Eric Ludy Sermon Podcast: Church at Ellerslie

The Christian life asks us to give up being a “somebody” and become a "nobody”. As a “somebody” there are certain jobs that we would never choose, want, or desire. However, strangely, as a “nobody” our tastes change, and suddenly we find ourselves craving the jobs that the “somebodies” reject. And these very tasks become the jobs that the “nobodies” all want. This message explores the missionary work of one of Eric’s favorite missionaries to Papua New Guinea (Hint: it’s not Stanley Dale) and demonstrates the true, world-altering power of being one of “Christ’s nobodies”.

The fear of the Lord seems strangely absent from the Church these days. A cavalier, loose, and even sloppy attitude has replaced the reverence and the healthy trembling amongst the saints. Every now and again it is good for those of us that call ourselves believers to visit the idea of God’s Holy Presence in order to freshly sober our meditations and sharpen our worship. Our God is a loving, kind, and gentle God, but He is also Holy, Holy, Holy. And these seemingly contradictory attributes, when taken at face value, actually work to reveal the grandeur of our God in such a beautiful and profound way to our souls.

Who is Jesus? Is He merely a good godly man or is He, in fact, God Almighty? The answer to that weighty question is everything to the life of a believer. Did the life of Jesus begin in the womb of Mary or, as the Scriptures boldly proclaim, is His life from of old and from everlasting? When Jesus asked Peter, “But, who do you say that I am?” It’s critical that each of us run smack into the frankness of that very question and wrestle until we realize His true awesomeness and can answer along with the apostle, “You are the Christ!”

A storm has the potential to go one of two ways. It could bring devastation and destruction or it could bring life-giving moisture. The key to turning the storm—even the most fiendish of storms—is to remember that our Lord is the Superintendent over all storms, and He is very capable of bringing life out of every bit of bluster. This is a message about seeing God take our personal bluster and turn it into a beautiful portrayal of His goodness and grace.

So many of us throw up pathetically bland and prosaic prayers into the heavenlies—prayers that massively underestimate the power and ability of God to save, to act, and to do. God is the God of the Impossible, but we often times mix Him up with ourselves, and presume that He would prefer to work in the realm of the simple, easy, and predictable. But God loves big faith. He loves it when believers actually believe that He will do big things for those that ask big things of Him. Let’s join with Elisha in saying, “I want double!”

This message unpacks the theological mindset that the missionaries of this past century shared that led them to radical givenness and great risk on the mission field. And it’s a mindset that, for the most part, is no longer present in the modern Church. Simply put, the mindset was, “Bring back the King!”

We are commanded to remember God's works. However, remembering is not a passive activity, but a very active one. We must labor to remember. We must discipline our mind to hold on to the wondrous works of God.

The God we serve is not random, He is not capricious. In fact, the Scriptures declare Him to be unchanging—always the same! But, if He truly IS always the same, what is He like? Because, whatever He is like—He will ALWAYS be that way. This message explores the nature of our God that is unbendable, unbreakable, unalterable, and inviolable. Oh, and is also, astoundingly wonderful!

Eric has been hitting on the theme of courage and bravery time again over this past year. And here he goes again. This is a powerfully practical message about “taking courage” in the midst of the harrowing and heart-stopping moments of life. "Playing the Man" doesn’t mean gritting and growling in your own natural manpower—it means allowing the courage of The Man, Jesus, to function as your courage in response to every curve ball life pitches your way.

As Believers, we are in the midst of a battle and we have an enemy that is seeking to devour us. And this is why it is imperative that we don’t just have a faith that is adept with the doctrines of Christianity, but one that is triumphant in the Person of Christianity—Jesus Christ. It can be easy to grow lazy in our souls and be lulled to sleep by the coziness of earthly comforts. But Christianity is active engagement in the art of total dependence on the Living God—and that’s how we stay alert in this battle and win this thing.

The Christian life is supposed to be all about Jesus. This message reminds us about the North Star of the Scriptures and shows us how to set our life compass as believers.

The Christian life is an abundant life, but that abundance is only found when the believer relinquishes everything in order to get it. The Cross is the starting point on the grand journey toward the wealth of the Kingdom, and yet, the Cross is a place of “giving up everything” and “surrendering all.” The yearning to hold on to the riches of this world, and the refusal to let the personal riches go, have proven to be the two soul actions most responsible for hindering the forward movement of faith. This message explores this critical aspect of spiritual momentum and shows the brilliance of entrusting everything to God.

