Welcome to the Garden City Church podcast! We are a church led by Pastor Brad Ormonde Jr. and we exist to cultivate our faith in the fullness of God. For more information visit gardencitychurch.co Instagram - @gardencitychurch_ Twitter - @grdnctychrch
What if the greatest threat to your soul isn't what you know is false, but what you assume is true?In this message from Acts 13, we explore a powerful moment where spiritual deception is exposed, blind eyes are opened, and the unstoppable truth of the gospel breaks through. You will learn how God overcomes confusion with clarity, and resistance with grace.This sermon invites you to consider: Are your eyes open to the truth, or have you unknowingly settled for less than Christ?Join us as we see how God speaks through His Word, unites His church, confronts lies with the gospel, and awakens faith through grace.
In Acts 12, the early church prays earnestly for Peter's release from prison. But when God answers, they are stunned. They prayed but did they really believe? And what about us?This message explores how prayer is not meant to be a last resort but our first response. God still moves when His people pray. He opens doors no one can shut. He works in ways we do not expect.If your prayer life has grown cold, inconsistent, or small in expectation, this sermon will remind you that God listens, God acts, and sometimes He even surprises us.Come learn what it means to pray with boldness, believe with faith, and watch what only God can do.
We forget all kinds of things. Keys. Names. Tasks. Even why we walked into a room. But the most dangerous kind of forgetfulness is spiritual.In Luke 24, two disciples walked the road to Emmaus grieving a story they thought was over. Jesus had risen, but they forgot His presence, His Word, and the cross itself. And we are often just like them. We forget God when we are busy, when we fail, when we suffer, or when life does not go as expected.This message shows how forgetfulness reveals the condition of our hearts. But remembering the resurrection can restore our faith. Jesus meets us in our confusion. He walks with us in our disappointment. And He opens our eyes to see the truth of the gospel.If you have felt distant from God, if you have doubted His promises or overlooked the cross in your pain, this message is for you.Jesus is alive. The question is not if He is near but whether we are remembering Him.
Palm Sunday looks like a celebration on the surface. Crowds waving palm branches. Shouts of “Hosanna.” A King riding into the city. But underneath the cheers, something was broken.The people welcomed a version of Jesus they had created in their own image. They wanted a Savior who would fit their plans, not disrupt their lives. And when Jesus came not to take power but to lay it down, the crowd that cried “Blessed is He” quickly turned to “Crucify Him.”In this message from Luke 19, we explore the deeper problem with Palm Sunday and what it reveals about our own hearts today. Are we worshiping Jesus for who He truly is, or only for who we want Him to be?The King has come. The question is whether we will follow Him all the way to the cross and the resurrection life He offers.
You need the church, and the church needs you!When life gets busy or overwhelming it is easy to pull away from people. Even the people we need most. This is a call to show up. A call to build up. A call to walk through life with others in Christ. The Christian life was never meant to be isolated. We are called into a community where faith is strengthened, hope is renewed, and love is stirred.In this message, we look at why gathering matters. Why encouragement is not optional. And why your presence could be what someone else needs to keep going.
In this sermon from Colossians 3, we uncover the unsettling, glorious truth about forgiveness: that it is not optional for the follower of Christ. The apostle Paul doesn't call us to forgiveness as a therapeutic exercise or a moral nicety. He commands it as those chosen, holy, and dearly loved. Why? Because the gospel itself demands it. As Christ forgave you—so you also must forgive.We explore the radical call to forgive those who have wounded us deeply, not because they deserve it, but because we have been forgiven more. This is not cheap grace. It's cruciform grace—grace that bleeds, absorbs, and restores. Forgiveness is costly, but it is the currency of the kingdom.Join us as we walk through the theological weight, emotional challenge, and spiritual necessity of forgiveness. Discover how your unwillingness to forgive may be choking your spiritual vitality—and how embracing forgiveness may be the door to your own freedom.
Are you an encourager—or just a spectator?Most of us treat encouragement like a casual compliment—a nice extra, but not essential. But what if encouragement is actually a lifeline? What if the strength of the church depends on it?Romans 15 shows us that encouragement isn't optional—it's a command. It's the fuel that keeps the body of Christ moving forward. So why are so many Christians running on empty? Why do we hesitate to speak life into each other?In this message, we'll unpack Paul's radical call to build each other up, bear each other's burdens, and live in a way that makes people want to follow Jesus. Because in a world tearing people down, the church should be the loudest voice lifting them up.
