As the Father Has Sent Me
John 20:21-22
This is one of my favorite scenes in Scripture. Jesus has just been resurrected from the dead, but His disciples don’t know that it’s happened. The disciples were huddled in a locked room, afraid and unsure of what came next. Their hopes had been shattered. Their confidence was zeroed out. And into that locked and fear-filled room, Jesus walked through the wall and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
Notice that before Jesus sends them, He settles them. Before He gives them a mission, He gives them His presence. “Peace be with you,” He says, because mission never begins with our strength; it begins with His peace. We don’t go for Jesus. We go with Jesus.
Then comes the mission: “As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.” That little word, as, carries with it an enormous amount of weight. It means our mission mirrors His. We are sent in the same way Jesus was sent. We are sent in His way, and with His heart.
So, the question becomes, How did the Father send Jesus? Not with coercive power, but with cruciform love. Not from a distance, but with embodied presence. Jesus entered people’s stories, sat at their tables, listened to their questions, and carried their burdens. He came not to be served, but to serve. That’s what “sentness” looks like. It’s not flashy. It’s faithful. It’s showing up with love in the places God has already placed us.
When Jesus says, “I am sending you,” He’s not asking you to become someone you’re not. He’s asking you to surrender who you already are, your story, your personality, your gifts, your everyday life, to the work of His kingdom. You don’t need a passport to live sent; you just need eyes to see the opportunities already in front of you in the places you live, work, play, and learn. Those places are not accidental; they’re assignments.
However, we aren’t sent in our own power. Jesus followed His sending with a promise: “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22). See, Jesus never sends without empowering. He doesn’t push us out the door; He fills us with His Spirit and walks with us into every moment.
Today, hear His words over you: Peace. Sent. Empowered. As the Father sent Jesus, with love, humility, courage, and compassion, so He sends you. And He goes with you every step of the way.
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
The Harvest Is Plentiful
Luke 10:1-2
Jesus sends out the 72 disciples “two-by-two” into every town and place He intended to visit. This detail is not incidental—it reveals something central to the heart of God’s mission. Jesus could have scattered them individually, multiplying the number of places reached. Instead, he chose partnership over efficiency, community over independence, and shared courage over solo effort.
Jesus knew the road ahead would be challenging. There would be rejection, spiritual warfare, and moments of discouragement. So he sent disciples in pairs—so that when one felt weak, the other could speak courage; when one became tired, the other could carry a moment’s load; when one felt uncertain, the other could remind them of the truth.
Few people are willing to go alone—but many find boldness when they go together. Even Paul, one of the boldest missionaries in Scripture, never traveled alone for long. He had companions, partners, and encouragers (Barnabas!). We, too, grow stronger, braver, and more faithful when we follow Jesus in community on mission.
Companionship is not merely comforting—it is strategic. God multiplies effectiveness when His people serve side by side. It takes more than one person to model what Christian relationships and community look like. Together, we witness in a way one person cannot.
In a culture that idolizes independence, Jesus calls us back to God’s design for loving interdependence best modeled by the “eternal, loving, reciprocal communion” of the Trinity.
As you start today, reflect on who God has placed beside you—friends, mentors, family, church members, coworkers, neighbors. These people are not accidents in your story; they are God-given partners in His mission. Pray for them. Encourage them. Invite them to join you on mission today. And remember: God does not send you alone into the harvest field. He sends you with others, and He goes with you Himself.
Luke B.
Identifying Spiritual Gifts
During the FOLLOW sermon series, The Daily Fill devotional will consist of four days of the regular devotionals, and the 5th day (Fridays) will include a “practice” section to help you go a little deeper with the subject studied this past week.
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God has created us each — special, unique, and specifically gifted to serve Him. Romans 12:6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” If you are a follower of Jesus, then you are gifted by the Holy Spirit! Those gifts are wired into who God has made you to be, so that you can serve him and help others know about the saving grace of Jesus.
Paul says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Have you ever considered that you are gifted by the Holy Spirit — ready and able to serve God according to how He has uniquely gifted you?
