Elm City Church Podcast

God doesn't wait for perfect faith to call us—He uses ordinary, hesitant people who make themselves available and obedient. This message unpacks how doubt and discipleship often walk hand-in-hand, and how obedience is often the first step toward deeper faith.

This week, we looked at one of the most personal post-resurrection encounters between Jesus and Peter (John 21:1-19). Around a familiar charcoal fire—the same smell that once reminded Peter of his greatest failure—Jesus offered restoration instead of rejection. Peter's internal soundtrack had been one of shame and regret, but Jesus rewrote it with grace and a renewed calling: “Follow me.”

Have you ever wondered if Christianity is just too good to be true? This week's message, Blessed are the Doubters: Believe!, explored that very question through the story of Thomas in John 20:19–31. Just like people today fall for scams by not asking questions, we're reminded that healthy doubt can actually lead us closer to the truth. The Bible doesn't shame our questions—it welcomes them. Jesus offered real evidence to Thomas and gently invited him to believe.

Have you ever felt like God wasn't meeting your expectations? You're not alone! The story of Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus is a beautiful reminder of how Jesus meets us in our moments of doubt and disappointment.

This Easter, we looked at the unbelievable news of the empty tomb in Luke 24 and the angel's question: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” The resurrection invites us into a living faith, remembering Jesus' words and taking the leap of trust toward Him.

In this week's message, we saw how Jesus entered Jerusalem not just as a good teacher, but as the long-awaited King who came to rescue and restore. In this message from Luke 19:28–40, Joe McGarvey challenges us to answer the most important question: Who is Jesus to you?

This week we wrapped up our Malachi series by looking at the two responses to God's message in Malachi 3:13–4:6—one of rejection, the other of faithful obedience. The difference between judgment and joy comes down to this: Have you truly heard God's word—and are you responding to it?

This week we unpack Malachi 3:6–12 and the connection between our giving and our spiritual health. Discover why generosity isn't about obligation, but a joyful response to God's unchanging grace. 

In the 4th message in our Malachi series we looked at Malachi 2:17–3:6 and the tension we feel when life seems unfair and God seems distant. Discover why it's actually good news that God isn't fair—and how His mercy, justice, and refining love meet us at the cross.

In the third installment of our Malachi series we see how spiritual apathy leads to moral compromise, and in Malachi 2:10-16, God confronts Israel's unfaithfulness in both their worship and relationships. True faithfulness to God is reflected in how we treat others, and through Christ, we find both the grace to repent and the strength to live with integrity.

In this week's message, we focused on the idea that the journey, or "the means," is just as important as the outcome. Transformation in Christ is a process that requires setting our minds on things above, letting go of earthly desires, and actively renewing our character. In Colossians 3:1-15, Paul urges believers to put to death sinful behaviors and instead clothe themselves with virtues like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Growth occurs during the process of following Christ, not only in reaching an end goal.

In our second message in Malachi we see how authentic worship is giving God our best, not our leftovers. God, through Maachi, rebuked the priests for dishonoring God with worthless sacrifices, and we must evaluate whether we are doing the same today.

In this opening message of the Malachi series, we see how Malachi is a prophetic call to renewal aimed at a spiritually apathetic people. Through Malachi's confrontational yet hopeful message, we're challenged to examine our devotion, recognize God's unchanging love, and return to wholehearted worship.

This week in our Everybody Plays series, we looked at Jesus washing his disciples feet it John 13. In doing this, Jesus flips the script on leadership by choosing a towel over a position of honor, calling us to serve one another just as He served us. His actions towards us are what empower us to live out the “One Another” commands found in the New Testament. Discover what it means to truly love, encourage, and care for one another—and why in the church, Everybody Plays.

In the second week of our “Everybody Plays” series we looked at 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 and unpacked how God's work of reconciliation transforms us into new creations and restores us as his beloved children. As ambassadors for Christ, we are called to actively participate in His mission, sharing the message of reconciliation with others. In the church there are no spectators, everybody plays. Fueled by gratitude for God's love, we embrace our unique gifts to live for Him and make His good news known to the community around us.

