We’re exploring what it really means to know Christ from Philippians 3:10–21. Isn’t it incredible that we are invited into a deep friendship with Jesus? I am shocked by this and encouraged by Paul’s words for what it looks like to press on, to shape our lives around Christ’s story of humility and self-emptying love. In a world full of competing stories and endless distractions, we’ll be reminded that our true citizenship is in heaven and that our lives here can reflect that truth. Join us as we learn together what it means to keep pressing on, knowing Christ more each day.

One of the most beautiful things about the gospel is the way God levels the playing field. It does not matter how much money you have, how many bad choices you have made in the past, where you go to school, or what your reputation is like. Jesus came that each of us might know and be found in him. You probably know this already. But shoot. It is soooo easy for us to slip back into believing that God loves us because we’re “mostly good.” Even when we know the truth. Did you know that “being found” in Jesus means we actually have to give up our reputation and resume in order that we may stand in and live out of HIS righteousness? For those of us who are proud of where we’re from or what we’ve done with our lives, that’s a big idea to wrap our minds around. And an even bigger idea to actually live by.

What if I told you that the measure of your life is not what you accomplish, but what you give away to others? How would that reshape your life? How would you reprioritize your life? We are one of the most misguided cultures in all the world. We think little about legacy and focus most of our energy on accomplishment and consumption. Let’s take Jesus for example. Jesus gave His life away. Literally. What would you say was His greatest contribution other than going to the cross on our behalf? His teaching? Miracles? Condemnation of the religious hypocrites? Compassion? Love? Not as I see it. You may see it differently but there on Mt. Arbel, outside Galilee after his resurrection and before his ascension, he’s says these words to His disciples… "Go, that is, you go, I am sending you, go into all the world and make disciples. Oh, and baptize and teach them all I taught you. You teach them, don’t hand them a book, you teach them personally." Notice the emphasis is on YOU GO. YOU TEACH. I would argue Jesus' second greatest contribution was, as Robert Coleman said in my most read book ever, Master Plan of Evangelism, “It all started by Jesus calling a few other men to follow Him.” And what followed is a handful of men who carried on after his ascension. The reason why the gospel spread was not because it was written down for all to read, but because he raised up others to take it into all the world. John Maxwell once said, "he who thinks he leads, but has no followers is only taking a walk." Who’s following you is another way to phrase the initial question? This is precisely what Philippians 2:19-30 is all about. Paul replaces himself with Timothy. He will hand the baton to Timothy before he says, “I have finished the race.” Relevant for today? I’d hate to spend my whole life and look back and have not influenced one person in the way I spent my life. Let’s talk about legacy building. Let’s talk Paul and Timothy.

Our cultural moment is one of political tension, algorithm-driven echo chambers, ideological violence, and rapid cultural and technological change. Yet against this backdrop, there is evidence of surging interest in Christian faith—Bible sales and online searches have increased dramatically and church attendance among Gen Z has increased every year since 2022. In our own church we’ve seen people come to saving faith for the first time, people re-engage in life with Jesus for the first time in a long time, and young people take bold steps as leaders. All of this raises a critical question for followers of Jesus: what does it look like to be a faithful witness to the good news of Jesus in our time? Or, to put it in the language of Philippians 2:15, what does it look like to shine as lights in the world? Join us as we learn together from Philippians 2:12-18 to turn on the light.

Churches today (including the River Church) are facing the greatest possible threat. This Sunday we are going to talk about it. As it turns out, the antidote to this pervasive and corrosive epidemic shows up right smack in the middle of our Philippians passage this week. Join us on Sunday to take an honest look at both the nature of this threat, as well as our only protection against it. (This sounds heavy, but I promise I’ll tell a few jokes at some point to lighten the mood.)

In this cultural moment, we sense a growing clarity about what God is doing. He continues His unchanging mission — seeking and saving the lost — but now, His people are becoming aware and ready to join Him. Let’s lean in with open hands and willing hearts, praying for where He might lead us next. When we say yes to the Great Commission, we step into the greatest adventure — following the greatest God making disciples of all nations. We’re honored to welcome our ministry partners, Alex and Millie Ojera, as they bring a message on the mission of Christ. We're excited for their voice and perspective to help illuminate where God might be calling us to go next.

Jesus shares the gospel, good news of a new king who saved not politically, but spiritually in a time of great diversity and divide. I personally like his approach. He is willing to, as they say, “mix it up” with this woman. He draws her in to the real issue and goes after what’s holding her back. Her response is astounding. She’s all in. This is the River Church. Mix it up, listen, talk, show respect, be concerned for others. And, that’s a big and, lead people to Jesus through a life changing encounter with the truth of God’s word. WOW. Bolder and equally truth filled.

So Paul is actually going to say, "For me to live is Christ and die is gain." I wonder if we actually believe that. If we understand that. If we did, would we have the courage to put our faith on the line as we know Charlie Kirk, fellow believer and young man that shared Jesus with college students did? I mean, to question if we think this passage was written to you as well as others, like Charlie, who put it all on the line. Maybe this national tragedy will spark a flame that will ignite believers to live out their faith in new ways. What would that look like? This passage speaks of living in light of an eternal perspective. Our aim is not life preservation, but embodying the fullness of actually living for Jesus with every breath you have. And to die is gain? You can know Christ and not live for Him. To live for Christ… that takes courage, community and a cross. I will be speaking to each of these components as they describe truly living.

