Island ECC - A Dynamic English Speaking International Church in Hong Kong

Life is hard. God is good. How do we reconcile these seemingly contradictory truths?

Many of us struggle to believe that God is active in our time of need. It often feels like we’re stuck in difficult cycles of sickness or hardship without any relief. However, God does promise a specific kind of help that is always available to us...

Being a child of God has amazing benefits as well as transformative power in our lives.

We can often feel like we’re living as hypocrites. We want to live in a righteous way, but something in us keeps pulling us towards sin. In this second sermon of the Romans 8 series, we hone in on verses 5-13 as we look at this hidden battle raging...

In arguably the weightiest chapter of the new testament, Paul describes with great enthusiasm the beauty of living in Christ. There is now no condemnation!

It’s Christianity’s pinnacle day. Resurrection Day. But even if we’re convinced that a historical resurrection actually occurred, what difference does it make for us today?

Palm Sunday commemorates the event of Jesus’ triumphant return to Jerusalem. But was it truly a joyous celebration? As the crowds celebrated, Jesus displayed grief and anger. Why this great contrast and what was going on in Jesus’ head? This sermon...

The invitation to follow Jesus involves a complete overhaul of our thinking, our values, and our behaviours. It’s counterintuitive and seems risky. But in fact, it is the path to freedom.

In every society, there are outcasts – people who are at the fringes, ignored, or despised. While most societies move away from them, Jesus moves towards them. Jesus says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

Our struggles against temptation are far more sophisticated than simply avoiding “big” sins. Jesus was tempted in all ways and was without sin. His “struggle” gives us insight into our own struggles…

Fishermen and tax collectors. Not exactly the pedigree you’d expect for those who would start a religious movement. No theological training, no exceptional giftedness. But ordinary people who Jesus selected to do extraordinary things. Our greatest...

As we live out God’s calling to build His Kingdom here on earth, we often face obstacles and challenges. The enemy will try to stop us from living out that calling through internal and external struggles in both physical and spiritual realms. How can...

Perseverance is increasingly rare in our day. And yet for those who follow Christ, it will be a key component in maintaining a vibrant faith.

As the saying goes, sometimes less is more. And that is certainly true in our walk with God. Sometimes there are edits to be made in our spiritual life that prove to lighten our load and enhance our experience with God.

Is it realistic that we can have a worry-free life? Doesn’t that seem a bit irresponsible? And yet we are told to worry about nothing in Philippians 4:6. The effects of worry aren’t just a heavy mindset. Jesus tells us that unnecessary worry...

Sometimes it can be hard to notice when God disciplines us. If the purpose of discipline is for us to learn and grow, then it is imperative to know when it is happening. So what are the signs to look for and what is the part that we play in our own...

Desire is the engine of our hearts. We are always growing toward something. And while desire itself is not a bad thing, it can slowly become aimed at the wrong things. Today we will explore how our hearts are shaped by what we love and how God invites...

The wisest man who ever lived and the Creator of our souls agree on this, that who we are in our heart and how we care for our heart will determine the course of our life. We would be wise to lean in and pay close attention to the thing with which our...

As the excitement of Christmas fades, many experience a sense of withdrawal. Yet, did you know that Advent was originally intended as a season to anticipate Christ's second coming? The Christian life is meant to be a continual Advent, an ongoing...

We often embrace the concept of following a guiding star, but what happens when it leads us into opposition and uncertainty? At times, following God may feel like traversing a path that leads us away from our expectations. In those moments, how can we...

The Christmas season is a time when we pause and reflect on the year. A time of peace, and celebration. But for many of us, we’re just tired. We’re weary because this year was hard, and right now, there’s a chance we’re not ready to rejoice. But what...

If understood fully, disruptions in our lives are actually gifts to us. They remind us that we are actually not in control after all. But how can we actually learn to rejoice in the midst of life’s unexpected turns

Advent, which begins on this Sunday, is the season to prepare and wait for Christmas. This is the first of four messages to dive into the words of O Holy Night – “the weary world rejoices”. The message offers a perspective on how you can genuinely...

We often experience righteous anger when we face injustice in the world. However, sometimes this righteous anger can get the better of us and leave us bitter and resentful like Jonah. In this sermon, we look at the final chapter of Jonah’s story to...

