"How to be Wary of the Wolves" This world can be a terribly confusing place to call home. If ever a generation need the LORD to once again, “pour out HIS Spirit on all flesh; [so that] your sons and your daughters shall prophesy… it is our generation! And if GOD would do this once again, HIS people need a “Divine Ability” to discern the difference between True & False Prophets. As JESUS begins to conclude HIS great KINGDOM teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, HE gives HIS disciples some very...
Apr 26, 2023•53 min
"Entering the Narrow Gate Without Becoming Narrow Minded" In this message, Pastor Joe Still returns to our journey through JESUS’ single comprehensive teaching on how to live now in the Kingdom of GOD; we know it as the Sermon on the Mount! We will look at Matthew 7:13 &-14, which is one of the more controversial and often misunderstood statements JESUS made in the entire sermon. We will see how JESUS makes incredibly exclusive statements, while simultaneously pursuing connection with people...
Apr 19, 2023•55 min
In his phenomenal work MERE CHRISTIANITY, C.S. Lewis states: “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” We all, every one of us, live with that “ache” in our souls that Lewis described as “desires which nothing in this world can satisfy”. GOD has the answer for our “ache” and it is what we celebrate at EASTER! In this Easter message, Pastor Joe Still leads us to look at God's answer to our soul's ache: ...
Apr 12, 2023•52 min
What we celebrate as PALM SUNDAY began a week that ends with JESUS dead and buried in a borrowed tomb. That Sunday which started with much celebration, closes with confusion and seeds of frustration and disappointment planted. By weeks end, those seeds had sprouted, leading to a city filled with people living with many unmet expectations. Unmet expectations are something that we all face. So what do we do when GOD’s Reality collides with our unmet expectations? I'm praying you'll engage in this ...
Apr 06, 2023•57 min
"Ask, Seek, & Knock To Find Golden Rule Treasure" In His Sermon on the Mount, JESUS gives us the secret path to discover the great “GOLDEN RULE” Treasure. That path is “ASK, SEEK, & KNOCK! In this message, Pastor Joe Still leads us to learn from JESUS how to strategically move from judging others to treating them the way we want to be treated!
Mar 29, 2023•51 min
"To Be The Light We Must Let Go of The Gavel" For decades, the BARNA RESEARCH GROUP has provided incredibly reliable, up-to-date, data-driven information, to help churches understand the current beliefs, thoughts, and trends of the culture into which we are to take the “Good News” about JESUS. Sometime back, David Kinnaman, the CEO of BARNA, wrote a book entitled UN-CHRISTIAN, based on survey results they had collected. The research focused on how non-Christians viewed Christians. They gave part...
Mar 22, 2023•57 min
The Good News of Jesus for the Anxious! Have you ever been “worried sick”? Being worried sick is more than just a catchphrase. It’s a legitimate health concern! The Mayo Clinic informs us that excessive anxiety can lead to physical problems including high blood pressure, migraines, indigestion, or asthma. Additionally, chronic worry is linked to the development of several mental health conditions, like generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and depression. (I pray these state...
Mar 15, 2023•59 min
"How to Choose the Best Storage Unit" Do you know what the biggest difference between that shiny new vehicle, you wish you could purchase, and the one that was crushed in the junk yard yesterday? Time! Everything in the junkyard today, was once an object of value. There was a day when it was bright, shiny, and new, and somebody said, "I want that. I'll pay money for that!" Then a moth got it, rust got it, a thief got it, or it got old, and it ended up in the junkyard. It didn't last. Nobody want...
Mar 08, 2023•56 min
"What Prayer’s Doxology Proclaims" Many of us are familiar with a hymn, often referred to as “The Doxology”. In many Baptist churches, it would be sung immediately following the collection of the offering. The opening line is “Praise GOD from whom all blessings flow.” While many may think that is the only “doxology”, the word itself is defined as “an expression of praise to GOD”. There are actually many doxologies! JESUS concludes the prayer model He teaches to His disciples with a different “Do...
Mar 01, 2023•48 min
" Lead Us…Deliver Us" In February of 2015, the Seattle Seahawks faced the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 49. The Patriots were leading 28-24 with 26 seconds left in the game. It was second down and goal-to-go with the ball less than two yards from the goal line and the Seahawks had one time out remaining. In their backfield, the Seahawks had arguably the best short-yardage running back that season in Marshawn Lynch, but Coach Pete Carroll called for a passing play. The pass was intercepted i...
