CEFC

Friendships can become God’s force to shape and sharpen our spiritual lives.   This message unpacks Proverbs 27:17 and Galatians 6:1-2, revealing how to approach others with gentle correction when they're caught in one of life's traps. Learn the delicate balance between necessary friction and damaging force in relationships, and see how Jesus modeled this perfectly with His disciples.  Join us as...

Friendship That Sacrifices (1 Samuel 18:1-4; Philippians 2:5-8) | CEFC 2-2-25 In a world of quick likes, endless scrolling, and shallow connections, true friendship is becoming increasingly rare. But real friendship—the kind that changes lives—is costly. It requires sacrifice, vulnerability, and deep commitment. 📖 In 1 Samuel 18, Jonathan gives up his royal robe and armor for David—a powerful act...

Are you the type of friend who encourages and strengthens others even when it puts you in a potentially difficult situation? In 1 Samuel 23:15-18, Jonathan, son of King Saul, secretly meets with David, Saul's successor, to encourage him spiritually and affirm his future kingship. Although David was being relentlessly threatened by King Saul, Jonathan put himself at risk as he sought to remind Davi...

Are you struggling with Friendship? Are you lonely and desiring a friend? Are the friendships you already have difficult and sometimes painful or unfulfilling? As we begin our new series “Friendship by Divine Design,” we are going to explore how Christ has modeled friendship for us and through a foundational friendship with Him, we’ll be able to share his love with others. Jesus is more than just...

How will you finish your life? Will it be full of meaning, purpose, and faith—or will it slip away like sand in an hourglass? Starting well is important, but finishing well is critical. How can we finish well? How can we finish faithfully? Acts 28 describes final years of the apostle Paul’s ministry when his life is being “poured out like a drink offering”. It is striking and encouraging to see Pa...

Life often feels like a series of storms, but what happens when the storm is followed by the strike of a snake? In Acts 28, Paul survives a shipwreck only to face a venomous viper on the island of Malta. His response shows us how to trust God when it seems like the struggles and hardships in life keep coming. Through this message, discover five powerful lessons: 1. Trust in Christ's ability to sav...

Christmas celebrations don’t always live up to our expectations and the season seems to come and go so quickly. But here’s the good news, if we look behind all our yearly festivities to the reason we celebrate Christmas we find a message that never disappoints and a person that always exceeds the expectations of those who believe in him. John tells us why in the prologue to his Gospel about Jesus...

Christmas may be that time of year when peace is the hardest gift to find. And yet, peace is the gift each of us want and need. Why is peace so elusive? Where can we find peace? Jesus is the Prince of Peace (as foretold in Isaiah 9:6) who offers us the gift of peace in himself. This Christmas we are finding peace in Jesus. Join us at cefc.church. #Christmas #Peace #FindingPeace #Jesus #GiftofPeace...

When the storms of life come blowing in to our lives, we may feel that God has either abandoned us or is torturing us. But what if God is using the storm to bring us to a place of where we willing choose to throw out of our lives those things that have been weighing us down spiritually? What if the storm is God’s prompting to cast out of our lives the loves and anxieties that have been keeping us...

Have you counted the cost of following Jesus? Is Jesus worth it? In Acts 26, Paul shares his testimony with King Herod Agrippa and challenges him to believe in the risen Christ. Agrippa listen’s to Paul’s testimony and calculates the cost of following Jesus and chooses. Two questions that we will encounter in this sermon are (1) What is the cost of following Jesus? (2) Do we gain more than we lose...

What do I do when I don’t know what to do? In Acts 25, the Apostle Paul endures over two years in prison, facing uncertainty about his future. What should he do? This sermon explores two critical questions every Christian should ask when navigating life’s difficult and imprisoning moments: 1. What do you want me to know? 2. What do you want me to do? Scripture: Acts 25 Find more at  https://www.ce...

Thanking God is more than just a good thing to do, it’s also good for us. It helps us grow a healthy faith relationship with God that enables us to overcome struggles in all areas of life: anxiety, idolatry, depression, suffering, and lethargy, to name just a few. Thankfulness is like a vitamin to the Christian life. God uses it to support the development of a faith and character that overcomes th...

