Erie Evangelical Free Church (Erie, IL)

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg leads us into our next series in the Gospel of Matthew, "All Hail the King," with a message from Matthew 19:1-12. God has established His created order in our world. Unfortunately, whether by rebellion or by ignorance, we too often choose our own design over His. this week, Jesus reminds us of and challenges us with the beauty and power of God's design for our faith, our li...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg brings a special Easter Sunday message. In Acts 2 Peter and the disciples, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, present the first Christian sermon ever preached. In it they tell us not just about who Jesus is, but about the power and purpose of His resurrection. This truth changes every life on earth. So how will we respond to it?

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg completes our series on the fourth main section of Matthew's gospel. Over the past few months we have seen how Jesus revealed His messianic identity. In doing so, He kicked off the events that would lead to His betrayal, death, and resurrection. He also began preparing the disciples for their calling to build His church. But HOW should they go about that mission? This week...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg preaches the next message in our current series, "The Spark". The disciple of Jesus Christ is called to follow Him into kingdom work. But this is a difficult task in which we face many obstacles and challenges. Fortunately, God promises to give us everything we need to walk confidently in our divinely appointed purpose.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg takes us back into our study of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew has shown us in several passages that our spiritual need is not one of mere information. We need information, but it is only useful when it empowers our call to action. In this week's passage we see how the knowledge of who Jesus is should lead our hearts into a passionate pursuit of God's Kingdom.

Guest preacher Aaron Thede brings a special message to our church family. As we follow Jesus we will all endure various trials and suffering. It's an unavoidable condition of the human experience. Much of our response to such difficulty comes down to the foundation of our trust in these times. Will we trust in the flesh (our own nature, wisdom, strength)? Or will we trust in the eternal truths of...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues to lead us through our study in the Gospel of Matthew. Do we ever call 2nd place the "winner"? Of course not. It might be a very good result, but it's not the winner - at least not by the world's standards. In Matthew 16:21-28, we find an interaction between Jesus and Peter that shows how, in God's kingdom, we only win when we come in second.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg leads us through the next message in our study of the gospel of Matthew. It's great to know who we are and what we are supposed to do. What's difficult is maintaining the motivation and courage to act on what we know. But God calls us to action for a purpose and He gives us everything we need to keep going. In Matthew 16:13-20 he shows us the source of that power.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues to lead us through our study in the book of Matthew. While we (should) want to live faithfully in response to God's salvation, when we're honest, we all too often find ourselves wandering or drifting from the way of Jesus. What is it that pulls on our faithfulness and how can we get back on track? We find our answers in Matthew 16:1-12.

Pastor Ron Eckberg teaches a special message from Philippians 3. Among the Apostle Paul’s many great character strengths was the ability to understand the balances of life. He could be content in his circumstances but never content in his spiritual journey. He was always seeking to “press on toward the goal” (Philippians 3:14). Can we say the same? Here we examine Paul’s example of persistent comm...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg leads us through the next message in our series, "The Spark". We can easily lose ourselves in the day-to-day routine of life. We can work so hard to accomplish the next task, make the next appointment, or take the next step that we forget the reason we do what we do. In this week's passage Jesus reminds us of the purpose of His mission and the magnitude of the kingdom we ar...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues to teach through our series in the gospel of Matthew. Nobody likes to waste their time. We want the things we do to be valuable and worth our effort. After Jesus called his disciples to action (14:13-36), He showed them the dangers of going through the motions. In this lesson we see the deception of pointless activity and how we can move forward in our divinely ap...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues our study in the Gospel of Matthew. It is great to be able to take our time and really prepare for a new challenge. But sometimes we get thrust into a position of sink-or-swim. But how do we maintain our focus and discover the most we can when we are not sure what to do next? We find three good answers to this question in Matthew 14:13-36.

NOTE: We apologize for the audio quality of this week's podcast. We lost all power just before service so the message was only recorded on the video camera at the back of the room. We will have our normal audio up next week. In the meantime, we thank you for your patience.   Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues our series in the gospel of Matthew. After showing us the misperception of Jesus' authorit...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg launches our new series, "The Spark," as we jump back into our study through the Gospel of Matthew. We all like to be comfortable. But what happens when our comfort in what we think, like, or do becomes the ultimate standard by which we measure our lives? And how do we prepare to respond when Jesus calls us to move beyond our comfort?

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg finishes out our Christmas series. Over the past few weeks we've talked about how the birth of Jesus provides every generation of God's people with reason to celebrate. But the incarnation is bigger than just the believers. This week we discuss how Christmas matters to all mankind.

Pastor Ron Eckberg leads us through the second week of our Christmas series, "Christmas Parties." Last week we discussed how the coming of the Messiah is a celebration for the faith of the Old Testament. This week we move forward to see how the birth of Jesus was the perfect act to bring hope and celebration to the faith of the New Testament believers.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg launches us into our new series, "Christmas Parties". In a season where Christmas parties abound, it's easy to get lost in the moment and only see what is right in front of us. But, in order to rejoice more deeply in this Christmas season we have to go back to see what the birth of Jesus meant to God's people in the OT to truly appreciate what it means to us today.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg concludes our series on gratitude. Over the past two weeks we've been reminded of the gratitude that should pour out of us when we consider the salvation of Jesus Christ and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. But as we think on these things we also remember that, in Christ, we are adopted into the family of God. This adoption changes our lives and gives us yet another point of...

Pastor Ron Eckberg teaches the second week in our 3-week series on gratitude. Last week we built a foundation for gratitude. It develops when we never forget the beauty of our salvation. This week we'll see how the grateful heart that rejoices in the salvation of Jesus continues to live in celebration and with great joy because of God's restoration that is granted to the one who trusts in Him.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg kicks off our new sermon series that leads us through the Thanksgiving season. We live in one of the most prosperous times and cultures in human history. And yet, depression, anxiety, and discontent seem to be the norm rather than the exception. So how do we grasp the fullest joy possible? We gratefully consider the true riches of the person and work of Jesus. 

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg concludes our study through Matthew 11-13 with a final message titled, "Picking Sides." Over the past several weeks, we have heard Jesus establishing a choice of how every person will respond to Him. As we close out this section of the gospel of Matthew we find Jesus addressing His disciples and showing them the value of choosing wisely.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg teaches the next passage in our study through the Gospel of Matthew. When we look at the world around us, it can be difficult to see beyond the darkness and confusion. But it often takes only a slight shift in perspective to see this life flipped on it's head, bringing us back into alignment with God's good and perfect authority. Jesus shows us the upside down blessings of...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg leads us into Matthew 13 in the middle of our series, "Polar Exploration". In Matthew 11-12, Jesus has shown us varying responses to His identity as our Savior. By doing so, we are reminded that we all must respond to the call of the gospel. Why is our response so important? Jesus tells us in Matthew 13:1-23.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg dives back into our study of the book of Matthew. Doubt is a common experience in the Christian faith. But in our moments of doubt, how do we remain steadfast in our adoption into God's family? Matthew 12:38-50 shows us three ways to build a foundation of trust in Jesus' power, authority, and grace.