Teaching & News From Eastgate PCB

Rob Woodrum & Others
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Teachings from Eastgate Christian Fellowship in Panama City Beach Florida

  1. 6d ago

    Matthew #58: The Beauty of the Cross

    Matthew #58: The Beauty of the Cross (Matthew 27:1-31) Janelle Greene & Rob Woodrum (7/12/26) This Sunday we’ll be reading Matthew 27:1-31. It describes the preliminary stages of the cross experience of Christ. We’ve stated before that the cross is the central revelation of God’s character. So, we’ll be focusing on the cross in our teaching, discovering what it reveals and provides for us. It’s a very painful section to read and discuss, but it is also beautiful when understood as a picture of God’s heart towards humanity. That’s one of those strange, delicate tensions that the Gospel is full of. In v1-10, Judas went to the temple and the temple leaders because his heart was burdened by what he’d done. What response did he meet there? What does that tell us about what had happened to the temple system of that time? How does that contrast with Jesus’ ministry and what warnings do we discern when it comes to our own framework for the practice of our faith? Through the rest of the section we’ll cover we read about the trial before Pilate. Pilate had political aspirations and clearly wanted to protect those, but he also had difficulty with the apparent innocence of Jesus. The crowd and their leaders wanted blood and Pilate wanted to avoid a riot which could further tarnish his reputation as a competent leader for Rome. He offers a trade – he’ll let one prisoner go as a gesture of good-will for the Passover – the crowd chooses guilty Barabbas and innocent Jesus takes his place. Matthew is pretty heavy handed with the telling of this – it’s obvious what he wants us to see. What do you see?  What is this a picture of the cross revealing about God’s heart and the Gospel? When the soldiers mock Jesus, they dress him up like a clown king…a parody of what a ruler should look like. They fashion a crown out of thorny brambles to put on his head. The Creation story comes to mind, and the curse pronounced because of sin: Gen 3:17…”cursed is the fertile land because of you;        in pain you will eat from it        every day of your life. Considering that curse, what does Jesus being crowned with thorns mean to you? What can it be picturing about what the cross of Christ is providing for us? As I said – it’s a heavy and painful section of Scripture to read – but beautiful beyond comprehension as well. Hope to see you Sunday. Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

  2. Jul 16

    Matthew #57: When Our Faith Is Failing

    Matthew #57: When Our Faith Is Failing (Matthew 26:31-75) Rob Woodrum (7/5/26) This Sunday we’ll be reading Matthew 27:1-31. It describes the preliminary stages of the cross experience of Christ. We’ve stated before that the cross is the central revelation of God’s character. So, we’ll be focusing on the cross in our teaching, discovering what it reveals and provides for us. It’s a very painful section to read and discuss, but it is also beautiful when understood as a picture of God’s heart towards humanity. That’s one of those strange, delicate tensions that the Gospel is full of. In v1-10, Judas went to the temple and the temple leaders because his heart was burdened by what he’d done. What response did he meet there? What does that tell us about what had happened to the temple system of that time? How does that contrast with Jesus’ ministry and what warnings do we discern when it comes to our own framework for the practice of our faith? Through the rest of the section we’ll cover we read about the trial before Pilate. Pilate had political aspirations and clearly wanted to protect those, but he also had difficulty with the apparent innocence of Jesus. The crowd and their leaders wanted blood and Pilate wanted to avoid a riot which could further tarnish his reputation as a competent leader for Rome. He offers a trade – he’ll let one prisoner go as a gesture of good-will for the Passover – the crowd chooses guilty Barabbas and innocent Jesus takes his place. Matthew is pretty heavy handed with the telling of this – it’s obvious what he wants us to see. What do you see?  What is this a picture of the cross revealing about God’s heart and the Gospel? When the soldiers mock Jesus, they dress him up like a clown king…a parody of what a ruler should look like. They fashion a crown out of thorny brambles to put on his head. The Creation story comes to mind, and the curse pronounced because of sin: Gen 3:17…”cursed is the fertile land because of you;        in pain you will eat from it        every day of your life. Considering that curse, what does Jesus being crowned with thorns mean to you? What can it be picturing about what the cross of Christ is providing for us? As I said – it’s a heavy and painful section of Scripture to read – but beautiful beyond comprehension as well. Hope to see you Sunday. Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

