Elm City Church Podcast

This week, we looked at what it means to pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” Jesus invites us to long for God’s reign and trust His desires above our own. Prayer becomes an act of surrender and participation—believing that God's best is better and choosing to live like it’s true.

This week, we reflected on how the Lord’s Prayer begins with intimacy and reverence. Jesus invites us to relate to God as our Father—and to remember His holy, unchanging character. How you approach God in prayer shapes how you live this life. Prayer starts not with asking, but with remembering who God is.

This week, we reflected on Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 6 about how not to pray—and how to pray. Prayer is not performance or persuasion, but a relationship rooted in faith and honesty. Rather than settling for a superficial or empty prayer life, listeners are invited to rediscover prayer as a deeply personal connection with God the Father.

This week, we explored Psalm 119 and how true spiritual life comes not from our own effort, but from God’s Word and power. Listeners are invited to join us this summer in reading through the NT as a community.

This week we kicked off our new series called “Rooted to Bear Fruit.” Psalm 1 invites us into a life rooted in God’s Word—one that bears lasting fruit even in difficult seasons. In this message, we explore how regularly engaging with Scripture is both a spiritual keystone habit and connects us to the source of true happiness.

This past Sunday we heard from Bill Hayes. Bill reminded us the truth that we are the object of God’s affection. In 1 Kings 19 we are told about how the prophet Elijah fell into deep despair right after he had experienced an incredible victory. There are going to be times in our lives when our emotions are not a solid indicator of our situation, and in those moments we need to cling to the truths...

On Sunday, we explored Acts 2:42-47, which vividly depicts the early church's community life. We witnessed how the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer, creating a foundation of unity, generosity, and support. This is a model for living as a faith community today. We were encouraged to assess our own commitment to these practices...

Acts 2:14–41 This week we looked at Peter’s first sermon in Acts 2 and how the Gospel speaks directly to our deepest longings for identity, belonging, and purpose. In Jesus and his Church, we find the best answers to our deepest questions and a solution to our greatest problem.

Acts 2:1–13 At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit transformed doubters into bold witnesses by filling them with His presence and enabling them to speak the Gospel in every person’s heart language. That same Spirit is still moving today—calling us to pray, speak, and take our next step in God’s missionl

In this message, Joe explores what it means to trust God in seasons of uncertainty. Just like the apostles in acts 2, even when the details are unknown, we are invited to faithful obedience—believing that the Spirit empowers us to live for the Gospel in the waiting moments of life. The call is to obediently trust God in moments of uncertainty.

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...

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 virtue...

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, e...

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...