We are reminded of some aspects of what a gospel centered life looks like in today’s passage. We see a heart of thanksgiving, a life of faithful service as a servant of Christ, and the triad of faith, hope, and love. Paul speaks of the gospel bearing fruit, and I pray that we would be a congregation in which the gospel continues to bear fruit. I pray that we would grow in our understanding and appreciation of God’s amazing grace every day, and that we would be a congregation that looks more and more like Christ with each passing day.

In His Grip,
Pastor James

Q. 34. What is adoption?
A. Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of, the sons of God.

(http://www.opc.org/sc.html)

As the season’s change and the new year approaches, we are reminded of the passage of time. As we take a look back and reflect on this past year, a pertinent question to ask ourselves may be, “Did I live this year for God?” Life is busy. There are so many things to do. But are we so busy that Jesus isn’t even in the picture? As we look forward to a new year coming, may it be a year that is lived unto the glory of God.

From the moment we are born, we are both living and dying at the same time. Every second is a second of life, as well as, a second closer to death #paradox #perspective. As we enter into a new season of Autumn, you can physically experience the passage of time, moving from hot to cool. Pretty soon, it will be snowing, and soon after, we’ll be celebrating a new year. As the clock ticks, we’re reminded that our time here on earth is limited. Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, has appointed undershepherds to lead you to him. I hope and pray that as we continue to live life together as the people of God, your interactions with the undershepherds of God (pastors, elders) is not merely relegated to the corner of a shepherd. May our interactions be rich in conversation, prayer, care, forgiveness, and love.

a soon-to-be undershepherd of Christ,
Paul Jundo

Welcome to our new EC members, our 7th graders! I’m excited to see how God will grow you in the faith! You have 6 years in Youth Group, 4 in Y1, x in Y2, and the rest in FG, but all of those years will be in EC. Truly, welcome to our EC family. It may be a little nerveracking but don’t worry, our EC members love you! As you look forward to the years ahead of you, may you always hunger to know God through His Word! It is a true privilege for us as EC to witness God working in and through your lives. Thank you for being here, and welcome to EC. #ecfamily #ourfamilyjustgrew #glorytoGod

Covenantal worship was something that I preached on last week through Ephesians 6 when I touched upon parents and children. It is a biblical mandate that parents raise their children in the faith and for children to obey their parents. The reality of our church is that we are an immigrant church that has 1st and 2nd generations in separate services every Sunday. It is nearly impossible for us to follow the early church model (where parents and children spoke the same language and were in the same service) because of our language barriers. However, the beauty of our English Congregation is that we all speak the same language. It may not be perfect, but as you look around you, are there children whose parents are not in our English service that you can “adopt” to mentor, teach, and disciple to follow Christ (at least during Sunday worship)? They say “it takes a village to raise a child,” but I say it only takes our English Congregation.