Eternal City Church Sunday Sermons

This message is a call to Christians to commit to the local church understanding that God has designed his people to be accountable to, to serve, and to be cared for by, the local church.

Should Christians tithe is a question that plagues many. The bible is not unclear about this question. The new testament speaks rather clearly about new covenant giving and what kind of heart attitude should motivate giving to God by being generous to the local church, good gospel centered ministries and being generous to those in need.

The new testament is very clear on what our generosity should look like to God by giving to his local church and other ministries that are gospel-centered, furthering his kingdom on earth. Let's reason together on being generous!

Membership in a local church is an individual Christian saying to the other members and leaders, I am here, I am committed to you and I am accountable. May God press on you the goodness and need for local church membership!

God has given each Christian at minimum one spiritual gift, meaning an ability that is empowered by God the Spirit to serve others and to bless the world. God has uniquely given to each member of his body a specific personality, temperament, capacity, skills, abilities, talents, upbringing, experiences and gifts that make you a unique gift and essential part of the body of Christ, the church.

This is a re-recording of Who Leads The Church Pt.2: Deacons, as there were technical difficulties in the original recording.

God has ordained through his word that there be two offices of local church leadership, elders and deacons. The deacons are appointed by the elders of the local church to serve in whatever capacity the local church has need. This office is open to men and women and this message is an examination of the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 for this office.

The New Testament is very clear that biblically qualified men are to lead the local church. These men are to function as a team, within a plurality of co-equal in authority but with differing roles and gift sets. Regardless of the roles each "elder" has they are to be qualified by the same biblical criteria and functioning as a co-equal team with differing roles to help lead and shepherd God's sheep.

There is a sources and resources link attached to this message for further study and going deeper.

Prayer is to the Christian life what oxygen is to human existence, essential! Please pray for the church and its leaders; this message is a resource for help in praying for your church. Also, feel free to go further in your study by downloading the two resources offered in the resources link below.

God's design for the local church is that it "builds itself up in love" by speaking the gospel into every situation and circumstance; living a life of self sacrificial love towards God and those made in his image.

The local church is an expression of the body of Christ in a local context. Do you love your church, the body of Christ.