Does prayer make a difference? How important is reading our Bible? In our final message in Ephesians, we learn the importance of these practices to knowing God.

Ephesians 6:18-23 -- Why Are Bible Reading And Prayer Important? - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 6:10-17 -- Why Are Bible Reading And Prayer Important? - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 6:10-17 -- Why Are Bible Reading And Prayer Important? - Sermon Handout - PDF

TopicsBible, Bible Study, Prayer

On May 24, 2014 Elliott Rogers, a University of Santa Barbara student, began his killing spree. He killed his roommate, innocent girls and pedestrians he shot from his car while driving around town before taking his own life. How could so much death come from a young man? The media told us he was in need of medication. Was it just medication? Was there something more? Was there something unseen, a dark sinister force compelling him towards evil? Join us as we learn about spiritual warfare, how demons tempt and attack and how to find victory over demonic attack through Jesus. Was there something dark influencing Elliott? After this message,... you decide.

Ephesians 6:10-17 -- Spiritual Warfare - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 6:10-17 -- Spiritual Warfare - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 6:10-17 -- Spiritual Warfare - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 6:10-17 -- Spiritual Warfare - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsSpiritual Warfare, Demons, Satan

How does Christ change the way I work? Christian employees and employers are different. What does that look like? Join us as we discover how Christ changes the way we work.

Ephesians 6:5-9 -- How Does Jesus Change The Way I Work? - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 6:5-9 -- How Does Jesus Change The Way I Work? - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 6:5-9 -- How Does Jesus Change The Way I Work? - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 6:5-9 -- How Does Jesus Change The Way I Work? - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsWork, Slavery

How does Christ change the way parents treat their children? How does Christ change the way a teenager matures out of the home? How does Christ change the way adult children care for their aging parents? Join us as we find how Christ transforms the home.

Ephesians 6:1-4 -- Ancient Wisdom For The Modern Family - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 6:1-4 -- Ancient Wisdom For The Modern Family - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 6:1-4 -- Ancient Wisdom For The Modern Family - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 6:1-4 -- Ancient Wisdom For The Modern Family - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsParenting, Children, Home

What does it take for a man to be a great husband? Does he need to be rich? Should he be tall, dark and handsome? Does he need to come from a good family? The New Testament is clear there is one essential thing a man must do to succeed as a husband. Join me to discover the answer.

Ephesians 5:25-22 -- What Does It Take For A Man To Be A Great Husband? - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 5:25-22 -- What Does It Take For A Man To Be A Great Husband? - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 5:25-22 -- What Does It Take For A Man To Be A Great Husband? - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 5:25-22 -- What Does It Take For A Man To Be A Great Husband? - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsHusband, Marriage, Wife

What does it take for a woman to be a great wife? Does she need to be a good cook? How important are her looks? Are poise and manners essential? In every New Testament passage on marriage says there is one essential thing a woman needs to have to succeed as a wife. If you discover this secret, it will change your marriage.

Ephesians 5:21-24 -- What Does It Take For A Woman To Be A Great Wife? - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 5:21-24 -- What Does It Take For A Woman To Be A Great Wife? - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 5:21-24 -- What Does It Take For A Woman To Be A Great Wife? - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 5:21-24 -- What Does It Take For A Woman To Be A Great Wife? - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsWoman, Wife, Marriage, Submission, Cohabitating, Serving, Intimacy

Why do some Christians live a more impactful life than others? What does it take to make a difference rather than simply exist? Discover the questions we should be asking ourself to make a difference.

Ephesians 5:15-21 -- High Impact Living - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 5:15-21 -- High Impact Living - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 5:15-21 -- High Impact Living - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 5:15-21 -- High Impact Living - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsWisdom, Foolishness, Time

Why does God insist of a Christian lifestyle that is different? One reason is because he freed us from the power and penalty of sin. Another reason is because the purity of our lives is a reflection of the purity of Jesus. In this message, we learn there is another reason. God's plan is to use our lifestyle to reach those around us for Jesus.

Ephesians 5:7-14 -- The Light Of My Life Makes A Difference - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 5:7-14 -- The Light Of My Life Makes A Difference - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 5:7-14 -- The Light Of My Life Makes A Difference - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 5:7-14 -- The Light Of My Life Makes A Difference - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsCharacter, Choices, Light, Life

Is there anything wrong with homosexuality? How far is too far before marriage? What is the biggest danger at the mall? How can my sexuality and money be transformed from a great blessing to a tragic curse? Learn how to handle our sexuality and our money in a way that honors Jesus.

Ephesians 5:1-7 -- Sex and Money - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 5:1-7 -- Sex and Money - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 5:1-7 -- Sex and Money - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 5:1-7 -- Sex and Money - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsSex, Money, Language, Tongue, Words, Purity

When was the last time you got angry? Did you yell at your kids this week? Did you lose your temper with your wife? While everyone gets angry, the Bible tells us Christians handle our conflict in a way that is different from the rest of the world. In this message, we learn what that looks like.

Ephesians 4:25-32 -- Christians and Conflict - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 4:25-32 -- Christians and Conflict - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 4:25-32 -- Christians and Conflict - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 4:25-32 -- Christians and Conflict - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsConflict, Arguments, Fighting, Anger

Why do we keep sinning? We have come to Christ. We have trusted in Christ? Why do we keep finding ourselves ensnared by sin and living ineffective and unproductive lives? In this message, we learn what sin does to our life and how God instructs us to break free from its control.