In Galatians 6:1-2, Paul calls us to bear one another's burdens, not as a mere moral duty, but as a reflection of Christ Himself—the One who bore the heaviest burden of all, our sin. To carry another's weight is to display the gospel in action, fulfilling the law of Christ, the law of love.Are we willing to step into the struggle of another, even when it costs us? This message will challenge you to embrace the costly, grace-filled call of true Christian community.
Are you hiding the light God has given you? Guest speaker Tony Clark brings a powerful message from Matthew 5:14-16, calling us to boldly shine in a dark world. This sermon challenges you to step out of the shadows, live with conviction, and walk the illuminated path Christ has laid out, and call others to walk in it too. Don't miss this stirring call to let your faith shine for all to see!
What if the way we love others is the true measure of our faith? In John 13, Jesus gives His disciples a new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” But do we truly love like Jesus—sacrificially, unconditionally, and without expecting anything in return?In this sermon, we unpack the radical, self-giving love that Christ calls us to. This isn't just about kindness or tolerance—it's about a love that lays itself down. How do we live this out in our families, friendships, and even among those who are hard to love?Watch now and be challenged to step into a deeper, Christ-like love.
Most biblical teachings about hell come from Jesus. This doctrine, perhaps more than any other, can make even the most loyal believer contemplate its existence. Jesus warns that the ultimate condemnation from God is simple yet devastating: “depart from me.” Why is the worst fate simply to be away from God? In this sermon, you will discover the true meaning of hell and it's existence and how we can keep ourselves away from that eternal separation from God.
The ultimate aim of creation is for heaven and earth to fully overlap, bringing God's presence into every part of the universe. And Heaven seems to have this sort of mystery attached to it that is mostly unsolvable. But what does the Bible say about Heaven? Find out more from this sermon at Garden City Church.
Imagine a world where sin doe snot affect the things and people around you. The sin that started it all was the sin of autonomy from God. Can we really live a life away from God's rule in our life? We believe that if sin the problem than Christ is our only hope. Learn how to discover the hope of Christ in this sermon from Pastor Brad.
Have you ever wondered why you pray to God if he already knows what you're going to say? Prayer is more than just asking requests of God, it is about seeking His will for your life and having open communication with the one who created you. Prayer is our worship to God that reveals our trust in Him.
If our sin is not really an issue with God, then why did Jesus die on the cross? In this sermon, Pastor Brad shares some insight from the Garden of Eden that helps us understand how to deal with sin in our lives.
Have you ever doubted if your relationship to God was real? Is there so much sin in your life that you wonder how he could forgive you of it? Is there so much distraction around that you have lost sight of God? Be encouraged, you are not alone! The wrestling with God in your faith is a good sign that God is working in you! Learn from this sermon how to know if you are a genuine believer in God.
We all find ourselves in different places in life. Maybe you've come to a point in your life where you don't even know if you can trust what God says is true? Psalm 1 is a great place for you to start your contemplation and to seriously ask God and question God and watch how he responds.
Theology is not meant to scare us but to equip us. Theology simply means the “study of God.” How does theology affect my everyday life? Find out more from this series about how theology impacts our life and our relationship to God.
Can we admit that we are pretty good at seeing the pride in others but are reluctant to see the pride in ourselves? In this sermon, we learn what God does to confront our pride and to see how the gospel is able to change ANYONE!
The best way to grow in our faith can be summed up by one word: REMAIN. God's plan is revealed to God's people to experience God's power. Growing in our faith is not something to keep to ourselves but to share it with those around us.
In our life we tend to desire doing things our own way. Whether we struggle asking for help or we just don't want it, when it comes to God, His way is perfect which means that his way is better than our way. In this sermon, we discover how the Lord gets our attention to help us walk through life.
God works in mysterious ways and puts people in our path to help them see the wonders of God. In this sermon we discover how God used Philip to help the Ethiopian Eunuch learn about how to follow God.
We are so easy to believe anything we hear online these days. And sometimes we are easy to believe anything we hear about religion and Christianity. What does God actually mean when he says something in Scripture? Find out in this sermon how to discern what God actually meant by what he said.
History often repeats itself in more harmful ways than we imagine. But there is a history worth repeating itself and it's found in the book of Acts when Stephen (the first martyr of the church) was willing to lay down his life for God. Are you willing to lay down your life for God? Discover ways that you can actively live for God in a world with much pressure and persecution.
When a coach wants to make an adjustment in the game, he doesn't just talk to one person on the team, he gets the whole team together, even those on the bench, to take about strategy. Think of this sermon as God huddling us up to talk about our spiritual game-plan. Discover how to get in the game and be a vital part of the team.
