River City Vineyard - Teachings

How do we "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" first and foremost? Let's make it our first and foremost.

Seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness, first and foremost, begins with a daily abandonment of our will and our self-rule. "Not our will," but his be done every day.

Sometimes we reduce the Good News. It is a message about both a King and His Kingdom. Not one or the other, but both. Let's explore both.

Once the Kingdom was launched by Jesus, what boosters would fuel the proclamation until its desired destination? Give a listen. The answer may surprise you!

We are beginning a new season, the Season of the Kingdom. Following along from now until Advent.

He is the Helper. He was sent by Jesus to help us. Just as Jesus helped the first disciples, so the Holy Spirit helps us. To what degree do we trust the Holy Spirit to help us? Do we depend on him to help us with full confidence?

Sometimes we associate the Holy Spirit with activity. That activity is sometimes characterized by a whirlwind of high paced activity. But what about rest? Isn't the Holy Spirit also the one who helps us to rest?

What will sustain our service to others and our love for others?

When the Holy Spirit empowers the mission, He produces his fruit in the lives of those connected to Jesus.

"We are the garden not the gardener." Thank you, Becca.  That is so profound and so helpful!

"Wait for the gift of the Father...Wait in Jerusalem...Wait for the Holy Spirit to baptize you all ..." All of these promises from Jesus to his first followers sound so wonderful, but each promise is preceded by wait. Waiting is so difficult and yet so necessary for all who follow Jesus then and now.

During the season of Pentecost we are asking the Holy Spirit to empower our mission. We are seeing Him not only empower the mission, but also raise up new leaders for new ministries. This is an exciting time for our community!

On an average day one hundred people are granted asylum from detention centers in South Texas. These human beings arrive at the bus station in San Antonio with literally nothing but the clothes they are wearing. A sponsor has purchased a bus ticket for each of them, but most have no idea were they are going. They need support.  We have been invited to join in preparing sack lunches for these trave...

The pilgrims in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost heard a loud noise and came on a run to check it out. Having been drawn by the sound they were gathered to hear the empowered witness of the life, death, and resurrection by the first followers of Jesus. On that day 3000 committed themselves to following Jesus. What sound would catch the ear of our generation?

What happens at Pentecost when the promise is fulfilled and the power comes? What can we do to participate in a new day of Pentecost for our generation?

It is Pentecost Sunday. May the Holy Spirit empower us to provide our generation with a witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and to invite others to come along with us as we follow Jesus.

When grief runs its course it gives birth to new life. It's a mystery how grief which feels like death expands the soul and brings new birth.

As we walk through grief our lament leads us into a confusing in-between time. This is a season of disorientation. We have many questions, but few answers. It seems that God has abandoned us.  The beginning of this Podcast failed to record. A listener may want to start by reading Psalm 13 and then proceed with the Podcast.

Peter Scazzero writes, "In emotionally healthy churches, people embrace grief as a way to become more like God." Our community is traveling through an unusual season of grief and at the same time we are focused on a life shaped by God. So we want to embrace our grief in this season and know as we do that we are being conformed to the image of Jesus.

How are we to understand Paul's instructions to slaves and masters in his letter to the Colossians? What did it mean back then? And what about today? How are we to understand and put these words into action?

We want God to shape our lives. He definitely uses our family in that shaping. 

The empty tomb is " too much...too good to be true." A dead body resting in a tomb raised from the dead overwhelms all our rationalistic circuits. Even the first followers of Jesus at first did not believe the report. They seemed to move from unbelief to disbelief into full belief. So what can we expect from ourselves as we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus raised from the dead? What can...

As Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem, Luke seems to develop the story of Jesus entering the city. Maybe Zacchaeus, a man who wanted to see Jesus, is one bookend with Jesus weeping over the city that did not want to see Jesus as the second bookend with the triumphal entry in between with disciples praising God for all the works of power they had seen . It all seems to be intentionally tied together...

Our apologies for technical difficulties. We did not capture all of Molly's message, but what we have we want to share. It is so good. There is always room for more at the Lord's Table.

We are caught between the ages, the present age and the age to come. Jesus inaugurated the future age, but it is not yet here in its fullness. We taste of the powers of the age to come, but we wait for the full spread. Until the fullness of the Kingdom of God comes we need patience, extended patience to stay on course. That patience is available at the Table of our Lord.