Do you know what spiritual gifts have been given to you? Chances are that you do — but you may not have the confidence or know the steps necessary to be able to use those gifts. Following is a spiritual gifts assessment that will help you discern how God has specifically gifted you: https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/spiritual-gifts-survey.
Take some time to take one or both of these assessments. After you have completed the assessment, take the following steps:
1. Write down your three primary gifts.
2. Thank God for these gifts and ask Him to show you how you could use these gifts to serve Him.
3. Share your gifts with a friend, family member, or your Connect Group.
Visit our website at efcc.org/teams/ to join a team at EFCC!
At His Service
As followers of Jesus, we are called to emulate His attributes. One of these attributes is serving others. His earthly ministry overflows with service—from feeding the crowds (Matthew 14:13-21) to healing strangers (John 9:1-12). He even proclaimed His purpose in coming: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Because God made each of us unique—in our skills, experiences, opportunities, and many other areas of life—the ways we serve vary from person to person (1 Peter 4:10). One person may thrive in kids or student ministries, while another may not work well with children but excels in customer service, making them a great fit for a hospitality team. Yet both roles are equally important for the Church to function, just as Paul describes in Romans 12:4-6: “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.”
Our differences work together because our service shares the same godly purpose, united by the Holy Spirit: to further God’s kingdom by showing love to God and to others (Matthew 22:37-39). However, serving others can flourish only when we are faithful to it, as Jesus was throughout His ministry. That is why we need God’s wisdom to discern where to serve and His strength to continue serving Him faithfully.
Let’s seek God’s wisdom and strength for the next couple of minutes. First, find a quiet place and close your eyes. If you are not currently serving in your community, ask the Holy Spirit to show you where He wants you to serve. If you feel excited, nervous, or even hesitant, bring those feelings to God. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you as you explore and sign up for opportunities.
If you are already serving at your church or in your community, ask God for His strength and wisdom to continue in your ministry. Offer Him both your praises and your concerns (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Let His love for you renew your love and service for the people around you.
Christina Chaiban
Mind the Mess
Galatians 6:2
“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
I would consider myself generally organized, but I definitely did not start that way. Growing up, my bedroom was always a complete disaster, and I misplaced things all the time. Trying to decide on an outfit would always result in a pile of clothes on the floor that wouldn’t move for days on end. My disorganized tendencies always made me too embarrassed to have people over at my house, and if I did, my bedroom door would always be closed.
I like to think of a messy bedroom as a good metaphor for our inner world. The thoughts that feel too vulnerable to share, the memories that you think should’ve healed by now, and the emotions that are too overwhelming. This inner room is a place where secrets are kept, pain is stored, and shame lingers for far too long. In the same way that I felt overly exposed by opening my bedroom door, sharing the details of what we store inside can also feel incredibly vulnerable.
The truth is that no matter how closely we guard that door, our Father still knows what mess is locked away in there. He’s not afraid of it. God meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. We can keep that door locked for everyone else, but the God of the universe intimately knows our inner world. The love of Christ is demonstrated in being completely known and still completely loved.
As the community of Christ, we have the honor of bearing with one another in their suffering and allowing others to do the same for us. The beauty is that within the risk of opening that door, there’s the possibility of feeling the love of Christ through another person. We experience the fullness of life when we invite others into our mess. We can only know healing from our community if we choose to open the door for them.
Invite your people into the mess and have comfort in the truth that you are already fully known and fully loved.
Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead
Go-Ahead
Philippians 2:3-4
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3-4)
We’ve all been there… standing in the checkout line, scanning the lanes like a seasoned race car driver, calculating who has fewer items, which cashier looks quicker, which bagger is moving faster, and whether that guy in front of you has coupons (you know he does). It’s funny how something as ordinary as grocery shopping reveals something deeply human about us… We all want to get ahead, to be first! We want a shorter wait, a smoother path, a little advantage.
And honestly? Most of the time, we don’t even realize we’re doing it.