This week we started a new series by focusing on the question, “What is the purpose of the church?” When you don't have clarity on the main thing it is easy to get sidetracked by focusing on things that are not central. This week's message highlighted the three purposes of the church: 1. The worship and glory of God, 2. To equip, encourage, and care for believers, and 3. To share the Gospel with the world. The church is not a building or a service, it is the called out people of God. We are called out to be active participants in the mission of the church. Everyone has a role to play in fulfilling the church's purpose, and a healthy church is a church where “everybody plays.”

In Matthew 2 we see three distinct responses to Jesus. Herod was hostile, the religious leaders were indifferent, and the magi responded with devotion. As we start 2025 you are invited to reflect on this question, “how am I currently responding to Jesus?” The invitation of the passage is to respond to Jesus in the same way the magi did and bring him gifts that are truly fit for a king.

In this week's message, we follow up on the birth of Christ and gain insight into what unfolded after Jesus' arrival. In Luke 2, we see how patience plays a role in the journey of following Christ and how Jesus' redemptive role demonstrates the joy and hope His presence brings to those who are faithful to God.

In part four of our Christmas Stories we take a look at the birth of John the Baptist and the Zechariah's song that follows. Two big connected themes emerge from our passage: God's covenant faithfulness and his mercy. God's mercy is the fundamental basis for his actions and God always keeps his promises, often in unexpected and surprising ways. Listen in and learn how you can experience this good news.

The third message in our Christmas Stories series explores the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth in Luke 1, highlighting the reversal of status as Elizabeth honors Mary, and emphasizing the theme of joy in serving Jesus. We are invited to place our faith in Jesus as a response to God's unfolding plan of redemption and encouraged to embrace the joy of serving and doing hard things for God.

Luke 1:26-28This week in our "Christmas Stories" series, we explored the Annunciation narrative from Luke. All throughout Luke's narratives we see that God always keeps his promises, often in unexpected and surprising ways. This message invites you  to make the story of Jesus—His crucifixion and resurrection—the central defining story of your life and to respond to God's offer of salvation.

The sermon delved into how God enters our story, often in unexpected ways, and invites us to be part of His greater narrative. We examined the cultural context of shame and honor in biblical times, and how God worked through Zechariah and Elizabeth's situation to not only answer their prayers but also to advance His redemptive plan. This narrative reminds us that God sees value in what the world may deem shameful, and He can transform our areas of pain and suffering into something beautiful and purposeful.

In the final Part of our Practicing the Way Series, we explore the vital role of community and spiritual friendships within Christianity. He emphasizes our instinctual need for authentic connections, highlighting the increasing loneliness amplified by social media. Through scripture and personal testimony, McGarvey illustrates how deep, vulnerable relationships can transform lives and enhance spiritual growth. He invites viewers to find hope in Jesus Christ and engage actively in a faith community, which he views as essential for overcoming loneliness and personal brokenness.

In part 7 of our Practicing the Way Series we explored the teaching of Jesus in John 15:1-11, emphasizing the importance of aligning our life's aim with Jesus as the true target we need to aim in order to experience lasting joy. Albie introduced the concept of a “Rule of Life”, a structured approach to spiritual growth that can act as a spiritual trellis to help us remain connected to Jesus and bear fruit.

In part six of our “Practicing the Way” series we looked at the link between confession and healing from sin. Jesus has both forgiveness and healing on offer. In a world where we are all impacted by sin, either sin done by us, to us, or around us, we are all people in regular need of forgiveness and healing. Confession is God's great gift to us and allows us to access through the power of the Gospel the forgiveness and cleansing we need.

In part five of our “Practicing the Way” series we explore what it means to meet God in our pain and suffering. Most people's instinctive response to pain is to deny it, detach from it, or to drug it. We see in the example of Jesus that we can instead bring our pain to God and encounter his presence in the midst of our pain.

In part four of our “Practicing the Way” series we explore the practices, or the spiritual disciplines of Jesus. The practices of Jesus create the TIME and SPACE needed for us to encounter the PRESENCE and POWER of God so we can be transformed from the inside out.

Jesus once said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but every student when he is fully traine`d will be like his teacher.” If the call of the Christian life is to become like our teacher Jesus, how do we do that? Listen in as we discuss the process the New Testament gives us for becoming more like Jesus.

In part three of our "Practicing the Way" series, we continue to explore the concept of spiritual formation and how followers of Jesus are continually shaped by their habits, relationships, and environments.