Feb 22, 2023•55 min
"Forgive AS Forgiven" In our phrase-by-phrase study of “THE LORD’S PRAYER”, what we’ve begun to see is really “THE DISCIPLE’S PRAYER”, JESUS sends a warning with a two-letter word in Matthew 6:12. That two-letter word is “AS”. The warning that JESUS gives on this matter, should stop everyone who follows Him, in our tracks. JESUS teaches that growing a life in the toxic soil of unforgiveness, not only has temporal implications, but also eternal consequences. In this message, Pastor Joe Still lead...
Feb 15, 2023•55 min
In this message, we’ll continue our look into the greatest prayer every taught, found in the greatest sermon ever proclaimed, by the greatest teacher the world has ever known. His name is JESUS! We will also celebrate the two ordinances that our LORD JESUS told us to engage, Baptism and Communion. It is going to be a great time of celebrating the Goodness of GOD together! (If you are participating via livestream or recording, you may want to gather your own elements for Communion in advance. It ...
Feb 09, 2023•52 min
"The Prayer that Brings Heaven to Earth" Some of you know that I have long loved J. R. R. Tolkien’s great work, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, both the books and movies. The last of that trilogy is entitled, THE RETURN OF THE KING. Near its conclusion, when it almost looks as if all hope is lost, the true King returns, vanquishing all of the evil forces. A great coronation and celebration follows, with a truly complete peace finally coming over a weary land. And the people of the Kingdom, enter into an ...
Feb 01, 2023•53 min
This Sunday marks 50 years since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion in the United States. It will also be the first observance of NATIONAL SANCTITY OF LIFE DAY, since the Supreme Court overturned that ruling on June 24, 2022. Declaring in that decision, that the Constitution of the United States does not guarantee the right to an abortion! It was a decision for which I give thanks to GOD. It was also a decision that should call the people of GOD to even greater action an...
Jan 24, 2023•53 min
"Overcoming Our 3 Big Problems in Prayer" “PRAYER” has been center stage in our nation, since the January 2nd, Monday night football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. In that game, Damar Hamlin nearly died, immediately prompting prayers, and appeals to the world to pray for his recovery. Which, as you may know, has been quite miraculous! This event has once again stirred public debate about the purpose of prayer, the power of prayer, and the proper place of prayer in pub...
Jan 18, 2023•46 min
The Oppression of Approval In this message, we continue our verse-by-verse study of the greatest sermon ever delivered. It contained JESUS’ greatest invitation to come and live in HIS Kingdom, as well as HIS most comprehensive single teaching on how to live in the Kingdom of GOD in the here and now! Pastor Joe Still turns our attention to Matthew 6:1-6. Here JESUS uncovers the tyranny that seeking the approval of others, can have over our lives!
Jan 12, 2023•52 min
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Pastor Joe Still leads the gathering of the River-family on the first day of the new year, worshipping GOD together. What a great way to get 2023 started! In this message, he shares his prayer for us for 2023. It centers around 3 Big Truths about our GOD!
Jan 03, 2023•55 min
Merry Christmas! This family-oriented, Carol, Communion, & Candlelight Service is always one of my favorite gatherings of our River-family. It is very special and truly prepares our hearts to celebrate the first coming, “Incarnation” of our LORD JESUS! I promise that, in a clear and relevant way, we will present the Good News, that JESUS has come to rescue, each and every person, from their own personal brokenness and shame. Again, MERRY CHRISTMAS! -Pastor Joe Still
Dec 28, 2022•1 hr 25 min
A Full Christmas – Part 3: Christmas is Fullness of Freedom Depending on who you read, and how they interpret scripture, there are some theologians who point to over 500 verses in the old Testament that point to or describe or reference the coming Messiah of GOD. J. Barton Payne, pointed to as many as 574 verses and Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah or His times. Conservative estimates say Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies in His earthly ministry. Reg...
Dec 21, 2022•53 min
A Full Christmas – Part 2: Christmas is Fullness of the Spirit In his book entitled “JESUS, CONTINUED…”, J.D. Greear, teaching on JESUS’ incredible statement in John 16:7, does a masterful job of asking and answering the question, “How is the HOLY SPIRIT inside you, better than JESUS beside you?” Grasping the fullness of what JESUS taught about the HOLY SPIRIT is essential to having the fullest Christmas experience ever, because the HOLY SPIRIT is active at every turn of the Biblical Christmas s...
