The ECC Podcast
By Emmanuel Christian Community
At ECC, our vision is to be a caring community that welcomes people from all walks of life to follow Jesus and we hope this podcast serves you well in that pursuit.
The ECC Podcast Mar 28, 2022
Grow Up!
Has anyone ever told you to "grow up?" Ouch! It feels kind of insulting doesn't it? Those who followed Jesus in the 1st century were told by both Jesus and Paul (the guy who wrote half of the New Testament) to be mature, to grow up, to be shaped liked Jesus. But it wasn't meant to be a smart alec comment.
In this closing message of the Shaped by Jesus Series series, pastor Ken shows us from the Bible what both Jesus and Paul had in mind for the followers then and for us today.
Salt and Light
Jesus invites all who follow him to be people that are "salty". To add flavor to life. To preserve life. He invites us to be like a light that shines and impacts everyone around that light. To be like a city on the top of a hill, where everyone can see it (kind of like Burnaby). But maybe we’ve never considered that by giving away our faith could also be part of our own spiritual formation?
In this message pastor Ken will share scripture and stories that illustrate what it can look like to give away our faith and also how God uses this to grow our faith and shape us to be more like Him.
Christian Service
How does Christian service help shape us to be more like Christ? Through Matthew's Parable of the Sheep and Goats we will learn what it means that service done to "the least of these" is service rendered to Jesus. Just as Jesus gave His life as a ransom for others so the church is called to be shaped by Jesus in giving ourselves for the sake of others. By engaging in service, the church reaffirms that wholeness is found when mercy and justice overflow.
Fear
Carl Gaede, director of our partners at Tutapona, is our guest and challenges us to understand more about our fears and how not to be overcome by them.
Shaped by Jesus Series Info
Sabbath: Stop, Rest, Delight & Worship
Do you want to be a happier person and live longer? Maybe 11 years longer, to be exact?
There is so much busy-ness in our lives: the hurry, the endless emails, unfinished projects, relationships that need attention, and of course the financial stress we have. Our minds, souls and bodies need a rhythm of rest. We need a Sabbath. In fact, not only do we need it, but God has said it’s a holy, consecrated act to stop, rest, find delight in Him and to worship. When we Sabbath we draw closer to God. We allow ourselves to be “Shaped by Jesus.” But first…we must try. Are you willing to try?
Ken continues our Shaped by Jesus Series speaking from Gen 2:1-3 & Ex 20:8-11.
Shaped by Jesus in Community
Who are you, and what does it mean to listen well?
During this hands-on, interactive time together, Andrea Fruhling leads us through using LEGO to build metaphors, to explore who we are and discover the importance of empathy and awareness as we create space for Jesus to work through us in community. After his resurrection, from meetings with Mary at the tomb to his followers later, Jesus showed us how to listen and respond to each other with empathy. Together, we will learn how genuine support combined with self-reflection can deepen relationships and our faith journey as a community.
Focus passage: John 20: 11-16, John 20: 19-21
Expectations
Luke 24:1-12
Have you ever gone into a situation with an expectation of how things or someone should be…just to discover it’s nothing like what you expected? That's kind of what Easter Sunday was like for the earliest followers of Jesus. Usually the dead remain dead, so the resurrection was not expected. But why? Why didn't they expect him to rise from the dead? After all, he had previously told them he would. And today, we too have expectations of Jesus that aren't always on target. In this "Resurrection Sunday" message, Ken challenges us to check our expectations.
Fasting Changes Our World
By fasting, God gets our attention, then changes our world. Amidst all sorts of daily distractions that keep us from connecting deeply with God, slowing down, abstaining from food or other things we love, can position us to hear Gods voice and direct us on the right path. Matthew Heyn continues our Shaped by Jesus series and shares what he has learned about his own experiences with fasting and what the Bible can teach, speaking from Isaiah 58:6-7.
