River’s Edge Church

The Scriptures describe a world at war, in which the dominion of darkness has now been fatally injured by fights on anyhow. How should we recognize or conceptualize the powers that oppose us? And how do we navigate this world at war?

Whenever the Bible gives us a command, we are at risk of turning to legalism, and relating to God through the rules or commands that have been given. But Paul has a very different sort of life in mind, one in which we "put off" those things which belonged to our old nature and put on "new creation clothes" which line up with who we are today.

Too often we allow the enemy or circumstance to dictate our lives, waiting "helplessly" for God to do something. But God has designed creation in such a way that He shares His authority with us. What does it look like to step into our God given authority as we step into a new location in a hurting neighborhood? 

As we reflect on recent decades, it seems there has not been a time when the American church was so vulnerable to deception and distraction. What it does it look like to avoid these pitfalls and stay connected to Christ? 

What does it mean to have our hearts set on heavenly things? What does it mean that our lives are hidden away with Christ in God? And how do these impact our day to day life? 

Sometimes our impulse as humans is to add something to Jesus and the Gospel. Rules. Regulations. Angelic revelations. Our own moral striving. But Paul reminds the early church that the fullness of God is in Jesus and the fullness of Jesus is now available to us. We have everything we need: an inner fullness and blessing in Him, power over the demonic, power over sin and the flesh, and hope beyond...

Paul urges the Colossians not to be "taken captive" by hollow and empty philosophy - which in this case was internal threats from the religious culture of his day. But how are these original internal threats similar to the conspiracy theories of our day, and what do youtube prophets have to do with first century synagogues? 

Paul shares openly with the Colossians that he suffers for the sake of the body, and that he contends with all the power and energy God has given him for their fullness and maturity. Paul longs for a local body where people are encouraged in heart, united in love, and encountering Jesus in a deep and meaningful way. 

We all know that something is wrong in our world, but what's the solution? Paul says that we must be reborn, and that in Christ we have been made holy and blameless by the "Passover Lamb." 

The most important thing about you is not your race, your ethnicity, your gender, your family of origin, the possessions you own, or the number in your bank account. The most important thing about you is what you think about when you think about God. 

The story of humanity is a tragic but hopeful one. Caught on the wrong side of a war, the Kingdom of God comes to us as a liberating message, and those who respond to it move from the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of the Son He loves. From here forward, we face a real enemy, but he no longer has authority over us. 

After giving thanks for what has already taken root in the life of the Colossians, Paul prays for what is yet to come: fullness in Christ. Join us as we explore four marks of fullness and what it looks like to grow in Jesus in the context of God's grace. 

As Paul writes with gratitude for the Colossians, he reminds them for the reason they've been so fruitful: a true understanding of God's grace. But as Christians we often struggle with this very thing. Too often we enter the family of God by grace and then depart from that grace after we enter. Too often we live with a sense of inadequacy, legalism, and shame. Where do we start in grasping the tru...

As we see faith in Jesus explode across the non-Western world, we rejoice not just in the facts and figures, but in global brothers and sisters who we are in unique relationship with. Join us as we celebrate our friends in the Philippines and the incredible fruit that the Gospel is bearing among them. 

It's so easy to blow past the intro, but the first two verses do more than introduce the writer and his audience, they set the stage for all that follows. Central to the life of discipleship are these simple concepts: grace and peace.

Of all the medical and historical evidence that we have unpacked in this series, there is one piece of evidence we have yet to examine: the evidence of a changed disciple. What did the original disciples encounter that so radically transformed them? And why was each of one of them wiling to die for it?

Over the last two weeks we've established by the weight of historical evidence that Jesus died on the cross, that he was buried in a specific well-secured tomb, and that that tomb was later found empty under unusual circumstances. But a real death and a real empty tomb don't necessarily get you a resurrection. What happened to Jesus on the third day? And how do we know he was resurrected? 

There is an abundance of historical and medical evidence supporting the conclusion that Jesus was completely and utterly dead before he was taken down from the cross. But what happened next? Was Jesus actually buried? And was that same tomb later found empty? 

As we approach Easter in the midst of a skeptical, post-Christian culture, what historical evidence do we have the Jesus actually died on the cross? 

What does it look like to "arrive" at a lifestyle of simplicity? And how do we maintain that lifestyle moving forward? 

Today personal finances have become the new taboo. But the Bible pulls no punches when it comes to wealth, and Paul urges the rich in this life not to trust in their wealth, but to be generous and trust in God, taking hold of life that is truly life.

Pursuing biblical simplicity is all well and good, but how do we do it with other? How to relate to our parents, room mates, spouses, or kids when it comes to pursuing minimalism?

The New Testament standard for giving is not the tithing of the old covenant. Instead, God is looking for "joyful and generous givers." But what's the connection between biblical simplicity and biblical generosity? How does simplicity and the death of materialism free us up to be joyful and generous? 

Most of us live with a sense "time poverty." We rush from one activity to the next trying to work more, to buy more, to have more. But the Sabbath is the foundation for a glorious rebellion against the materialism of our day, and the center for a simpler with Jesus. It is an entire day set aside every week for rest and delight; to stop working, stop worrying, and stop wanting. If you haven't tried...

Human beings have unlimited desire. But when we "aim" our unlimited desire at the limited material world, the result is disaster. We think more money and more stuff will make us more content, finally satisfying our desires. In reality it often makes things worse. But what do the Scriptures say about finding the ever illusive experience of contentment?