Eric Ludy Sermon Podcast: Church at Ellerslie

Most people are held hostage to the notion that their joy-o-meter is wholly dependent upon a good turn in life. In other words, if the circumstances are rotten, then so is the atmosphere of their inner man. Paul the Apostle taught something wholly opposite that earthly notion. He taught Christians in the first century to rejoice always, to give thanks in all things, and to sing and make melodies i...

As the old phrase goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” And it’s true. The greatest technological advancements usually coincide with the greatest world crises. How often the same thing appears true in our own lives. When things are easy, we tend to settle for a lower quality spiritual luster. But, when things amp up in difficulty, we often get intimate with our God, and quick. There is a p...

In a time when burdensome and disturbing news is flooding into the psyche of the Church, how is a believer supposed to respond? Is it our job to be aware of all the maniacal and deranged movements of the powers of darkness? Is this what God assigned us to do? Knowing how to govern the thought life is the essential skill of triumphant Christians. This all-important skill of “thought superintendence...

A.I. technology is exploding. As a result, the church is facing ethical questions that we have never faced before. Is it okay to use A.I. technology? Should there be boundaries to our use of A.I.? Should we as the church mount an opposition to it? Should we just shrug our shoulders and say "Que sera, sera”? This is a challenging matter and one that will likely not be solved in and through this one...

Is there a point in our spiritual growth where our initial leaps and bounds forward in Christ-honoring devotion become “progress enough” and we can finally quit with all the radical enthusiasm? Is it okay to leave the work of grace in our lives a bit half-baked, after all, we are so much further along than most? So many of us have subconsciously succumbed to the classic “slow down and take it easy...

Many of us are a far cry from being a “crazy yeller”. And to be quite frank, we would like to keep it that way. But, every single one of us should present ourselves before the Lord and say, “Lord, take my tongue and speak through me—even if I need to appear a bit crazy to the onlooking world.” When the world threatens to cancel us, or worse, kill us—there is a human propensity to self-protect, to...

They. We all know of the concept of “they” even though we often struggle to ever pin down who exactly “they” is. But, this we know: “They” is a powerful force at work in our world to counsel us, direct us, and intimidate us into heeding the code of cultural normalcy. It’s embarrassing to admit how successful “they” has been in this past decade in steering the Church of Jesus Christ. Especially sin...

Boxing and Christianity have a lot of similarities. They both demand similar strengths, similar perseverance, similar durability, and similar toughness. Both activities (boxing and Christianity) demand that you perform your challenging task with utmost precision while simultaneously being clobbered in the face. They are both extremely difficult. In fact, both are highly dangerous and even deadly....

Whether we ever speak it out loud, we tend to mutter inwardly to ourselves as believers about the all-out commitment our Savior demands of us. "Why so much?” We ponder. "Why can’t He just accept my pittance? Why must He require everything of me?" But, such inward questions only expose the frailty of our human perspective and uncover the deep lack in our spiritual fervor. For, against all logic, we...

Faith seems so reasonable when you are sitting in a chair in your Bible school class. In light of Who God is, what God has done, and what He has promised—it’s totally logical to exclaim, “I trust Him! He can do anything!” But, it’s a bit more difficult when you find yourself at the edge of the Red Sea, in the Valley of Elah with a giant boasting, or, as this message explains—at the tomb of a broth...

The Devil is very good at what he does. He is amazing at the art of compromising the Christian. And yet, as good as our enemy is at seducing and sabotaging us, God is even more skilled at making Christians overcomes. If we allow our God’s Truth to be our guide, victory is assured over the snazzy speedboats of the Devil.

The European landscape has experienced many battles, but no country has endured the trauma of war like the small country of Belgium. And in Belgium, it is arguable that the city of Liege has taken the brunt of it. Likewise, the landscape of Scripture has endured many controversies. But the little passage of Hebrews 6:4-6 has experienced more than maybe any other. This small little portion of Scrip...