Felix was a clever man who moved up the social ladder from slave to freeman to governor of Judea. When the apostle Paul was brought before him, Felix’s mind and heart was engaged by Paul’s message of faith in Jesus, righteousness, self-control, and judgment. But Felix delayed any decision on Christ and faith until he ran out of time to make a decision.  Have you been putting off making a decision...

The resurrection is the cornerstone of Christianity, provoking responses that range from worship to anger. If the resurrection is true then the person and claims of Christ are true, while rejecting the resurrection means denying Christ’s divinity entirely. More than just a point of division, the resurrection empowers believers, offering profound courage and hope.  The importance of the resurrectio...

When was the last time you shared your story of meeting Jesus? If you were to tell your story now, who would you tell—friend, family, or even an enemy? And what would you say? In this message, "Paul’s Powerful Testimony", we’ll walk through Acts 22 and see how Paul courageously shared his conversion story before a hostile audience. How did Paul tell his story? 1. He built a bridge. 2. He described...

When You Are Treated Unfairly Acts 21:17-40   Ever been falsely accused or misunderstood? The Apostle Paul faced exactly that in Jerusalem. Despite his good intentions and careful planning, he encountered intense opposition and unfair treatment. This powerful study of Acts 21:17-40 reveals timeless wisdom for responding to injustice with both grace and wisdom. Learn how to: Navigate unfair situati...

When is it right to ignore a warning? If you saw a sign that warned of shark-infested waters, would you dive in anyway? People who loved God and loved Paul warned him not to go to Jerusalem. In fact, they warned Paul that if he went to Jerusalem he would be bound and imprisoned. Paul went anyway. How did Paul know to go even though good people warned him not to go? Do you know how to hear from God...

Saying farewell is never easy, but Paul masterfully says goodbye to his friends, the Ephesian elders after 3 years of faithful ministry among them. Paul reminds the elders how he lived and led beside them for three years, and as he departs for Jerusalem, he calls them to lead as he did. The charge that Paul leaves them with is to serve the Lord, share the gospel of grace, pay attention to their li...

Imagine a church service in a home late on a Sunday night. People have shared a good meal together, the room is warm and stuffy, and the apostle Paul is preaching late into the night. As Paul speaks on and on, a young man named Eutychus falls asleep in a window and plummets three stories to his death. But Paul went down and took the man in his arms and his life came back to him. This extraordinary...

In this sermon titled "Battle of the Gods," we dive into the chaos that erupted in Acts 19:23-20:6 and examine it from two distinct angles: Why did the people riot, and why did God allow it? As the silversmiths of Ephesus felt their wealth and identity slipping away, their gods were threatened and they began to riot. What gods/idols do people fear losing today? On the flip side, why would God allo...

Where do you turn for power? Some people turn to books and podcasts that teach some helpful practices to improve life. But when those helpful tips and practices encounter the power of evil spirits, the results are disastrous. Thankfully, Christ is the person and the power that overcomes all other powers. But, as Acts 19:8-22 reveals, Christ cannot be picked up and put down like a self-help book. C...

The apostle Paul asked a question that immediately diagnosed the spiritual condition of 12 men. This question is of vital importance to each of us today. The question is this: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Paul assumed that his listeners could answer that question accurately and confidently. Can you answer that question confidently? Do you know if you have received the Holy...

Are you gifted and growing? If you want a compelling picture of what it looks like to be gifted and growing spiritually, look at the life of Apollos in Acts 18:24-28. From Apollos we learn that you don’t need to know everything to do something. Instead, we can grow as we go! God will send people to instruct us and encourage us along the way. We must simply be ready to use the gifts God has given u...

The apostle Paul gives us an inspiring picture of what it looks like to talk about Jesus everywhere we go. Paul spoke about Jesus at work, at the synagogue, in homes and wherever he had the opportunity. He reasoned and persuaded and taught. Some rejected and reviled Paul, but many believed and were baptized. Paul was afraid that people would attack him and harm him, but God reassured Paul saying,...

Who wants to live forever? The Bible tells us that we were designed to live and dwell with God forever. The Tree of Life was a gift of God given to God’s people so they might enjoy an everlasting relationship with him in perfect harmony. But what happened to the Tree of Life that was placed in the Garden of Eden? Why don’t we have access to it now? Will we regain access to it? Reading Genesis 2-3...