  3. Jun 29

    Matthew #56: Tasting The Tree Of Life

    Matthew #56: Tasting The Tree Of Life (Matthew 26:17-30) Janelle Greene (6/28/26) When I was in college, one of my professors led an activity that has stayed with me ever since. He said the word “apple” and asked us to write down as many descriptive words as we could. We wrote things like fruit and tree. Then he showed us a picture of an apple, and our list grew with words like red, round, and leaf. Next, he brought out a fake apple, giving us even more details to describe. Finally, he passed around a real apple. Now we could write about its weight, texture, smell, the sound of a bite crunching, and other characteristics that were impossible to experience through the previous examples. The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate how much more we learn when multiple senses are engaged. The professor encouraged us to involve as many senses as possible when teaching because it increases the likelihood that people will understand and remember what is being communicated. Hearing alone has its limits, but understanding grows when we add sight, touch, and even taste. I often think about that lesson when I consider why Jesus commanded us to eat and drink in remembrance of His sacrifice. We are not called only to listen or to watch. We are invited to taste and touch as we remember what Christ has done and worship Him. This Sunday we will continue our study in Matthew by reading chapter 26, verses 17 through 30. In this passage, we will see the Last Supper, where Jesus transforms the Passover meal into a reminder of the New Covenant established through His sacrifice. What stands out to you about Jesus’ words and actions? If you would like to study more of the context ahead of time, The Bible Project has excellent resources on Passover and the biblical covenants that provide helpful context for this week’s passage. We hope you will take a few minutes to explore them, and we invite you to join us this Sunday as we study God’s Word together. Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

  4. Jun 21

    Matthew #55: Proximity Doesn't Mean Transformation

    Matthew #55: Proximity Doesn't Mean Transformation (Matthew 26:1-16) Lawana Schreifer & Nate Prepelka Download Join us as Nate and Lawana continue in our study of the book of Matthew. Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

  5. Jun 14

    Matthew #54: Identifying With The Insignificant

    Matthew #54: Identifying With The Insignificant (Matthew 25:31-46) Janelle Greene (6/14/26) Download I once had a job where I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to be doing. Every time my boss walked into the room, I suddenly felt the need to look busy. The problem was that I wasn’t even sure whether what I was doing was close to what was actually expected of me. Maybe you’ve felt that way before. Have you ever wondered if you’re spending your time on the things that matter most? Have you ever wished someone would simply tell you exactly what was expected? I know someone who started a new job and never received any training. A few weeks in, some friends asked how things were going. He replied, “To be honest, I still have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing.” His friends were stunned and asked what he did all day. He said, “Well, I found a clipboard. Every now and then I walk around looking busy, and I make sure to walk somewhere with a sense of urgency.” As you might expect, he did not last long in that position. This Sunday, we will finish the final section of what is often called the Olivet Discourse. In these teachings, Jesus responds to His disciples’ questions about the fulfillment of God’s kingdom and His return. Interestingly, Jesus does not focus primarily on when these things will happen. Instead, He focuses on how His followers should live while they wait. Throughout this section of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has used parables to answer those questions. He has been showing His disciples that waiting for His return is not passive. It is a time of purposeful and faithful service. This Sunday, we will study the parable of the sheep and the goats. If you’ve ever wondered what our job is while we wait for his return, this passage offers some of the clearest answers in all of Scripture. It challenges us to examine our lives and ask a sobering question: If Jesus returned today, would my priorities line up with what Jesus has defined in scripture? We invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00 AM as we study Matthew 25:31–46 together and consider both what Jesus’ return will look like and what He calls us to do until that day. Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

