Austin Oaks Church

What can we learn from Buddy the Elf about Christmas? This week Brandon takes us to the end of the gospel of  Luke and Jesus's resurrection, bringing joy to his disciples and providing us with a living hope.

After Jesus's death, the disciples were distraught. Their hope seemed to be gone. But in Luke 24, we see Jesus back on the earth, encouraging his disciples to not only grow in their faith, but proclaim it to the world. Join us this week as Pastor Brandon shows us what we can learn from this story, as well as how it coincides with the Christmas season.

Jesus's death and resurrection lies at the heart of Christianity. But what's so important that we see in the middle of all the suffering? This week Josh highlights some of the things that God was doing under the surface through Jesus's death and how it all came to light in the resurrection.

In the middle of Jesus's crucifixion, Luke describes the reactions of a few different people. This week Pastor Chad highlights these responses and how we tend to do the same things today, and also what we can learn about this pivotal moment in history.

When is faith at its best? When is it at its worst? This week Brandon looks at the differences between Jesus's approach to suffering and how Peter dealt with it, and the restoration that is freely given in Christ.

As much as we hate to admit it, we have a problem with our memory. Sure, there are things we can do to drill ideas into heads so that we don't forget, but we have a tendency to let go of a lot more than we retain. At the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples to remember Him using the bread and wine, and this tradition has been carried down through the church ever since. Why is it important that we remember, and what does this say about Jesus? Join us this week as Pastor Brandon looks at what it means to remember Jesus and how it changes us.

It's easy to look around and get discouraged by everything that is going on. But what if God was at work in the things that trouble us the most? And how do we become a part of what God is doing? Join us this week as Pastor Brandon shows us the hope that we have in Jesus and the purpose He gives us.

As we return to the book of Luke, Josh takes us through the story of Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and highlights the claims that Jesus makes about Himself. If He truly is the King over all, what does that mean for you and me?

As we gathered together to testify to what God's doing at AOC, Pastor Brandon looks to the gospel of John to describe another story of life change in Joseph of Arimathea. You also get to hear from Dave and Jennifer Terry share about a few of the ways that God has been working in their lives and their challenge to the church.

What do you love? It's a big question that drives how you spend your time and resources. Does what you love, in turn, love you back? In 2 Corinthians God says that the "love of Christ" controls the Christian life, and that love is sacrificial, more than we could ever give. Join us this week as Pastor BJ unpacks how we live for God's glory with our lives.

At AOC, we want you to meet, know, and follow Jesus. But if you are a follower of Jesus, then what are you to do now? What does following Jesus look like? This week Pastor Brandon digs into Jesus’s mission for the church and how we are to develop disciples of all generations.

Sometimes its assumed that being "All in" for Jesus means that we're just doing all of the things that we think we should. But what if, in doing all of these things, we actually start to forget our purpose? What if we just start running on autopilot? What if our heart isn't really in it? This week we're looking at Jesus's message to the Ephesian church to remind us that the core of our faith has always been being loved by Jesus and then living out his love for others.

Here at Austin Oaks Church, we believe that God has given us a mission to fulfill that's much bigger than anything we can do on our own. This week Pastor Brandon explains what we believe God has created us to do, and also how we plan on accomplishing it--though we are small and insignificant in ourselves, we serve a great God who empowers us to do His will!

Pastor Brandon Zieske kicks off our new series "All In" with a look at the apostle Paul's testimony of what it means to follow Jesus. He didn't shy away from using some pretty strong metaphors in his day to describe what it is like to live as a follower of Christ, but he also promised that Jesus will reign victorious. Are you all in?

Sometimes it sneaks up on you little by little until you feel like an entirely different person. Other times its a fog you just can't seem to get away from. The church hasn't always been very good at addressing issues of anxiety and depression, but if you search for a bit, the Bible actually has a lot to say about times when we lose hope. This week Pastor Chad takes a candid look at depression; what causes it and how we can deal with it, all while recognizing the complex nature of who we are and what God says about us.

We all experience guilt in our lives. Sometimes it lies just beneath the surface of our lives, and other times it overflows into whole batch of bad habits and destructive behaviors. So how do we face the things that we've done, or even the things that have been done to us? Join us this week as Pastor Brandon shows us how faith holds on to what God says about us instead of relying on our own sinful tendencies.

This week marks the first message in our series "I'm (not) okay", a examination of mental health and what the Bible has to say about it. Today Pastor Brandon looks at the origins of shame and our tendency to hide from the things that we are ashamed of that we see in ourselves. If shame is a universal experience that leads us to damage our mental health, then what are we supposed to do with it?

The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most popular in all of the Bible, but what does it really mean to be a Prodigal? Is it right to call God a Prodigal? In what ways does He show us His prodigality? Join us this week as Pastor Brandon dives into this parable to show the depth of God's love for His sons and daughters.

One of the most foundational practices of the Christian life is prayer. But are we really as excited about prayer as we should be? Does it even do anything? If God already knows everything, then why do I have to pray? This week Pastor Brandon looks at Jesus's teaching on prayer in Luke 11 to see how we ought pray, and even more important, who is it that we are praying to.

If our purpose as the church is to make disciples, how are we to do that in everyday life? Well, join us this week as JJ Plasencio takes us to the parable of the sower and the seeds, and how it has impacted the way he speaks with others and shares the gospel.