Dec 13, 2022•54 min
A Full Christmas - Part 1: Christmas is the Fullness of Time Why, in this season filled to the brim with presents and parties, do we so often end the Christmas season feeling empty? It turns out, the frantic pace, unreachable expectations, and overwhelming amounts of eggnog and sugar cookies don’t leave us feeling fulfilled. Does GOD have a better outcome for you this Christmas? How would you like to take back the season and step into our Heavenly FATHER’S design for Advent? Is it possible to ar...
Dec 08, 2022•41 min
Jesus’ Hope: We’d Get Even Better! I am filled with hope and anticipation about the new, month-long celebration we begin on this Sunday called ADVENT. It is a great season of HOPE entered into by Christians all around the world. It is a season where we reflect on the HOPE JESUS brought into the world that first Christmas day. It is also a season where we rekindle, and renew, the HOPE we have in JESUS’ promised return. It reminds us that, “all our HOPES are in JESUS! While JESUS loves it when we ...
Nov 30, 2022•55 min
The fourth Thursday in November houses our national day; designated by the U.S. Congress and signed by the President of these United States, as the day every American should give thanks. If we’d be vulnerably transparent, most of us would have to admit that we will not spend much time on “Thanksgiving Day” actually expressing gratitude. In fact, we’d have to go further and confess that we may actually be a gratitude-challenged person. For followers of JESUS, giving thanks should not be a governm...
Nov 23, 2022•58 min
How to Live Without All the Lies In this message, Pastor Joe Still continues our journey through JESUS’ Sermon on the Mount. We pick up in Matthew 5:33-37 and learn from JESUS how to “LIVE WITHOUT ALL THE LIES”!
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 1 min
"Jesus on Divorce" In this message, Pastor Curt Bradford continues in our teaching series based on The Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. This passage is direct teaching from Jesus to His disciples about life as one of His disciples. Christians have the wonderful gift of forgiveness and a relationship with God that lasts forever; but we also have been given a new and grace filled way to live.
Nov 02, 2022•55 min
When a Lingering Look Brings Hell on Earth In this message from Pastor Joe Still, our verse-by-verse journey through the Sermon on the Mount brings us to Matthew 5:27-30. Here JESUS addresses how a lingering look leads to lust and unleashes a kind of “hell on earth” for everyone it touches. And, like JESUS always does, HE brings hope and healing into the devastation of desires gone wrong. **ATTENTION PARENTS** This message comes with a “PG” rating.
Oct 25, 2022•1 hr 2 min
"I Must See the Murder in Me" As we continue in our series “ETERNITY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS”, in this message from Pastor Joe Still we’ll see the incredible value JESUS assigns to relationships and their critical role in the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN! Additionally, JESUS will confront us with the seed of murder we all have in our hearts. HE then shows us how Kingdom living can keep that seed from germinating and rooting itself in our lives
Oct 18, 2022•57 min
" How to Follow Jesus into the Bible" In this message on Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (A.K.A.-The Greatest Sermon ever delivered). We will turn our attention to Matthew 5:17-20. In these verses, we will see Jesus addressing a divisive issue among those following Him in His day that, remarkably, is still a divisive issue in our day. Believe it or not, the source of this controversy is the BIBLE! Pastor Joe Still shares how Jesus shows us how impossible it is to live fully in The Kingdom of Heaven...
Oct 18, 2022•58 min
Storms like Hurricane Ian have a way of increasing our anxiety and fear. For those of us who are “In Christ”, GOD our FATHER has given us many promises for our lives as we face storms. HE has also given us a very relevant demonstration through a “storm event” the first disciples faced. There is much we can learn from their “storm encounter”. We can clearly identify the sources of our own anxiety. We can see what JESUS is doing when we are in a storm. We can also learn what we can do when the sto...
Oct 05, 2022•57 min
"Handling Hostility to Your Faith" There is no one kinder or more loving or more compassionate or more filled with grace, than JESUS. I love that about HIM! I also love that HE always speaks the truth, even when that truth may be hard to hear. Last week as we took our first steps into the GREATEST SERMON ever, we saw on full display HIS infinite, marvelous grace, made available to anyone and everyone. It was just such a beautiful picture of JESUS’ Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven! As soon as HE p...
Sep 28, 2022•52 min