There are two ways to build a house. One is with human ingenuity, human strength, and human determination. The other is with God-ingenuity, God-strength, and God-determination. Psalm 127:1 makes it clear that all house-building labor done in the human mode is vain. None of us wishes to waste our best energies on something that doesn’t hold eternal significance. And when you translate this same house-building truth to home-building, it becomes especially crucial. Because when it comes to something as sacred and precious as family — we really REALLY want to build it right. 

There appear to be two seats in which the Christian can choose to sit. One of them, like the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden, promises limitless earthly fulfillment while simultaneously accusing God of being a big bummer for prohibiting access to it. Psalm 1:1 describes this first seat as the “Seat of the Scornful”. But, there is another seat. And this second seat is a heavenly seat. And when we choose it over the first seat, God promises to indubitably supply all the fulfillment that He created us to discover. However, the glory of this second seat is only found when we let go of all the world’s promises of fleshly satisfaction derived from sitting in the first seat. And it is over this key decision in each of our lives that the spiritual realms wage their great war. NOTE: We apologize for the sound issues in this episode. We almost didn't post this message due to sizable problems in the first 18 minutes. But, after trimming off the first 18 minutes, we felt like it was clear enough to still work as a solid, edifying message.

Jesus declared that just as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so also would Jesus be a sign to His generation (Luke 11:29-30). This message explores the meaning of the unique phrase, “The Sign of Jonah” and unpacks how this sign works in bringing people unto a dynamic faith. 

Inconvenience is something that, as humans, we specialize in avoiding at all costs. And yet, the entire make-up of the Christian life is based upon not just being available to God-orchestrated inconvenience, but wholeheartedly embracing these amazing grace-endowed inconveniences. For in the lustrous folds of these challenges, weights, financial drains and directional detours is the rich consolation of Heaven. 

Many Christians are stuck in “observation-mode” and have a difficulty putting their Christian beliefs into actual practice. They stay seated in the very moment that standing up is most needed. Action-mode is the operationally successful position to have the Christian life in. But, action, in and of itself, doesn’t lead to success. In fact, action absent the love of Christ can wholly undermine the Kingdom cause just as much as non-action can. It is action governed by love that changes the world. So, though getting up out of our seat is an important start, finishing the “rising up” action with love is essential. Are we ready for our Oscar Moment? 

It is our human instinct to people-please. And some of us are more vulnerable to this strange phenomenon than others. But it is NOT our human instinct to God-please. Yet it essential for every believer to access the grace to rise above the pressures of the lowercase “t” they and learn to live for the pleasure of the capital “T” They. We are supposed to be avid, love-driven, grace empowered God-pleasers. 

This message functions as both a Sunday sermon and the very first episode in Eric Ludy’s spring Daily Thunder series, entitled Becoming Brave, that explores the mechanical construct of spiritual and moral bravery. This initial episode enunciates the biblical foundation for living with heavenly courage in a world gone wrong. To hear the other episodes in this series visit https://ellerslie.com/daily/.

Why is it that someone can doctrinally understand something out of the Bible, and yet, not seem to be able to grasp that truth in their own personal life? This is a more common problem than most people realize. However, there is an elixir for this strange phenomenon. This message refers to this elixir as, “the personal touch”. It is essential that a student of The Word of God have that the Text personalized to their understanding so that the Bible becomes living to them.

Our human propensity is to pick the seat of honor. But Jesus came to save us from our natural propensities and to establish a new and altogether different behavior pattern in our lives. And in this new Kingdom behavior pattern, He intends to, not just convince us of the value of the low seat, but also empower us to select it . . . every time.

Waiting is hard, but it is the thoroughfare through which God brings blessing and beauty into our life. So many of us lose the lustre and the wonder that comes through waiting well, because we drain it through complaint, through frustration, and through self-pity. But, when we wait, as God has asked us to wait, the blessing that comes is always more than worth the challenge inherent in the waiting process.

Weakness is deemed by many as the arch-nemesis of happiness. Most of us would go to great lengths to avoid it at all costs. But in God’s system, earthly weakness (of any kind) is a catalyst to the formation of heavenly strength. And when the believer finally grips this fact, they can begin to take pleasure in this weakness, instead of fight it, beg it to go away, and waste its virtue through complaining. To rightly appropriate the power of weakness is one of the cardinal secrets of a successful Christian life.

