Ebenezer Family Church

Puffy eyes, sore joints, tooth ache, and all sorts of other bodily things irritate us all the time, sometimes to the point that we would rather go without them. Is the same true of our sin? Does it irritate us so much that we would rather live without those bits causing us to sin?

This next chapter is Jesus reassuring His disciples, encouragement, and the promise of the Holy Spirit. There is only one way to the Father - the disciples know Him. Believe in Him and you will know peace even in the midst of all the troubles.

Judas has left the group. Jesus announces His upcoming departure. Peter swears loyalty, even to death. There is a lot happening at the end of Chapter 13. In the midst of this, Jesus gives them a commandment: love one another as He has loved them - this will be the defining characteristic of Christians all over the world.

The modern world is full of sexual immorality, especially when it comes to the LGTB agenda. Today, we look at five ongoing attacks against God's Word and four things we should take into consideration when dealing with these issues.

It is a blessing to be where we are, for it is an opportunity to glorify God. Let us thank the Lord for where He has put us and let us be fruitful for His Kingdom!

Even to his betrayal, Jesus loves Judas and honours him. In this most troubling moment, our Lord shows us how to love our enemies and repay evil with good.

In this defining moment of Saul's reign, he fails to fully carry out the commandment of the Lord. Although it seemed to be a successful outcome, Saul's partial obedience was total rebellion. In the same way, we need to eradicate the sin in our lives. If we hold on to those small indulgences, we shall also fall!

After washing the disciples' feet, Jesus tells them to follow this example of sacrificial love towards one another. He also prepares them for Judas's betrayal that is about to take place.

Church discipline is always a touchy topic. However, Christ died to set us free from sin. So, we are called to a higher standard. If there is an issue in the local church, we need to take decisive action to rid it of sin and restore it to a standard worthy of the Gospel. We cannot remain idle!

In his desperation, Saul attempted to do something wrong as a last-ditch attempt to subdue his conscience. If our consciences bothers us, we need to repent! That is the only way to fix a situation. Otherwise we'll always be operating outside of God's favour.

This remarkable gesture is a tangible demonstration of God's humility and a foreshadowing of what was to come at the Cross. He has cleansed us once for all, but He still cleanses us daily in the process of sanctification. Build your house on the rock; have your part with Him!

Too often we can confuse the kingdom of this world with the Kingdom of God. The material things of the world cannot be compared to the eternal glories in Christ. In his explanation of the ministry of the apostles, we see some key points about the Kingdom of God in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.

Can we confidently let God decide if we have been faithful? Do we trust God? Is our conscience clear? David could have taken matters into his own hands. Instead, he chose to wait on the Lord!

At the start of John 13, the Apostle highlights the significance of the approaching hour and the circumstances. Against this backdrop we prepare for the washing of the disciples' feet and Judas's betrayal. From here on, a have a series of private teachings between Jesus and His disciples leading up to the Cross.

It is our human nature to too quickly believe speculation and sensation. We should not be chasing new ideas or new perspectives beyond what the Bible has already told us. If we want a proper view of ourselves before God, we must go back to the Word!

At the end of Jesus's public ministry, His message is still clear and consistent. As the One sent from the Father, He lived the life that we could never hope to live. And on account of His righteousness, we have peace with the Father. He who believes in the Son has life!

There is a judgement that believers will undergo. This is not a judgement of eternal life, but a judgement of reward. Did we do well with what was given to us? Let us be careful to remain steadfast in our foundation of Christ, and let us be careful what we do and say in His name.

We all have our place of refuge when life gets tough. But we also have an ultimate refuge in God. Let's remember that He is always present. Wherever you may take refuge today, take a moment to thank the Lord for His presence!

Paul calls the Corinthians "babes" - they are ignorant in the faith. When we live as babes in the faith, we live as adults according to the flesh. Those who live a carnal lifestyle will not inherit the Kingdom of God. We need to live according to the Spirit!

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!

There is a view called "Annihilationism", which holds that unrepentant sinners will simply cease existing after judgement. While this view is comfortable for us, it goes against many foundational truths about God's character and the nature of eternity. It's a tough one, but let's dig in and review!

Positionally, we are righteous; behaviourally, eish! In God's eyes, because of Christ's righteousness imparted to us, we are saints! It's all about His saving grace in our lives that we experience His gifts for today and the guarantees of future glory with Him.

We can all remember Genesis 1:1, but what about verse 2? In contemplating this profound commentary about the chaotic state of the world before God's creative power, we quickly realize how gracious our sovereign God is! Without His constant, ordered involvement, everything would quickly descend back into chaos!

At the end of John 11, we see that the path to the cross is in our sights. The Sanhedrin, the top dogs, have now decided that Jesus must die. Furthermore, the final Passover is near for which the Lamb of God is being prepared.

The opening lines of Paul's first letter to the Corinthian Church introduce a few key concepts. What is an apostle? Who are the saints? We'll find out in this introduction!

In light of all the chaos happening around us, let us not be led away by the error of others getting caught up in that chaos. Rather, grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. That is true stability!

The man who was dead for four days, Lazarus, is commanded by Jesus, on the authority of God, to come out of the tomb. This is not fantasy; this is reality. And Jesus did this in the sight of many so that they would know that He was the One sent from God.