“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you." - Isaiah 60:1-2 NIV
What type of light are you shining? This week, Pastor Denny speaks about how as believers, we can let our light shine by the way we live our life.
1.) Get out of Bed!
In today's passage, God is encouraging Israel to wake up. He is about to do something that He doesn’t want them to miss out on. What God does next is incredible, supernatural, and earth shaking.
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” -Ephesians 5:8-14 NIV
Ephesians 5 is a reminder to believers that darkness, or living in darkness is equivalent to sleeping.
"And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." -Romans 13:11 NIV
2.) It's time to rise up and shine.
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” -John 8:12 NIV
Jesus is a light that has come to live in you. He shares HIS light with us. When we come to Christ, we receive His light. Our light comes from living FOR Christ. Finally, our light comes from what we DO.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." -Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
It is impossible to conformed to the image of Christ without the Holy Spirit, the Word, and Authentic Community.
"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:28 NIV
The church cannot be made up of consumers. The church must rise up and choose a position of serving.
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." -John 3:19-21 NIV
"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Jesus is the light of the world— no other name where man can be saved." -Matthew 5:14 NIV
Serve
January 10, 2021 • Pastor Denny Curran
Vision Sunday
February 7, 2021 • Pastor Denny Curran
The vision of River of Life Church has always been to reach the lost. Every week, we strive to teach christians the following - 1.) To Know Christ River of Life exists to lead people into a life-changing encounter with Jesus. "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." - Philippians 3:10-11 NIV 2.) To Grow in Christ River of Life desires to provide resources for all who come to faith in Christ to help them grow in their relationship with him! 3.) Show Christ to Others and the World River of Life encourages every believer to find an area where they can serve others in the church, locally, and around the world. "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." - Luke 10:1-2 NIV The harvest is plentiful, and we as christians are called to win souls. "I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people," -Ephesians 1:16-18 NIV Our prayer for YOU is that you would find freedom in Christ. We pray that you would grow in your relationship with Christ and the purpose He gives you. Finally, we pray that you would show Christ by the way you live your life. Our desire is that you would see HOW important it is to know God and know him even better.
How to Rise Up When You Can't
January 31, 2021 • Pastor Adam Haugen
“I no longer call you servants... I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.” -John 15:15 (NIV) Jesus describes the relationship he wants to have with us in this scripture Knowledge of someone is not enough. Relationships will altar the course of our lives. What is a friend? The definition of a friend is one who has your best interests in mind. - A friend loves you, a friend encourages you, supports you, sometimes holds you accountable, they listen to you, and they believe in you. - When you understand that Jesus loves you, and that He wants your life to have purpose, more than anyone in the http://universe...guess what means, we can fully trust him. Why are we talking about a real friendship with God in a series called Rise Up? At River of Life Church, we believe the idea of rising up in our faith may feel overwhelming for some of us, and that is because we are often times trying to do it in our own strength. We want to Rise Up in our marriage and be a better spouse. We want to Rise Up in our parenting and love our kids more fully. We long to Rise Up in our faith and live with integrity in a world of constantly shifting sands. We desire to Rise Up in our finances. We want to Rise Up in our physical health. We want to Rise Up in our career. We want to Rise Up in our relationships. If we want to truly Rise Up in our lives, what we need more than anything is to be restored in relationship with the God who can then help us Rise Up and live the life He has created us for. In John 5, we read about the pool of Bethesda. The pool of Bethesda was a place of miracles and restoration. The Bible says that every once and awhile, an angel of the Lord would come and stir the waters. The first person to get in the water would be healed of whatever disease or paralysis or problem they had. The pool was surrounded by crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed. One man who was sick for 38 years, unable to move, was desperate to go into the pool to be healed. Scripture tells us that Jesus saw him and approached him. "When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” (John 5:6) What do you need from Jesus today? Jesus asked the paralyzed man what he needed. He responds in John 5:7a, “I can’t for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up.” Notice that at first he says he can’t. We can relate to this statement sometimes. We often won’t Rise Up until the pain of maintaining becomes greater than the challenge of change. “Then Jesus says, ‘Rise up. Pick up your mat and walk.’” At once the man was healed and picked up his mat and walked." -John 5:8-9 If you are at the spot today where you admit, "I want to be healed of whatever it is I have been struggling with," Jesus is here to help you Rise Up! The man’s obedience in faith brought restoration. We come to seasons where we must come to the realization that we can’t do this alone. We can’t fix our life on our own, so therefore, we need to surrender our lives to God. We can't just know about God. We want God working in our lives. "Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” -John 5:14 (NIV) Jesus doesn’t want a Pool of Bethesda relationship with us. No one hung out at the pool after they were healed. Jesus isn’t looking to answer our prayers and then leave. He’s longing for relationship and that means life change. As you are lying next to the pool of opportunity, and you are trying so desperately to get into the pool, you may be recognizing that you can’t on your own strength. There is a promise that Jesus is standing next to you saying, “What do you want from me today?” If you want to rise up in your faith when you can’t (ask yourself this question): 1. Do you want to get well? Just like the story, Jesus sees you, he knows when you are hurting, and he is asking you the same question. 2. (If yes), Admit that you cannot do it on your own. Admit to God and maybe to others that you need help and wisdom. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” -James 4:10 Find a Life Group and surround yourself with people who are also trying to encounter Jesus daily. God never designed life to be alone. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." -Proverbs 27:17 3. Jesus wants relationship, not to simply be your rescuer in time of need. "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8
Shame
January 24, 2021 • Pastor Denny Curran
"Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything." -Luke 15:11-16 Guilt and shame kept the prodigal son from returning home to his family. Guilt admits that we've done wrong, and corrects itself through repentance. Shame takes over our joy and enthusiasm for God, and keeps us from experiencing His presence on a daily basis. Shame brings isolation and death. Shame tries to hide what we've done. It justifies and blames others for our actions. God didn't create us for shame. Guilt says, "I messed up and I need to go to God." Shame says "I AM messed up and I have to hide from God. I need to go it on my own!" Shame takes us away God. Scripture shares this truth - "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" -Romans 7:24 "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." -Romans 7:25 We are DELIVERED through Jesus Christ from our shame. "I will rise up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee;" -Luke 15:18 (DARBY) "Fix your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." -Hebrews 12:2-3 It's time to rise up. Jesus understood the power of shame and its effects on us. He took on our sin and shame to the cross on our behalf! "because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" -James 2:13 When the prodigal son returned home, the father received him, forgave him, and gave him a new destiny. THIS is what Jesus wants to do for you! Verses to Memorize: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” -Romans 10:13 NIV "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." -1 John 1:9 NIV "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." -Ephesians 2:8 NIV "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." -Romans 8:1 NIV Let us rise up and go to our Father.