Sermon Podcasts

08/14/2022 – Peace or Division

What did Jesus mean when he said, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division,” what did he mean? Is it as simple as it sounds, or are there layers to the text that shed different light on this difficult saying? (Hint: it’s the second one!)

08/07/2022 – Snickers, Milk, and Hope

Our lectionary texts this morning are all about faith, but they are also about where faith is lived out… in an Already and Not Yet Kingdom. What can Snickers bars, communion, and NT Wright teach us about how to live this faith in a world full of both Beauty and Brokenness?

Watch this message on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/LqUlYc7d1no?t=1533

07/24/2022 – Peacekeepers to Peacemakers

Today we welcome back Dr. Donna Battle to share what it means to be peacemakers in a world where peace has never been achieved for many. She explores the misconceptions we tend to make based in Philippians 4. (Watch this message on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dJbHC5J7C8)

07/17/2022 – The Only Enemy Left

Today Pastor Greg shares about some of his personal struggles with anxiety and how *bad* religion actually contributed to that problem. Plus, he’ll be sharing his deepest, darkest secret from last week’s Higher Ground Adventure Camp! (Watch this message on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYLbkMjC20I&t=1474s)

07/10/2022 – When Religion Behaves Badly

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, we usually focus on the wounded man and the kindness of the Samaritan. But Jesus includes two other figures in his story — a Priest and a Levite — who fail to act as they should. The church today still has many moments where we fail to act as we ought. What should our response be? Stay compliantly? Leave defiantly? Or is there a third option? (Watch this message on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq0SfFEOmWE&t=494s)

07/03/2022 – The Initiator of Hope

Today we are privileged to welcome back Dr. Telika McCoy from Mt. Peace Baptist Church, preaching from the story of Namaan’s healing in 2 Kings 5, a message titled The Initiator of Hope. “Though 2022 presents social, political and economic challenges, God is able to keep us hopeful in challenging times. Are we looking to Jesus to heal the areas where we lack hope?” (Watch this message on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKPDQBXqZQ0&t=1692s)

06/26/2022 – When Freedoms Collide

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” At a conscious level, most of us desire the freedom Christ wants for us. But just underneath our knowing and awareness, we are absorbing and living out a distorted version of freedom. How are these two freedoms at odds?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_7N3Ho6uHc&t=1083s

06/19/2022 – “From Baptist to Anabaptist”

Ekklesia has long been a place of healing for wounded people. Sometimes even for wounded pastors. This Sunday, we have the privilege of hearing Pastor Josh’s story. A former Baptist pastor, he will be sharing his story about how pastoring in 2020 and 2021 changed his life. He and his wife, Rudy, and their 4 children have been worshiping with us since summer 2021. Following this Sunday, they move to Harrisonburg, VA, where Josh has accepted a new senior pastor role.

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VagWhxdT49s&t=1323s

06/19/2022 – Wisdom is Calling, but No One is Listening

If wisdom is calling on the heights and at the crossroads (Proverbs 8), and if the spirit of Christ is guiding us into all truth (John 16), it seems that no one is listening. No one is paying attention. None of us are being led. What can we do? How can we change? What will it take to help us better hear Wisdom’s call?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btle6zVDOKg&t=1419s