Solitude in a World of Distraction
We live in a world of constant distraction — everyone wants our attention. How then do we listen to and be with God in such a world? What can we learn from Jesus' life and teachings for a time such as this? Ryan Lui continues our Shaped by Jesus series and we explore Jesus' life and teaching in Mark 1:35-37 and what they might have to say about life in this cultural moment.
Your Word
A role of scripture is to transform our way of living. Luke Simpkins continues our series SHAPED BY JESUS and we explore how God's guidance and presence is revealed through His Holy Word.
In the Hands of a Master Craftsman pt2
As children of God, spiritual formation is our destiny. Though it is the Holy Spirit who forms us in the image of Christ, we are not just passive lumps of clay; we have an active role to play as we respond to his work. Gray leads us in exploring how we can cooperate with the Spirit as he works in our lives (Gal. 5:25; Phil. 2:12-13).
In the Hands of a Master Craftsman
Gray continues our series "Shaped by Jesus." Understanding and welcoming the Holy Spirit’s role in spiritual formation is foundational to our relationship with God. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we become a child of God and our destiny is “to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). This is only possible because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and lives. We cannot transform ourselves but the Holy Spirit can.
Am I Flying Upside Down?
Ken kicks off our new series: “Shaped By Jesus" speaking from John 3:16 & John 10:10-11. Some of us have been going to church a long time and yet our lives don’t look much different today than they did 10 years ago. Is being a Jesus follower about following the rules, being a good person, going to church and not being an axe murderer? Or is there something more? Something that brings about real change in our life? Ken shares some personal stories and we also see what Jesus has to say about “..Flying Upside Down.”
Judi & David Owens
Today Judi & David Owens zoom in from Africa to share how God's heart for people is evident in their ministry work at Arusha Vineyard church in Tanzania.
The Heart of the Father for University Students
Andreas shares about his work with the Navigators through the lens of Luke 15, focusing on how students across Canada are discovering the Heart of the Father.
Journey Home Community
Brad Kinney, director of Journey Home Community, shares with us this morning. He picks up with our Luke 15 theme and shares stories of how Journey Home is looking for the lost sheep, coins and prodigals. Listen in for the chance to hear directly from someone JHC has been helping and learn more about their ministry overall.
The Heart of Father God
Ken kicks off our traditional “Missions Month” by showing us the joy in God’s heart when someone comes to know him. He looks at Luke 15 and we see Jesus trying to communicate to the religious leaders of his day what matters most to God. They aren’t sure why Jesus is hanging out with the riff-raff of their day; surely he knows what kind of people they are. Yet Jesus sees it differently. So, he tells them stories to help them see what matters most to God. Maybe the question for us is how do we experience the heart of Father God? And do the things that matter to God, matter to us as well?
Don’t Miss the Joy
Is the joy of the Lord evident in our lives this Advent season? It’s easy to see joy as the sense of excitement one gets when they receive something they do not have. Then it becomes about getting things. As we look back at the first Christmas, we see in Mary a simple but profound joy. She had every reason to complain, yet she found joy. Ken will show us from John 15 that when we connect with Jesus, we connect with true joy.
Darkness & Light
In this second Sunday of Advent, we look at the themes of Darkness and Light. What hope does Christmas offer for the darkness of our world and in our own lives? Dwight Dee reflects on John 1:1-14 and how the light of Christ can overcome.
Everything is Not As It Seems
Elaine Dee wraps up our sermon series on The Kingdom of Heaven. In the last of the parables Jesus taught about the kingdom of heaven we return to the same theme this section began with--that judgment will come at the end of the age. Sometimes it's hard to trust in that promise especially when chaos surrounds us on all sides. Jesus reminds us once again, however, that judgment will come but not according to our determination but all in God's own time. In the meantime, the kingdom of heaven will remain a mixed reality--with good fish and bad fish. And, we are called to remain faithful and hopeful until the end of the age.
