Ethos Church
By Ethos Church
Ethos is a place where people are given an opportunity and a platform to step into the things that God has gifted them to do. A church that is a team and a family. One that lives life together. One that wins together and loses together. A church that loves all people. A church big enough to reach the world and small enough to feel like home.
Ethos ChurchDec 17, 2023
On The Table // The Problem of Evil | Jordan Smucker | 05.05.2024
Wrapping up our "On the Table" series, we explore the radical teachings of Paul in Romans 12, where we confront the enigma of overcoming malice with kindness; that holding onto unity and Jesus' exemplary life's work becomes ever more apparent. Learn how the simple, yet profound act of kindness can ignite a moral awakening, and how we, as a community, can rise above societal and political divides to reflect the light of justice and reconciliation.
Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
On The Table // God’s Vision For Sexuality - Part 2 | Jordan Smucker | 04.28.2024
Explore the multifaceted nature of love through the lens of the Greek language, where four distinct words paint a complex picture of this fundamental human emotion. We steer the conversation towards understanding how a society's quest for eros, or romantic love, can overshadow the more enduring agape love demonstrated by Jesus. With insights from psychiatrist Miriam Grossman, we acknowledge the often-overlooked emotional repercussions of casual relationships. Listen as we confront the challenge of aligning our modern views with a life-affirming Christian approach to intimacy and connection.
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
On The Table // God’s Vision For Sexuality - Part 1 | Jordan Smucker | 04.21.2024
Sexuality and spirituality intertwine in profound ways, yet the conversation often gets lost in whispers. Our journey isn't just about confronting the missteps of the church or the hypersexualized culture around us; it's about rediscovering the beautiful, God-given longing for intimacy that connects to our innermost selves. we grasp how being fully known and loved is what we're really seeking—beyond physicality to the heart of our relationships. And as we peel back the layers of how pornography distorts this quest, we invite a thoughtful consideration of what self-sacrificial love truly looks like.
“Let’s us make human beings in our image, to be like us.” Genesis 1:26
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
On The Table // Singleness & Marriage: Gift or Idol? | Jordan Smucker | 04.14.2024
Look in Christian bookstores at books on marriage and parenting – compare that with books on singleness – very few marriage books argue that marriage is a good thing – that’s accepted. Instead, they talk about all the problems in marriage and how to deal with them. Christian marriage books tell you how to deal with the difficulty of marriage. Books on singleness take a different approach. They almost imply that singleness is a problem. They tell a person how to make the most of the time until the right person comes along. In other words, they say that the solution to the problem of singleness is marriage. And then – “Good news – once you get married, you’re going to have all other kinds of problems and read the marriage books.” The scriptures teach something very different ...
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
On The Table // Is Jesus The Only Way? | Jordan Smucker | 04.07.2024
The idea that all religions are equally correct is called “religious relativism”. That all positions are equally correct, and therefore, we shouldn’t evangelize. If you believe some religions are superior to others, then you have to evangelize. But if you believe that no religions are superior to others then you are evangelizing your religious relativism view. Think of it like this; when you urge me not to urge my religion on anybody else, you’re urging your religion on me. You’re evangelizing me not to evangelize. You are doing the very thing you forbid. Up until 150 years ago, all religions got together and said, “Look, we may all be wrong, but we can’t all be right.” If two people contradict one another we say, “You could be wrong and I could be right, or I could be wrong and you could be right, or we could both be wrong, but we can’t both be right.” So the real question is who’s right?
John 14:6 (NIV) “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Easter With Ethos | Jordan Smucker | 03.31.2024
It’s not difficult to get a person interested in the message of the gospel, it is difficult to sustain the interest. Millions of people make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate. In the words of Eugene Peterson, “Many claim to have been born again, but the evidence of mature Christian discipleship is slim.” In the western church there is a great market for religious experience but there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of Christian character. Little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called Sanctification; the process of becoming like Christ. This process involves learning how to implement healthy spiritual habits. But what stands in our way? That’s what this teaching will discuss.
