What is the Church, and who is it really for?
In this message, Ps Ely unpacks what it means to belong to God’s family through the stories of Lydia, the slave girl, and the jailer in Acts 16. From a wealthy fashion mogul to a freed slave to a hardened soldier, the Gospel brings together people who could not be more different, and calls them one family.
Discover how faith isn’t meant to be lived alone, why “good intentions don’t replace God’s instructions,” and how belonging to God’s family means both access and mission.
📖 Scripture: Acts 16 | Ephesians 2:19–22
🎯 Theme: Belonging > Fitting In
🗝️ Key Line: “You don’t join God’s family, you’re adopted into it.”
Part 1 of our new series “One Day in November”
We all know someone who’s said, “One day I’ll go to church,” or “One day I’ll get my life together.”
In this first message, Ely MacGregor shares from John 4, where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well — in the heat of the day, in the middle of her mess — and reveals Himself as the only source of living water.
This message reminds us that the Gospel isn’t complex, but it is confronting — and that Jesus meets us right where we are, offering what nothing else can: Himself.
Whether you’ve been walking with God for years or you’re just curious about faith, this episode is an invitation to make “one day” become today.
🕊️ Listen, reflect, and share it with someone who’s been saying, “one day.”
#BelongChurch #OneDayInNovember #OneDayOneName #FaithPodcast #MelbourneChurch #JesusIsEnough
📖 Nehemiah 7–13 | Part 3 of “Belong: Brick by Brick”
In the final part of the Belong: Brick by Brick series, Ps. Ely unpacks the powerful moment in Nehemiah when the walls were finished, but God’s real work was just beginning.
After a season of building and battling, Israel steps into a new season, from striving to thriving. It’s here that God begins to shape identity, restore joy, and call His people into community and celebration.
Through stories, humour, and heart, Ps. Ely reminds us that:
“The walls stop things from getting in, but what’s built on the inside determines what flows out.”
Discover what it means to move from security to sanctification, from projects to people, and from ruins to revival, as we learn that the joy of the Lord really is our strength.
In Part 2 of our Belong: Brick by Brick series, Ps Ely unpacks Nehemiah 3–6: a story of faith, focus, and perseverance. When we put our hands to work and keep our hearts to God, He empowers ordinary people to build extraordinary things. From worshipers with wheelbarrows to miracles in 52 days, this message will stir your faith to keep building, even when opposition comes.
This week we kicked off our new series Belong: Brick by Brick with a message called “Burdens & Blueprints.”
Before Nehemiah ever picked up a brick, he picked up a burden. When he heard the walls of Jerusalem were broken, his heart broke too — and that heartbreak became the start of God’s plan.
In this message, we look at how God gives us holy burdens, how prayer becomes the blueprint for rebuilding what’s broken, and how He still turns pain into purpose today. 💛
#BelongChurch #BrickByBrick #FaithInAction #Nehemiah #ChristianPodcast #PurposeInThePain
In Part 2 of our Gospel series, Fahtima unpacks Jesus’ parable of the seed and the soil (Matthew 13:1–23). God’s Word is living seed, planted in our hearts, but its growth depends on the condition of the soil. Some hearts are hardened, some shallow, some distracted, but those who nurture good soil see a harvest of thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold. This message challenges us to tend the soil of our hearts, remain rooted in God’s Word, and live fruitfully so others can encounter the hope and power of the Gospel.
Tags/Keywords: Gospel, Parable of the Sower, Seed and Soil, Fruitful Heart, Jesus, Christian Living, Belong Church
In Part 1 of our Gospel series, Ely unpacks the timeless message of the “Roman Road” (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9) and why the Gospel is truly good news. Whether you’re exploring faith for the first time or need a fresh reminder as a believer, this message brings us back to the beauty and simplicity of what Jesus has done: we’ve all sinned, but through Christ’s death and resurrection we are offered the free gift of eternal life. The Gospel is not just where we start, it’s what we stand in, what saves us, and what continues to transform us today.
