Riverwood Church - Waverly, IA: Sermons

Last week, we saw in 2 and 3 John the power and importance of truth. But if a church is only about truth, it will cease to care for people. That's why John shifts from "walk in truth" to "walk in love." But what exactly does it mean to "walk in love"? Listen in as Erin Bird helps us explore 2 & 3 John to discover the second way for us to walk.

This week Pastor Erin Bird teaches from the book of Hebrews about how we should use rest to see Jesus. True rest is not: - a place - a day - lack of activity Rather, true rest is - a person (Jesus) - found in the gospel

Our culture is very work-centered. When we meet someone for the first time, we often ask, "So what do you do for a living?" If someone is in college, we ask, "What's your major and what do you hope to do with it?" But did you know the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection changes our approach to work? This week at Riverwood Church, Worship Leader Jake Epley teaches from the book of Colossi...

Subscriptions are becoming more popular than ever before. People spend money monthly on things that they think will give them contentment. Instead of relying on worldly things for contentment, we should seek the Gospel. Pastor Erin Bird of Riverwood Church discusses how we use the Gospel to find contentment.

When it comes to saving money, most of us believe we don't have enough.  Whether we have $10 in the bank or a million, we tend to think we need more. But what if God gives you money not simply so you can keep more for yourself, but use more of it to help others? Listen in as Riverwood's teaching pastor, Erin Bird, helps us consider from 1 Timothy 6:17-19 how God desires us to use the money we woul...

Well-known pastor Andy Stanley says that "Giving isn't about what God wants from you, it's about what God wants FOR you." Riverwood's pastor, Erin Bird, agrees. In this second message in the "Money Edition" of The Everyday Gospel, Pastor Erin shows from 2 Corinthians 9 that the financial contentment you long for comes not in a big bank account or huge pay raise, but rather through giving in six di...

It can be hard to earn a living and make ends meet these days. It can be even harder when God calls us to give to others out of those earnings. In this sermon, Pastor Erin uses Psalm 50 to dig into the idea of stewardship, what belongs to God and what belongs to us. He helps us understand what it means to follow Jesus and love others with our resources.

Some people seem to believe emotions are "bad" and should not be shown. Others, on the other hand, wear their emotions on their sleeve. So which is better? Are we to downplay our emotions so they don't lead us into making a poor decision? Or do we embrace our emotions so that we can feel alive, even if those emotions hurt those around us? In this third message in the "Self Edition" of "The Everyda...

All of us have a past. Some of us are quite proud of the things in our past - accomplishments, relationships, or fond memories. Others of us are ashamed of our past. And some of us probably have a mixed past, one filled with both pride and shame. But have you ever stopped to consider how the gospel speaks into your past, both the good moments and the regrettable ones? In this second message in The...

Riverwood joined Grace Baptist and Denver Baptist Churches for a combined outdoor baptism worship service and potluck. Jonathan Davis, lead pastor for Grace Baptist, taught us from Acts 10:34-43, showing us how the life of Jesus WAS the gospel, and how, through baptism, we declare the life and gospel of Jesus.

It is very important to have joy in all circumstances. But what do we do when something so tragic happens, that there seems to be nothing to be joyful about? How do we be joyful when things aren't going like we expect? This week, Pastor Erin Bird teaches why it is so import to find joy under all circumstances.

All of us are on a journey. On our journey through life, we encounter difficulties, struggles, obstacles, and even our own mistakes. How do we make it through the journey of life, and to do it with joy? Ed Pavelec, one of Riverwood's elders, walks us through Philippians 3:12-4:1, showing us the encouragement the Apostle Paul gave his original readers so they might find joy in the journey.

It is important to watch out for those who claim the Bible is wrong. It is also important to find joy in Christ alone. This week, Pastor Patrick Ray talks about the book of Philippians and where we should find our true joy.

Many Americans think "bigger is better," including when it comes to church. "If you have a bigger attendance, you must be a more successful church." The book of Philippians shows us you can find joy in sending others to teach the Gospel, not just keeping people in your church. Pastor Erin Bird of Riverwood Church talks about how there can sometimes be more success when you show the Gospel globally...

Some humans will hear about various dangers in life, whether smoking cigarettes, eating too much sugar, or driving a motorcycle without a helmet, and proceed to ignore them. Why? Because they believe the "rules" of life don't apply to them. Sometimes, Christians will do the same thing. They will hear the "rules" of the Bible, but think they don't apply to them. What they don't realize is that thes...

Want to know the secret to great relationships? Believe it or not, the book of Philippians holds the secret. So if you long for great relationships at home, work, school, or church, this message from Pastor Erin Bird as part of our Genuine Joy series will give you the inside scoop.

This week, we kick off a study of the New Testament book of Philippians by looking at Acts 16. Listen in to meet the first three people who helped start the church in the ancient city of Philippi when they decided to follow Jesus.

For many people, there is a strong sexual desire that leads them to engage in sexual activities that traditional Judeo-Christian teaching says is wrong. But what does the Bible really say about sex? And does God actually care about how we use our bodies for sexual pleasure? In this second message of The Everyday Gospel series, Pastor Erin Bird sensitively tackles the tough topic of sex, showing fr...

In 2019, the Riverwood family will be looking at how the Gospel affects multiple areas of life. We will look at how the life & death of Jesus affects our view of self, our view of money, and our view of time. But before we get to any of that, we will be looking at how the Gospel affects our relationships. And in this first week of the series, Riverwood's Teaching Pastor, Erin Bird, tackles the...

Most people naturally share that which pleases them. We typically don't hesitate to share about a movie we enjoyed, or a great new restaurant we visited. Guest teacher and Riverwood "missionary" Patrick Ray, a church planter from North Minneapolis, shows us from John 1 that when people met Jesus, they got excited and couldn't help but tell others. If you are a Jesus-follower, may this message insp...

Just as the decorations at a party can serve as clues as to what type of party you are at, the Bible is filled with clues that God has established a theme in life of sending people to bless others. In this final message in the "Dangerous Prayers" series, Pastor Erin Bird shows us God's sending theme by taking us through multiple passages of the Scripture, inspiring Jesus-followers to pray "Lord, S...

If you've ever been lost, whether while hiking or driving, you know that sometimes in order to go forward, you have to first go back. In our spiritual lives, sometimes in order to go forward in our faith, we need to go back in a sense, to allow God to break us, to remove some things in our lives, such as selfishness or sinful patterns, so that He can mold and shape us into who He sees us to be. In...

A dangerous prayer isn't one that asks God to put you in dangerous situations. A "dangerous" prayer is a bold prayer, a prayer that completely surrenders your life to God. A dangerous prayer isn't about ruining your life, but if God answers it, your dangerous prayer will upend your life. In this series, we will look at three dangerous prayers. In the last week, we will pray "Lord, Send Me." But be...

Have you ever had a chance to meet someone famous? If so, perhaps you were at a loss for words, or perhaps said something silly, or embarrassed yourself by acting differently than you normally do. But what would it be like to meet Jesus? Listen in as guest teacher, Shane Klein, walks us through Hebrews 4:14-16, seeing Jesus as our Great High Priest.

We all long for peace. From birth to death to multiple points in-between, we long for calm in the midst of the chaos of life. But all of our attempts to find peace usually end up temporary and ineffective. How do we find true lasting peace? In this final message in the Advent series A Son is Given, Pastor Erin Bird shows from Colossians 1:19-20 why Jesus was given the name "Prince of Peace" more t...