"There and Back Again" Sermon on John 14:18-20 by Joe Ellis - June 27, 2021
“I will not leave you as orphans,” says Jesus. In a little while the disciples won’t see him, but then they will see Him again. Jesus is poetically telling his disciples about His death when they won’t physically see Him anymore. But then Jesus explains that He will come to the disciples again when He rises from the dead. After He’s risen from the dead, He will come to them and give the disciples the Holy Spirit. That’s what Jesus means when he says, “The world will no l
"Unity in Christ!" Sermon on Philippians 2:1-11 by Joe Ellis — June 20, 2021
The people of the church in Philippi were having some struggles to get along. As you can tell from this passage, it is pretty important for Paul that this church, and all churches, get along with each other. There are a number of reasons why I think Paul believes it is so important for Christians to get along, but I think you’ll find one of the most significant reasons in Ephesians 3. I think that Ephesians 3 might give us the framework for why Paul takes unity so seriousl
"The Seed of the Gospel" Sermon on Colossians 1:3-8 by Joe Ellis — June 13, 2021
Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our words and actions has always been a part of our DNA. It’s what Christians are supposed to do, it’s who we are. In this sermon, I’d like to share a bit of why as Christians we believe that sharing the Gospel is so powerful — I’d like to explore what actually happens when we tell others the story of who Jesus is and what He has done. The metaphor that Paul uses in the passage we just heard is a seed. He talks about the Gospel a
"Brick by Brick" Sermon on 1 Peter 2:4-12 by Joe Ellis - June 6, 2021.
Brick by brick. We rebuild and are rebuilt brick by brick. In today’s passage, Peter invites each of us to think of ourselves as a stone, a brick within the house of God. He says, “Each of us are like living stones, and are being built into a spiritual house…” Throughout my time at Telkwa Community Church, I’ve grown to really enjoy each of us living stones who make up who we are. When Michelle and I first came, we initially got to know the foundational stones. You know
