River City Vineyard - Teachings

Our Journey through A More Christlike God by Bradley Jersak

Journey through A More Christlike God by Bradley Jersak

Our community has been on an adventure of reading A More Christlike God  by Bradley Jersak. We have been covering one chapter a week. Each week's conversation is directed by one of our teaching leaders followed by comments and questions by our in-person and on-line community.Our purpose for this journey with Bradley has been to make sure we are telling the best story of the Good News of Jesus. We have noticed that too often we leave the basic story line of the Bible and begin to add particular theological explanations which at times twists the story of Good News into Bad News, from a beautiful story to something much less than beautiful.We want to do our best to pass along the Good and  the Beautiful news of Jesus to our families, friends, and neighbors.

Love God. Love others in the same ways you love yourself. Even love your enemies. Since God is love. Love is the main word and action of the faith of those who follow Jesus. Better to spend time loving rather than judging!

As a community we have an opportunity to serve an asylum seeker. The truth is we have the heart to help, but we do not know how to do this. Pastor Dianne is further ahead of us on this journey and has wonderful encouragement for us and for anyone else who has the heart for a compassionate response to those seeking asylum.

Self-denial in the Gospel is not meant to be an end in itself.  What does self-denial for the sake of following Jesus look like?

We are preparing for Lent. This morning we are suggesting a Community Rhythm of Prayer for the Lenten Season. All are welcome to join in prayer with us. Let us know if you do by writing inquire@rcvineyard.org.

How do we live the peace of Christ internally and externally? Here are a few ideas.

Without darkness we cannot recognize light. In a similar way we cannot know  hope without experiencing hopelessness. We will step into the pit of despair this morning so that we may experience the hope of Messiah

We want to continue the ministry of Jesus by serving the poor. We, also, have a wonderful heritage in the Vineyard of service to the poor. As we move toward owning a home close to a neighborhood of obvious need, let's ask the Holy Spirit to empower us for service to others.

What do we mean when we say, “Jesus is Lord”? What does Jesus have in mind when we use the title, “Lord”?Enjoy the listen.

After a season of discernment, we have a future idea of moving closer to our neighbors and serving with the love and care of Jesus. 

A dead person raised from death to life is spectacular. Nothing compares to the celebration of Jesus' resurrection. However, there is so much happening in the cross and the resurrection worthy of taking note. Give a listen. Hope you are encouraged. 

May I have permission to rename the Triumphal Entry? This Palm Sunday I suggest the Courageous Entry. I think I have good reason to do that. Please listen and share what you think. 

When disoriented remember who God has shown himself to be, and move forward trusting in him. 

Jesus brought Good News to our world. We must never allow this Good News to be coopted for any purpose other than the purpose of his kingdom.

God is love. His message is love. His method is love. He sent Jesus because he loves all of humanity. He saves us and forgives us because he loves us. May we respond to him in love.

Is it time for our community to move from disorientation toward reorientation?

Our Epiphany Sunday with a look toward 2022.

The season  of Advent helped me change my perspective. It is Christmas. What an incredible day to remember what God has done for all human beings.

Messiah brings love to our world.

Joy comes from the process of facing trials with patience. We have certainly had a couple of years of trials. May our patience increase so that we may rejoice. 

Messiah brings peace not just to the individual, but to our world.

First Sunday of Advent

When the kingdoms of this world seem to thwart the arrival of the Kingdom of God, what did Jesus do? What can we do?It is really hard to live in the “not yet” of the Kingdom of God.

How do we pray? Here is a suggestion.

This is our way on for the coming season. 

How credible are the gospels of the New Testament? Important question to answer for anyone wanting to follow Jesus.

How reliable are the gospels? Can we trust their witness?  Check it out.

In these days of uncertainty we need something that is certain. We need a solid rock to stand on. We need truth at a time when many publish lies and half-truths. Is the story of Jesus even Jesus that certainty we all need in this season?

We have been exploring four ancient practices of the church. These were practices the church persisted in day by day. They were the devotions of the first church.In this message we explore the pairing of the four practices. Luke writes of two pair of practices. How are we to understand these two sets of community devotions?

When the first followers of Jesus asked him to teach them to pray, he did. Plus he encouraged persisting in the prayer he taught them by telling them a parable. How can we learn to pray with persistence?

When did people following Jesus begin to pray? What is our history for praying?

In a time of uncertainty we need to persist in time honored practices that bring stability to our community life. One of those practices is persisting in the teaching of the Apostles. Who were the Apostles and what did they teach? We have much to learn.

In these uncertain and trying times we as a community want to persist in pr Actives that have servers the church well since its beginning. This morning we will focus on the common meal, the breaking of bread.

It seems that the past two years have stripped us of health, financial security, relationships, sanity in national politics, and even time together. When all is stripped away faith, hope, and love remain. This podcast is the third in our series.

The second of our series of three. Faith, Hope, Love remain when all else is stripped away.  We must not lose hope even in the most trying of times. 

The time we live in is challenging. We have encountered unprecedented events never before faced in our lifetime. In many ways are living is being stripped down to essentials. When all else is stripped away faith, hope, and love remain. 

We know in part. We see in part. No one knows or sees everything completely. This is the “Now”. In the “Then” we will know and see completely. “Now” is not “Then”.  May we patiently wait for the “Then” to arrive. 

We want Jesus to teach us to fish for people not fish. We want to gather people into community. Through friendship we hope everyone says “yes” to the invitation to follow Jesus, to enter His Kingdom, to join Jesus in setting things right on planet Earth.

We are a “come and see” community. We are transparent. We want folks to visit. We are happy to invite our friends to come with us to times of gathering. Our hope is for people to see Jesus in us.

Worship is more than songs in a church service.  Worship includes the songs the church sings on Sunday mornings. However, worship is more than these songs and more than what the church does on Sundays. Worship recognizes the value of God in all of life. Worship is expressed in a many ways. May we all learn to worship in Spirit and in truth.

We believe the church in general has become too involved in partisan politics. We do not believe the church should be considered as a voting block for any particular political party. With increased partisan politics, the church in general has also begun to over emphasize Christian Nationalism. Being patriotic is one thing. Adhering to Christian Nationalism is quite different. We hope to explain the difference in our teaching and our loyalty to our King, Jesus, and his kingdom.

We want everyone to know who we are not and who we are. Our identity as a community of ordinary people following Jesus has been tested for several years.  Here is a summary of what we have shared so far. Hope each listener enjoys getting to know us.

How much are we willing to give as a community? As much as Jesus was willing to give to us.

The Body of Christ must exercise if it is to remain healthy. It will grow and mature through exercise. But what exercise?Liturgy is the “work of the people.” What work do the people do to build up the Body of Christ in love?

Can evangelism be something different than saving people from an impending future disaster?Yes, it can!