should be a somber day of remembering those who paid the ultimate price defending freedoms we enjoy. For Christians, however, there is a greater “Memorial Day” called “Every Day” – for every day, hour, and minute should be a reminder of the price Christ paid for our freedom.

Genesis 33:18-34:31 - Three Guides for Gracious Living

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues our study of the life of Jacob in our series, "Behind the Shield." Genesis 34 is a dark chapter in our study of Jacob's life. It is full of lust, deception, and murder. Not exactly an uplifting example of godly living! However, through this darkness God shows us three important guides to help us live gracious lives that point others to His goodness.