River’s Edge Church

The first century world was deeply divided between Jew and Gentile, and that tension shows up in the early church. Peter himself begins to separate himself from Gentile Christians. But Paul points to justification and grace as the basis for radical unity in the church. 

COVID-19 has affected everything in our world, including the timeline for our church plant in Portland, Maine. Join us in praying for them as they prepare to journey east. 

Exile was a time of resetting and recalibrating as a culture for the Israelites. As we journey through our own mini-Exodus, we are asking how God wants to recalibrate us, and we believe (among other things) that God wants to use this experience to cleanse us from dead works. 

As Paul's letter unfolds, he takes time to defend both his message and his calling - and both of them are rooted in grace. The same grace that makes salvation possible is the grace that gives us calling, direction, and equipping. 

As we continue under "shelter in place" we are each experiencing hints of exile. But we are also presented with one of the best chances of our lifetimes to practice real rest. 

Paul carries into the world the best news it has ever heard, but he's met with fierce pressure to compromise and change his message in order to please people. His solution? Live to please God alone. 

How is COVID-19 affecting our brothers and sisters around the world? And why is generosity so important in this moment of global turbulence? 

Paul starts his letter to the Galatians by urging his friends to come back to the true Gospel, and not fall for a false Gospel that relies in any sense on the Law. But what is this true Gospel? And how should it shape the way we view the Law?

A few days ago we celebrated Easter and the resurrection hope that we carry. But how do we live out this hope? How do carry and express hope in a broken world? Should we be optimists? Pessimists? Realists? Or some combination of them all?

Join us as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the hope that we carry!

What does it look like to connect with others and successfully engage the lost in a COVID 19 world? 

We all know that we're supposed to share the Gospel with others, but how did Jesus do it and how can we grow in this crucial practice? 

The mid-week podcast is devoted to helping our community navigate and even flourish in this unique season of COVID-19. Join us this week as we take on the topic of fear.  

Two of the practices that Jesus talked about most were prayer and fasting. But too often we view fasting as irrelevant and prayer as dull obligation. What is the role or purpose of these practices and how can we grow in them in the midst of this moment of global uncertainty? 

As the corona virus situation continues to unfold, we are making a mid-week podcast available for the sole purpose of helping our community navigate this unprecedented moment. 

Each one of us is becoming someone over time. Are we becoming more like Jesus or less like Jesus? Are we experiencing the life that Jesus intended? One the biggest difference makers is whether or not we are walking in God's grace. Those who misunderstand God's grace often stagnate in their discipleship, and those with an accurate understanding are often propelled into greater depths of discipleshi...

When Jesus calls his disciples, he calls them to deny themselves, pick up their cross, and follow him. But why is this call so important and how do we engage in it as a discipline or practice?

Perhaps the most basic spiritual discipline of our tradition is reading the Bible. But what role did Scripture play in the life of Jesus? And why is it so important that we take time each day to read the words they contains? 

"Suffering well" typically doesn't make the list of classically defined spiritual disciplines. But suffering is the great divider of discipleship, forcing us either deeper into the reality of God or running the other way. Jesus and the Scriptures make it clear that we will suffer in this life, but what does it mean to suffer well? What can we learn from Jesus, "the man of suffering"?

As Jesus begins his ministry, he calls disciples or apprentices to come form a community around him. By what's the significance of this community? Why should we seek it out? And what obstacles to we have to overcome along the way?

The Holy Spirit was central to the life of Jesus and his disciples. He is central to our discipleship as well. We cannot be with Jesus, become like Jesus, or do what he would do without the Holy Spirit. But what does this look like as a practice or discipline? How do we go about being filled with the Spirit?

25% of all Jesus' teachings are on wealth and material possessions. But odds are we don't believe most of them because we are soaked in a consumer economy that feeds off our infinite desire for more. We believe the lie that more stuff equals more happiness, but the practice of simplicity from the life of Jesus helps set us free. 

When God finishes the 7 day work week in the opening chapters of Scripture, he ends with the 7th day, a day of rest. This seventh day comes to be known as the "Sabbath day" - an entire day set aside each week for rest and worship. But what role did this practice play in the life of Jesus? And how should we practice it today? 

The greater the demands on Jesus' life, the more he practiced silence and solitude. It was the secret center to his life and ministry. As his disciples, we are also invited to meet with God in the "secret place" by practicing silence and solitude. But why is this so important? And what holds us back?  

It was clear that Jesus walked around day in day out flooded with an awareness of the presence of God. He only spoke what he sensed the Father saying, and he only did what he sensed the Father doing. But is this level of intimacy possible for us? And how do we go about practicing the presence of God in the digital age?