Erie Evangelical Free Church (Erie, IL)

Matthew 15:1-20 - Beyond Hollow Effort

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues to teach through our series in the gospel of Matthew. Nobody likes to waste their time. We want the things we do to be valuable and worth our effort. After Jesus called his disciples to action (14:13-36), He showed them the dangers of going through the motions. In this lesson we see the deception of pointless activity and how we can move forward in our divinely appointed purpose.

Matthew 14:13-36 - A Crash Course

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues our study in the Gospel of Matthew. It is great to be able to take our time and really prepare for a new challenge. But sometimes we get thrust into a position of sink-or-swim. But how do we maintain our focus and discover the most we can when we are not sure what to do next? We find three good answers to this question in Matthew 14:13-36.

Matthew 14:1-12 - A Look Ahead

NOTE: We apologize for the audio quality of this week's podcast. We lost all power just before service so the message was only recorded on the video camera at the back of the room. We will have our normal audio up next week. In the meantime, we thank you for your patience.
 
Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues our series in the gospel of Matthew. After showing us the misperception of Jesus' authority in Nazareth, Matthew zooms out to tell how Jesus was misunderstood by others too. In doing so, we see how the faithful followers of Jesus will also be misunderstood and we discuss how to stay focused on our mission of kingdom-centered purpose as we are. 

Matthew 13:53-58 - The Danger of Familiarity

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg launches our new series, "The Spark," as we jump back into our study through the Gospel of Matthew. We all like to be comfortable. But what happens when our comfort in what we think, like, or do becomes the ultimate standard by which we measure our lives? And how do we prepare to respond when Jesus calls us to move beyond our comfort?

Christmas in a Dark Age (Sunday, December 22nd, 2024)

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg finishes out our Christmas series. Over the past few weeks we've talked about how the birth of Jesus provides every generation of God's people with reason to celebrate. But the incarnation is bigger than just the believers. This week we discuss how Christmas matters to all mankind.

Christmas and the New Testament (Sunday, December 8th, 2024)

Pastor Ron Eckberg leads us through the second week of our Christmas series, "Christmas Parties." Last week we discussed how the coming of the Messiah is a celebration for the faith of the Old Testament. This week we move forward to see how the birth of Jesus was the perfect act to bring hope and celebration to the faith of the New Testament believers.

Christmas and the Old Testament

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg launches us into our new series, "Christmas Parties". In a season where Christmas parties abound, it's easy to get lost in the moment and only see what is right in front of us. But, in order to rejoice more deeply in this Christmas season we have to go back to see what the birth of Jesus meant to God's people in the OT to truly appreciate what it means to us today.

Gratitude - Week 3 (Sunday, November 24th, 2024)

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg concludes our series on gratitude. Over the past two weeks we've been reminded of the gratitude that should pour out of us when we consider the salvation of Jesus Christ and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. But as we think on these things we also remember that, in Christ, we are adopted into the family of God. This adoption changes our lives and gives us yet another point of gratitude in our faith.