Riverwood Church - Waverly, IA: Sermons

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...

Dads make a huge difference in our lives. Their presence or absence affects us far more deeply than we may realize. The love of a good daddy can make all the difference. Did you know that Jesus displays love like a perfect dad? Listen in to this third message in the Advent series A Son is Given to discover why Isaiah called Jesus "Everlasting Father."

Have you ever had an initial impression of someone only to discover you were totally wrong? You might have made a wrong assumption about their age, education level, or importance at work. Throughout history, large swaths of humanity have made the same mistake about Jesus. They have thought of him as just another human, or a wise sage, or even a great prophet from God. But those assessments are WAY...

If you've ever found yourself in need of some advice or insight, because you were unsure of what to do, what you needed at that moment was a counselor. Approximately 700 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah the prophet called Jesus a "Wonderful Counselor." Listen in as Riverwood's teaching pastor, Erin Bird, explains how to seek after Jesus to be your "Wonderful Counselor" during Advent and beyond.

If you are like most people, you don't want to be seen as a bothersome pest, whether at work, home, or in your relationship with God. And yet, Jesus invites His followers to persist in prayer, almost to the point of seeming like a spiritual pest to God. In this last message in the ACTS of Prayer sermon series, Pastor Erin Bird helps us see why persistent prayer isn't bothersome to God, but rather...

It's that time of year - Thanksgiving! In this devotional message, Luke Anderson (one of Riverwood's Elders)† teaches through Psalm 100 on why we should give thanks, to whom we give thanks, and how we might express our thanksgiving. 

Have you ever had a problem in life that, in the moment, seemed overwhelming, but years later, as you look back at that moment, you realize it wasn't that huge of a deal? That's perspective. In this second message in the ACTS of Prayer series, Pastor Erin Bird helps us see how the letter A (Adoration) in the ACTS model of prayer gives us perspective. And that perspective leads us to the letter C -...

For many people, prayer is awkward, hard, confusing, or boring. Recognizing this, Pastor Erin Bird is using the month of November to teach the Riverwood family about the ACTS model of Prayer in an effort to help us connect with God. And in this first message, he takes us to Psalm 34 to tackle the topic of Adoration.

The Lion King had the "Circle of Life," but the True King invites you into the "Circle of Love." What is this circle? Listen in to find out, and learn how it can radically change your life and relationships.

Our American culture LOVES to talk about love. But do we truly understand what true love is and what we are supposed to do with it? In this sixth message in the 1 John series, Pastor Erin Bird walks us through one of the most famous passages from the book of 1 John, and helps us see not only God's intense love for us, but what He wants us to do with that love.

Just as a dolphin is designed to swim and an eagle is designed to soar, all Jesus-followers are designed to do something. But the only way a Jesus-follower can do this one thing is to understand who they are as part of God's family. So if you are a Jesus-follower, listen in. And if you are NOT a Jesus-follower, listen in as well to know what it is God will expect of you if you do become a follower...

The famed "bad guy" of the end times is supposed to be "the Antichrist." But who is this "man of lawlessness"? And when will he show up - or has he already appeared? In this week's non-scary message from 1 John, Pastor Erin Bird walks us through the end of chapter two and beginning of chapter 4, looking at what the Antichrist values, and how Jesus-followers can be sure to not fall for anti-christ...

As part of our Celebration Sunday, guest teacher Bob Westfall taught from Colossians 1:24-29, reminding Riverwood's new elders (and all of us) that "Being precedes Doing." Listen in to this fantastic message that will encourage you to just "be with Jesus."

To become an expert on a particular subject, you have to study it in detail. This type of study requires you to hear and read the same material repeatedly until you practically have the subject memorized. And when you have the subject memorized, it becomes a part of you, affecting the way you think and what you talk about, making you an expert. If you are a follower of Jesus, what if the subject y...