Greg Laurie: A New Beginning

The Lord tells us He’s not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Yes, God judges sinners but that’s not His desire. What’s our desire? When someone is in sin, do we reflect the Lord’s objective, that we should lovingly lead them back into fellowship with God? Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie takes us to important counsel from the Sermon on the Mount—the Lord’s directives to His disciples on matters of faith, love and harmony.

Listen on harvest.org

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Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all heard the phrase “it's the most wonderful time of the year.” But is it true? Not for some of us. That's why Pastor Greg Laurie's offering us a Christian perspective on how to make this holiday season a joyful one. Don't miss this valuable, encouraging message.

Notes 

There are more than 2,700 passages in the Bible containing words such as joy, happiness, pleasure, laughter, gladness, feasting, and celebration.

God Himself is happy.

Jesus said, “I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am.”

1. Remember the reason for the season.

Christmas is the celebration of the happiest message of all time.

The only real happiness you will find is in Christ, not in Christmas but in Christ, not in merriment but in the Messiah.

“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself because it is not there. There is no such thing.” —C. S. Lewis

2. If you want a happy holiday, spend time with loved ones.

There is power when God’s people pray with each other.

3. If you want a happy holiday, be grateful for what you have.

“In everything, give thanks for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus.” —1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” —Psalm 106:1

It is very easy to only want to give thanks when we feel like it; but according to Scripture, it is something the believer is to do regardless of circumstances.

The Two Most Important Moments in a Person’s Life:

When they are born and when they realize what they are born for.

4. Focus on giving instead of receiving this Christmas.

“It is more blessed to give than it is to receive.” —Acts 20:35

“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” —Proverbs 11:25

1. We give God our treasure. 
2. We give God our talent.
3. We give God our time.

Every morning, God deposits into your bank of time 86,400 seconds or 1,440 minutes, equaling 24 hours. 

Jesus’ summary of it all was, “Real life is not measured by how much we own; it is measured by who we know and what we do with our lives.”

1. Remember the reason for the season.
2. Spend time with loved ones.
3. Be grateful for what you have. 
4. Focus on giving instead of receiving this Christmas.

It’s not presents under a tree, but His presence in your life.

Scripture Referenced

John 15:11

Hebrews 10:24–25

Hebrews 13:15

2 Corinthians 9:7

2 Corinthians 9:8

Matthew 25:15

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Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org.

This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we're revisiting Pastor Greg Laurie’s substantial interview with bestselling author and speaker, Randy Alcorn. They discuss the celebration of Thanksgiving for every Christian, tackle questions about Heaven and eternity, and look at the topic of happiness in relation to the Christian life.

You’ll hear answers to questions such as:

• What do we actually have to be thankful for?
• What can Christians expect when they go to Heaven?
• Will we wear clothes in Heaven?
• Does belief in an afterlife change how we live today?

Randy reminds us, “If your hope is in yourself, or your hope is in the economy, or stock market and your retirement plan, and your hope is always being healthy or wealthy or whatever, those things are not a solid or firm foundation for hope. Jesus Christ is the source of hope.”

Randy Alcorn is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 books, including Heaven. He is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them.

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Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org.

This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Driving instructors often tell their students to look ahead on the road—don’t focus on the mailbox coming up on the right, or the approaching car on the left. If you focus on those dangers, you tend to steer that direction. On a spiritual level, we find similar advice in the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. And today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie highlights this time-tested counsel Jesus gives us about the worries and cares that keep us from focusing where we should: on Him.

Listen on harvest.org

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Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They say thousands of Thomas Edison’s early experiments initially failed, including finding the right filament for the practical electric light bulb. His friend said, what a shame, all that work and no results. Edison said, “I have gotten lots of results! I know several thousand things that won't work!" . . . How’s your life going? And how do you respond? Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie has good encouragement for anyone who’s facing tough challenges and feels like giving up.

Listen on harvest.org

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Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all had those unfortunate moments when we’ve said something we shouldn’t have. It’s a regrettable mistake. But today on A NEW BEGINNING, we’ll see there are also times when we should have said something and we didn’t. We’ll focus on the importance of expressing our thanks to God for His goodness. And we’ll see there’s a lot more to this issue than just good manners. Today, Pastor Greg Laurie points out how it’s a pathway to a closer and more rewarding relationship with Jesus Christ.

Listen on harvest.org

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Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lord tells us to cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us. It’s like we’ve come out of a department store with bags full of merchandise, and it’s hard to navigate our way through the parking lot. We drop this bag, then we drop that bag. We might even hear the sound of broken glass. The Lord shows up with a cart and says, I’ll take ‘em from here. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie points out how we can leave our burdens with the Lord. He’ll know what to do with them.

Listen on harvest.org

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Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there a subject you know a lot about? Maybe you’re a sports fan, or like history. Maybe you know all about songs on the radio, or you’re a bird watcher. When someone says something that’s inaccurate in your particular specialty, alarm bells go off in your mind: “nope, nope, nope.” Well, today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie says we should each be specialists in Scripture, and then when Satan tries to plant a thought that’s contrary to the Bible, right away we’ll say, “no, no, no.”

Listen on harvest.org

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Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bible tells us “faith without good deeds is useless” (James 2:20). We should not only be talk but action when it comes to our faith, and guest speaker Pastor Jonathan Laurie’s reminding us of that in this Sunday episode.

Notes

James is stating that merely saying you have faith does not mean you have it.

The sin of commission is knowing what is wrong and doing it anyway.

The sin of omission is knowing what is right and not doing it.

1. Dead Faith.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” —John 3:16

We are saved by grace through faith, not works.

But saving faith will have works.

2. Demonic Faith.

A faith that only stirs our hearts, stimulates our intellect, and does not bring forth a transformed life does not bear spiritual fruit—it is not a true faith.

3. Dynamic Faith.

Dynamic saving faith, to start with, is based on the Word of God.

“The whole person plays a part in true saving faith. The mind understands the truth; the heart desires the truth; and the will acts upon the truth. The men and women of faith named in Hebrews 11 were people of action: God spoke, and they obeyed.” —Warren Wiersbe

“Of what value is the grace I profess to receive if it does not dramatically change the way that I live. If it does not change the way that I live, it will never change my eternal destiny.” —C. H. Spurgeon

Scripture Referenced

Ephesians 2:8–10 (ESV)

Matthew 7:18–23 (ESV)

Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)

James 2:18–20 (ESV)

Revelation 12:12 (ESV)

Romans 10:17 (ESV)

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Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org.

This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Greg Laurie gives an update on the attendance and outcome of the SoCal Harvest at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, with over 210,000 in person and online attendance and over 8,600 professions of faith. 

Read the full recap here: https://harvest.org/resources/gregs-blog/post/2022-socal-harvest-recap/

What's next for Harvest Ministries?

Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon

Learn more: https://www.fathomevents.com/events/Johnny-Cash-the-Redemption-of-an-American-Icon

Jesus Revolution

Learn more: https://jesusrevolution.movie/ 

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Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org.

This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.