“So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” – Romans 5:9-11
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Sacred Overlap // Attraction & Formational | Jordan Smucker | 03.24.24
Every relationship forms you. The relationships you say “yes” to, and the relationships you say “no” to will both form you in one way or another. These relationships either wound you on the “operating table” or on the “battle field”. The operating table scenario heals, while the battle field scenario ultimately dominates. We need to want relationships that put us on the “operating table.” Who are you allowing to form you?
We often think Jesus was 50% grace, and 50% truth. But, in reality he was 100% of both. Both the attractional and formational aspects of Jesus’ ministry worked hand in hand.
At Ethos we desire to be the same – creating environments where people can come and see, while also be seen. Where all guests who arrive are received like Christ, and where we can be formed into the vision of Jesus.
“And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand.” – Isaiah 64:8
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Sacred Overlap // Pain & Ease | Andrea Plummer | 03.17.24
Living a life faithfully following Jesus, means acknowledging God’s purpose, plan, perspective, and presence whether in a season of pain or a season of ease. During seasons of pain, it means not letting the storm cloud your vision and remembering that Jesus is in the boat with you. In seasons of ease, it means keeping in front of you the truth that you cannot do this alone and that no matter how good life is right now, it is due to God continually at work on your behalf. Ultimately, faithfully following Jesus means modeling after what Jesus did and how he lived in those same seasons.
“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”
-Hebrews 12:2 (NLT)-
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Sacred Overlap // Empathy & Honesty | Pastor Jon Laurenzo | 03.10.24
Pastor Jon shares about the difference between proclamation and application.
Right now we are in a “Josiah like moment”. Josiah had every reason to not turn towards God, but something rose in him at the proclamation of God’s word that made him reform; made him change.
God had given us each the opportunity to reform our legacy and our family.
You can set the tone for your children, and your children’s children.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all our naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Sacred Overlap // Inhabitants & Foreigners | Jordan Smucker | 03.03.24
Generations after Israel had been freed from Egyptian slavery, they were hauled off into exile in Babylon, a secular country. In the book of Jeremiah, we see that Gods call to Israel was to retain their foundational identity as Gods people even though they were resident aliens in a foreign land. Despite their status as exiles .. God tells them to stay put. Put down roots, build houses, plant gardens … We too are spiritual exiles and resident aliens. We live here but we don’t really belong here. So how do we live faithfully in the space between, not running from the world and not conforming to it but faithfully following Jesus with two feet in both worlds?
1 Peter 2:11 (NLT) - Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Sacred Overlap // Peace & War | Pastor Brad Cooper | 02.25.24
“There is a mean, violet streak in the true Christian life. But violence against whom, or what? Not other people. It’s violence against all the impulses in us that would be violent to other people. It’s a violence against all the impulses in our own selves that would make peace with our own sin and settle in with a peacetime mentality. It’s violence against all lust in ourselves, and enslaving desires for food or alcohol or pornography or money or the praise of men and the approval of others or power or fame. It’s violence against the impulses in our own soul towards racism and sluggish indifference to injustice and poverty and abortion. Christianity is not a settle--and-live-at-peace-with-this-world-the-way-it-is kind of religion. Christianity is war – on our own sinful impulses.”
– John Piper
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.” Romans 8:13
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Sacred Overlap // Sin & Grace | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 02.18.24
It is not hard to see why Christians would shy away from sin and judgement in our attempts to engage constructively in the debates and questions of our age. Our culture attacks sin and judgement as hate speech, leaving Christians confused, embarrassed and in denial about foundational biblical truths. We are told that doctrines of sin and judgement are not just misguided but downright dangerous or evil. But we agree with Fleming Rutledge who wrote, “It is only by endeavoring to look sin straight in the face that we are able to understand grace.”