Ephesians 4:17-24 -- How Do I Stop Sinning? - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 4:17-24 -- How Do I Stop Sinning? - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 4:17-24 -- How Do I Stop Sinning? - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 4:17-24 -- How Do I Stop Sinning? - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsSin, Sanctification, Purity, Holiness

Life is busy. The kids take our time, work demands more hours. When we come to church, it feels so good to sit, relax and take it all in. The problem is that our resting may be stifling our love for Jesus and our brothers and sister through Jesus. Find out why everyone should insist that they serve in their church.

Ephesians 4:7-16 -- When Everybody Does Their Part - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 4:7-16 -- When Everybody Does Their Part - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 4:7-16 -- When Everybody Does Their Part - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 4:7-16 -- When Everybody Does Their Part - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsLeadership, Serving, Spiritual Gifts, Church

For many of us, character isn't that important. We want the cheapest product on the shelf. It doesn't matter to us if a company used child labor to keep their costs down. Nobody cares if a company pollutes the atmosphere, as long as their product is cheap. While we don't care about character, God does. In this message, we find out how Jesus changes our character by changing the way we treat others.

Ephesians 4:1-6 -- From Grace to Gratitude to Glory - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 4:1-6 -- From Grace to Gratitude to Glory - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 4:1-6 -- From Grace to Gratitude to Glory - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 4:1-6 -- From Grace to Gratitude to Glory - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsGratitude, God's glory, Life

When you think of spiritual maturity, what comes to mind? For most of us spiritual maturity means Bible knowledge. You know the spiritually mature people because they win the Bible trivia games. In reality, many Bible trivia champions are spiritual toddlers. There is something missing from their life. What is it? Join us to discover what you may be missing.

Ephesians 3:14-21 -- Rethinking Spiritual Maturity - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 3:14-21 -- Rethinking Spiritual Maturity - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 3:14-21 -- Rethinking Spiritual Maturity - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 3:14-21 -- Rethinking Spiritual Maturity - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsSpiritual Maturity

We are entering a busy season at CrossWinds. We have a new name, a new web site, and a new campus is about to launch. Leaders are moving from Spirit Lake to Spencer helping to get the campus off the ground. This gives us expected holes on our ministry teams. It is a time where everyone needs to work extra hard and long hours. Is it worth it? In Ephesians 3, we find out.

Ephesians 3:1-13 -- Ministry is Worth the Sacrifice - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 3:1-13 -- Ministry is Worth the Sacrifice - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 3:1-13 -- Ministry is Worth the Sacrifice - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 3:1-13 -- Ministry is Worth the Sacrifice - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsMinistry, Church Leadership, Sacrifice, Church

After the holiday, you find fitness advertisements reminding you to get in shape. They always feature someone who tried the advertised weight loss plan and they feature a before and after photo. In this passage, Paul gives us a before and after photo of what we were like with and without Jesus.

Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Jesus Gave Me a Family - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Jesus Gave Me a Family - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Jesus Gave Me a Family - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Jesus Gave Me a Family - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsFamily, Forgiveness, Church Conflict

My daughter loves gymnastics. One of her favorite moves is the splits. It hurts to see her legs stretched in opposite directions. In Ephesians 2, Paul forces us into the spiritual splits by stretching our mind to understand the darkness of our sin and the magnificence of our blessing through Christ. Stretching is good for us, but it can hurt. In the same way, the spiritual splits are tough on us while they are good for us.

Ephesians 2:1-10 -- But God... - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 2:1-10 -- But God... - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 2:1-10 -- But God... - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 2:1-10 -- But God... - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsSovereignty

We all have special people in our life, people we care about with all of our heart. They are our children, our spouse and our life-long friends. How should you pray for them? Is the success of their business their schooling and marriage the most important thing to pray for? In these opening verses of Ephesians, Paul prays for some of his life-long friends. From his prayer, how to pray for those we love.

Ephesians 1:15-23 -- How Should I Pray For People I Love? - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 1:15-23 -- How Should I Pray For People I Love? - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 1:15-23 -- How Should I Pray For People I Love? - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 1:15-23 -- How Should I Pray For People I Love? - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsPrayer, Friendships, Love

It is easy to see what is wrong in life. The family overslept so the kids are late for school. The car wouldn't start so the budget faces an unexpected repair. While it is easy to see what is wrong, in the introduction to Ephesians, Paul helps us see what is right and how blessed we are by God through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:1-14 -- I Am Blessed! - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians 1:1-14 -- I Am Blessed! - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians 1:1-14 -- I Am Blessed! - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians 1:1-14 -- I Am Blessed! - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

TopicsPredestination, Election, Free Will, Sovereignty

America is drifting from its Christian heritage. We are rapidly approaching a post-Christian era in America. Is there any hope for our country? if there is hope, where is ti found? Before we study the book of Ephesians, we take the time to learn about the city of Ephesus and how the church came to the city. The story we find is the encouragement we need in our post-Christian era.

Ephesians - Introduction and Overview - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Ephesians - Introduction and Overview - Manuscript - PDF
Ephesians - Introduction and Overview - Sermon Handout - PDF
Ephesians - Introduction and Overview - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF