Abundant Life Church Brookings

Grace can be like a puzzle. We think we know what the big picture is, but then God reveals another piece and we get an even better understanding of it. Here are a few of the puzzle pieces of Grace we have been learning:1) We live by grace; we aren't just saved by grace.2) Grace doesn't include ifs and buts.3) We are sons, not servants.4) We receive, not just ask.5) We are cross-conscious, not sin-conscious.6) We experience the living word in addition to the written word.7) We have received Christ's righteousness and are a new creation.

Matthew 7:24-27 presents two choices on which to build our lives: rock or sand. The foundation on which you build your life is critical - only a life built on the Word of God will stand. What else does Abundant Life believe is foundational?

In this first sermon in the Back to Basics Series, Pastor Joe reminds us of the basics of Abundant Life Church.Theme Verse: John 10:10... I have come so you may have life... and life more abundantly...Purpose: Romans 1:12... When we get together... I want to encourage you in your faith... but I also want to be encouraged by yours...Vision: Find Family. Find Jesus. Find Grace.Mission: We build relationships that rally around each other; fostering a safe, genuine, and loving environment; thru teaching and applying the Gospel of Grace.

In the final installment of this mini-series, Pastor Joe addresses the question "How do we receive what is already ours?" Sometimes we struggle to receive because we feel as though we don't deserve the good things God has for us or we try to complicate receiving. Learn what types of things we need to receive from God as well as practical examples of how to receive them.

Three extremely powerful words - Hear. Believe. Receive.How do we know what to believe? It starts with asking ourselves what we are hearing. We see both in the Bible and in our own lives that when we hear something about ourselves and then believe it, we will eventually become it - good or bad. This powerful message reminds us that it is important to hear God's voice and believe that above everything else!

In this first installment of the mini-series, "Hear. Believe. Receive.", Pastor Joe introduces why hearing - specifically, hearing the good news about Jesus Christ - has the power to change your life. Listen to this message to hear what the Bible says about salvation, marriage, sex, abortion, wisdom, money, health, worry/fear, and you.

Are you familiar with Charles Dickens' 1843 story, "A Christmas Carol"? Pastor Joe makes parallels to the classic story when he explains our past, present, and future in Christ.The Spirit of Christmas Past cries out to you that you cannot be separated from God by sin. The sacrifice of Jesus changed that.The Spirit of Christmas Present cries out to you that you are not who you used to be. You are a new creation. The Spirit of Christmas Future cries out for us to start living under the blessings in the New Covenant.

During this special Christmas Eve Service, Pastor Joe points us to the gift that the world has been waiting for – Jesus Christ. Jesus is the culmination of our entire Christmas Story. We ask ourselves: How do we know that this story is true? What do we do with this story? Who do we share it with?

In TV shows, generally we start to see lots of re-runs around the Holidays. This message from Pastor Joe is a re-run of previous messages in the "Christmas Cast of Characters" sermon series. Pastor Joe recaps on things we have learned from Joseph the "Reluctant Dad", Mary the "Humble Mom", and the "Wise Guys".

In this message, Pastor Joe talks about the wise men in the Christmas Story. How many wise guys were there? When did they come to Jesus? What is the significance of the gifts they brought? How does God get wisdom to us? All this and more are answered in this message from Pastor Joe.

This week we cast Mary the mother of the Messiah, in the role of "The Humble Mom". In this message Pastor Joe discusses the life of Mary and her role in the Christmas story. He shares about why Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus and why she was favored by God. 

In the Christmas story, there are many characters. Almost all the main characters in the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth have lines, but one does not: Joseph, the reluctant dad. What can we learn from this silent character? A lot, it seems. This righteous man, one of the first people to know of God’s plan to save the world, plays a larger role than we sometimes give him credit for.

Miracles do happen, but delayed harvests are more common. Sometimes we run into the "I want what I want when I want it" disease. Jesus spoke in parables not to help people understand, but to hide things from people who didn't have a heart for God. Pastor Joe breaks down Jesus' parable about seeds on different types of soil in order to help us better prepare the soil of our hearts to produce a bountiful harvest.

Here's what we know: Harvests only come when we plant seed, and harvests only come through rest and trust by remaining in Christ.That brings us to our next question: Are harvests immediate or do they take time? How does forgiveness play into harvests? Why do miracles begin with the gospel? This message brings light to some tough questions about harvests. 

This week, Pastor Joe continues the discussion on things that may be preventing us from receiving a harvest. Who is in control of the earth? Is it God? Do we really have free will? Is God sovereign? Find out how these questions relate to blocked harvests in this message from Pastor Joe.

This week, Pastor Joe discusses two things that may be preventing us from receiving a harvest.  As God's children, we have a supernatural inheritance that the world doesn't have. God wants you to prosper, however, harvests of prosperity can be blocked. Lack of knowledge and unbelief are two ways harvests can be blocked. Jesus wants to move us from the natural to the supernatural. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, supernatural harvests happen.  

Impossible harvests are only possible when we believe God’s word. Learn about consuming God’s Word, believing God’s Word, speaking God’s Word, and how they all work together to produce a harvest. Pastor Joe speaks about three simple truths: 1) Harvest is near to those who are near to God’s Word. 2) Word brings light to darkness. 3) Word is seed and supernatural harvest is the fruit. What harvest are you believing for?

We live in a physical world in physical bodies… but at the same time, the spiritual world is also real. If we rely on just our physical senses to live, our supernatural harvest will be limited. What does it look like to live a life operating in the supernatural? Let’s see what the Bible has to say!

God wants to do something great in your life! Are you excited to receive that harvest from Him? How does your harvest come? How do the logos and the rhema word work together? What does the rhema word have to do with breakthrough? What should we do while we wait for our harvest? Pastor Joe answers all these questions and more.

What is the difference between the hope of the world and the hope of the Word? The hope of the world is empty, but when the Word of God is planted as a seed, it has the ability to produce unbelievable harvests in our lives. How does hope play into this? How does faith play into this? Let this message change your life as you consider where you put your hope!