River Church Charlotte Podcast

“Love God and love people” is a common mantra proclaimed in modern church culture. But when you tell religious people to love God they often don’t get on to loving people. In fact, history has proven that people claim to love God while hurting others. When violent acts against other people are justified under the banner of “loving god” you have revealed that your god is not the one Jesus revealed. He and the early church emphasized a spirituality that loves God by loving others! They caught on to the principle that our religion is relationship. This Saturday, Pastor Derek reframes the greatest commandment to show that God doesn’t demand love… He came to show us how!

Why does it seem so difficult to experience the kind of unity that Jesus prayed for in the garden? His words are still ringing out today… “I pray that they may all be one. “Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me.” ‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭21‬ ‭GNT. The Church doesn’t need a reformation, it needs a restoration! I believe this is happening through a greater revelation of the good Father that Jesus revealed. The Spirit is restoring the Body of Christ to be light, life, and love in a time of darkness, death, and fear. What’s our role? How do we participate? For starters, we have to shift our attention from the chaos around us to the Kingdom within us. When we do we’ll begin to see things from God's perspective and partner with ultimate restoration. Join us Saturday night for friendship, worship, and a fresh new series… Restore!

"Advent comes, relentlessly and throughout life, with its words of hope and faith - shepherds and magi, crib and star, Emmanuel and glory - and stirs our hearts to pinnacles of possibility one more time...The real Christmas gift, for which Advent is the process, is learning to hum hope, learning to dance the divine." Joan Chittister Where have you anchored your hope? Do you have hopeful expectations for this season? This first week of Advent begins with hope.

When one kingdom invades another the result is violence, pain, and death. Eventually, there comes a pseudo calm that is labeled as peace and lasts only as long as the dominant force can control things. But this is never true peace because Peace is a person and His name is Jesus. Advent is the story of a Kingdom invasion. The irony of Advent is that it came through the man of Peace who taught us how to be human and then turned himself over to violence, pain, and ultimately death. His resurrection secured peace on earth by first depositing Peace in us.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are well-known tenets of the American dream. But they remain a dream for many because humanity’s efforts can never guarantee them. Happiness is a chase. Joy is a choice. This is why God chose to become one of us and rescue all of us. You were the reason Jesus joyfully endured the cross. Only Jesus can make the dream a reality because He came to make us alive, bring us true freedom, and embed Joy deep with us. Now we can blissfully declare, “Joy to the world the Lord has come!” This third week of Advent, Pastor Derek will be reminding us Joy is a spiritual force. This Joy is the atmosphere of Heaven and it will sustain you through any trial and bring you out flourishing and focused on Jesus.

Being thankful isn’t just a response to the good things that happen in life. It’s a reorienting of your mindset so you can gracefully endure the difficult things. Grumbling and complaining are the status quo of our culture and it’s so easy to go with the flow of negativity. But gratitude is a grace that you can tap into regardless of what your circumstances are saying. It’s an atmosphere-shifting tactic from Heaven that unlocks the unstoppable freedom Jesus provides. This Saturday, Pastor Derek shares the ways you can access the Grace for Gratitude.

One of our modern-day prophets, Don Henley, profoundly sang the lyrics, “I think it's about forgiveness." And I think he's right. Jesus was all about forgiveness. His forgiveness was tied to our healing in every way. As followers of Jesus, we must be forgivers. But why is it so hard sometimes? Especially when serious abuse or assault is involved. Jesus gives us an amazing mindset to be able to forgive. At the cross, he made a statement that is so curious to me. “Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing." Why did Jesus say this? There’s a profound revelation in this statement that can lead us to greater freedom. Let's talk about it this Saturday night.

We are living at a turbulent time in history. Yet, we are encouraged through the words of Jesus to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. Join us this Saturday as we explore our connection with Jesus through the Story of the Vine and the Branches and how you can see His fruit in your life.

Jesus spoke about two builders in a parable where he contrasts two lives: One built on rock and one built on sand. The life built on the solid rock, representing a foundation in Christ, stands firm in the face of life's storms. This life is all about grace and it is built on faith, wisdom, and a loving relationship with the Father. In contrast, the life built on the sinking sand of self-righteousness quickly crumbles when trials come. As the old hymn goes, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand," so goes our life when we build on the unwavering Rock named Jesus. This Saturday night, Jason Clark is reorienting our attention to Jesus as perfect theology… The cornerstone of our lives!

Sarah will be talking to us about the Pearl of Great Price. It is a brief but powerful story that illustrates the idea that the kingdom of Heaven is of such extraordinary value that we should be willing to give up everything to attain it. Like a merchant who sells all he has to acquire a priceless pearl, this parable highlights the immeasurable worth of a deep connection with God. The story also conveys the profound value Jesus places on each one of us. Just as the merchant recognizes the immense worth of the pearl and is willing to sacrifice everything to obtain it, Jesus, in his teachings, underscores the preciousness of every soul. This parable reflects the idea that, to Jesus, each person is like that one priceless pearl. It reminds us that in the eyes of God, we are individually cherished and worth more than any earthly possession, reinforcing the notion of God's deep love and care for every human being.