How does failure impact you? For most, personal failure has a devastating effect. It brings shame, regret, self-loathing, and a desire to distance ourselves from others. But God comes to us in our failures, and allows us to experience mercy in a way...

Jonah was desperate. He was drowning. He hit rock bottom in the most literal way possible. But then in a miraculous act of grace, God sent a fish to swallow him. A strange salvation, but one began to change Jonah. In desperation while inside of the...

We all have a little bit of Jonah in us, desiring at times to live independent from God. At our core, we prefer telling God what we’d like, rather than allowing him to tell us what to do. So what can we learn from the hard-hearted prophet?

Just as a caterpillar is not meant to remain a caterpillar, we are not meant to stay where we are today. When we are willing to die to ourselves, we will be transformed into the kind of being who truly understands God and delights in His ways.

Being generous is often associated with greater overall health and life satisfaction. People who share their wealth tend to be happier, more fulfilled, and enjoy better relationships. In contrast, those who hold back may experience increased stress...

Usually when our spiritual lives begin to stagnate, the first warning signs can be seen in our habit of prayer. They start becoming mechanical and routine, lacking any sort of passion or conviction. But is there a prayer that has the power to...

Our days are often full of worry. We fall into a routine of trying to control everything, our schedules, our work, our relationships, doing our best to hold it all together. And it’s exhausting. We need a Fresh Start. We need a way to step out of the...

Throughout Jesus’s life, even for His closest followers, it was common for people who saw Jesus not to really see Him. In this message, we’ll explore what we know about truly seeing and loving people around us, and how that honest approach can help up...

Over and over in scripture, we are told to be “awake”. The tendency is for us to be spiritually drowsy, missing out on an adventure and “sleeping through” the reason we are on this planet.

There is plenty to be mad about in our world today. It seems that there is rage everywhere. What angers you? And more importantly, how do you handle it?

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of...

Strongholds are subtle. Built over time, and strengthened without our intention, often we are unaware of the strongholds that the enemy has in our life. But rather than just coping, or swatting them away, how about destroying them? That is precisely...

The popular reality show, Survivor, had a tagline of “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast”. This would be a fitting tagline for our lives as followers of Christ. To be aware of the enemy, and to be determined to outwit him. Do you have a strategy?

When it comes to temptation, do you have a battle plan? Are you equipped to fight back? Are you sitting around waiting for temptation to come your way and see how it goes? No way! So, let’s get ready to counterstrike because we are not victims, but...

Satan is the father of lies. His main tactic is deception. However, he is not as powerful as he claims to be. We also have the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth to guide us. Spiritual warfare is true, but Christians are on the winning side.

We all “believe” in invisible things, like oxygen and love, for example. But when it comes to a mysterious spirit world, many of us think it sounds a bit too fanciful. Angels and demons? Really? But the unseen world is real, and by pretending it’s...

We’ve all got them – people in our lives that drive us crazy. People that seem to sap the energy, rob our joy, and leave us often feeling angry, guilty, frustrated, and confused. What does God say about dealing with the annoying people in our lives?

God has made us all unique, so there’s no wonder that in relationships we will come face to face with others who are in different spiritual seasons and have different preferences and practices. Today we’ll look through the lens of Paul’s words to the...

Relationships are beautiful, yet complex. We thrive when we’re on the same page and in harmony with one another. But when that gets complicated because we feel wronged by a person, bitterness can creep in and create a toxic relationship… with...

Repairing relationships is one of the toughest things we’ll do in life. And yet, it’s required from us all. And though we love building new relationships, maintaining damaged relationships can be daunting. A few practical skills can greatly assist...

Discouragement can take a toll. On our own mental health, our sense of joy in life, and it will even affect our relationships. Having a personal strategy to combat discouragement will bring blessing to you and those near you.

We begin a new series focused on the sticky stuff within our relationships. Every relationship will go through difficult times. An unresolved fight. A broken boundary. Growing apart because of busyness. These are some of the circumstances that cause...

This may be the most confusing descriptor of God in all the Bible, but unless we understand His jealousy, we can’t really understand God Himself.

Have you ever observed someone who is a Christian and thought, “They don’t really act like one?” Or have you ever been personally disappointed in your own ability to maintain a vibrant faith? As we learn more about The Lord who Sanctifies, we will...