In 1911 one of the worst fires in U.S. history took place in the Asch Building in New York City. The doors were locked on the 8th floor, so everyone on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floor of the building were stuck. One man, the foreman of the building, had the key, but he ran to save his own life. May we not be as the foreman in the Asch Building, holding the solution for the salvation of others, but ch...

Many Christians are seasoned veterans at whooping at their televisions when their team scores that winning touchdown. But few Christians these days are adept at whooping heavenward when God does His God-thing and saves the day down here on earth. We seem to leap and dance at nonsensical things that matter little in light of eternity and yet sparingly supply God the ardent appreciation He truly des...

Thirteen years ago, almost to the day, Eric delivered this message. It proved to be one of the most important messages in the formation of Ellerslie training and the Ellerslie church. With the Alumni in town this past week, Ellerslie has been strolling down Memory Lane. So, it seemed fitting to continue traversing Memory Lane all the way through Sunday morning. This is a fresh delivery of a life-i...

The Alumni Summit is finally here, and Ellerslie alumni, the world over, have arrived on campus. This week is always one of the most precious of the year and this particular year is sort of a retro-week at Ellerslie, where we go back to the first year of Ellerslie training and bring out of the mothballs some of the great classic messages that marked our beginnings. So, to kick off all the retro-fu...

In sword fighting, striking with the ricasso part of the blade would be deemed a novice maneuver and one sure to find little to no effect in stopping ones enemy. In fact, it may prove the last swing that novice swordsman ever swings. As believers, we are commissioned to wield a sword. But, what if we aren’t very good at it. After all, when you first pick up the Sword of the Spirit, excellence in h...

Being a Christian leader exposes you to things—things that are not always pleasant. But how one responds to these “unpleasant things” is key to the power and impact of the ministry. Jesus’ ministry was marked by gentleness. And it was with gentleness that Jesus responded to the unpleasant things in His own ministry while here. And, likewise, gentleness ought to be the response of every Christian l...

Water behaves in a bewildering fashion—in a way that is radically different than human behavior. It always goes to the lowest spot. Even if that spot is stinky, it will go there. Even if that spot is unseen, it will set its course for that hidden spot. And though this behavior is different than our instinctive human behavior, it is the precise way that God behaves. And it is God’s desire to plant...

The time has come for the Church to stop, consider, refresh, and re-approach this battle. Our old methods for American Christianity are rusty and must be swapped out for freshly oiled Heavenly weaponry. There is a better way to fight this fight, to win this war, and to see a generation awaken to the power of the Gospel. And that is by doing it God’s way. But, to do this Church thing God’s way, we...

Brumus was a dog—a very famous dog. He once roamed the halls of the White House and the Halls of Justice in Washington D.C. To the old governmental guard that had strict rules prohibiting animals, especially big smelly ones, from roaming the halls of American government, Brumus posed a serious dilemma. But, to the young radicals that were eager to bring a fresh wave of hope and humor to the beleag...

The Game of Chicken is a game typically played by rakish, foolish young boys that are old enough to have a driver’s license but young enough to still lack common sense. To win the Game of Chicken you must risk life itself. But, to lose this game, means to be called a “chicken”—and for most young boys, being called a “chicken” is simply not a digestible option. Like rakish, foolish young boys, the...

One of the most important building blocks in a strong and robust faith is knowing the unchanging nature of our God. Simply put, He doesn’t change. The world around us may prove fickle, but not our God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In order to enjoy a great relationship with God, a believer must get a clear grip on this beautiful truth.

God is in the business of making old things new. And His chief target for this masterful redemptive regenerative work is us. But, not all of us are as interested in new as He is. We tend to cling like Saran Wrap to the old. But, the Christian life is best understood and discovered when the old is forsaken and the new is embraced.

Oomph is a strange and fascinating word. Not only does it have an interesting onomatopoetic sound, but it is also toting around a deeply significant truth. The word “Oomph” has come to mean “exertion” or “strength invested into a task”—and that is an idea that is near absent in the modern Christian experience, but desperately in need of returning. Because Christianity that is worth its salt involv...