Treasures Old & New
Ken Pierce continues our sermon series on The Kingdom of Heaven speaking from Matt 13:51&52. Jesus offers a bit of a twist in the passage. Instead of telling us what the kingdom of heaven is like, he shows us something about the kingdom of heaven that just may surprise us. He not only wants us to understand the kingdom of heaven but he wants us to embrace it and then give it away to others. And, he wants us to be wise in how we handle this treasure.
Hidden Treasure
Andreas continues our series on The Kingdom of Heaven taking a look at Matthew 13:44, where Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to that of hidden treasure. What does Jesus mean by that comparison? How is the kingdom of heaven treasure? Do we experience joy when finding that treasure?
From Small to All
Ryan Lui continues our sermon series The Kingdom of Heaven by looking at Matthew 13:31-33. What does Jesus mean by saying the Kingdom is like a mustard seed and like yeast in flour? And how do these parables give meaning, direction and hope to our lives?
An Issue of Trust
Matthew 13: 24-30; 37-43
Ken introduces our new sermon series, speaking from Matthew 13: 24-30 & 37-43. We trace back to the roots of the term: The Kingdom of Heaven, then take a look at Matthew 13:24-30. How is it that weeds have grown among the wheat? Did the farmer plant weeds accidentally? Should we try to sort the weeds from the wheat? What do we make of this interesting parable about what the kingdom of heaven is like?
Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God
Gray Poehnell continues our Wisdom Series speaking from 1 Corinthians 1:20-25. No study of wisdom would be complete without looking at Christ who is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God. Christ not only reveals God’s wisdom for living life to the full; He also gives us the power or the ability to actually live it out. Paul encourages us to keep Christ at the centre of our faith and not substitute anything else; for only then can we truly experience the life He has for us.
The Fear of the Lord
Elaine Dee continues our Wisdom Series speaking from Proverbs 1:7 & 9:10. The book of Proverbs teaches the way of Wisdom and it states that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We will explore how the fear of the Lord re-orients and guides us in the way of wisdom.
Wisdom is Proved Right By Her Deeds
Who is your best friend? This morning we are going to consider how the Spirit of wisdom and understanding leads us into friendship with Christ and with others. And I am not just talking about friendship with nice, holy, respectable people but with those to whom God leads us into friendship that might not fit the definition of “saint”. We are told that Jesus was the friend of sinners. What does that mean for us? How many non-Christian friends do we have? Are we persistent in asking, seeking and knocking to receive and listen to the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding so that we might truly understand what it means to be a friend of God and of our neighbour and to act accordingly? Let’s talk.
Alastair Rees-Thomas continue our Wisdom series.
Discerning God’s Quiet Wisdom in a Loud World of Competing Voices
Decisions, decisions. We are faced with many decisions in life, small and large. We need much wisdom in our complex world in which loud, persistent voices clamour for our allegiance, our money, our values. How do we find our way? Dan Russell continues our series looking at what Proverbs says about wisdom for life decisions. ALL SERIES INFO
Little Wisdoms
Proverbs 30:24–28
There was a wise man many years ago named Agur. He found profound wisdom in some of life’s simple creatures. What can we learn from ant? Or maybe a grasshopper? Usually when we look for a model in life we look upwards. Those women and men of God who have blazed a path to glory – the heroes of the faith and influencers of history. Agur, on the other hand, looks down. And what he finds just may surprise us all. SERIES INFO
Summer Summary
Ken takes us on a quick look back over the summer series in Acts, highlighting the key points from each week. Some of our ECC family will share some nuggets they learned over the summer as well. Finally, we will close the book of Acts with a look at Paul's challenge in Acts 28, asking if we can have our eyes, ears and hearts attuned to God.
Life Worth Dying For - Just Give Me Jesus
Aug 20: Alastair Rees-Thomas continues our Summer Journey taking a look at Acts 20, when Paul leaves Ephesus and journeys to Jerusalem. Along the way he is constantly confronted with foes wanting to kill him or at the very least do him serious harm. On this journey, as on other trips, Paul was always encouraging the believers in their faith. And he warned them that after he was gone they needed to be on the alert of those who opposed the gospel and distorted it for their own ends and gain. So how do we react when our plans are upset? Do we trust God who has promised to go before us, come behind us and lay his hand of blessing on us? And if this journey of faith is a life worth dying for then let's live it to the full!
