Ethos Church

God’s Vision for the Church Some of the most highlighted, googled, and quoted Bible verses are found in the fourth chapter of Philippians. But these verses are not trite scriptures reserved for wall hangings and sentimental prayers. They are clues for how to thrive in our faith and furthermore, a picture of what Gods people, the Church, is to look like. Needless to say, Philippians chapter four is...

Joy No Matter What Life never seems to go the way we imagine it will in our heads. No matter the effort we put into preparing our day-to-day lives, unforeseen circumstances can leave us feeling frustrated and losing our joy. Many of us have believed the lie that Christians won’t have troubles. But Jesus tells us plainly in John 16:33, “...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have...

Love Without Alignment It is easier to only love people we agree with, but we must remember that joyful Christ-centered communities are diverse and therefor accepting of all people. Jesus lived His life with people that did not think, talk, act, or believe like Him yet was able to draw in the sinner, as well build up disciples. Agreeing is not the goal, rather loving and being united is. Through t...

Redefining Life In the book of Philippians, the author, Paul, reveals the secrets of the art of living a life of flourishing. The truths of his letter also have the power to speak directly into our current cultural moment, where many people are languishing somewhere in between depression and flourishing. Through this deep dive into the book of Philippians, we hope our community’s perspectives migh...

To know, be Known, & to Be Led by The Holy Spirit We ended last week by identifying that the Holy Spirit gives everyone at least one spiritual gift. It’s equally important to know that no gift is an indication of spiritual maturity. The fruit of the Spirit manifesting in love is the measure of spiritual maturity. William Barclay said, “The important issue is not how many gifts I have, but is m...

The Holy Spirit Working Through Us How did Jesus do everything that Jesus did? There are two dominant theories that exist to answer that question, and neither are entirely inaccurate but one of them is most clear. He did it 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; H...

Another, Like Jesus How can you be sure that you are going to receive all the things the Holy Spirit gives? The community he gives you, the illumination he gives you, the experience he gives you, but most of all, the ministry of the Holy Spirit as a friend inside your heart, working against the various enemies your heart has … accusation, temptation, all the things. Do you know how you can receive...

A Person to Know, not a Force to Capture We begin our knowing of the Holy Spirit by first understanding the teaching of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We need to understand that they are not three gods; rather they are one God, but who are all individually distinct. It is not like there is one person who sometimes has his Father hat on, sometimes his Son hat, and sometimes...

A generous heart does not look to give the bare minimum or simply what is needed but to go above and beyond. Often we settle for what is good instead of what is great. However, the life of Jesus calls us to consider not that which is good, or which is great, but to live for what is God. Jesus shows us how to live with the privilege of generosity. He was generous with His time, reputation, rights,...

Relationships aren’t always easy, but pursuing healthy ones is worth it. In fact, the way we relate with one another is intended to be a distinguishing characteristic of Jesus followers. In this two-week series, we are discussing the “7 Habits of a Highly Healthy Ethos Family” where we identify 7 relationally healthy habits that are practical yet profound. What would it look like if we fully leane...

Relationships aren’t always easy, but pursuing healthy ones is worth it. In fact, the way we relate with one another is intended to be a distinguishing characteristic of Jesus followers. In this two-week series, we are discussing the “7 Habits of a Highly Healthy Ethos Family” where we identify 7 relationally healthy habits that are practical yet profound. What would it look like if we fully leane...

As much as we want to be people who live un-offended the reality of life and humanity is we will all get offended. Offense comes in a variety of packages but hurts the most when it comes from someone we love and someone who loves us. Jesus says a divided house cannot stand. Offense is a tactic of the enemy but his real mission is to divide the relationships you hold so near to your heart. The call...

As much as we want to be people who live un-offended the reality of life and humanity is we will all get offended. Offense comes in a variety of packages but hurts the most when it comes from someone we love and someone who loves us. Jesus says a divided house cannot stand. Offense is a tactic of the enemy but his real mission is to divide the relationships you hold so near to your heart. The call...

The crushing, emotional blows of disappointment are exacerbated when you are disappointed by someone who you trust and expect to give you what you want. Especially when that someone is God. When it feels like God let you down, holding on to anger and resentment is easier than forgiving Him. But God hasn’t forgotten you. He understands your pain. He is not intimidated by your doubt or disappoint. G...

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. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

Our world is pushing us into the margins of ideology, political positions, and creating an anxiety that is too much. The apostle Paul gives us a vision that is beyond the noise of this world. A vision of good news, a vision of unity, and a vision to work out our humanness in a way that sees past people’s position to see a person’s humanity. “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any...

Over the past few weeks, we have been unpacking God’s vision for everything that has been entrusted to us so that we may become more like Jesus in generosity and stewardship. As we conclude our series, we need to remember three overarching truths that are near to the heart of God and at the core of why Ethos exists. People matter, God is bigger, and prayer is powerful. Stewardship is more than jus...

Many of us constantly battle with trying to live up to the expectations of others. Or trying to live up to your own unrealistic expectations which is emotionally painful. Many of us experience pain and keep it hidden or run from it altogether. But nothing is wasted on God. Even in seasons of pain, God is still near and wants to use it for a greater good. In this teaching, we will identify the prob...

Generosity without stewardship is irresponsible. Stewardship without generosity is selfish. God’s heart is that we grow to become a generous giver and a wise steward because what we do with our money is evidence of what’s most important to us. Many times, we give money in response to a felt need or in response to a tragedy—it’s emotional and the results are measurable. But in addition to that, wha...

Following Jesus will eventually lead you to recognizing the foundation of ownership. God owns everything in the world, but He appoints us as stewards to wisely manage it. Everything we have is God’s. We get to enjoy what He sends us, but we do not permanently own these things. When God prompts us to share, we are not to grieve our loss. His principle of stewardship enables us to be generous as we...

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. … God did this to demonstrate his rig...

As we continue our series on the Beatitudes, Jordan preached on Christ’s blessing over those who are persecuted. As we look back on church history and consider the global persecution of our brothers and sisters in other countries, we see countless examples of this. But in our modern, American context, we see a perhaps more subtle version of persecutions. Jesus confirms in this passage that we will...

This Sunday, Westin and Jensen taught us how to make peace in our relationships (Matthew 5:9). God’s idea of peace is not the absence of conflict, but the enjoyment of all things good. Because of this, we must recognize that tension is inevitable, and it is how we handle that tension that will determine the depth of our relationships. Some may keep peace, other force peace, but God desires us to m...

This Sunday, Pastor Jordan preached about how to cultivate a pure heart (Matthew 5:8). Purity of heart is the radical reorientation of our entire lives to focus solely on God’s will and His goodness. Purity means leveraging our desires for His kingdom’s purpose and allowing God’s will on earth to be the single driving force of every decision that we make. Purity is not restrictive and condemning b...

This week, Brian Johnson taught on the fifth of the nine Beatitudes: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7 NIV). Mercy is “a loving response prompted by the misery or helplessness of another; generous in doing deeds of deliverance to those in need.” We are quick to call out and even cancel those who offend us. We have become great judges of others’ sin (but great la...