The words above from Paul’s letter to the Philippians hit right at that instinct. He isn’t calling us to think less of ourselves. He’s calling us to think of ourselves less! It’s the quiet shift from “How can I get ahead?” to “How can I bless someone else today (even if it means that I may have to slow down to do it)?”
Back in the checkout line, something beautiful happens when someone turns around and says, “Hey, you’ve only got a couple of things, go ahead of me.” Have you ever been the recipient of that beautiful act of selflessness? That tiny little act of kindness has the power to disrupt the culture of competition that is ingrained in us.
That’s what humility does. It interrupts the natural pull of self-interest and creates space for community to flourish.
Paul says to “look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Notice he doesn’t say your interests don’t matter. He knows that you have to look out for your own interests in many areas of life, but he encourages us to avoid an “only me” mentality and reminds us that other people have interests too. If we’re going to be people who are of the same mind and same love of Jesus, then we must take our eyes off ourselves.
Jesus lived this way. He consistently moved toward the forgotten, lifted up the overlooked, and put himself last so others could be brought near. His path leads us away from competition and toward compassion. Away from grasping for position and toward giving up our place in line.
So maybe the invitation today is simple: What if you lived a “go-ahead” type of life? What if you entered your meetings, friendships, family dynamics, or church spaces asking, “Who can I let go ahead of me?”
Josh Rose
Family Pastor
Growing Up Together
Ephesians 4:11-16
One of the great joys of my life is being part of the church. And if I’m honest, one of the great pains of my life… is also the church. My guess is you’ve felt that tension too. Being part of a spiritual family can fill your heart one moment and frustrate it the next. You celebrate people’s greatest joys, and you walk with them through their deepest sorrows. But sometimes, we fall short, we let people down, we don’t show up well. It’s a reality of being a part of a community of people who are still in process.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts language to this tension better than almost anyone. In Life Together, he writes, “Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community… God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious.” Then he adds that the one “who has become disillusioned with his community… begins to be what he should be in God’s sight.” In other words, the death of our idealized “wish-dream” of church isn’t a crisis, it’s the beginning of real community. When we stop demanding perfection, we can start learning how to love actual people.
This is exactly the kind of community Paul described in Ephesians 4. He reminded us that spiritual maturity is never something we achieve alone; it’s something we grow into together. Christ gives apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, not to perform the ministry for us, but to equip everyone for works of service. And when each member serves, encourages, forgives, speaks truth in love, and uses their God-given gifts, the whole body grows stronger and more like Jesus.
I love the picture of people being formed together. Not a collection of autonomous individuals, but a family learning how to grow up side-by-side. In a culture obsessed with individuality and independence, the gospel calls us into togetherness and interdependence. Jesus doesn’t just save individuals; He forms a people. And people grow by showing up for one another, by confessing sin, bearing burdens, sharpening each other, and reminding one another of grace.
And because we are all people still in process, the church can be a painful place. But it’s the very place God intends to grow us. Community really is the classroom of transformation. It’s where we learn to encourage, forgive, share our pain, enter into vulnerability, and have hard conversations seasoned with truth and grace. It’s all part of the Spirit’s shaping work in us.
The goal isn’t a perfect church. In fact, if you find one, don’t join it because you’ll probably mess it up! No, the goal is a maturing church, a people increasingly shaped into the likeness of Christ, together. Today’s invitation is simple: show up again. Offer your gifts. Receive someone else’s. Forgive. Encourage. Lean in. Because this is how we grow up, not alone, but together.
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
Naming Emotions
During the FOLLOW sermon series, The Daily Fill devotional will consist of four days of the regular devotionals, and the 5th day (Fridays) will include a “practice” section to help you go a little deeper with the subject studied this past week.
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God feels emotions.
• Jesus experienced grief: “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
• God loves: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
• God feels jealousy: “For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14)
• The Lord experiences joy!: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
We are created in God’s image, and we, too, feel emotions. God would not have given us emotions if he didn’t intend for us to feel them. Yet sometimes it is hard to define or understand what is going on inside of us. Here are some steps to understanding your emotions, which will lead to greater wholeness, and your Creator designed for you to experience.