When people come to faith in God do you consider that a miracle? In this sermon, we discover the truth behind how the Lord still does miracles in peoples lives.
Do you believe that God will keep his promises? Do you trust that God will do what he says he will do? Whether that gives you confidence to trust in God or makes you fearful of what secrets he may know about you, we can be sure that God desires and deserves our full attention.
Do politics have a place in the church today? Yes! But it may not be how you think. In this sermon, Pastor Brad unpacks what we should do about politics in our current cultural moment.For more about our church and ministry, visit: https://www.gardencity.church
Are you someone that likes to have control over your life? What if in fact, the better way to control your life was to give control over to God? Find out more about how you can put your complete trust in God to have a satisfying life.
Can we get closer to God by our own power or spiritual practices? Does God care more for those who do more for him? Discover how you can experience the presence of God in your life from this sermon at Garden City Church
Miracles are often doubted as to whether they were legitimate or not. Regardless of your belief about them, one thing is true...only God can do the impossible! Discover how a faith in God can reveal miracles you never knew were possible.
After you've listened to a sermon, the helpful thing to do is to ask yourself, “what should I do about it?”The power of a sermon should cause us to consider how to apply it to our everyday life. Discover how Peter's first sermon in the book of Acts is a great template for us to see the power of God at work through the preaching of God's word.
Have you ever been letdown before? Has someone made a promise only for them to break it? We've all experienced something like that before. But did you know that when God makes a promise, he ALWAYS keeps it? If you ever find yourself wondering about God keeping his word, listen to this sermon about how you can find satisfaction in God's promises to you.
Are you a planner? Do you like to schedule things out so you can prepare for them? We don't often know how things in life will play out but we can trust that God will be faithful to guide us through whatever comes our way.
It's difficult to admit that our plans don't always go the way we want them to. But the best option for us in that moment is to give it to God and watch what he can do with it. Have you submitted your plans to God? The best thing for you right now is to trust that God's ways are better than our own.
Are you willing to trust God's plan done in God's way? We often ask for God to move in our life but we may not always be aware that God might have other plans for us. And if he has other plans for us, we have to believe that they are for our good and for His glory!
In order to move forward in your relationship with God, you must look back on God's faithfulness through your life. In this sermon, discover how you can learn to lean into God's faithfulness to move you closer to Him.
What dictates your life- God or money? Join us as Pastor Brad Ormonde Jr. shares how Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters.
What do you seek first, your kingdom or the kingdom of God? Join us as Pastor Brad Ormonde Jr unfolds how seeking Gods kingdom will allow us to feel more at peace with our current situation, and know that God has never left our side.
Do you love creation more than the creator? Join us as Pastor Brad Ormonde Jr shows us how our hearts reveal what we truly love, and how we can come back to our first love.
We are sheep that walk astray, and we easily veer off the path that we are walking on. Join us as Pastor Brad Ormonde Jr shows us how Jesus is the perfect shepherd who guides us and leads us on the course we are to walk on.
Do you know if God is with you? Join us as Pastor Brad Ormonde Jr dives into the Christmas story revealing that God is with us and, even more, that God is for us.
Join us as Pastor Brad Ormonde Jr shares how becoming humble leads us to holiness.
Do you often wonder what God's will is for your life? Come learn about the power of God's word and the strength it possesses in our lives with Pastor Brad Ormonde Jr.
As Christmas approaches we find ourselves in a season of waiting. Do you find yourself holding on to God while in the silence of waiting, or do you find yourself anxious and impatient? Join us as Pastor Brad Ormonde Jr dives into the realities of having a posture of waiting.
Spiritual warfare is the battle between good and evil; between God and Satan. How do we win this war that is still ongoing? Find out more from today's sermon.
Parenting can be one of the most challenging things to navigate. Good thing for us, God gives clarity from Scripture on how to parent our children well.
In marriage, God has called the husband and wife to different, yet equal roles. How do we grow in our God-given role? Discover more about marriage and your role in becoming more like Jesus.
Living a spirit-filled life calls for a way of living unlike most people in the world. Are you sensitive to God's leading over your life or do you try and lead your own life?
You don't have to look very far in our world to realize there is chaos all over the place. How are Christians suppose to live with everything going on in the world? How can we live faithfully to God without compromising our beliefs?
Our beliefs testify to what we believe. Do your beliefs line up with the way that you act? I think we can all use some work on this area of our life. Find out more from Garden City Church.