River’s Edge Church

After feeding the 5,000, the crowds want to make Jesus king by force, but instead he dismisses them and goes up to a mountain to pray. The disciples are sent across the Sea of Galilee by boat, but what they encounter there in the pre-dawn darkness is beyond anything the crowds will experience.

As Jesus continues his ministry in the midst of tension, he receives devastating news: his cousin John the Baptist has been executed. Jesus is forced to flee the region, and withdraws to a lonely place of safety and mourning. Join as we hear from Come Nziberaga of Burundi on how God meets us in these desert places and develops us in seasons of difficulty. 

On the Friday of the Passover Festival, Jesus was crucified in public. He died for the sins of the world, but this wasn't obvious to the original audience. They went home to mourn the death of their leader and friend. The next day was the Sabbath Day, and no work was to be done, but on the third day the women went to dress the body of Jesus, and what they found shocked the world. 

We've talked about how the resurrection of Jesus shapes our future hope for the age to come, and how it should shape our life as a community of justice and beauty, but what difference does the resurrection make in the life of an individual disciple? If God has started his renewal project in advance of the end of the age, where does my life fit into the picture? 

Many of us are surprised to find that the future Christian hope is actually not of a disembodied heaven, but rather of a very physical place called the "new heavens and the new earth." The resurrection of Jesus points powerfully toward this future reality, but what difference does it make for the hear and now? How should our life as a community be different in light of the resurrection of Jesus an...

The Christian movement has one of the strangest beginnings of any world religion. Its first adherents were certain that something earth-shattering had happened in and through the death of Jesus on a Roman cross, and they further claimed that he didn't stay dead, but was raised to life again. But what was the significance of resurrection, and how does it shape our future hope? 

As tension with the Pharisees continues to rise, they approach Jesus to ask him for a miraculous sign that he is the Messiah (a curious request from those plotting his death). But why would anyone ask Jesus for a sign? And why would Jesus, who was constantly performing miracles, deny their request?  

As the Pharisees continue to challenge Jesus, he teaches them about the power of words, and the power words have to reveal what's going on deep in our hearts. Within this lesson, he tells them something odd - those who speak against the "Son of Man" (or Jesus himself) will be forgiven, but those who speak against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. In fact, we are told that this is the "unforgiv...

As the religious elite continue to look for ways to trap Jesus, they come up with a new accusation. "It is only by Beezlebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons." But Jesus' response to them both reveals something about the dominon of darkness, and works to clarify the very reason that He came into the world.   

As Jesus continues in his work, he becomes increasingly challenged by opposition from the Pharisees (the Bible teachers of his day), and they attempt to trap him with their interpretations of what should and shouldn't be done on the Sabbath. In response Jesus tells them that he is "Lord of the Sabbath." But what does this response tell us and how should it inform our discipleship? 

As Jesus continues his ministry, he denounces the towns on the north shore of the sea of Galilee in which most of his miracles were performed. But what do these remarks reveal to us about revelation and response? How is the call to faith related to what God has revealed to us? And how do we go about finding the God who has hidden himself in plain sight? 

As Jesus ministry is in full swing, his cousin John the Baptist finds himself stuck in prison. This does not seem to resonate with John's expectations of the Messiah, and the new era of justice and judgment against evil which he assumed was coming, and so he sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus in person "are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" But what does this que...

As Jesus equips his disicples and sends them out, he does so with a warning. The message they are carrying will cause social upheaval on an unprecedented level, and a man's enemies will be members of his own household. But why was this the case and how should it inform our discipleship?  

Up to this point in the book of Matthew, Jesus has been telling (and showing) people what the Kingdom of God is like. Now he turns to his disciples and (12 ordinary men) and asks them to do the same.

Jesus looks out on the crowds with love and compassion, before sending his disciples into "the harvest field" -- which he assures them is plentiful. But what is the state our today's "harvest field" (locally and globally), and what does it look like to follow Jesus into the harvest field? 

Jesus was building a new type of community centered around Him and the fresh in-breaking expression of the Kingdom of God, and it was in this context that he urged his disciple to prepare themselves for a new movement with new rhythms and a new center. No longer would the traditional boundaries and religious laws define someone's standing in the Kingdom. 

Every year we take time to celebrete the birth that occured on the first Christmas. But what did this birht mean to the original audience, and what does it mean for us? 

As Jesus moves from place to place, great crowds follow him, and the disciples are often the only line of defense between him and the crowds. But Jesus makes a point to stop for a number of unexpected people that the disciples had no interest in, and in doing so he makes it crystal clear what the Kingdom of God is all about. 

As Jesus' ministry begins to gain momentum he begins calling disciples to follow after him. Matthew is a tax collector who leaves everything to follow Jesus, and his journey starts with Jesus inviting a group of "tax collectors and sinners" to his table to share a meal, as Jesus explains that he didn't come for the healthy, but for the sick. 

As Jesus continues healing the masses, a paralyzed man is brough to Jesus on a mat. Jesus responds by telling the man that "his sins are forgiven" and then he moves forward in healing the man physically. But what do moments like these teach us about the importance of "inner healing"? And what (if any) is the connection between the two?

Jesus didn't just talk about the in-breaking Kingdom of Heaven, he also operated in it by the power of the Holy Spirit. As a result, countless people experienced physical healing, and many were told that "their faith had healed them." But what is the relationship between faith and healing, and is healing a guarantee for those who have enough faith? 

Last week we unpacked what the Scriptures have to say about the nature of our reality, and the fact that we live in a world at war. This week we'll discuss what to do about it. When and where should we expect to encounter resistance from our adversary, and how do we walk in the victory of Jesus day in and day out?

As we seek to engage in life with God, we cannot help but be challenged by what the Scriptures have to say about the other parties involved, and the spiritual battle which they describe. But what do the Scriptures have to say about this war and how should it shape our worldview and our prayers? 

As Paul instructs the early church on the gifts of the Spirit, he urges them to "eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit, especially prohecy" -- but what is prophecy? Why is Paul so keen on this gift? And what does it look like for us to exercise this gift as a community? 

When the Holy Spirit finally comes at Pentacost, the disciples start speaking in tongues, which Paul later descries as a “gift of the Spirit,” -- but what are tongues, why are they so controversial, and what role should they play in our lives as followers of Jesus?