1. Be Curious
Take a look at the emotions wheel (click here to view). Most of us can identify one of the center emotions. Where are you at today?
Happy — Sad — Disgusted — Angry — Fearful — Bad — Surprised
Now this is where it gets challenging. Based on the center emotion that you chose, take a step out to the next circle. Which of the following in the same basic category are you feeling right now? You’ll notice the next ring gets a bit more descriptive!
Finally, move out to the last ring. Which of the two final words in the darker ring reflects where you are at today? There is no right or wrong — you are just naming your current emotions.
2. Show yourself Compassion
What emotions did you land on? Do you need to focus on some calming techniques now? What would it look like to approach these emotions with creativity? Does knowing that you are feeling this emotion bring about any clarity?
Step out in Courage. You did it! You named your emotions! You may not feel like it, but just naming your emotion can give you the confidence to take the next step, to seek connection with a safe person.
(Emotions wheel PDF: https://www.efcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/emotions-wheel.pdf)
Search Me
Psalm 139:23-24
Picture God looking at you — gently gazing into your eyes, full of compassion, love, and delight. He sees and knows every single part of you; your hands, your feet, your facial expressions, your entire body — after all, He created you! And he is rightfully proud of His creation! Does this feel overwhelming? Can you picture your Creator knowing and loving you far better than you could know or love yourself?
Now picture God looking far into your soul, searching the deepest recesses that you dare not even consider yourself — your thoughts, motives, fears, worries, hopes, and failures. Do you know that He cares just as much for the inside parts of you as He does the outside? He sees your anger, and he sees the pain, sadness, disappointment, and poor choices from which that anger came. He sees your pride, and he cares deeply for your striving self that desperately searches for approval. He sees your hopes and shattered dreams — the failures that not only brought you to the desperate place you thought you’d never be but have also impacted those you love. He sees your sorrow, and he cries with you, storing your anguish, your tears, in a bottle.
In Psalm 139, David calls himself God’s masterpiece. He praises God, acknowledges God’s thoughts for him as His precious creation, and he’s honest about his disdain for his enemies. David doesn’t mask his emotions but cries out in vulnerability. Then in verse 23-24, he says, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
David experiences freedom when he names his deepest feelings in the presence of his trusted God. He knows that something isn’t right within him, and he knows that he needs healing; so, he calls out in vulnerability to the One who already knows and still loves. Author David Benner says, “For love to transform us, not only must we meet in vulnerability, but we must also linger long enough for it to penetrate our woundedness.” The freedom David longs for comes when he goes on to say, “Search me.” Healing has begun as David is being transformed by God’s love.
What within you is crying out for healing? What part of you longs to be known? Your God already knows it all, and He longs to bring healing to your soul. Maybe today, you could start by simply saying, “Search me.”
Lynette Fuson
Care & Counseling Director
Maintaining Appearances
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
I find myself always trying to keep the peace, avoid conflict, and pick up slack where I see it. For better or worse, I try to maintain the appearance that I have everything together all the time. This facade of strength means that admitting the areas in my life where I am weak does not come easily to me.
I learned at a young age that if I needed something, I was better off finding a way to get it done on my own rather than asking for help. I had to learn how to be strong enough to figure it out. I knew my weaknesses, but I couldn’t confront them, or worse, share them with anyone else. I believed that weakness was a problem to be fixed rather than an opportunity to invite people into my story. But this is a lie. Weakness is not a problem, and it’s not something that needs fixing. If we didn’t have weaknesses, we would see no need for a Savior. If we can do everything on our own, we become the center of our own lives, and the only thing we depend on is ourselves. Our weaknesses remind us that we are not God, no matter how hard we may try. Jesus shows us in the midst of weakness that we need him every single day.
I find that on my worst days, I am much more attentive to how the Lord is stepping in to speak, provide, and sustain. When it’s impossible to do it all on my own, I’m reminded that I have a Savior who never called me to live life that way, but to live it with Him.
Your weakness isn’t a problem; it’s a promise that our lives were never meant to be lived alone.
Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead