http://www.echochurch.org en-us ℗ & © 2006 Echo Church & Weekly Messages from Echo Church in Cincinnati, OH Echo Church Weekly messages from Echo Church in Cincinnati, Ohio Weekly messages from Echo Church in Cincinnati, Ohio Echo Church info@echochurch.org Steve Carr 1 Kings 19:1-18 After witnessing an amazing display of God’s power, Elijah had an emotional breakdown. Sometimes we feel the same way at the beginning of the new year. The message God had for Elijah applies to us as well. Sun, 01 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT 43:21 Steve Carr 2 Thessalonians 1 Looking at the persecution the Thessalonians faced, we learn about God’s justice. It gives us context as we struggle with injustice in our world today, like the hurricane in Haiti. Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT 50:10 Steve Carr 2 Thessalonians 2 The Thessalonians were ignorant of some parts of God’s plan, such as Jesus’ return. We need not be ignorant—we don’t know the details, but we know the truth that God will defeat evil and Christ will come again. Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT 42:38 Steve Carr 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 We don’t always know how or what to pray. We can learn what Paul taught the Thessalonians in these verses: pray for the gospel to spread, pray for our enemies, and pray that we would be obedient to Christ. Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT 39:04 Steve Carr 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18 The other end of the faith spectrum is service. As Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to do, we need to do our part in working and serving others. Though work is a curse, we can make it an act of worship. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT 35:33 Aaron Burgess Hebrews 4:1-9 God promised us rest! In reading this message to the Hebrew people, we’ll discover three types of rest that we don’t want to miss out on. Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT 31:41 Steve Carr Genesis 1-8 Adam was made from dirt and then cursed to work the dirt because of sin. We labor and sin and long for comfort too. Because of Jesus, one day we will be finally comforted, freed eternally from the curse of sin. Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT 49:43 Steve Carr Genesis 12 Abraham’s sin jeopardized the blessing God had for him. Even for us today, “the ends justifies the means” is not a biblical concept. Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT 44:36 Steve Carr Genesis 25-32 Jacob ran from his past, but God held tight to his plans for him. We need to take note and stay in the moment with God when we are tempted to flee. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT 45:06 Steve Carr Genesis 37-50 Joseph went through so many bad situations, yet God continued to work those for the good. We were created for good yet continue to get involved in evil. Yet God still offers us redemption and good in the end. Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT 42:12 Steve Carr Luke 23:50-24:12 Because of Jesus’ resurrection, followers of Him don’t have to look at death the way the world sees death. Sun, 04 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT 21:29 Dan Dyke, ThM Exodus 1 When God prepares to do something big, sometimes it begins with something as small as a baby’s cry. Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT 48:39 Steve Carr Exodus 1 Just like the Israelites, we need to learn to figure out how to live in a land that is not our own. Sun, 18 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT 39:13 Steve Carr Exodus 2:1-10 The Exodus would not have happened without the unconditional love, consistency, and compassion of three women in Moses’ life. Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT 40:18 Steve Carr John 9 When Jesus healed a blind man, He provided a message about being the light of the world and about God’s desire to dwell with us. Are we dwelling in God’s presence daily? Sun, 30 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT 42:15 Steve Carr Exodus 5 Both Pharaoh and the Hebrew people dealt with their own form of a God complex. It’s something that can sneak up on us all. Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT 42:50 Steve Carr Exodus 6 In the time of the exodus, God revealed himself in a new way, fulfilling His promises from many years past. Yet He remained a mystery in so many ways. We need to trust in God, even when we don’t understand Him. Some things we don’t need to know. Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT 35:59 Steve Carr Exodus 7:1-13 Just as God used Moses and Aaron, fallible human beings, God still desires to do His work through imperfect people. Though we may have times of doubt, we need to remember that God believes in us and what we can do. Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT 40:01 Steve Carr Exodus 7:14-24 The river was the center of life for Egypt and it was turned into death in the first plague. We must find the right thing to center our lives around. Sun, 27 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT 35:07 Steve Carr July 4th As we remember what it means to be American on July 4, we need to remember what it means to be the church. Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT 43:10 Steve Carr Exodus 8:1-15 During the plague of the frogs, Pharaoh is revealed to be proud and like a lazy, useless frog. From this biblical account, we can be challenged to be humble and useful for God’s kingdom. Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT 47:16 Steve Carr Exodus 8:16-10:29 The ten plagues were really acts of war, God defending His honor to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. We are called to take up the battle in another way by taking captive the world’s thoughts and redeeming them for Christ. Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT 37:34 Steve Carr Exodus 8:11 The final plague, with the death of the Egyptian firstborn sons, is a hard one to grapple with. Yet in it we see divine retribution and a foreshadowing of God’s own firstborn who died for us. Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT 44:10 Steve Carr Exodus 12:1-28 Using all of our senses, we experience The Passover. We consider how the Hebrew people must have felt and we consider the connection to the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, the ultimate Deliverer—Jesus. Sun, 01 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT 30:34 Steve Carr Exodus 12:31-42 It was time! The Hebrew people were ready to exodus. But did the hype live up to the actual moment it happened? In big or small moments, memorable or not, we see God’s steady presence in our lives. Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT 35:54 Steve Carr Exodus 13-14 For the escaping Israelites (and the Egyptians chasing them), water acted as protection, as a barrier, as escape, as a grave, and as salvation. For us today, water in the form of baptism does the same. Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT 37:57 Steve Carr Exodus 15 After escaping Egypt, Moses sang a song of praise. In it, we can find a national anthem, a college fight song, a hymn of theology, and a pump-us-up tune. Let’s consider the song God still puts in our hearts today. Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT 37:57 Steve Carr Exodus 16 Through the miracles in the provision of manna and quail, God demonstrates His work as Sustainer and foreshadows the Bread of Life. Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT 41:08 Steve Carr Exodus 17:1-7 Looking at the Israelites, their complaint wasn’t the big problem—it was their attitude and their approach to God. We need to learn how to approach God when we have issues. Sun, 12 Sep 2010 18:30:00 GMT 34:33 Aaron Burgess Exodus 17:8-16 Like Moses holding his staff in the air, we all need to recognize who is doing the true work, winning the battle—God. He is our rallying point to victory. Sun, 19 Sep 2010 18:30:00 GMT 28:11 Steve Carr Exodus 18 Moses was the conduit of God’s wisdom to the Israelites. He was doing all the right things for God, yet he was overwhelmed. Jethro was the conduit of God’s wisdom to Moses. Moses needed to learn what to let go of. We still need to learn that today. Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:30:00 GMT 45:08 Steve Carr Exodus 20:1-3 The gods worshiped by people in the Israelites’ time are still around (in different forms) in our world today. We are to put Him first and central, never forgetting the spiritual bondage He saved us from. Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:30:00 GMT 38:05 Steve Carr Exodus 20:7 Most of us enjoy hearing our names. Does God feel a similar enjoyment when we use His name to honor Him? He tells us His name must be used for HIS glory, not ours. Sun, 24 Oct 2010 18:30:00 GMT 39:31 Steve Carr Exodus 20:8-11 God created rest. Sabbath helps us remember to trust God, remember that rest is natural, remember the gravity of God, and remember we aren’t God or machine. And we remember there is a rest to come. Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT 37:05 Aaron Burgess Exodus 20:12 Parents are important—it’s their job to teach their children about God. Even as adults, there are many ways we can continue to honor our parents. Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT 29:57 Steve Carr Exodus 20:13 We can all agree that murder is wrong. God doesn’t want anyone messing with His creation! We may not have murdered, but there are ways that we defame the image of God in the way we treat others, His creation. Sun, 21 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT 36:27 Steve Carr Exodus 20:14 Commandment 7 is all about wholeness. Whether we realize it or not, our fidelity affects not only ourselves but the whole community, and our relationship with God. Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT 38:53 Steve Carr Exodus 20:15 Everything people have is a gift from God. Stealing means we don’t appreciate how God distributes those gifts. Sometimes we can be stealing in ways we don’t realize. Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:30:00 GMT 41:04 Steve Carr Exodus 20:16-17 The last two commandments look at light vs. darkness and the internal thoughts of our hearts. As we continue to remember, this list isn’t about rules but about sealing a marriage betrothal between God and His people. Sun, 12 Dec 2010 18:30:00 GMT 20:25 Aaron Burgess Philippians 2:5-11 At Christmas we often focus on the exultation of Christ, but it began first with the humiliation—as God humbled himself and became human. Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:30:00 GMT 20:20 Steve Carr Exodus 21:1-11 In what seems a difficult biblical text at first glance, we recognize God’s desire to be people’s only master and give us true freedom. Sun, 26 Dec 2010 18:30:00 GMT 39:24 Steve Carr Exodus 21:12-22:15 It’s hard to take the blame; we are conditioned to point the finger elsewhere. Accountability will help us look inward. We need to strive to be blameless and strive to forgive. Sun, 02 Jan 2011 18:30:00 GMT 35:59 Steve Carr Looking back on 2010 and forward to what’s in store for Echo Church in 2011. We find that we are the key to the next open door. Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:30:00 GMT 48:29 Steve Carr Exodus 23 God needs us to advance as His messengers—both as part of the church at large and as individuals. He sends Jesus ahead of us to guard us and guide us to the place He has prepared. Sun, 16 Jan 2011 18:30:00 GMT 40:53 Steve Carr Exodus 24 Looking at this covenant, we see it sealed with a special meal in the presence of God. We also have meals with God in our present and future. Sun, 23 Jan 2011 18:30:00 GMT 41:48 Steve Carr Exodus 25 The ark of the covenant was God’s footstool, a mysterious throne of God. Jesus transcended the need for a box. And now God’s throne is our hearts. Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:30:00 GMT 28:49 Steve Carr Exodus 26 Spaces define us. God asked His people to bring him with them. The tabernacle was functional, beautiful, dwell-able, and temporal. In God we find our permanence. Sun, 13 Feb 2011 18:30:00 GMT 32:50 Steve Carr Exodus 28 You might not think that a chapter about priest’s clothing would have much to do with 21st Century living. But it does more than you think. Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:30:00 GMT 43:10 Steve Carr Exodus 30 ∧ 36 Talking about money is always uncomfortable in church. But God has reasons He asks His people to give. Let’s see how that applies to us too. Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:30:00 GMT 44:40 Steve Carr Matthew 4 We look at a tradition that we’ve not yet practiced as a church: Lent. What is it? What ISN’T it? Why should we try it? Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT 43:53 Steve Carr Exodus 34 What do we see as God works on presenting the covenant with Israel for a second time? We see a God of holiness, a God of compassion, abounding in love but also jealous for us. How do we respond to such a God? Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT 36:00 Steve Carr Exodus Conclusion As our church wraps up our journeys in the book of Exodus and Lent, we see the connection between Israel’s liberation and Palm Sunday. Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT 38:43 Steve Carr Luke 24 Like Cleopas and the other disciple, sometimes when Jesus is in our midst, we don’t truly see Him. Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT 33:23 Aaron Burgess Romans 8:28-30 What does Paul mean that all things work together for good? Life can break our hearts. How do we find good in that? Sun, 01 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT 24:11 Nate Kline Philippians 2 Using a simple equation, we can discover how to think like Christ. Sun, 08 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT 28:14 Larry Budde Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 11 God wants us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We discover what that means and what that looks like lived out. Sun, 15 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT 31:10 David McCoy Acts 9 Paul’s life change speaks to how God can transform our lives. Sun, 22 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT 40:33 Josh Nissley Psalm 19:1-4 Learning about the world can give us a greater appreciation of God, such as His infiniteness, omnipresence, omniscience, and beauty. Sun, 29 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT 25:20 Steve Carr Jeremiah 52 Through the minor prophets and the fall of Jerusalem, we can see why Jesus’ coming was so important to God’s people. And we can see their need to repent—and our need to still repent today. Sun, 05 June 2011 18:30:00 GMT 47:45 Steve Carr Habakkuk 2 There are many things that caused God’s people to become proud; those things can still trip us up today. Sun, 19 June 2011 18:30:00 GMT 37:30 Steve Carr Habakkuk 3 Habakkuk ends his letter with a song. Like him, we may sing of mourning yet also find trust and joy in God. Sun, 26 June 2011 18:30:00 GMT 40:04 Steve Carr Zephaniah 1 God always provides a way to turn and come back to Him. He gave this offer to Israel and He still gives us the same