The Radical Gospel
Aug 13: Dwight Dee continues our Summer Journey looking at Acts 19. This week we will visit the city of Ephesus, where Paul stayed for almost 3 years. What impact did Paul have as a result of his extended stay in the city? Dwight will share how Paul's radical message brought about radical transformation.
Be Intentional
Aug 6: Ken Pierce continues our Summer Journey. In Acts 18 a couple arrives on the scene: Priscilla and Aquila. What we see in them is a model of intentional hospitality that ultimately shaped the future church. We learn from them that the hard work of being behind the scenes, just might shape the future of God’s kingdom.
The Unknown Made Known
Jul 30: Karen Russell continues our Summer Journey speaking from Acts 17: 16 -34. Paul finds himself in the city of Athens. From the synagogue to the marketplace to the Areopagus, Paul reasons with the Jews, Greeks and philosophers about Jesus and His resurrection. In his speech to the council of the city and other influential people, Paul speaks about the Unknown god being made Known to all. One of the followers is a woman named Damaris. Who is she? Find out and hear what she has to say about Paul’s visit to Athens.
Berea: Discerners of Truth
July 23: Gray Poehnell continues our Summer Journey. The Berean Jews are a much-needed role model for our world today. Some have described our era as a “post-truth” era with the increasing flood of fake news, misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories. How can we as God’s people respond? How do we learn to see God’s truth in our world today? While the Jews in most of the cities Paul visited reacted to the Gospel, the Bereans took the time and effort to search the Scriptures to see if what Paul preached was true. The Bereans show us how it is possible to buck the trend and see God’s work flourish as a result.
Summer Journey Pt 2: Jesus is for Everyone
Ken continues our Summer Journey series. We revisit Acts 10 and take a closer look at how God needed to change Peter. How was the early church going to take the good news message to everyone, if the Jewish believers didn't even want to talk or associate with non-Jewish people? So, God changes Peter and the challenge for us is similar. Do we believe that Jesus is for everyone? Are we excluding anyone?
Summer Journey Pt1: Vision Led
Peter had visions. The lame kid by the side of the road did too. So too, do we. Sometimes life makes it so that all we see are the waves, and somewhere along the way, we get stuck. That's where the community comes in. Wherever you're at, we hope you can hear God's first and foremost vision for you as his Beloved.
Summer Journey Intro
This summer we will travel along with Paul and his friends. Your "travel guides" each Sunday will make it fun! If you're a geography lover, you will love this series and if you enjoy an exciting story with incredible outcomes, this will be right up your alley. And if you love to look at scripture and learn from those who have gone before us, you won't be disappointed. MORE INFO HERE
Dan Russell is our first travel guide as we begin our amazing journey in the book of Acts.
Sermon on the Amount
Ken wraps up our series on Money speaking from Matthew 6:19-24. In Matthew 6 we see Jesus calling us to stewardship. Calling us to deliberately make deposits of our time and energy and what we own, into God's kingdom. It is fundamentally an issue of faithfulness. Are we really willing to give all that we are and all that we have for the kingdom of God?
A Heart of Generosity
Elaine continues our series on Money speaking from 1 Chronicles about generosity as a way of being and living as opposed to just what we do. Being generous people -- generous with money, with time, and with love.
Bigger and Better?
Andreas continues our series on Money by taking a look at what Jesus has to say about greed. We'll dive into Luke 12:13-21 and explore how all of us can fall into the subtle trap of focusing on what's bigger and better.
Seeing As God Sees
Ken Pierce kicks off our Money series A deep dive into Luke 16 shows us that Jesus is saying He wants us to use our money in such a way so that when we die and step into eternity, there will be people there who will welcome us because of what we did with what we had. According to Jesus…God sees our money, our possessions...as a tool. And the question isn’t WHAT will we have to show for it. The question is WHO will we have to show for it?
Real Life
Why are there so many rules around church and following Jesus? It seems like God really wants to restrict my life and take away all the fun. Did you know there are over 1400 laws and commands in the Bible? So, it’s no wonder it seems like following Jesus is about following a ton of rules. Can that actually bring us any kind of freedom or fun in life? Ken Pierce speaks on what it means to live Real Life.
Good Grief
We don’t feel we should be sad. We are Christians! We are full of the Spirit! We called to consider it all joy when we experience trials! We are overcomers! Therefore, we feel we shouldn’t be sad.
However, that’s not what the Bible teaches. We learn from the stories and the verses of Scripture that sadness and brokenness is part of our fallen world, and as a result, we have good reason to grieve. Grief is a sign of deep, deep care and compassion. And we have to guard our hearts and minds against apathy that will lead us away from godly grief. The best news of all is that our tender, heavenly Father is with us as we grieve.
Dan concludes our Hope for the Hypocrite series and study of Matthew 23.
Hypocrites Anonymous
Ken continues our Hope for the Hypocrite series in Matthew 23:13-34a. We all know that none of us ever act or speak 100% consistently with what’s actually in our hearts. There’s a bit of hypocrisy in everyone, everywhere. But Jesus wants those who follow Him to take this seriously. The kingdom of God “on Earth as it is in Heaven” is at stake. And Jesus holds back no punches in this passage. Has he given up on us? Is he done with us? Is there any hope for us?
Who Will be Exalted?
Elaine begins our 3 part series Hope for the Hypocrite in Matthew 23:1-12, where Jesus speaks some of the harshest words of condemnation for the scribes and the Pharisees. His main charge against them is that they are hypocrites who do not practice what they preach and are instead preoccupied with outward appearances and craving the adoration of the people. Jesus' disciples, in contrast, are called to choose to humble themselves and in so doing be exalted by the One who calls those who follow him, to love and service. In what ways are we also hypocrites? How can we be more of the disciples Jesus seeks?
Change is Constant
God has built change into His creation. Look around, change is everywhere. Easter celebrates the power of God to change the dead into the living. Everyday declares the power of God to bring life from death. When Jesus performed his first miracle at the wedding in Cana he accelerated the process that occurs every year in vineyards around the world. It is no less a miracle that grape-vines take water, soil and sun and turn them into grapes (C.S. Lewis).
lastair speaks on change: how the mission of Jesus was to impart life in all its fullness and His mission is fulfilled in each of us first through the new birth and then by constantly leading us into change, a process scripture calls sanctification. In the end everything will be changed so we might as well start now!
2 Timothy Conclusion
We began our series in 2 Timothy asking the question: What would you say in a letter, if you knew it would be the last thing you ever wrote? In our concluding message, we come back to that same question. As we review the entire book and pull out some gold nuggets, we also will hear from some of you. What are the things you are learning…have learned…hope to apply?
NOT Alone
We can learn much from Paul about how to face the silent pandemic of loneliness in our modern world which has only worsened during the pandemic. Much has been written over the last 6-7 years about economic and health impacts of loneliness, not only in the world generally but also in the church. Over the last weeks, we have been looking at 2 Timothy in which Paul not only gives guidance to Timothy but also shares his own life experience as he sits in prison awaiting his execution. Gray speaks from 2 Timothy 4:9-18, where Paul shares his personal struggles with feeling loneliness, and we can see how he moves from feelings of abandonment to praising God that he is not alone.
What Do We Love?
*We apologize - this message begins several minutes after the sermon has already started.
In a world in which many things clamour for our attention, an interesting question to ask is What Do We Love? There are many things that can distract us from Loving God well, and take on too much importance in our lives. Do we love our comforts of the Western World too much? Do we even love ourselves too much? Dan Russell continues our series on 2 Timothy as we consider Paul’s warnings in 2 Tim 3 about putting our priorities and love where they truly belong.