Erie Evangelical Free Church (Erie, IL)

Pastor Ron Eckberg brings a special Father's Day message. No father is perfect. Try as one might, every earthly father falls short. Rather than see this as a picture of failure, we see it as a revelation of God's grace. And as fathers, mothers, leaders, and every other position the Lord puts us in, we see that we can always grow more faithful in living out that grace.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg brings us back into our study through the Gospel of Matthew. One of the common themes in the New Testament is the call to endurance and strength in the face of suffering. Why is this so common and how do we maintain a faithful pursuit of righteousness in the face of such trials? Jesus' interactions with his disciples in Matthew 20:17-28 gives us critical insight into this question.

Pastor Ron Eckberg offers a special message entitled, "On-target Worship". Every person worships something or someone—but who or what is it? In Psalm 63, even during a tough time in his life, David’s devotion to the one true God remains strong. This Memorial Day Sunday, we’ll reflect on the first four verses of this psalm and examine the focus of our own worship.

A special message from EEFC Elder, Ron Huisman. Knowing what to do and actually acting on that knowledge can be two wildly different things. But in the book of James we are urged to go beyond merely hearing God’s Word and commanded to do what it says.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg continues our series in the Gospel of Matthew. We often operate as if we have certainties about life. But what happens when we encounter the unexpected? In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus teaches us how to live in the peace of God's promises even when things do not work out according to our plans.

Pastor Jonathan Eckberg teaches the next message in our series, "All Hail the King." To live in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ is a difficult charge. Part of the difficulty is that we are all drawn to things that compete for our spiritual affections. In Matthew 19:13-29, we learn how to recognize and reject that competition as we cling to Jesus.

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 lives, and our eternity.

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 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 Jesus?

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 commitment to spiritual growth.

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 are called to serve.

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 appointed purpose.