To get the fullness out of your cereal-eating experience, you need to be a man or woman of quick action. If you don’t act in the short window supplied after the milk touches the flakes, the soggy soupy saucy stuff follows. The similarities between cereal eating and following Jesus are profound, and many of us have approached our obedience to Jesus as if it doesn’t matter how long it takes us to act. But, like cereal, there is a window of time when grace for action is being supplied. Let’s learn, as the Body of Christ, to take advantage of that window and not be the Soggy Cereal Man.

The human tongue, untamed and unharnessed, is a dangerous thing and is the leading cause of much of the heartache this world currently endures. But as James chapter three states, “Who can tame the tongue?’ The Christian has an answer to that question. God can tame the human tongue. And the Christian's tongue is supposed to demonstrate this fact. The Christian boasts a new tongue set free by the saving power of Christ’s work on the Cross. But, the question is, how many Christians today are are wielding this redeemed tongue to speak words that heal, supply hope, and offer heaven’s invite? 

The pop-culture of our day prizes exposure and being noticed. One of the key ideas behind any successful business venture is the marketing plan, and strangely this same notion has crept into the idea of a successful life. It is deemed wise and judicious to "make a name for yourself" and broadcast “you” to the world. Social media is grounded in this entire mentality. But, Christianity is built on a completely opposite premise. It’s built on something known as “the secret place”. It’s founded upon the notion of giving up the approval, the applause, and the support of this world and hiding your life in Jesus Christ in order to make His Name known.

Guff is a fun word to say, but it's not a fun thing to have in your life. The Devil brings guff into our lives and its imperative that we know what to do with guff. Many of us just accept guff as if it were a necessary trial in our lives. But guff must be resisted, it must be opposed, for it is designed to diminish, disturb, and derange the purposes of Christ in this earth. Guff labors to steal the territory that God promised to us and it tries to convince us that God never intended us to have that territory in the first place. We must respond by belligerently declaring, "No more of this guff!"

Eric Ludy shares a message from his heart about fatherhood only hours after receiving word that his father had passed away. This is a great reminder of the beauty, impact, and profundity of a life well-lived.

Often times believers get frustrated by the fact that there seems to be no power in their lives. They believe the right things, esteem good theology, and even ponder the beauty of the Truth, but their lives don’t evidence that beauty of the truth in their daily lives. They speak of the importance of love, gentleness, joy, forgiveness, and purity, and yet their daily behavior doesn’t bear witness of these heavenly attributes. So much of this shortfall stems back to the issue of readiness in the believer’s life. A farmer doesn’t just reap a crop that he doesn’t plant. And he can’t effectively plant seeds for a crop in a field that he doesn’t first till. Why should we be shocked by the absence of a crop when we didn’t first invest the effort of a farmer into readying the soil for success? 

Almost every mechanical device, to keep working properly, must be cleaned often and recalibrated to make sure it is functioning at an optimum level and supplying optimum readings. The soul of the Christian is no different. As believers we can often focus on the fact that we are doing “right” and, as a result, miss the fact that there is something “more right” that should be done — this is where spiritual recalibration comes in. 

A film crew is the closest thing I have ever seen to the Biblical function of the Body of Christ. A film crew all works on the same project, all playing unique roles in that project, and labors together as one unit to accomplish something that individually could never be achieved. May the profound function of the Body of Christ once again return to the stage of time and may it work to produce an epic picture of the glory of our King. 

Spirit-built relationships are one of the crowning jewels of a God’s constructed life. But, Kingdom friendships are often surprisingly different from earthly friendships — their focus is different, their expectations are different, and their function is different, because their purpose is different.

The Church is currently attempting to survive its challenges instead of attempting to drive its challenges. To "survive our challenges" we try and avoid them at all costs. To "drive our challenges" we audaciously turn all our difficulties into greater strength. Much of the Church is currently in a state of paralysis. But, as the Body of Christ, this is our hour for action and forward movement. The Kembu Vam is the symbol of the power of the enemy. If we truly and genuinely believe our God to have defeated the powers of Hell, then let’s prove it by flipping into the Kembu Vam. 

In this short address, Eric Ludy adds some helpful thoughts to his series on the Vaccine — bringing even more clarity to how we as the Body of Christ can walk through this unique situation and stand united throughout. 

