The River Church | Post Falls, Idaho

Teaching from Hebrews 6 and the baptism of thousands in Acts 2, The River Church looked at the two baptisms the New Testament calls foundational: baptism in water and baptism in the Holy Spirit. Churches often make a big deal of one and quietly leave out the other, and this message showed from Scripture, from the Greek prepositions para, en and epi, and from a very wet volunteer named Travis why J...

Stepping away from the Acts series to revisit the elementary doctrines of Hebrews 6, this Sunday's message landed on the second one — faith toward God — and let Hebrews 11 define it: the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Biblical faith is not manifesting, positivity, or believing in believing; it is trusting the God who has promised, even when you cannot see the pat...

Picking up where Acts 20 left off, this message follows Paul from the beach at Miletus and Tyre all the way to the temple steps in Jerusalem, where he knows chains and suffering are waiting for him. The tension is one many of us know from a camp altar: we are quick to say we would die for Jesus, and slow to live for Him on an ordinary Monday, so the sermon presses three demands from the text — do...

Acts 20 follows Paul out of Ephesus through one more changed plan, one more plot against his life, and one long goodbye at Miletus — and it shows us what it looks like to finish something God started. Starting an assignment is exciting; staying in it when the road gets longer and the cost gets higher is where most of us are tempted to quit, not on Jesus, but on what He asked us to do. This message...

Paul spends nearly three years in Ephesus, a city built on commerce, the temple of Artemis, and magic so famous that spells were literally called Ephesian words — and this Sunday's message in Acts 19 asks what happens when Jesus stops being someone we believe in and becomes the Lord we surrender to. Three things follow: imitation gets exposed (the seven sons of Sceva learn you can borrow someone's...

Preached from Acts 18:24–19:7, this message follows Apollos — an eloquent, well-studied man from Alexandria who taught accurately about Jesus but knew only the baptism of John — and the twelve disciples Paul met in Ephesus. The tension is comfort: the human habit of treating a real past encounter with God as a ceiling instead of a foundation, until we stop being teachable, stop being molded, and s...

Preaching through Acts 18, this Sunday's message met Paul in Corinth — arriving from a discouraging stop in Athens, walking into a city of 200,000 Roman citizens, 1,000 temple prostitutes on the Acrocorinth, and a synagogue that ran him off. The message traced three ways the Lord cured Paul's discouragement: the fellowship of Priscilla and Aquila, a night vision that told him to keep speaking beca...

This Sunday's message walked through all three cities of Acts 17 — Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens — and showed that Paul never used a one-size-fits-all script; he reasoned, explained, proved, and proclaimed Christ differently to every audience he met. In Thessalonica the gospel stirred up jealousy and a mob, in Berea it met noble hearts who searched the Scriptures daily, and in Athens Paul stood...

This Sunday's message walked through Acts 16 in Philippi and named four things we should expect to see when the gospel shakes a city: chains start breaking, darkness starts fighting, praise starts rising, and households start believing. The tension is midnight — that place where you have prayed and obeyed and still find yourself sitting in the prison with your feet in the stocks — and the message...

This Sunday's message walked through Acts 15:36 into Acts 16, where Paul and Barnabas hit a sharp disagreement over John Mark, split up, and the mission keeps moving anyway — proving that changed plans do not mean God has stopped leading. From Mark's dropped potato sack to Timothy's painful choice to lay down comfort for the sake of the gospel, to the Holy Spirit slamming the door on Asia and Bith...

In Acts 15, the young church faces its first great conflict: a group insisting Gentile believers be circumcised and keep the whole law of Moses to be saved. Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James answer with a settled verdict — salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, Jesus plus nothing — while calling believers to lay down their liberties in love so they never cause a weaker b...

Preaching from the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30, this message confronts our lifelong habit of comparison — the reason so many of us bury the one gift we've been given while staring at what everyone else received. The tension is that we all see ourselves as the one-talented servant, convinced our little isn't enough to matter for the Kingdom. The call: stop looking around, start looki...

Following Paul and Barnabas from Iconium to Lystra and back, this Sunday's message in Acts 14 dismantles the idea that an open door from God means an easy road. We were reminded that opposition, misunderstanding, and even being stoned and left for dead do not mean we missed God's will — the presence of opposition does not mean the absence of God. The call is simple and hard: stay faithful, give th...

Preaching verse-by-verse through Acts 13, this Sunday's message traced how the first missionary journey was born not in a strategy session or a fundraising campaign but in a diverse church at Antioch that worshiped, fasted, and listened to the Holy Spirit before being sent out. The central tension is that the world is full of voices that sound spiritual but make the straight path to Jesus crooked,...

Working through Acts 12, this Sunday's message walks through Herod's persecution of the church, James being put to the sword, and Peter sleeping between two soldiers the night before his execution until an angel walks him out of prison. The central tension is why God lets James die yet delivers Peter — and the reminder that God doesn't enable us, He empowers us, asking us to do what we can while H...

This sermon explores how God prepares hearts before we even have a chance to speak, using Cornelius as an example. It emphasizes that prayer and generosity are noticed by God, regardless of one's background or status.

This sermon explores the dramatic transformation of Saul, a zealous persecutor of Christians, into Paul, an apostle for Christ. It highlights how God uses divine interruptions to reach self-righteous individuals and calls believers to walk in compassion rather than pride.

The sermon explores the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Samaria, highlighting Philip's role as a lay person spreading the gospel despite persecution. It emphasizes that God uses ordinary people like Philip and C.S. Lewis to bring about transformation.

The sermon explores the tension between serving practical needs and fulfilling spiritual duties in early Christian communities. It emphasizes the importance of prioritizing prayer, study, and preaching while also addressing the overlooked members of the congregation.

The sermon explores the Israelites' long journey from slavery in Egypt to their promised land, emphasizing God's call for them to move forward despite fear and hesitation. The speaker encourages listeners to trust God’s timing and step into new opportunities.

You Belong Here… What does it mean?