Ebenezer Family Church

America celebrates 250 years of the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. From where did they get those ideas? Mostly, from the Bible! If we want to live in true liberty, we must live a life in obedience to God and love for Him.

We continue our look into Philemon. Again, this is the Gospel message in action. I think the key take-away message from this epistle is confidence in Christ, in His salvation, and in His Church.

Paul is not writing to a local church, nor does he speak directly about topics such as justification or resurrection. However, in his shortest epistle, written to a friend, the true Gospel is woven into every sentence in his plea for Onesimus. Let's see what we can learn!

God's manifold wisdom is demonstrated through the Church - even the angels see God's glory in His Church! Let's be encouraged in belonging to this great institution for God's glory.

This Father's Day, Elder Pragasen teaches us about the power of observation. As fathers, we sometimes underestimate the observation capacity of our children. Are we setting a righteous example?

The Israelites had great pillars of cloud and fire guiding them through the wilderness. And yet, they are still called a stiff-necked and rebellious people. We don't have those kinds of tangible manifestations of God's presence. But the point remains: it's not about what we see on the outside; it's about our heart posture. If you want to be led by God, your heart needs to change!

Inbetween the narrative, John gives us a brief commentary. This is Isaiah's prophecy being fulfilled - some people will believe and some will not. For those who do believe, God will not let them go. No matter how often we might try and sabotage our faith, He will keep us until the last day!

Pastor Paul shares some encouragement for those going through really difficult things at the moment.

There is only one truly good "nationality": the body of Christ. How do we live as citizens of Heaven? Paul tells us: good examples, good witness, and good community. Beyond these things, we might be walking as enemies of the Cross!

This is a strange passage at face value. But in the context of resurrection in this chapter, Paul is actually making a profound statement. Why are we baptised into this message of those gone before if they are nothing but dead?

The people are asking the wrong questions. The Son of Man is among them; the Light is there. Will they walk in the Light as sons, or will they feel betrayed by Him for not fitting their idea of the Messiah?

Today, we continue our study of God's wisdom. We shall find that is purposeful, particular, and pneumatic. Already, we have a contrast with our own wisdom! Let's dive in again.

Jesus knew what lay ahead for Him. He knew what kind of death He would die. And yet, despite the flesh's desire to self-preserve, He remained obedient to the Father. If we knew the bad things were in store for us, would we do the same?

It's a bit of a weird thing to talk about the foolishness of God. But, as Paul tells the Corinthians, His "foolishness" is wiser than human wisdom. So, let us have a look at how the wisdom of God, or perhaps what the world would call "foolishness", is such a great, permanent, and powerful thing in our lives!

For the first time, Jesus says the hour has arrived that the Son of Man must be glorified. This coincides with some Greeks who are seeking Him and comes after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Indeed, Jesus must die and be buried in order that we would know resurrection too!

Hebrews 11 gives us some really interesting twists on the narrative account in Exodus 2. We see the faith of one mother, the impulsive compassion of another, and divine plan and purpose in action. Let's spend some time musing over the mums of Moses as we reflect on motherhood!

We don't live new lives in Christ because it "feels" good. We live new lives in Christ because we have been delivered from our slavery to sin!

Consider this: God has taken what the world has called foolish in order to shame the world. We cannot boast in our achievements, but we can celebrate that He has achieved our salvation!

King Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. He brings salvation and righteousness, yet is humble. Not quite the king the people were expecting. But, as the Pharisees say, the world has gone after Him - even us Gentiles. One day we will celebrate our King in true glory!

It's always a good idea to remind ourselves of those core convictions and doctrinal positions that characterize our church. Join us as we go through our statement of belief as well as a look into what we actually get up to here at Ebenezer!

With the next portion of John's Gospel leading up to the Crucifixion, we see intense emotions on display and the intense polarization of believers and unbelievers: those who have faith and those who do not. This is captured quite profoundly in these two characters who respond in very different ways.

The Corinthian Church was full of problems. Most churches today have many problems, for we are congregations of justified sinners! However, when it comes to unity in the body of Christ, we must understand that it is not optional, it takes work, but it must happen if our goal is Christ.

What blessed assurance that Jesus will never let me go; He will raise me up on the last day!

Many people love the romantic, adventurous picture of the pirate life. The truth is we are all chasing some kind of farsical freedom outside of Christ; treasure and loot that doesn't actually exist. Why be consumed by lust and greed for gold when we have something much more precious: faith in our Saviour!

Do we know that Jesus stays the same? Even if the fuel price goes up and the wars rage? Knowing that He doesn't change is our peace and joy when everything else seems chaotic!