There come moments in history when you must choose a side. Are you with Christ or are you with this world? There also are moments in history when the decisions for the Church may not seem as critical and dire, but the decisions made in those times define trajectory, and therefore, represent the difference between spiritual obsolescence or spiritual power. Right now, the Church is in the latter “moment” and we must choose to upgrade our game and not remain static. We cannot remain as we are and continue forward with any degree of influence. We must shift into a higher gear — we must take this battle more seriously. For the WWII buffs amongst us, we must transition from a “Chamberlain" mindset to a “Churchill" mindset. 

The western Church is facing a sizable challenge—a challenge that could easily split us as a body right down the middle. The question of the vaccine seems like such an odd intrusion into our world and decision-making. But, alas, here it is. Many believers got the vaccine right when it was released. Others, waited, hesitated, watched, evaluated, and then decided to get it. And there are still others that feel strongly that they should never get it, even if it means the loss of their job. And some would say, even to the loss of their life. An issue with this much packed inside it, needs strong Biblical direction and counsel. This message represents the third time Eric Ludy has approached the challenging topic. His desire? To help the Body of Christ stay united in and through this and that the individual members of the Body understand “how” to make decisions of life-importance that bear upon both their conscience and the conscience of others around them.  

The enemy works through intimidation. But the Church mustn’t fall for his ancient schemes. This is the hour for the Church to freshly remember the strong tower in which they dwell and to freshly realize that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer to nullifying the power of the enemies scare tactics. It is time for the Church to shine, not shudder.  

The vaccine matter is a bigger challenge in the Church than many people these days realize. And that is due to the fact that, for many, it’s not a matter of mere preference to get it or not get, but of conviction. Conviction is a word that, when used in that context, denotes “backed by conscience” not only by reason. And when men and women have “conviction” it makes working alongside other believers, that don’t share the same conviction, very difficult. There are two distinct groups forming on this subject of the vaccine, even within the church. And it is essential that the Body of Christ not allow a two-group system to prevail. We as the Body of Christ must labor to find unity in what really matters and not allow the Devil and the culture to play us like a banjo.  

This particular sermon serves a dual purpose as both a Sunday sermon offered at The Church at Ellerslie as well as an installment (the 13th) in Eric Ludy’s epic fall Daily Thunder series entitled, Daring to Do as Stanley Dale. This powerful series about the bold missionary ventures into Irian Jaya (Papua New Guinea) back in the mid-twentieth century and is sure to deeply stir those that listen. In this episode he explores the rough beginnings of the man, Stanley Albert Dale. And then he demonstrates how that very “roughness,” that nearly suffocated Stanley in his childhood, was the very same “roughness” that worked a very real wonder, glory, and awe forever in the hearts of the tribal inhabitants of the Dark Mountains of Irian Jaya in the 1960’s. 

This message is doubling as both Eric Ludy’s Sunday sermon and the ninth installment in his epic fall Daily Thunder series  entitled, Daring to Do as Stanley Dale. In this particular episode he investigates the astounding spiritual courage and boldness of men and women of God throughout these past 100 years. The series title, Daring to Do as Stanley Dale begins to really take shape in and through this particular message. The time is now for the Church to regain its ancient moxie. For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/. If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/

This message is doubling as both a Sunday morning sermon for the Church at Ellerslie and the fifth episode in Eric Ludy’s epic fall Daily Thunder series, entitled Daring to Do as Stanley Dale, drawing on the boldness and bravery of the fearless missionary ventures to Irian Jaya (Papua New Guinea) during the twenty-five years from WW2 up until the massive harvest of souls in the 1960’s. In this episode he unpacks the extraordinary providence of God as shown both throughout Biblical history and in Christian missionary history throughout the past 2,000 years. Using the story of famed missionaries Don and Carol Richardson and their work in the 1960’s with the head-hunting Sawi people as his muse for this message, he showcases the awe-striking way God works to provide light for a people that are seemingly lost in total darkness. It is deeply moving and truly astounding.

This message is a celebratory mixture of the 700th Daily Thunder episode, The Ellerslie Sunday sermon, and the kick-off day for our Fall 2021 5-week training. This is also the very first episode in Eric Ludy’s epic fall Daily Thunder series, entitled “Daring to Do as Stanley Dale”. This series draws on the boldness and bravery of the fearless missionary ventures to Irian Jaya (Papua New Guinea) during the thirty-five years from WW2 up until the massive harvest of souls in the late 1960’s and 70’s. In this episode he explores the way God intentionally builds His men and women for the key swings in history — the key moments in the grand story.  But, God doesn’t just build His heroes to share the Gospel Truth, but He also prepares the lost to respond to the Gospel Truth.

