River of Life Church - St Joseph

Guest Speaker - Kelli Patrick

This week had a guest speaker Kelli Patrick come and share a powerful word about reaching our city for Jesus. Kelli works with students to help empower them to share their faith in their schools, and the word she brought this week is a timely one for us to consider as we look to reach those around us with the gospel. 

Family Matters - Week 1

This week we being a new series on God's plan for the family. We begin this series by looking at what the Bible says is God's purpose in creating families and also what God wants families to accomplish. It doesn't matter if you are married with kids, single with no kids, come from a great family background, or have a tragic family story, understanding God's plan for the family can help you understand how to live better in the story you have. 

The Numbers

This week we are doing a standalone sermon about the idea of being dependent on God. It's not comfortable to live where we are forced to depend on God, but spiritually that is how we should be living all of our lives. This sermon talks about how we should embrace true dependence on God and that powerlessness is an invitation to go back to seeking the Lord. 

Admirer or Follower? (Guest Speaker: Erin Olson)

This week we hear from St Cloud Chi Alpha missionary, Erin Olson, as she speaks on the topic of being an admirer of Jesus versus being a follower of Jesus. (Hint: we need to be followers, not admirers!) Erin shares some of her personal story that highlights when this change occurred for her while also showing how scripture drives home the truth of what our spiritual lives should look like. 

First Response

This week's sermon is a standalone sermon asking this question: what is your first response when you are faced with adversity or opposition in your life? The answer according to scripture is that our first response should always be prayer. When we want to take ground, we pray first. Where do you need to take ground in your life? Your first step should be to pray about that area. 

Vision - Week 4 (Big Three)

This week we cover the outward-facing goals that God has given our church. These goals all stem out of our mission to have one more person growing in Christ. We want that happen locally, globally, and in the next generation. This sermon discusses these goals while also laying out scripturally why they are important. 
**The file for our Vision week 3 sermon got corrupted and we were unable to salvage it. We apologize. 

Vision - Week 2 (Discipleship)

This week we move forward with our vision series talking about what we consider the "lifeblood" of our church: discipleship. Every body needs blood to function and exist. In the church, we discipleship has to be the core of who we are. We discuss what discipleship looks like and how the church helps with the discipleship process of its members. 

Vision Sunday

This week we spent some time talking over the vision that we believe God has for our church. This sermon covers where we are, where we could be, and what needs to happen for us to get there--including the mindsets that we need to adopt as a church for us to grow to where God wants us to be. 

Gospel of John - Week 12

This week we close out our series on the Gospel of John by talking about Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension. While the story may be familiar to you, John emphasizes certain portrayals of Jesus during the final days of his earthly life that bring out some beautiful truths for us today. Jesus is the Saving King and because of him, we have eternal life with God that starts now and lasts forever. 

Gospel of John - Week 11

This week we turn our attention to the Holy Spirit, who Jesus repeatedly brings up in his final words with his disciples before his death (John 14-17). Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as our comforter, advocate, and guide who will lead us more clearly to him. Too often the Holy Spirit's name is misused in the name of weirdness or worse, but that is not how Jesus presented him. If it was important to Jesus, then we should lean into the Holy Spirit's role in our lives as well. We cover in this sermon who the Holy Spirit is and what he does in our lives (fruits and gifts). We end by quickly covering the Baptism in the Spirit which is a special moment where the Holy Spirit empowers us.