Epikos Blog
Understanding Spiritual Gifts
3 keys to understanding spiritual gifts If you have a saving faith in Christ, you have the Spirit living in you, and the Spirit moves through you through spiritual gifts. You have at least one, probably more. (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 29–30; Ephesians 1:13; 1 Peter...
Family Discipleship Resources
Our Favorite Children’s Books/Series: Tales that Tell the Truth - series by Alison Mitchell Big Theology for Little Hearts - series by Devon Provencher Baby Believer Board Books - series by Danielle Hitchen God Gave Us - series by Lisa Tawn Bergren The New City...
Lead Pastor Survey Report
Facilitated Session Executive Report On January 14th the elders of Epikos Church, along with the Lead Pastor Search committee and representatives from P3, our consulting firm, met to review and summarize the results of the church-wide survey that was administered in...
Bondservants and work
Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will...
Let the Word of Christ dwell richly in you
Let the Word of Christ dwell richly in you Colossians 3:15–17, ESV15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in...
How to write your testimony
Everyone has a story. Everything that has happened to you to get you to today is a part of your story. The story of how you came to know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior is what is known as your testimony, and sharing it with others is perhaps one of the...
Revelation
Revelation is a book that has given believers gospel-powered courage for 2000 years. It is a book of consummation, victory, and hope. It is also a book full of illusions, symbols, and a literary style that is foreign to western Christians today. Below are resources...
Ethiopia Shall Stretch Out Her Hand
A story from the Bible that resonates with me deeply is the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch found in Acts 8:26–40. The Bible only says the Ethiopian was in the service of his Queen, returning home from worshiping in Jerusalem, and reading the book of Isaiah....
Spiritual Warfare & Bible Reading
Ephesians ends with a dramatic call to action. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11, ESV) The message this week brought up themes of spiritual warfare and reading your bible. Below are several...
Deeper Dive into Ephesians
Total Depravity What Is Total Depravity? - Article by The Village Church Dead in Sin, Alive in Christ - Video by Desiring God How is total depravity true when many people appear to act morally and do good deeds? - Video by Ligonier Ministires Live No Lies - a book...
Resources for Galatians
Old Testament Law The Old Testament lists 613 laws—known as the Mitzvot—that God's people were called to keep. In his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 3:10), Paul talks about how those who rely on the works of these laws are cursed, because they have no hope...
Revealing a New City
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the...
The Resurrection is Real
There is nothing more important to Christians than the resurrection of Jesus! The resurrection is the climax of the New Testament, the Good News of The Gospel, and proof that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. Through the resurrection, we believe that life...
Love, Friendship, and Election
The following resources are for the sermon preached at Epikos Church on Sunday, November 14, 2021, entitled: “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” In John 15:12-17 Jesus commands his disciples to love one another. He encourages them to do this because they are his friends...
The Trinity, Heaven, and Prayer – October 24th
The Trinity There is no way to perfectly and thoroughly explain the Trinity. Kind of like explaining the internet to an ant, our brains can’t fully understand the divine completely. However, God wants us to know him and he has given us his Holy Word for us to know him...
Satan and Demons
For most of my childhood and adolescence, I didn’t understand who or how Satan worked. I always sort of believed the cartoon idea that Jesus and Satan were on each of my shoulders battling it out and one day, Jesus would finish him off. In my head, they were kind of...
A Juneteenth Timeline
A simple internet search will teach you many things widely discussed about Juneteenth. You’ll learn that Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation made slave-holding illegal in the US and went into effect on January 1, 1863. Yet, it wasn’t until June 19th of 1865...
Relationships
Since I entered into ministry in my early 20s I found myself teaching every year on Godly dating, a biblical sexual ethic, and why God’s commands for us on these topics are actually good for us. Our sin has caused us to experience broken relationships and experience...
Finding Joy Through Serving Others
By Brianne Loritz My name is Brianne Loritz and I have been regularly attending Epikos Church for around three years now. I add the word regularly because prior to this, church was something I did when it was convenient and comfortable for me. It was not until I was...
When There’s a Death in the Family
“I’m sorry for your loss”. These words have been spoken in what has become an automated response we proclaim when we hear the news of the death of a family member or loved one. This simple phrase is meant to acknowledge the death of the beloved person, and convey...