Jesus encouraged us to become “like a child” to understand and enter the very Kingdom of God. We are on a journey to revisit the parables of Jesus across all our age groups in hopes of starting a family discussion around the meaning behind these amazing stories. Jesus’ parable of the ten talents, found in the book of Matthew, emphasizes the importance of good stewardship. In this story, a master entrusts his servants with varying amounts of talents, symbolizing God’s gifts and resources. The servants who invest and multiply their talents are praised, while the one who buries his talent is rebuked. This parable teaches us the significance of using our God-given gifts to love people and make Earth more like Heaven. This parallels the story of the woman who broke the Alabaster jar to anoint Jesus with costly oil, representing a life poured out for Him. Just as the servants in the parable used the king's money to expand his kingdom, this woman extravagantly poured out her precious possession as an act of worship and devotion to the King of kings, Jesus. Both stories highlight the concept of wholehearted commitment and stewardship in our relationship with God, emphasizing the value of investing our talents, resources, and love to wake others up to the treasure within them. Join us for Like a Child this Saturday!

Jesus encouraged us to become “like a child” to understand and enter the very Kingdom of God. We are on a journey to revisit the parables of Jesus across all our age groups in hopes of starting a family discussion around the meaning behind these amazing stories. In Luke 15:8-10, Jesus tells the parable of the lost coin, illustrating the boundless love of God. Just as a diligent woman searches for her lost coin, God's love relentlessly seeks out every lost soul who, like the coin, never loses its value. No matter how far you may feel from grace, rest assured that God's love will always find you, illuminating your path and celebrating your return with joy beyond measure. Join us for Like a Child this Saturday!

Kings are notorious for fighting battles, securing territory, rescuing damsels, and ruling with an iron fist. They command armies of loyal servants willing to give their lives for the king’s agenda. But our King is different. Our King came to serve us. His plan started small and vulnerable. It started with a baby who would grow up to be the great Servant King. Jesus set the standard for what real royalty looks like. By following His example we serve God’s agenda to establish His Kingdom and rescue the distressed. No striving necessary! Sons and daughters of the King walk in the freedom to serve from a motive of love. “I'm forgiven because you were forsaken / I'm accepted, you were condemned / I'm alive and well / Your spirit is within me / Because you died and rose again / Amazing love how can it be / That you, my king would die for me” Chris Tomlin

We’ve all been given free will. The ability to decide what to think and how to act belongs to us. But many times the choices of others can impact us negatively. When events and the actions of others are thrust upon us we can feel helpless and hopeless. Like we have no choice. Like a victim. When tragedy and trauma strike, remembering that you still have a choice as to how you respond is empowering. Nobody chooses to be victimized but we build a prison for ourselves when we choose to remain a victim. Choosing the good in the face of evil is something Jesus did well. He knows what it’s like to be victimized but to walk away in freedom. As his followers, we have been given the grace to forgive wrongs, love our enemies, and destroy evil by choosing the good. “Walking in Freedom - Victim or Victor” continues this Saturday night.

Stress is killing us. Anxiety and worry are the basic cause of 60% of all human illnesses. The AP recently reported that nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure. Stress has become so commonplace that we shrug it off as a joke and something we just need to manage better. But God wants you to experience freedom from stress. Jesus, no doubt, experienced anxiety. But through intimacy with the Father—Knowing he was never alone—anxiety had to give way to peace. It’s the same for you! The ever-present God of love has peace that can help you sleep through any storm. The apostle Paul wrote some powerful words from prison that can keep you calm and rise above the stress. Learn how to be anxious for nothing this Saturday.

We are all constantly telling ourselves stories. Our brain is wired for stories and will often gravitate towards the negative, which can give way to shame. Shame is an unreliable narrative. Shame tells us that there is something inherently wrong with us at our core. Many of us who grew up in the church think that voice telling us how wrong we are is the Holy Spirit. This Saturday, Sarah will be talking about ways to walk in freedom from the shackles of shame so we can embrace a life of grace and self-compassion.

Often we become our own worst enemy. We deal in the language of condemnation that tries to keep us stuck in our past. It feels like a prison of self-sabotage and a cycle of bondage. Jesus came to free you from this dilemma and delusion by destroying the power of sin and paving the way for you to experience true freedom. When you accept the amazing grace Jesus provides your life will shift from behavior modification to real transformation. Pastor Derek continues our new series “Walking in Freedom” this Saturday night.

Often, we can’t see the path ahead. The twists and turns prevent us from spying the destination. Our view is limited to the momentary, and choices must be made. On one side, we feel fenced in, claustrophobic, and stuck in the moment. The other view offers an inviting horizon full of opportunities for new adventures. If only we had the necessary vehicle to leave the path and traverse the waters! Pause… Breathe… Relax. You’re not alone.

Here we stand at the closing of a chapter in the story of River Church. We’ve gathered at this location since 2015. Although we called this place home it truly is not our Home. We know that home is where the heart is and our hearts are firmly and comfortably abiding in the Father's love as revealed by Jesus. But it is here, geographically, where we have grown confident in His Love. So, while we are thankful for this shelter where we have gathered for eight years, we now joyfully anticipate the move to Saturday nights at Lake Forest Church. It is there that our hearts will develop a deeper trust and we will experience the faithfulness of Love.

In the symphony of creation, the concept of harmony unveils a mesmerizing metaphor for the triune nature of God. Just as a symphony requires three distinct but intertwined elements – melody, harmony, and rhythm – to produce a beautiful masterpiece, so does the divine Trinity comprise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in perfect unity. Together, they resonate in an eternal dance, creating a seamless composition of love, grace, and purpose that echoes through the cosmos, touching the hearts of all who listen. This Sunday, Pastor Derek continues our Alignment series with: In Tune with the Triune.