  6. Jun 7

    Matthew #53: The Risk of Grace

    Matthew #53: The Risk of Grace (Matthew 25:14-30) Rob Woodrum (6/7/26) This week we’ll be reading a very familiar parable – what is often called “The Parable of the Talents”, in Matthew 25:14-30. As you read this story, remember that parables aren’t meant to be exact representations of God’s kingdom in all the details. Jesus said it is “like” this sort of thing. The most important element of this story to discern is just what Jesus meant the bags of silver to represent. Older translations call this money “talents”, which is a literal translation. A talent was Roman currency. We get our English word “talent” from this parable, interestingly enough. Do you think Jesus is talking about money? Probably not, since money is the image he’s employing. Do you think he’s talking about our skills though? What else do we know that God has entrusted to us, his subjects, to manage while our King isn’t presently seen? The element of investing the talents is intriguing to me. It carries the implication of risk-taking. What would taking risks with what God has entrusted to us look like in our lives? What would it look like in our churches? The third steward in this story seemed to speak respectfully to his master. But what do you think his actions actually revealed? Contrast the way the first two stewards interacted with the master and the third stewards assessment of what the master is like. What do you make of that contrast, if anything? Here’s a hint – how did the Pharisees understand God’s nature in contrast to Jesus’ revelation of God? We’ll have a lot to think about as we engage this passage on Sunday. I hope you can join us! Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

  7. May 31

    Matthew #52: Waiting For The Wedding

    Matthew #52: Waiting For The Wedding (Matthew 25:1-13) Rob Woodrum (5/31/26) It seems like every culture has a different approach to weddings and the rituals associated with them. This Sunday, as we continue our study in Matthew, we’ll be reading about the unusual wedding rituals of ancient Palestine as we study chapter 25:1-13. As you read the parable that Jesus tells, what do you believe the main point is?  How comfortable or uncomfortable are you with the topic of the end times? If you knew for sure that Jesus was going to return within the next hour, is there anything you would do differently? It’s interesting to note that both sets of girls fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom during a long delay. The only time the differences began to show up between them was when the alarm was sounded. One group was prepared, one was not. In what ways can we see to it that we are prepared for the reveal of Christ as King? I think this will be an interesting topic for our study – plus, we’ll be celebrating Communion – hope you can join us this Sunday at 10 AM! Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

  8. May 24

    Matthew #51 Faithfully Waiting

    Matthew #51: Faithfully Waiting (Matthew 24:36-51) Rob Woodrum (5/24/26) Download My wife and oldest daughter were in Chicago once, trying to navigate our way to my son’s house on the city’s train service. This was back before it became much easier and all on your phone – at that time we had to buy metro cards and load them with the proper amount for our trip. My daughter had gotten hers in order and had gone through the turnstiles, but my wife and I encountered a problem and the cards wouldn’t work. “Wait for us on that side, we’ll be there soon!” we shouted to her above the noise on the busy platform. We finally got things squared away, paying more than we probably needed to, inserted our cards and moved through the turnstiles to look for my daughter. She was nowhere to be found. We looked around, confused and feeling a bit panicked, when we heard a shout from behind us. There she was, back from where we had just come, on the other side of the turnstiles, smiling sheepishly. “I got tired of waiting and came to see if I could help.” she offered. Happily, she got through and we made it to our train…but just barely. It can be a frustrating thing when we’ve asked someone to wait for us, and they don’t do it or befuddle a plan by doing something extra. It can be a devastating thing if we fail to wait faithfully for Jesus when he told us to. This Sunday we’ll be reading Matthew 24:36-51 in our study of that Gospel. In our text, Jesus makes it as explicit as he can that nobody will know just when Jesus will return. It’s astonishing how many ignore that bit of Scripture. Jesus will use a few picture to emphasize the point. It will be like the days of Noah – everything going along as it always had until it doesn’t. Some will be swept away in judgement, others will remain behind in safety. The only difference, apparently, is their faithfulness in waiting. Then Jesus tells a parable to explain what faithful waiting looks like. What was the faithful servant doing when the landowner returned? How does that contrast with the unfaithful servant – what parts are common denominators in both their descriptions? What do you think we learn about the nature of faithfully waiting for Jesus to return? What might it entail in a real-life scenario? Hopefully we’ll be challenged and grow from our exploration of this text. We’ll have a missions update from Suzy Zechman about In Deed and Truth ministries as well! Hope you can join us! Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

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Teachings from Eastgate Christian Fellowship in Panama City Beach Florida

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