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Practice Makes Progress // The Practice Of Confession In A Community Of Grace | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 02.11.24
Neuroscience tells us - the human mind can actually resist truth about oneself. This phenomenon is called mutual pretense in the medical field. Everybody desperately needs to be covered - desperately wants to be covered - has to be covered, to keep people from seeing who we really are. What Adam & Eve used as fig leaves in Genesis 3, we use as social media, larger homes, smiling families, and education today. Anything to create a veneer on the outside that covers the shame and guilt we fear when we are exposed. While the natural mind may be hostile to truth, the spiritual person is called to turn toward it all costs. This is called repentance or confession. This is one of the first things Jesus begins to preach …
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Practice Makes Progress // The Practice of Waiting Well | Pastor Noah Nickel | 02.0424
We oftentimes ask ourselves, if God is so good why is there so
much pain in this world. But the reality is, that Jesus’ promise of peace does not guarantee the absence of trouble or pain. Rather we are called to understand that life offers both still waters and valleys of death (Psalm 23). And in that, holding on to the truth that God is the connection point within those two places. And valuing God’s presence over provision, knowing that He is with us, that is what God is good at.
“He makes me like down in green pastures. He leads me besides still
waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
- Psalm 23:2-4 (ESV)
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Practice Makes Progress // The Practice of Waiting Well | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 01.27.24
Does anybody enjoy ‘waiting’? Red lights, long lines, commercials & ads during your favorite TV show or sports team, slow service at a restaurant. These are all a bit trivial in the grand scheme of life. But what about waiting on unanswered prayer, or a bad habit to finally be defeated, or a spouse, job, health? We don’t have a theology for waiting well. We certainly have an unhealthy and unbiblical theology for wanting everything now.
Isaiah 30:18 (NIV) tells us; “So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.” How do we learn to ‘wait well’?
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Practice Makes Progress // The Surprising Gifts of Solitude and Silence | Dr. Tammy Smith | 01.21.24
In “Celebration of Discipline”, Richard Foster wrote, “God takes this ‘useless’ discipline, this ‘wasted time’, to make us His friend.” When we are quiet enough to hear God’s affirming voice, it becomes much easier not to fall under the spell of the opinions of others. The primary purpose of solitude is simply to be more present to God. In solitude we discover that the one who made us and loves us most wants to be our friend. He is the prize.
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength. But you were unwilling.” Isaiah 30:15
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Practice Makes Progress // Prayer: More Practice Than Theory | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 01.14.24
Practice Makes Progress // Practice Is Greater Than ‘New Year’s Resolution Spirituality’ | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 01.07.24
Practice > ‘New Year’s Resolution Spirituality'
When we think about the good news of Jesus, two approaches in the form of a question come to mind. There are two contrasting questions that form our shift today from making converts to making disciples.
Question 1: In a ‘Conversion Centered Gospel’ one might ask “If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven?” Question 2: In a disciple centered gospel one might ask “If you knew you were going to live forever, what kind of person would you like to become?”
The second question focuses on a process of growing toward Christlikeness. One question is just concerned with getting us to heaven. The other is concerned with who I am right now and who I am becoming. This is what we call discipleship or spiritual formation which is the development of a heart for God.
1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NLT) - Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
A Soul At Peace In A Year At War | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 12.31.23
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Christmas With Ethos | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 12.23.23
LOVE
When Mary finds out that she is pregnant, she goes to spend her first trimester with her elderly cousin Elizabeth who is in her last trimester. It is likely they are both, given their ages, in the midst of the most challenging parts of their respective pregnancies. It is from this place that they enter into community. We might expect Elizabeth, who has waited her whole life for a child, might approach her cousin with scorn, jealousy, suspicion, or a spirit of competition. But not so. When Mary arrives, Elizabeth literally cries out loudly to bless Mary and the thing that God is doing in her. These women, absent the voices of men in their lives, have a holy moment of honoring the thing that God is doing in both of them. This is an opportunity for them to share their stories, believe each other, and be together. This community between the women is a gift from God to them for their health, their joy, and their belief in what God is doing in them. Our spirituality may be tied up in finding God in specific ways – reading the bible, praying, and going to church. We have been taught a lie that all things spiritual happen separate from community. But one of the greatest “joy gifts” in your life are the people who make you think, laugh, and celebrate your life with you.