today. Sun, 03 July 2011 18:30:00 GMT 47:06 Steve Carr Zephaniah 2 Sometimes we have an us vs. them mentality. But really it's us vs. us. Sun, 10 July 2011 18:30:00 GMT 40:26 Steve Carr Zephaniah 3 We conclude our study of Zephaniah, discovering that God will not leave His land or His people empty. Sun, 17 July 2011 18:30:00 GMT 40:53 Steve Carr Haggai 1 Like God's people, there comes a point when we aren't on vacation with God anymore. The newness has worn off. How will we live out our faith day to day? Sun, 24 July 2011 18:30:00 GMT 41:38 Steve Carr Haggai 2 Like God's people working to rebuild the temple, we can be shackled by memories of the good ole days and fear what's to come. But God can do glorious things with our future if we just keep going. Sun, 31 July 2011 18:30:00 GMT 47:06 Steve Carr Joel 1 As God's people faced calamities, how do we face catastrophies in our present world? So many of us separate or immerse, yet a balance must be found. Sun, 7 August 2011 18:30:00 GMT 52:04 Steve Carr Joel 2 Just like God's people faced desert times, we can go turn to God for restoration and refreshment in our deserts of life. Sun, 14 August 2011 18:30:00 GMT 40:05 Steve Carr Joel 3 Here in the minor prophets, we continue to see Jesus, even though His name is never mentioned. And we see that God has always intended His salvation for ALL people. Sun, 21 August 2011 18:30:00 GMT 43:10 Steve Carr Between Old & New Testaments God's people swung between calm and chaos in the years between the Old and New Testaments. We can feel a similar tension today as we find the balance between our culture and our faith. Sun, 28 August 2011 18:30:00 GMT 44:19 Steve Carr Will there be pets in Heaven? Were Adam and Eve real? Why did God make us? Echo Church tackles these tough questions and more. Sun, 4 September 2011 18:30:00 GMT 51:42 Steve Carr As we begin the gospel of Mark, we read that Jesus is the way. Like John Mark and Peter and Jesus himself, we are on a journey. Are we following His way? Sun, 11 September 2011 18:30:00 GMT 36:09 Steve Carr God has a pattern of taking His people through water back into desert. But the water experiences change the desert. Jesus' baptism changed his desert temptation. The hope of Jesus changes our own desert experiences. Sun, 18 September 2011 18:30:00 GMT 39:22 Steve Carr Jesus was able to transcend culture and reach people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. The challenge for us is to do the same with His help. Sun, 25 September 2011 18:30:00 GMT 46:18 Steve Carr Jesus spoke words that silenced, exalted, excited, inspired, healed, and freed. Do His words move you to action? Sun, 2 October 2011 18:30:00 GMT 35:46 Steve Carr When Jesus reached out to marginalized people, He gave us an example by caring for spiritual needs as well as physical needs. Sun, 9 October 2011 18:30:00 GMT 41:35 Steve Carr We all dwell somewhere on the spectrum of Christianity, between being too pious or too pagan. Like Levi, we need to recognize our weaknesses and make necessary lifestyle changes to keep growing closer to Christ. Sun, 16 October 2011 18:30:00 GMT 45:58 Steve Carr We're all tempted to pay more attention to other people's sins instead of our own. We aren't the first ones to feel this way. Sun, 23 October 2011 18:30:00 GMT 42:10 Steve Carr An evening of prayer focused UP, OUT, IN, and DOWN. Sun, 30 October 2011 18:30:00 GMT 33:48 Steve Carr & missionaries Dawid & Justyna Wawrzyniak visit from Poland and share their mission work with us. We discuss our other five missionaries as well. Sun, 6 November 2011 18:30:00 GMT 44:08 Steve Carr Like the twelve disciples, we've all been called by Jesus. We've been created and commissioned, both personally and communally. Sun, 13 November 2011 18:30:00 GMT 36:43 Steve Carr Stories are powerful. In Jesus' parable of seeds sown, WE are the focus. We are the dirt. And we choose the ending to this meaningful story. Sun, 27 November 2011 18:30:00 GMT 35:11 Steve Carr In God's hidden kingdom all things will be exposed, how you treat others matters, growth is mysterious, and things aren't always what they seem. Sun, 4 December 2011 18:30:00 GMT 38:29 Steve Carr When we face a huge challenge in our lives and fear we can't get to the other side, Jesus provides us perspective and salvation. Sun, 11 December 2011 18:30:00 GMT 33:18 Steve Carr Years before the Christ came, there was anticipation for the One who would bring light to the darkness. Sun, 18 December 2011 18:30:00 GMT 34:08 Steve Carr When we read and understand the Bible, it's not just us on our own. We have years of tradition to help us as a church interpret Scripture. Sun, 1 January 2012 18:00:00 GMT 43:04 Steve Carr Looking at where we've been, where we are now, and where we're going as a church body of believers. Sun, 8 January 2012 18:00:00 GMT 34:27 Steve Carr A tribute to the Christlike love of Echo Church member Kathy Baughman, who just passed away. Sun, 22 January 2012 18:00:00 GMT 21:07 Aaron Burgess While Satan is a real enemy, Jesus has all authority and power and can free us from anything. Sun, 29 January 2012 18:00:00 GMT 26:12