George and I are coaching August's soccer team this season. We've been playing for all of one week and it is absolute chaos. But there is hope for a great season, we have a plan! What makes a great, effective team? What does it take to (dare I say) win? Let’s look at what Paul (an absolutely legendary coach) has to say to his partners, his friends, his team.

Each of us is searching for joy and peace. Or put another way, none of us woke up this morning and thought to ourselves, "Do you know what I don't want to experience today? Joy and peace." Yet even though we all experience profoundly happy moments, lasting, joyful, peaceful contentment can often feel out of reach. Join us for the next two months as we learn together from the book of Philippians, seeing in it Paul's Holy Spirit inspired portrait of joy in all circumstances.

I want to believe that God's faithfulness means He will keep me from pain and loss and trials of any kind. But I have experienced pain and loss and trials. So what is true? This weekend I want to look at God's promise to be faithful and what that means/looks like/feels like in the middle of a storm.

Life gets hard. We know that - we have lived it! We are familiar with the afflictions of life, and are intimately aware of the pain and sorrow that come with it. But, what do you do in those times? Do you complain to the nearest person to you? Do you buckle in and bear it, making sure no one else knows about it? Or, do you take your situation to God in prayer? This week we explored how the art of lament leads us closer to God, and closer to his heart. Lament does not always make the situation "disappear," but it shows us God's appearance through it all.

This last six months I have spent most of my work life hanging out with dead people. That is, my research thrusts me into the strange and fascinating ocean of ancient Roman, Jewish, and early Christian literature. I’ve been reading heaps of their poems, novels, essays, philosophic treatises, scandalous narratives, visionary descriptions, moral rants, speeches, and surviving letters. My favorite part of my time with the ancients is when they say something that is—to us inhabitants of the 21st century—completely weird. I just LOVE getting my hair blown back their bizarre hot takes on the human experience. Ancients say the darndest things. As we continue to consider the reality and shape of human suffering in our modern lives, I want to showcase a constellation of weird, wild, and completely scriptural strange takes on suffering. These might shock you, but I believe they might actually help us in the throes of pain. Join us to hear some unfiltered ancient wisdom.

In a fallen world, the question isn't whether or not we will experience heartache and pain. The question is what we will do with it. We all know the common ways we might respond to heartache in a place like the South Bay--distract ourselves with fun experiences or new purchases, busy ourselves in our responsibilities at work or with our families, deny the pain with religious platitudes and fake church smiles, the list could go on. But at the heart of following Jesus is the radical and freeing invitation to come to Him with our heartache. Join us as we learn from John 11 and see in it the heart of God for us in the midst of our heartache.

God, where are you? Why is this happening to me? Do you even care? You know these questions. You’ve asked them. Many of you are living in the midst of these questions right now. This is what our students explored at Hume Lake Christian Camps. We are looking at the story of Joseph to discover how God works all things according to his plan and purpose. What people have intended for evil, God works for the good of his purposes. Join us to hear our campers stories from Hume and the start of our series - God with us.

How important is seeing through the right lens? Ask anyone who's had to make do without their glasses or been living with the wrong prescription and they'll tell you--it makes a whole world of difference. And seeing through the right lens isn't just a matter of reading a traffic sign or further into the distance or making out details that would otherwise be fuzzy; it's a matter of navigating the world around us according to what we see. All of which brings us to the Biblical phrase we'll be demystifying in our final week of our Words to Live By series: Heaven and Earth. Join us as we clarify the often misunderstood vision of eternal life and hope presented to us in the pages of Scripture and learn together how to live in light of that which will matter forever.

As we continue our sermon series, Words to Live By, I want to draw our attention to two surprisingly powerful prepositions: “with” and “in.” Though small in size, these words carry enormous theological weight. They’re easy to overlook, yet they reveal a profound mystery—through faith, we are united with Christ and now live our lives in God. Simple words. Eternal truth. Mysterious, beautiful, and absolutely life-changing.

Let's do some word association. When I say "holy," you say... what? For many of us the knee jerk reaction that we have to a word like "holy" conjures images of a kind of cold, dull moralism that (if we're honest with ourselves) seems irrelevant at best and deeply unattractive at worst. Phrases like "holy huddle" or "holier than thou" come to mind. But the writers of Scripture speak of God's holiness and our call to be holy with Him as anything but cold and dull--biblical pictures of God's holiness are majestic and captivating. Join us as we learn from Isaiah 6:1-8 what it means to see the captivating majesty of God's holiness and the invigorating goodness of embracing our calling to be holy as He is holy.

In the South Bay, performance can be a way of life. From career and family milestones to curated Instagram feeds, the pressure to succeed—and to be seen succeeding—is relentless. But beneath the sun-soaked ambition often lies a quieter story: exhaustion, anxiety, and the nagging sense that our value is always just out of reach. Enter the invitation of God's grace—not as a vague spiritual idea, but as a disruptive truth, a foundation on which to build life. Join us as we continue our Words to Live By series by unpacking, demystifying, and learning to practically internalize the concept of grace: God's unconditional acceptance of and favor toward us in Jesus.

Have you ever had someone tell you they believe in you? Not that they believe you—but that they believe in you. There's a difference. When someone believes in you, they’re not just nodding at your words. They’re trusting your character. They’re confident in who you are and what you’re capable of. They trust you to come through. I want to talk about what it means to not only believe Jesus, but to believe in Him. To practice trusting who He says He is—not just in theory, but in the tension, the waiting, and the risk of real life. Can you guess the "word to live by" that we're going after? I am beyond excited for this one.