In part two of our "Practicing the Way" series, we explore the concept of spiritual formation and how followers of Jesus are continually shaped by their habits, relationships, and environments. Although many things change immediately upon following Jesus, much of our transformation takes time and requires intentionality and cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Listen in and be challenged to reflect on the way the world is shaping you and how this impacts our discipleship to Jesus. 

What does it mean to become a disciple of Jesus? Often when the Gospel is presented it tells people how to BECOME a Christian and leaves out Jesus' instructions on how to BE a Christian. Listen in as we explore what it means to say yes to Jesus' invitation of “follow me.”

Our theme for 2024 is “Knowing Jesus and Making Him Known.” Listen in as we talk about how the invitation of Jesus is an invitation to a relationship and a task. This is the invitation that Jesus is still offering to us all. Finally we introduced our “40 Days of Courage” where everyone is encouraged to take steps of courage in sharing Jesus over the next 40 days. Our motto for the next 40 days is going to be, “Do it scared.”

Did you know new churches reach 10x's as many new people as existing churches? Multiplication is costly but it's worth it. Listen in as we talk about the cost and the importance of planting River Valley Church in Walpole, NH. 

2 Timothy 2:9-22 Followers of Jesus are called to be “saints together.” Listen in as we finish up our series going through 2nd Timothy and see why the cost of community is worth it. The life of Paul also shows us that even when our community lets us down we can be comforted by the God who will never leave us nor forsake us.

When all is said and done will you be proud of what you have accomplished with your life? Reflecting on his life the Apostle Paul says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” LIsten in as we explore how a life spent serving Jesus rather than living for ourselves is the path to the meaningful life we all want to life. 

Listen in as we explore Paul's final charge to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-6, emphasizing the urgency and seriousness of preaching God's Word. Remember how high the stakes are when it comes to our faith and the importance of sharing the Gospel message with passion and patience.

Tune in for a message from Jeff Ebert from 2 Timothy called "Your Spiritual GPS"

2 Timothy 2:22-26 We spend so much of our lives trying to figure out what we are going to do with our lives. More important than what you do however is who you are becoming. In 2 Timothy 2:22-26 Paul gives Timothy five actions in helping him follow Jesus. They are flee, pursue, avoid, be, and trust. Listen in and see how these actions still apply to us today.

Have you ever found yourself incredibly busy yet wondering if you're accomplishing anything meaningful? In this message we are reminded that  the church's primary mission is to make disciples. A key component of doing that is rightly handling God's Word. Listen in as we explore not  only the importance of teaching God's word accurately, but also the danger of false teaching.

This week we looked at 2 Timothy 2:8-14 and saw that those who remember what God has done and cultivate the memory of his great work on their behalf will live for his glory. There is a direct link between our understanding and remembrance of what God has done for us and our passion in living for him.

Join us as we look at  2 Timothy 2:3-7, examining Paul's metaphors of the soldier, athlete, and farmer that illustrate the sacrifices and rewards of following Jesus. Discover why Jesus is worthy of our devotion and why every struggle in His service is truly worth it.

Tune in as Steve talks about the Golden Rule from Matthew 7:12

Join us as Paul discusses "The Primer Prayer" from Matthew 6:9-13

Tune in for a message from Dan Syvertsen from Psalm 143 called "Look Up Child"

Tune in for a Father's Day Message about how a Father's job is to teach, give guidance, and give and be an example.

2 Timothy 2:1-7So often the Christian life can feel like being asked to do things you can't do. Listen in as we talk about how through the power of God's grace, God makes us who we are not. Paul's call to Timothy to “be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” is the same call that goes out to us. 

2 Timothy 1:8-14 What is the gospel and what is our responsibility to it? Tune in and find out! 

Do you ever find yourself anxious and afraid to let others know you are a Christian or to stand for the Gospel? Listen in to our teaching on 2 Timothy 1:8-10 as we explore how to be confident in the Gospel. 

2 Timothy 1:1-7 So often we settle for something far short of what Jesus has on offer. Listen in this week as we explore the fullness of life on offer in Jesus.

This past Sunday we looked at the background of 2 Timothy and learned about Timothy's story. Timothy was greatly impacted by the message of the Gospel, the power behind the Gospel, and the conviction of the Gospel messenger. God's call is still going out to Timothy's today.