Dogs have a special way of revealing to us dimensions of the Kingdom of Heaven that are hard to comprehend otherwise. One of those heavenly qualities that dogs uniquely demonstrate to us is that of doggedness. The word “dogged” is very apropos for what dogs demonstrate. They don’t give up easily. They stand loyal in the darkest hour. They don’t measure their companionship based on the ease of the journey. And even when standing faithful would mean suffering, they stand steadfast by their master. It’s truly remarkable. But, the reason they demonstrate these astounding qualities is in order that we might be stirred by the Spirit of God to say, “Lord, make me dogged, just like that!” 

The message of freedom in Christ Jesus has fallen out of favor in the modern Church system. The argument is that "freedom in Christ" is a promise bigger than God can deliver. Such a conclusion is the death knell of Christian vitality. When the Church of Jesus Christ begins putting greater faith in the power of the Devil to hold us in bondage to sin than in the power of Jesus Christ to set us free from it’s hold — darkness will reign, not only in our individual lives, but, in the world about us. There is a simple message delivered to us in and through the Scriptures: Jesus has come to set us at liberty from the power of Hell. We are no longer slaves to sin, but, rather, we our Christ’s freemen privileged to now serve Him as love-motivated bondservants.   

The American Church seems prone to melting in the day of battle instead of rising up strong and courageous. The work of the Cross supplies us an incredible resolution, a stability of the inner man to take bold steps forward into the fog and difficulty of the spiritual war. Every Christian should crave the substance of this message in their soul and should go after it as a miner would pursue gold. 

In a generation actively engaged in reappraising the value of everything based on cultural correctness and personal whim, is it possible to know the actual value of anything? For instance, is a puddle of water as precious as a human being? Whose to say? Especially if the one answering the question happened to be really REALLY thirsty. When we move away from the standard of Truth (the Bible) and allow for the cloudy perspective and ever-changing emotions of man to determine right from wrong, we lose sight of some very important things. The value of Life being at the very top of the list. 

As Christians, is it possible to know for certain that we are “in the faith”, or not? Paul exhorts us to “examine ourselves” to this very end — but what does such an examination look like? The book of 1st John supplies an amazing test for the Christian to help solve this riddle. However, the words of 1st John are so simple and clear that they can prove a strange obstacle to the maturing Christian. In this message, Eric Ludy takes a deep dive into John's words from 1st John with the singular agenda of making very simple what, to many of us, has become a very complex question — Am I a  genuine Christian or not? 

The entire Bible is a battleground. But there are certain spots within the text that find themselves in a constant state of war and confusion. The city of Liege, Belgium is like this in and throughout war history — it seems to have a particular knack for finding its ways into the annals of war. And the passage in Hebrews 6:4-6 is like Liège. This passage of Scripture has led to many skirmishes and many stumblings of the saints of God throughout the ages. Satan hates Scripture, but he will often quote this passage, in hopes that it will cause the children of God to lose sight of the grand mercy of Heaven. But, we as the Church mustn’t be played by our adversary. We must remember His mercy! And we must allow this very Scripture to help us see His amazing mercy even more clearly! 

According to Scripture our bodies have been bought with a price and they are no longer ours. Technically speaking, they belong to Jesus Christ. But many of us still attempt to live as if this is our life, our talents, our time, and our prerogative. The story of Jonathan in the Old Testament demonstrates this same tension of ownership and right. For Jonathan is the heir apparent to the throne of Saul. But God has rejected Saul and given his throne to a “Better Man”.  Will Jonathan try and hold on to his father’s throne or will he yield it to the one who rightfully deserves it? This is the question being asked of each of us. 

We are in the midst of a spiritual battle. Even the theologically dubious seem to have been won over to this reality in this past year. There is an enemy and he desires the destruction of the Church. But, praise God, the enemy doesn’t just get everything he desires. God has supplied weaponry to His saints and equipped them for every good work. In fact, IF the Church of Jesus Christ heeds the war strategy laid out for us in the Scriptures, then there is no weapon fashioned against us that will prosper, for greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. 2,000 years ago something amazing transpired at the Cross, and IF we would freshly remember this grand work of grace and learn to wield it as, if it were in fact, weaponry, then the enemy of our souls will be exposed as the defeated foe that he actually is.