Tags/Keywords: Gospel, Roman Road, Salvation, Jesus Christ, Good News, Faith, Christian Living, Belong Church
In the final message of our Miracles in the Middle series, Pastor Fahtima shares from Mark 5, where two lives collide with Jesus in desperate moments, Jairus, a synagogue leader whose 12-year-old daughter was dying, and a woman who had suffered for 12 years with an incurable condition. Both find that position, wealth, or effort cannot save them, only Jesus can. This message explores the tension between position and posture, the test of delay that strengthens our faith, and the greater miracle of Jesus restoring humanity back to God. Discover how your faith can position you for purpose, even in the middle of struggle, waiting, or desperation.
Tags / Keywords:Miracles in the Middle, Positioned for Purpose, Mark 5, Jairus’ daughter, bleeding woman, faith in the waiting, Jesus restores, miracle of healing, delay is not denial, faith posture, trusting God, wholeness in Christ, redemption story, Christian encouragement, Bible teaching, Belong Church, Pastor Fahtima, Melbourne church podcast, miracles today, hope in Jesus
Zacchaeus climbed a tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus, but what he didn’t know was that Jesus was already looking for him. In Part 3 of Miracles in the Middle, Pastor Ely unpacks Luke 19:1–10, showing how repentance isn’t about fear but about invitation Jesus calling us to hurry down so He can come right into the middle of our lives. Discover how true repentance brings joy, how Jesus restores our identity as sons and daughters, and how the miracle in the middle is often the transformation of our hearts.
When the crowd blocked every way in, four friends refused to give up. They carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus, even if it meant breaking through a roof. In Part 2 of Miracles in the Middle, Pastor Ely unpacks Mark 2:1–12 and shows how sometimes we have to push through the unfamiliar, the uncomfortable, and even the impossible to get to the middle where Jesus is. Discover how persistent faith, bold friendship, and creative determination can open the way for miracles.
In the first message of our Miracles in the Middle series, Pastor Ely unpacks the story of Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14). When the disciples found themselves in the middle of a storm, Jesus didn’t calm the waves from the shore, He came to them, walking on what threatened to sink them. In this message, you’ll discover that storms don’t mean you’re out of God’s will, that faith often moves before the waves settle, and that the safest place isn’t the boat, it’s being close to Jesus.
Whether you’re facing fear, uncertainty, or opposition, this message will encourage you to step out, trust Him, and find the miracle in your own middle moment.
Tags / Keywords:
Jesus walking on water, Matthew 14, miracles in the middle, faith in the storm, trusting God, overcoming fear, stepping out in faith, Peter walks on water, Christian encouragement, Bible teaching, spiritual growth, discipleship, church podcast, Belong Church, Pastor Ely, Melbourne church, Christian sermon, hope in hard times, God’s presence in trials, miracle stories, storms of life, following Jesus
In this episode, we explore one of the most important questions of our time: What is real? What is true? Where am I heading in life?
Drawing from John 14:6 where Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” we unpack how much of what we value in the Western world, human dignity, compassion, education, even modern science, flows from the life and teachings of Jesus.
We also look at how our culture has shifted into a “moral universe of one,” and why returning to the radical truth of Jesus offers freedom, clarity, and hope.
💡 Whether you’re new to faith, hurt by religion, or longing for something real, this conversation will remind you:
👉 Jesus is not just an idea, He is the Truth.
👉 He invites you to stop searching in yourself or culture for what only He can give.
👉 “If you’re looking for answers, direction, truth, and freedom… all of these are found in Me.”
In this powerful closing message of the Intimacy with God series, Fahtima unpacks the life-changing truth that prayer and worship are not religious rituals, but sacred pathways to intimacy with God.
Discover how prayer realigns our hearts, leads us to surrender, and strengthens our dependence on God. Learn how worship transforms atmospheres, renews our perspective, and becomes a weapon of faith.
