Riverview Baptist Church Podcast

John had written to commend Gaius, a believer whose life louder than any title could. Gaius walked in truth. He took in the servants of Christ ad refreshed them when others turned away. His testimony was marked by humility, generosity, and steady love for God's people. John rejoiced in him because he was a fellowhelper to the truth.

Truth shaped how he lived, how he ministered, and how he cared for those who served the Lord. When he commended faithful believers, it was because truth produces a life that stands out. John understood that truth does not rest quietly in the heart. It is seen in obedience and in the daily conduct of those who follow Christ.

John wrote with urgency because the assemblies under his care faced a real threat. Deceivers were already moving among them. Their doctrine denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh, and that denied cut at the very heart of the gospel. They tried to enter homes quietly, using the kindness of God's people as an opportunity to plant error. Confusion is the hallmark of Satan, and these false tea...

This is message 3 in the series Jonah Jonah 1:3-6 Spiritual sleep leaves a believer unmoved by judgement, indifferent to the effect of disobedience on others, and unresponsive to the clear voice of God a person can know God's Word, understand His character, and still become so spiritually dull that even obvious opportunities to obey are ignored. God calls His people to wake from spiritual apathy,...

This is message 17 in Understanding the Love of God Genesis 107:1-43 Wit's end is not where God has failed us. It is often where we finally recognize that what is bigger than us is still not bigger than God. When our wisdom, strengths, plans, and ability are no longer enough, the Lord remains good, merciful, and completely sufficient. God may allow us to reach the end of ourselves so that we learn...

This is message 12 in the series Jonah Jeremiah 18:7-8 God is always at work preparing both circumstances and the servant. He uses correction, deliverance, difficulty, and even failure to shape His people and bring their hearts into agreement with His own. God does not excuse disobedience, but neither does he abandon a servant He is correcting. His sovereign hand works through every circumstance t...

This is message 11 in the series Jonah Jonah 4:1-11 Bitterness can trap a person in a victim mentality where personal hurts become greater than God’s grace and resentment feels justified. Jonah knew the character of God, but he became so focused on what he had suffered that he could no longer rejoice in what God was doing. God patiently confronted that bitterness, exposing a heart consumed with se...

It was the witness of an apostle who had lived with the Truth incarnate. yet alongside the triumph of truth, John had also watched the devastation caused by error. False teachers had entered the assemblies, bringing confusion and unsettling the faith of many. They came in the name of Christ. They spoke of light, love, and freedom. Yet they denied the very heart of the gospel, refusing to confess t...

This is message 10 in the series Jonah Jonah 4:1-11 God is gracious, and His grace reaches far beyond the limits we often place upon it. We gladly receive His mercy for ourselves, yet pride can make us resent that same mercy when He extends it to others. God’s grace not only forgives sinners, but patiently confronts the hearts of His own people, teaching us to see others with the compassion He has...

By the time John wrote this letter, false teachers had begun creeping into the assemblies. They spoke often of love, promised freedom and enlightenment, and appeared spiritual and compassionate. Yet their message stripped love of its true meaning. They reduced it to emotion and promoted a love that excused sin. They dismissed the authority of God's Word and replaced the truth of Scripture with the...

This is message 9 in the series Jonah Matthew 12:38-41 The resurrection of Jesus Christ is God's decisive answer to unbelief and the great confirmation of who Christ is. The problem is not a lack of evidence, but a heart unwilling to believe what God has already revealed. Those who hear the truth are responsible for how they respond, and greater knowledge brings greater accountability. God calls s...

This is message 8 in the series Jonah Jonah 3:5-10 God does not change in His character, His holiness, or His Word, but His dealings with people change when their response to Him changes. The same God who faithfully judges sin is also gracious and merciful toward those who believe Him and turn from their sin. His mercy is not a change in who He is. It is the consistent expression of who He has alw...

John had been entrusted with the care of God's people. Through the passing years he shepherded the assemblies, teaching them the truth, warning them of error, and calling them to walk in love and obedience. False teachers slipped into the churches quietly. They used the vocabulary of love and light, but their doctrine was another gospel, one that distorted the truth. Some denied the incarnation of...

This is message 7 in the series Jonah Jonah 3:3-9 Faith begins by believing that God means what He says. When people truly believe His Word, that faith produces a genuine response of humility, repentance, and a turning from sin. No one is beyond the reach of God, and no position, power, or past wickedness changes our need to humble ourselves before Him. When God confronts sin, the right response i...

This is message 6 in the series Jonah Jonah 2:10:3:3 God's mercy gives His servants opportunities to return to obedience after failure, but a second chance should never be treated casually. The Lord may forgive, restore, and renew His call without changing what He originally commanded. yet outward obedience alone is not enough. God desires more than compliance produced by consequences. He desires...

John was an eyewitness. He wrote as one who had walked with Christ during His earthly ministry. John had heard the Lord speak, had handled Hi with his own hands, and had walked with Him after the resurrection. There was no question in his mind. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

This is message 4 in the series Jonah Jonah 2:1-10 Salvation belongs entirely to the Lord. When human strength, self reliance, and every other hope have failed, God remains merciful and able to deliver. Jonah learned that rebellion leads downward, but God can use even the consequences of disobedience to bring His servant back to dependence and obedience. Whether the need is deliverance, forgivenes...

This is message 4 in the series Jonah Jonah 1:7-16 The God of the heavens is not one god among many, limited by nations, boundaries, or the forces of nature. He is the Creator who rules over the sea and the dry land, commands the storm, judges disobedience, and accomplishes His will. Those who come to know who He truly is must recognize His authority, obey His Word, and fear Him as the one true Go...

It began on the shores of Galilee.  John was there when Jesus walked by and called to the men who were mending their nets. He left everything behind that day, not only his father's business but the familiar life he had always known. John described himself simply as the disciple when Jesus loved. John understood that the greatest truth he could speak about his life was this simple reality: Jesus lo...

This is message 2 in the series Jonah Jonah 1:2 God's authority extends over every nation and every heart, and His desire is to show mercy before bringing judgment. Even the most wicked people are not beyond His reach, for He patiently calls sinners to repentance through the faithful proclamation of His Word. The greatest struggle is often not understanding what God has said but surrendering our o...

This is message 1 in the series Jonah Jonah 1:1 God always takes the initiative by revealing Himself and speaking with absolute authority, and every person is responsible for how they respond to His Word. Knowing God and understanding His character brings both great privilege and great accountability, for the truth He entrusts to His people is never meant to be admired from a distance but obeyed w...

This is message 16 in Understanding the Love of God Genesis 32 God loves His people too much to leave them depending upon themselves. He may allow fear, difficulty, weakness, and uncomfortable circumstances to strip away the things we trust so that we learn to cling completely to Him. What we may feel like God is working against us can actually be His loving work within us, bringing us to the end...

This is message 15 in Understanding the Love of God Ephesians 1:3-14 Salvation is entirely the work of God from beginning to end. The Father planned it in love, the Son accomplished it through His redeeming sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit secures it forever in the heart of every believer. Because our acceptance rests in Jesus Christ and not in our own merit, we can live with confidence, knowing we...

This is message 62 in Gospel Record of John John 21:1-25 The Lord is not finished with those who have failed. His grace restores, His love calls His people back to wholehearted devotion, and His purpose is to use them again in His service. Loving Christ is demonstrated by leaving behind anything that competes for first place, caring faithfully for the people He has entrusted to us, and following H...

If Christian people could have only one prayer answered, what should they ask from the Lord? I believe we should pray for revival. When revival comes, everything else we need will follow.