Erie Evangelical Free Church (Erie, IL)

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg launches us back into our study of the book of Matthew. Information is important, but it doesn't do us much good unless we figure out what to do with it. In the second half of the sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us what it looks like to live as citizens of the Kingdom he described in Matthew 5. In Matthew 6 he tells us that it all comes back to the state of our hearts.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg preaches on Easter morning. The faithful disciple of Jesus Christ knows that Easter is an important day for our faith. It is the reminder and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Why is Jesus' sinless life and sacrificial death not enough? Why is it so crucial for us that Jesus rose from the dead? In this Easter message, we discuss the beauty and promise of the resurre...

Pastor Ron Eckberg brings a special Palm Sunday message to EEFC. We celebrate as Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem and was met by a multitude of adoring fans. A few days later he faced the cross—mostly alone, abandoned, and denied. Will we be those adoring, fickle fans that run when the story doesn’t go our way or will we be faithful followers that follow in Jesus’ steps no matter where the...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues our study of Matthew as we look at the next section of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by reminding his disciples of their calling to and blessing in His alternate kingdom. But how, then, does this change His disciples lives? In the next section of His teaching, Jesus raises the bar on the expectations of what it looks like to live in...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg preaches the second week of series, "The King and His Kingdom." Last week, Matthew introduced the call to the Kingdom of Heaven through Jesus' ministry. But what does it look like for us to live in and for such a kingdom? We see Jesus begin to clearly define the life of a Kingdom disciple in the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg kicks off our brand new series, "The King and His Kingdom". Last week, Matthew introduced the call to the Kingdom of Heaven through Jesus' ministry. But what does it look like for us to live in and for such a kingdom? We see Jesus begin to clearly define the life of a Kingdom disciple in the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

Lay preacher Aaron Thede brings us a special message on the challenges and value of worship. The Christian life is very simple, but it's not easy. The challenges of walking faithfully with Jesus through our day-to-day lives requires that we live in constant recognition of our opposition so that we might overcome them by the power of God's Word, Christ's sacrifice, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Ron Eckberg concludes our current series in the opening chapters of the Gospel of Matthew. Have you ever been tempted? Of course you have. Have you ever given in to temptation? A double “of course you have”. Fighting the battle with the myriad of temptations that come our way is the most common of our human experiences. Even Jesus was tempted. Really. Join us Sunday as we examine the story...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg leads us through the next passage in our study of the Gospel of Matthew. After John the Baptist has called God's people to repent, Jesus immediately shows up to begin His ministry. The interaction between John and Jesus is one of common practice conducted with unique purpose. As we read the scene we see the unique joy and meaning of the work of our lives when we surrender t...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues our series in the opening chapters of Matthew. Before Matthew begins the story of Jesus' life and ministry, we meet John the Baptist. John is a man on a mission. He is announcing the serious need to prepare for the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah. And what do we learn from this bold proclamation from an unusual man? Matthew 3:1-12 gives us the answer.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues our study in the Gospel of Matthew. After Jesus is born, God continues to move through obedient, curious, and even wicked men. The events that follow the Messiah's arrival give us some amazing reminders of how faithful and powerful God is as we rejoice in the blessing of being called to serve Him and His glory through our faithfulness.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg teaches the second week of our introduction to the book of Matthew. Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promised Messiah. But how did he come to be a part of OUR story? And what do we learn about faithful surrender from that moment when he burst into His creation? Our answers come as we celebrate Christmas in January and study Matthew 1:18-25!

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg begins our new series, "Hello!" This series is the first part of our study through the Gospel of Matthew. Sometimes introductions are not necessary. At least not in order to identity a person. But even when we know a person's identity, to really know them we need an introduction. In the opening verses of the book of Matthew we get a proper introduction of the Messiah which...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg delivers the final message in our 2023 Christmas series, "Simple Christmas." This Christmas Eve morning message sets our sights on why the simplicity of our perspective of this season is so crucial to enjoying the fullness of the celebration of the birth of the Messiah.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg leads us through the 4th message in our 2023 Christmas series, "Simple Christmas". In the past three weeks we have discussed simplifying our minds, hands, and hearts around Christmas. But even so, how do we reject these as just another course of action and, instead, allow the truth and beauty of Christmas to transform us? The answer lies in our understanding of and response...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg teaches the third message in our 2023 Christmas series, "Simple Christmas." As we approach Christmas day, the seasonal celebrations begin to pick up steam. As they do, the question remains: In the flurry of activity, how do we avoid falling into mindless participation and tradition? This week we discuss how we can walk through the activities of Christmas in a way that prepa...

Pastor Ron Eckberg teaches the second week of our 2023 Christmas series, "Simple Christmas". With Jesus as our central focus of our season we have peace in the busyness of the weeks ahead. But, how does this help us move from walking through mere tradition or mindless activities to a purposeful service to the Kingdom and to those around us? We discuss this in the second week of our Christmas serie...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg kicks off our 2023 Christmas series as we look to regain the majesty of Christmas story in a series titled, "Simple Christmas." In this first week we discuss slowing down to grasp the peace of Christ in the midst of the chaos of the season.

Pastor Ron Eckberg preaches a special Thanksgiving message. Thanksgiving is a day we set apart to express our gratitude for all we have been blessed with. But why should we need to be reminded? Why must we set aside a day to encourage us to give thanks, especially when we have so much to be thankful for? This week we see how God calls us to a life of thanksgiving and an eternity of praise.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg concludes our series in the book of 2 Timothy, called "Keep the Fire Burning." As we come to the end of this letter, we find in Paul's farewell a last call to the task at hand. In building a hot, bright fire of faith we are not presented with a picture of how we put this fire to work in the context of the body of Christ.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues to lead us through our study of the book of 2 Timothy. Building, working, and maintaining the fire of our faith if hard work. Over time it can become easier and easier to lose focus or become overwhelmed by fatigue and opposition. In 2 Timothy 4:1-8 Paul gives us instructions on how to constantly keep the fire burning hot and bright over the long haul.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg teaches the sermon in our current series, "Keep the Fire Burning." Few things are maintained without some hands-on effort. The fire of our faith is no different. After describing the approved worker and warning against the ways of the false teachers, Paul now comes back, in 2 Timothy 3:10-17, to show Timothy – and us – how to continue the work of growing and maturing our fa...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues to lead us through the book of 2 Timothy in our series, "Keep the Fire Burning". Last week we were confronted with three questions to help us keep our fire burning. But how do we know when we are dealing with a flame that is flickering out? This week we see the evidence of a dying flame and the warning signs to keep us from falling into the trap of just such a fir...

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg leads us back into our study of the book of 2 Timothy. It's usually pretty easy to know where we need to go, but along the way we face distractions from outside and within. So how do we know we're on the right track? In 2 Timothy 2:20-26, Paul offers Timothy three questions to make sure his fire remains hot and bright as he faces down the challenges to his faith.

In a break from our current series, Pastor Ron Eckberg teaches a special message on responding to the unknowns in our lives. Everywhere we turn we face the "what ifs" of life. Some will come to pass, most will not. So how should God's people respond to the continued negativity of our world and, sometimes, our own minds? The Apostle Paul gives us a clear course of action through his example in Phil...