With practical insights, personal stories, full scripture references, and soul-stirring encouragement, this message will help you build a life rooted in communion with God—where your heart can be fully known, fully loved, and continually transformed.
“Prayer isn’t ritual—it’s relational.”
🔖 Tags:
#Prayer #Worship #Faith #ChristianLiving #Jesus #BibleTeaching #SpiritualGrowth #HolySpirit #ChurchPodcast #Devotional #ChristianPodcast #BelongChurch #Sermon #SoakingPrayer #WorshipLifestyle #Scripture #Encouragement #IntimacyWithGod #PodcastMinistry #PrayerLife
In this powerful and honest message, Pastor Ely unpacks what it means to truly put God first, not just in belief, but in action. Teaching from John 6 and Matthew 13, he explores the cost and the beauty of sacrifice, focusing on two biblical practices: fasting and finances.
You’ll hear real stories, personal challenges, and practical teaching about how these spiritual disciplines lead us to a deeper intimacy with God.
💡 “God cannot fill any vessel that is not willing to be emptied.”
Whether you’re new to following Jesus or want to realign your priorities, this episode will encourage you to let go of the fluff, and pursue what truly matters.
📄 Fasting Resource: Biblical instructions on fasting
💰 Tithing Resource: Biblical instructions on tithes and offerings
Feel free to share this episode with a friend 🧍♂🧍♀You can find out more about us at the following:
📱 Follow us on Instagram @belongchurchmelbourne
📘 Facebook: belongchurchmelbourne
🌐 Website + Resources: belongchurchmelbourne.com
Tags:
Belong Church, Christian podcast, Intimacy with God, Fasting, Tithing, Spiritual disciplines, Surrender, Sacrifice, Discipleship, Putting God first, Faith and finances, Jesus over everything, Church teaching, Practical Christianity, Biblical living
In part two of our Intimacy with God series, we dive into what it truly means to surrender, not just to believe, but to follow. Drawing from Luke 9:23–25, Hebrews 12, and 2 Timothy 3, this message challenges us to lay down the burdens we were never asked to carry.
Ely shares candid stories and real talk about trading cultural Christianity for Kingdom obedience. From the crosses of guilt, shame, and people-pleasing to the cross Jesus actually invites us to pick up daily, this sermon is a wake-up call for anyone feeling weighed down or stuck in the cycle of doing more.
Because following Jesus is not about performance, it’s about surrender.
And when you follow Him with the right cross, you walk lighter, not heavier.
🔖 Tags: Surrender to Jesus, Pick Up Your Cross, Intimacy with God, Christian Growth, Discipleship, Spiritual Formation, Faith not Comfort, Word of God, Following Jesus, Belong Church, Christian Podcast
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Title: Being Left on Read?
Scripture: Hebrews 12:1–3, Genesis 32:22–31
What do you do when it feels like God saw your prayer… but didn’t respond?
In this powerful Christian message on trusting God in silence, we explore what it means to follow Jesus when heaven seems quiet. Drawing from Hebrews 12, we’re reminded to run with endurance, lay aside every weight, and fix our eyes on Jesus, even when the answers don't come right away.
Through the story of Jacob in Genesis 32, we see that sometimes God does His deepest work when He says nothing. He doesn’t give an explanation. He shows up to wrestle.
You might feel like you have been left on read. If you're in a season of waiting, frustration, or spiritual dryness, this message will speak directly to your heart. It’s not about striving harder; it’s about holding on to the finished work of Jesus and trusting His timing.
🔑 Topics Covered:
What to do when God feels silent
Why endurance matters in the middle
How wrestling leads to transformation
The quiet place where God marks you
Trusting that Jesus has already finished the work
🔖 Tags: Christian encouragement, waiting on God, faith through trials, spiritual silence, God’s timing, Bible-based preaching, trust in Jesus, inspirational sermons, sermon on Hebrews 12, Jacob wrestling with God.
Feel free to share this episode with a friend 🧍♂️🧍♀️You can find out more about us at the following: