River’s Edge Church

God has recently led a small group from our church to start dreaming about planting a church in Portland, Maine. This is their story so far. 

The end goal of God's redeeming work in creation is the New Heavens and New Earth. But those actually aren't the last words of Scripture. The Bible ends by emphasizing that Jesus is in fact coming "soon." But is Jesus actually coming soon? And how are we supposed to live in light of his return?

As the book of Revelation comes to an end, we get a glimpse of our eternal future: a new heavens and new earth. But how should this future shape the way we think about life in the present? 

As we near the final chapters of the book of Revelation, the confusion of the middle chapters is quickly replaced by clarity. Chapter 20 tells us that Christ will return in judgment, to wipe evil off the face of the map and bring salvation to the earth. But what is the nature of this judgment and how should we live in light of it? 

As we near the end of the book of Revelation we encounter an odd paragraph about a 1,000 year reign of Christ. Debate surrounding this single paragraph is as old as the text itself. But how should we interpret this paragraph, and why does it matter?  Join us as we explore three options. 

Few things confuse us more than Revelation chapters 6-19. Within them seven seals are broken, seven trumpets are blown, and seven bowls of wrath are poured out on the earth. But what is the point of all of these judgments are disasters? What did they communicate to their original audience? And how should they shape the way we live today.

As John's vision progresses we are introduced to another symbolic critique of the Roman Empire: Babylon the Prostitute. But how is this element of Roman rule different than the Beast of chapter 12? And how should it shape the way that we live day in and day out?

Ray Lowe shares from the heart on excelling the grace of giving. Money is one of the great idols of our culture, but the Scriptures have a ton to say about it, and the early church longed to excel in the grace of giving as they operated under God's blessing.

As John's vision progresses, he is given 7 separate messages for 7 real churches in Asia Minor. These messages are for them (and for the church universal) but one of the many things they reveal is that Jesus is alive and well, and He walks among His churches. 

As the intense narrative of Revelation unfolds we are introduced to the "unholy trinity": the dragon and his two beasts. The beast, the mark of the beast, and the number of the beast (666) have been the subject of endless speculation in recent decades. But who was the beast in the eyes of its first century readers? And how should that shape how we live today?

After the centering vision of the Lamb on the Throne, John witnesses the Lamb open 7 seals. 7 trumpets, 7 signs, and 7 bowls of wrath follow in an intense narrative which spans from chapter 6 to chapter 20. But along the way there are several breaks in the narrative, in which "signs" help unlock the meaning behind all the happens in the book. Chapter 12 is one of the signs, in which all of creatio...

After receiving 7 messages for the 7 churches, John is then ushered into a heavenly realm in which he witnesses the centering vision of the entire book of Revelation: the Lamb on the Throne. 

Revelation is likely the most controversial and dangerous book in all of the Bible. But we want to start our series by asking a simple question: What is Revelation? And how should the genre completely shape our experience in this book? 

As we set our sights on the year ahead, we believe that God is bringing us into a “new era” as a church, and one of the things that will mark this new era is that more "church" will happen outside of Sundays. One of the avenues we expect God to use powerfully in all this is the missional community. 

As we set our sights on the year ahead, we believe that God is bringing us into a “new era” as a church, and one of the things that will mark this new era is that God will increasingly capture our hearts for unreached people both here and abroad. 

As we set our sights on the year ahead, we believe that God is bringing us into a “new era” as a church, and one of the things that will mark this new era is that God is leading us to be a Kingdom people, not kings. 

As we set our sights on the year ahead, we believe that God is bringing us into a "new era" as a church, and that one of the things that will mark this new era is greater reliance on the Holy Spirit. 

As Paul ends his letter to the Ephesians, he asks them to keep on praying for all the Lord's people, and to pray that the Gospel would be proclaimed fearlessly, as it should. At River's Edge we believe God is calling us to rely on prayer as we never have before, and so took this Sunday to set our sights on some of the things God is calling us to pray for as we step into a new year together.

As Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesians, he takes the topic of spiritual warfare head on - urging us to put on the full armor of God. 

As Paul enters the second half of Ephesians, he unpacks how we live out the new identity that God has given us in Christ, and in chapter 5 he takes aim at the marriage and the home. His words have become controversial but they remain as relevant for us today as they have ever been. 

As Paul moves into the second half of his letter, he reminds us that we are the body of Christ, and therefore we should strive to maintain the unity that Christ has already set in motion. Additionally, as the body, we each are gifted by God with something and we are called to participate. 

After three full chapters of celebrating who God is and what He has done for us, Paul finally turns the corner and talks about how we should live and why. But his message is counterintuitive. In essence, Paul says, "become who you already are."

In the first century the world was divided into two categories: Jew, and Gentile. The division between them was a fierce one, but what effect did the Gospel have on their division? And how should it affect the "dividing walls of hostility" that we face today? 

In Christ God has set out to solve the age old problem of sin, death, and the corruption of humanity. But what is the nature of our salvation and how does it reflect God's character? 

Israel (and humanity) have a problem - we are prone toward idolatry. But what did idolatry look like in Israel and why is it significant for us today?