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Advent // Joy | Pastor Nick Nye | 12.17.23
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Advent // For A Little While | Pastor Shane Huey from Cross & Crown Church | 12.10.23
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Legacy // The Kingdom of Heaven Among Us | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 11.26.23
The Kingdom of Heaven Among Us
It is not up to us to build the kingdom, but we can build for the kingdom. As resurrection people who know that heaven and earth overlap, we can become agents of God’s beauty in a world that needs a song, a beautiful painting, a new dance, or a heart-touching poem. We can also stand for justice in a world where injustice seems to have a vise grip on so many people.
The resurrection of Jesus does not move us to a passive and sedentary life of waiting for God to show up some day in the dis- tant future. The hope of the resurrection inspires and empowers Christians to stand strong, work hard, pray more fervently, and live with compassion. As the power of the resurrection fills our hearts, homes, and churches, we stand firm, we let nothing move us, we always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because we know our labor is not in vain!
Luke 17:20-21 (NIV)- One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Legacy // Paradise, Heaven, The Resurrection, & Rapture. | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 11.19.23
Paradise, Heaven, Resurrection, & Rapture
Heaven will not be a boring place, off in distant space, where we play harps, sit on clouds, and sing the same stanza of the same song forever. Heaven is God’s space, filled with peace, justice, and beauty. Heaven and earth are overlapping realities, and the resurrection of Jesus has connected these two spheres more closely than we know. If we pay close attention, we will see that heaven and earth are overlapping today. One of the ways God brings his kingdom, “on earth as it is in heaven,” is through his people.
Mark 1:15 (NLT) - ""The time promised by God has come at last!" he announced. "The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!""
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Legacy // The Sting of Death. The Hope in Grief | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 11.12.23
Christians have a hope that enables us to face anything. There’s an “unsinkableness” about us. There’s a stubborn buoyancy about us. You sink a Christian and they keep coming back up. No matter how much of the world seems to be on top of them. This is not the same as optimism. As a matter of fact, Christians have a hope that enables them to stop denying how much life stinks. There’s a tremendous amount of dysfunction that occurs because we just can’t bear to admit how horrible life is - how painful it is. Yet, biblical hope enables us to be more fiercely realistic than anybody else yet still joyfully consumed. The Apostle Paul says the reason we have this hope is because of the defeat of death.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NLT) - And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Book of Colossians // Colossians 4 | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 11.05.23
As we read Colossians 4, we are encouraged to embrace the power of prayer and to live in Christ-centered community. We are reminded to devote ourselves to prayer, and through prayer, we can experience God's guidance and strength in our lives. Paul also emphasizes the importance of wisdom in our interactions with those who we interact with every day, making the most of every opportunity to share the gospel with grace and love. As we live out our lives in prayer and wisdom, we get to be a light, impacting our world, and making Christ known.
Colossians 4:2-4 (NLT) – “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains.Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.”
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Book of Colossians // Following Jesus In a Post-Roe World | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 10.29.23
Following Jesus in a Post-Roe World
Within the beauty of humanity, the image and likeness of Christ is stamped on every single one of us. Regardless of where we may differ, may we remember Christ’s unwavering love, compassion, and grace; striving to emulate and to live like the One who is our ultimate example of justice and sacrifice. In seeking to live out the image of God we become vessels of His light in a world in need of His love.
Micah 6:8 (ESV) – “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Book of Colossians // Teaching. Maturity. Spiritual Circumcision. | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 10.22.23
Teaching. Maturity. Spiritual Circumcision
The apostle Paul writes in Colossians 1:28, “So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.” Paul establishes that his goal for preaching and teaching is to “present everyone perfect in Christ.” The Greek idea of perfection as something without a flaw has influenced our understanding of the term in today. Consequently, for most, perfection is some impossible ideal that no one will ever attain. But the biblical vision is something was “perfect” if it’s contributing to its purpose. That what we’re after here, contributing to the purpose God created us for.
Colossians 1:28 (NLT) – “So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.”
