Elm City Church Podcast

In the closing benediction of 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds us that the gospel creates a new family where people from every background are adopted into God’s household through the grace of Jesus Christ. As citizens of God’s Kingdom, we are called to live as a distinct community marked by the Father’s love, the Son’s grace, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit while faithfully serving the places whe...

In the closing verses of 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds us that the church’s greatest hope is not that people are perfect, but that God is still transforming imperfect people through His presence. The gospel gives us confidence that as we walk with Jesus, the Holy Spirit continues to form us into a community marked by joy, maturity, encouragement, unity, and peace.

In Romans 8:12–18, Paul teaches that through faith in Christ we are no longer slaves to fear but adopted children of God, called to live in the freedom, security, and hope of our new identity in His family.

In Acts 17:22–31, Paul teaches that our greatest spiritual problem is not a lack of spirituality but misplaced devotion, and that true life is found by turning our attention to the God who has made Himself known through Jesus Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul teaches that generosity is contagious, requires trust, and ultimately leads to worship. As believers step out in faith and give generously, God uses their generosity to meet needs, strengthen faith, and cause thanksgiving to overflow to Him. Generosity is not primarily about money—it is a response to the generous grace we have received through Jesus Christ, the gift too wo...

In 2 Corinthians 8:1–9, Paul shows us that true generosity flows from experiencing the grace of God. The Macedonian churches gave joyfully and sacrificially, not because they had abundance, but because God’s grace had transformed their hearts. Ultimately, Christian generosity is rooted in Jesus himself—though he was rich, he became poor for our sake so that we could become rich in him.

In 2 Corinthians 7:5–13, Paul explains the difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow. One leads to defensiveness, shame, and spiritual death; the other leads to repentance, healing, and life. The gospel frees us to honestly confront our sin because our failures are not our identity—through Jesus, repentance becomes the pathway to restoration and freedom.

This week, we’re diving into the book of Habakkuk and exploring one of the hardest parts of faith: what do we do when God’s answers don’t make sense? Habakkuk boldly brings his frustration, confusion, and pain directly to God, asking questions many of us have been afraid to pray out loud. Through this powerful conversation between a prophet and God, we’ll discover that God is not intimidated by ou...

In 2 Corinthians 6:3–13, Paul shows that pressure reveals what is truly inside of us. Following Jesus is impossible in our own strength, but the Holy Spirit produces in believers the love, joy, endurance, and integrity we could never manufacture ourselves. This passage ultimately points us to Jesus—the only one whose integrity remained perfect under pressure, and the one who now strengthens us to...

In 2 Corinthians 5:16–6:2, Paul shows how the Gospel changes everything. Through Jesus, we are made new and reconciled to God. We’re no longer living for ourselves—we’ve been sent as His ambassadors with the message of reconciliation. And that message carries urgency: the time to respond to God is now.

In 2 Corinthians 5:10–16, Paul shows us what truly drives the Christian life. He lives with an awareness that he will one day stand before Christ, and that eternity is at stake for others. But more than anything, his life is controlled by the love of Jesus. When we understand what Christ has done for us, we’re no longer living out of fear or pressure—we’re living from His love. And that changes ev...

In 2 Corinthians 5:1–10, Paul teaches that confidence in our eternal future, guaranteed by the Holy Spirit, frees us to live with purpose, hope, and trust in the present. If Christ has really been raised from the dead, then how we live in the now matters.

In John 21, we see that the resurrection doesn’t just prove Jesus’ power—it reveals His grace. Peter, who had failed Jesus in a defining moment, is restored not with shame, but with love. Jesus meets him in the very place of his failure and re-invites him to follow Him. Because of that, our failures don’t have the final word—Jesus does, and He continues to restore and call us forward.

In John 20:1–10, we see the first moments of Easter morning—confusion, investigation, and finally belief. The empty tomb and the evidence left behind point to the reality that Jesus truly rose from the dead, proving that His death paid for sin and that new life is available to all who believe. Because Jesus is alive, everything changes—and we are invited to respond by turning to Him and trusting i...

In John 13:1–17, Jesus shows us that true greatness looks like humble service. The King of Kings takes the place of a servant, pointing to the deeper reality that we must first be cleansed by Him before we can follow His example. When we understand how deeply we’ve been loved and served by Jesus, we are freed to serve others with the same humility and love.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7–18, Paul teaches that our weakness is part of God’s strategy, and that by fixing our eyes on Christ and eternity, we can endure present suffering with hope and purpose.

In 2 Corinthians 4:1–6, Paul reminds us that the gospel is powerful because it reveals the glory of Jesus. Some people reject the message because their hearts are spiritually blinded, but when God opens someone’s eyes, it’s like light shining into darkness. That’s why we don’t preach ourselves—we simply proclaim Jesus as Lord and trust God to transform lives.

In 2 Corinthians 3:7–18, Paul shows us that real spiritual transformation doesn’t come from trying harder but from beholding Jesus. When the barrier between us and God is removed through faith, the Holy Spirit gives us new life and begins changing us from the inside out as we fix our attention on Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 3:1–6, Paul teaches that true confidence does not come from human credentials or performance, but from the Spirit’s life-giving work — calling us to trust Christ rather than our own qualifications.

In 2 Corinthians 2:14–17, Paul shows us that Jesus is the victorious King, and that those captured by his grace now carry the gospel like a fragrance — life to some, death to others — calling each of us to respond.

This week in 2 Corinthians 2:5–11, we explore how the gospel shapes both discipline and forgiveness, showing that healthy confrontation protects the church, but true strength is seen when forgiven people extend forgiveness and move toward restoration.

This week in 2 Corinthians 1:12–20, we explore how disappointment with people can quietly shake our faith—and how Paul points us back to the unchanging truth that our hope isn’t anchored in human reliability, but in the faithful, never-wavering “Yes” of Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 1:3–11, Paul shows that God meets us in suffering with His presence, using our trials to comfort others and to move us from self-reliance to deeper dependence on Him.

This week in 2nd Corinthians 1:3–7, we explore how God meets us in suffering not with easy answers, but with his comforting presence, reminding us that real hope is found in the gospel of a Savior who suffered for us and walks with us through hardship.

This week we begin a new series in 2nd Corinthians, exploring how Paul’s opening words remind us that the gospel of Jesus brings real hope to messy lives and sustains God’s people as they follow him and seek to see his church take root in hard places.