Surrendering to the Goads of God

Fellowship Church Knoxville

Surrendering to the Goads of God

May 12, 2024 • RD McClenagan • Ecclesiastes 12:9–14

This Sunday, RD wraps up our series in Ecclesiastes and challenges us to live our lives fully centered on God. God is the central part of life, whether we recognize it or not. The struggle is not to just say that God is at the center, but to truly make Him the pivot around which everything in life revolves. The pursuit of pleasure and success often leaves us feeling empty because these things are fleeting and don't really satisfy our deeper cravings for meaning. Ecclesiastes doesn't sugarcoat the emptiness of chasing after worldly things, pushing us to look beyond for true fulfillment.

More from East of Eden: The Book of Ecclesiastes

All The Days of Life

May 5, 2024 • Greg Pinkner • Ecclesiastes 11

As we near the end of our teaching through Ecclesiastes, this week, Greg discusses Ecclesiastes Chapter 11, emphasizing the theme of generosity and the importance of faith despite life's uncertainties. He points out that "casting your bread upon the waters" is a call to be generous and open-hearted, trusting God's providence in all circumstances. Although the future is unknown and challenges are inevitable, believers are encouraged to act faithfully and sow good deeds. Greg underscores the idea that God is sovereign, and at the same time, we are responsible for our actions—even if this paradox is difficult to grasp. Ultimately, he reminds us that suffering shapes us and that God's grace through Jesus Christ is our source of salvation and renewal.

The Circle of Life

April 28, 2024 • Greg Pinkner • Ecclesiastes 9, Ecclesiastes 10

Greg continues our series in Ecclesiastes and teaches from chapters 9 and 10. These chapters delve into the inevitability of death and the shared fate of all individuals, regardless of their moral standing, suggesting a bleak but equal end for everyone. We are encouraged to see past the short-lived successes of this world and to think about the bigger story of Christ that ties in with a higher purpose, even when life seems unjust.

This Crooked World

April 21, 2024 • Greg Pinkner • Ecclesiastes 7, Ecclesiastes 8

Greg continues our series in Ecclesiastes and teaches from chapters 7 and 8. In these verses, the writer of Ecclesiastes continues his thesis on why everything is meaningless, but he begins to look at why we are trapped in a world where everything we try to do to make our lives have meaning fails. The New Testament gives the same idea that the entire universe has been subjected to futility, waiting for one day when there will be hope. The hope that will bring humanity out of futility is Christ.