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Book of Colossians // The Awe and Supremacy of Jesus Christ | Pastor Nick Nye | 10.15.23
The Awe and Supremacy of Jesus Christ
In Colossians 1, we read how Christ is the image of God. And we are called to recognize Jesus as not only the Lord of Creation but also the head of the Church who is guiding us in our journey of faith. We are reminded of Jesus’ sacrifice of dying on the cross for us and how this is a beautiful act of reconciliation and an act of bringing peace between us and God. As we read Colossians 1, we are drawn to centering our lives on Christ and acknowledging His power and authority over our lives.
"For through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.Everything was created through him and for him."
Colossians 1:16 (NLT)
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Why Church Matters // Church: A Countercultural Community | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 10.01.23
Church: A Countercultural Community
The church has often pursued relevance at the expense of reverence. However, the church was meant to be a counterculture, where “life to the full” is visible and welcomed to all.
The church’s countercultural identity can be further categorized in several ways:
- Countercultural Presence
- Countercultural United Family
- Countercultural Change
- Countercultural Mission
A commitment to pursuing holiness – only made possible through the blood of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit – is a critical mark of the countercultural church.
John 17:18,23 (NLT) - Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world... I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Why Church Matters // Becoming A Spirit-filled Community | Pastor Shane Huey | 09.24.23
God’s goal for every church is that the Holy Spirit would be the animating force behind all that we do; that every Christian community would be characterized by dependance upon the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. Taking our cues from 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10, we see that a Spirit-filled community should be characterized by:
1) Supernatural Power
2) Abiding Love
3) Evangelistic Urgency
4) Biblical Truth
5) Passionate Worship
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. Our vision is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did so that we may love all people in Jesus' name.
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Why Church Matters // Barriers and Bridges to True Community | Doctor Tammy Smith | 09.17.23
Barriers and Bridges to True Community
Expectations, Self-Protection, and Masks are barriers that become silent killers to true community.
“A spiritual community, a church, is full of broken people who turn their chairs toward each other because they know they cannot make it alone. These broken people journey together with their wounds and worries and washouts visible, but are able to see beyond the brokenness to something alive and good, something whole.” Larry Crabb
We all fall short of the glory of God. But, may we spur one another toward love and compassion. May we encourage one another by engaging in the Stepping Stones to True Community: Forgiveness, Gratitude, and the willingness to choose others in love, maturity, and sacrifice.
Philippians 2:3-4 - Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourself, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interest of others
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Why Church Matters // Why Go To Church? | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 09.10.23
Why Go to Church?
At some point along the way, we have trained Christians to be demanding consumers, not disciples. Do we really just go to church for our own benefits? Doesn’t doing so merely perpetuate the consumerist culture that has caused so many to abandon church? There must be far more beautiful and deeply meaningful rationale for going to church beyond what we can get. Right? Within the present anti-church climate, we must attempt to answer, “Why go to church?” What do you tell your friends or perhaps your parents or children who no longer go but wonder why you do? What is being proposed is not a series of reasons why you might want to go to church but why you should go to church. That’s not a bad thing … an old philosophical dictum suggests that love follows knowledge, the heart needs a vision … So what can be a vision, a reason for going to church and committing ourselves to a group of very flawed men and women and agreeing to journey with them for the rest of our lives?
Romans 12:2 (NLT) - Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Why Church Matters // Not As Easy As We Hope. More Important Than We Thought. | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 09.03.23
Not As Easy As We Hope. More Important Than We Thought
We desperately need to recapture the communal aspect of historic Christianity. There is an entire generation deconstructing their beliefs not because those beliefs are wrong but because they never saw those beliefs actually done in a loving community of commitment and sacrifice. What we believe is not our witness to the world, it’s how we live among one another that is our witness to the world. The church was not founded to critique the surrounding culture but to form a distinct counterculture where “life to the full” is on display as an invitation to all. However, in many ways the church has mirrored the culture more than forming a counterculture.
Matthew 16:15-18 (NLT) - Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
Reflection Questions:
- What stood out to you in this teaching? Why do you think that resonated?
- What comes to mind when you think about the church? After hearing this message and listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying through the scriptures about the church, how does that differ from what often comes to mind?
- Do you find yourself thinking more like a consumer or a disciple of Jesus when it comes to your involvement in the family of God, aka the Church?
- What does it mean for you to live with Jesus’ body in mind?
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Spirit In You // When the Holy Spirit Invades the Hearts of His People | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 08.27.23
When the Holy Spirit Invades the Hearts of His People
Have you ever noticed that the greatest demonstration of the Spirit of God which was also the moment that launched the Christian church, happened not while someone was preaching, but while people were praying? What does it say about the church today that the Spirit came, and that God birthed the church in a prayer meeting, and prayer meetings today are almost extinct? What do you think will happen if you begin to pray that God will reveal his power in your life and lead you toward people whom he wants you to love?
Matthew 6:9-10 (NLT) - Pray like this: Our Father in
heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Reflection Questions:
- What stood out to you in this teaching and why?
- Would you describe yourself as a person who is devoted to prayer? Why or why not? How might a greater devotion to prayer change your life?
- What difficulty are you or someone you know experiencing that you need to pray about? How is your view of God influencing your prayer life right now?
- Are you willing to be sent by the Holy Spirit? Who do you sense Him sending you to?
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Spirit In You // Experiencing the Grace & Gifts of the Holy Spirit | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 08.20.23
Experiencing the Grace & Gifts of the Holy Spirit
There’s a crucial principle we need to understand from the outset: Spiritual gifts are not God bestowing to his people something external to himself. They are not some tangible “stuff” or “substance” separable from God. Spiritual gifts are nothing less than God himself in us, energizing our souls, imparting revelation to our minds, infusing power in our wills, and working his sovereign and gracious purposes through us.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (NLT) - A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Spirit In You // What Stands In Our Way of More | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 08.13.23
What stands in Our Way of More?
How did Jesus do everything that Jesus did? There are two dominant theories that exist to answer that question, neither are entirely inaccurate, but one of them is most clear: by the power of the Holy Spirit. Before the Holy Spirit rested upon Jesus after His water baptism, Jesus did not do much. However, after he was anointed with the Holy Spirit, He was teaching with authority, working miracles, building disciples, and bringing Heaven to Earth. Here is some more good news; the same Holy Spirit that empowered Jesus wants to empower you. Martin Lloyd Jones said, “If we have what the first Christians had, why do we not do what they did? We must conclude that either God gave them more than He has given us, or we have failed to avail ourselves of what He has given us.” Let’s continue to lean in together.
"But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you."
John 16:7 (NLT)
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. // John 14:12
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Spirit In You // Clearing The Path For Pentecost | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 08.06.23
Clearing The Path for Pentecost
“He is not enthusiasm. He is not courage. He is not energy. He is not the personification of all good qualities, like Jack Frost is the personification of cold weather. Actually, the Holy Spirit is not the personification of anything. He is a person, the same as you are a person, but not material substance. He has individuality. He is one being and not another, He has will and intelligence. He has hearing. He has knowledge and sympathy and ability to love and see and think. He can hear, speak, desire, grieve and rejoice. He is a Person.”
- AW Tozer “The Counselor”
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. // John 14:12
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Gift Of Limits // The Limit of Powerlessness, The Gift of Turbulence | Brian Johnson | 07.30.23
The Limit of Powerlessness, the Gift of Turbulence
Following Jesus sounds great in theory, but obedience is scary. We only discover how we’re going to do what Jesus calls us to do after stepping out in obedience. That seems backwards. But when we focus on Jesus – the one calling us to obey – it gets easier because we learn to take comfort in Him.
Matthew 14:28-29 (NIV) - “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus."
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Gift Of Limits // The Limit of Control, The Gift of Surrender | Dr. Tammy Smith | 07.23.23
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Gift Of Limits // The Limit of Perfection, The Gift of Sanctification | Pastor Brian Cromer from Queen City Church | 07.16.23
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Gift of Limits // The Limit of Fear, The Gift of Faith | Andrea Plummer | 07.09.23
The Limit of Fear, the Gift of Faith
It is safe to say that we all experience emotional fears that grip us, and that have the ability to limit our yes to God. Fear is not an uncommon or an unnatural emotion in life, and God knew that we would feel it. He tells his people, us, throughout the Bible, “Do not be afraid.” He already knew that we would feel this emotion, and He promised to come alongside us to strengthen us and to help us fight and overcome fear. In that fight against fear, however, we are called to be faithful to His promises and to cling His sovereignty. So that we can look fear in the face and say ‘yes’ to God. And as a result, we get to step into God’s call and purpose for us.
Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) - "Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Gift Of Limits // The Limit of Understanding the Gift of Gods Voice | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 07.02.23
Outline of the Gospel
Most people miss the voice of God not because it’s too strange but because it’s so familiar. “Why is it,” comedian Lily Tomlin asks, “that when we speak to God, we are said to be praying but when God speaks to us, we are said to be schizophrenic?” Dallas Willard wrote, “Such a response from ourselves or others to someone’s claim to have heard from God is especially likely today because of the lack of specific teaching and pastoral guidance on such matters.”
Matthew 4:4 (NLT) - But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Gift Of Limits // The Limit of Time, the Gift of No | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 06.25.23
The Limit of Time, the Gift of No.
If you want to build margin in your life so that you can do the work God meant for you to do, you have to remember that you are only human. You have limits. Psalm 119:96 says, “I have learned that everything has limits” (GNT). God is the author of your limitations. He put them there for your good—because he loves you. So rather than fighting your limits, you need to accept your limits. Sadly, as human beings we’re not very adept at recognizing our limits. We constantly overestimate our abilities and underestimate obstacles and how much time it will take to do something. On top of that, we live in a culture that constantly tells us, “You can do it all! You can have it all! You can be whatever you want!” But it’s not true. You can be all that God wants you to be, but you cannot be whatever you want to be. There are limits in your life.
Romans 12:3,6 - Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Gift Of Limits // The Limit of a Man, the Gift of a Father | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 06.18.23
The Limit of a Man, the Gift of a Father
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Gift Of Limits // The Limit of Self Knowledge, the Gift of the Bible | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 06.11.23
The Limit of Self Knowledge, the Gift of the Bible
If you’re going to have a personal relationship with Jesus, if your religion is personal, you have to be utterly obedient to Him. Jesus says that it’s in obedience where we find freedom … Not freedom to do what we feel, or freedom from the pain of the world, but freedom to experience life as it were meant to be lived … with Jesus. The reason we’re freed by obedience and allegiance to Jesus is because we’re obeying the will of our Designer. We no longer carry the weight of trying to figure out life on our own.
Matthew 11:28-29 (NLT) - "Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
The Gift of Limits // The Limit of Autonomy. The Gift of Freedom | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 06.04.23
The Limit of Autonomy. The Gift of Freedom
Freedom is not the ability to do anything you want – it is the ability to accept your limits, to say no to that which robs you of what you most deeply desire. Almost everyone agrees (Christians and non-Christians) freedom is the fulfillment that comes from doing what you most deeply desire. The Bible says that only happens when you are willing to be completely dependent on God. “I will obey You and Your Word and not all of my contradictory, conflicting impulses. I will do what You say, and I know, then, I’ll find myself because I was built to obey You.” The essence of Freedom is not dos and don’ts but personal allegiance to a relationship with Jesus.
“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.”
-Psalm 1:1-2 (NLT)-
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Relational Reformation // Spiritually Healthy Community | Andrea Plummer | 05.28.23
Spiritually Healthy Community
Healthy community was something that Jesus prayed for us, His future Church, to have and to be a part of. Just as He had with His Father and the Spirit. Because of this prayer, healthy community is available to us by way of the Holy Spirit, and we get to operate in it today, if we choose to. Spiritually healthy community takes work and is not easy. It calls us to be honest, broken, and vulnerable; giving space for the Spirit to work in and for us. However, in the same breath, we are called to be a safe space that responds in love to those who come to us and require us to be a safe space for them.
“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”
-1 John 4:7 (NLT)-
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Relational Reformation // A Practice To Repair Broken Relationships | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 05.21.23
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community
Relational Reformation // How Jesus Relates to You | Pastor Jordan Smucker | 05.14.23
Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.
Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community