Hallelujah and Praise Jesus!
I thank God with all my heart for such an powerful start to the new year with our RiverTown family. This past Sunday morning felt like God was giving us all a real power punch of conviction from His Holy Spirit through the message “Pulling Punches”.
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I was in awe of how God’s spirit drew in our members and all the newcomers to follow Christ in the new year. My great prayer for you all is that as you focus on Christ in the beginning of 2014 that you are empowered to be faithful to him through the end of the year. It always convicts my heart and motivates my body to remember: “The Faithful Follow-Through!”
This Sunday morning God has led me specifically to teach more about the true nature of “The Gospel” as the center-point of our lives. I have seen that in our community it is too easy to go to church on Sunday, work hard to live a good life, but slowly drift away from the life of true satisfaction found only in the Gospel.
Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”
Simply put, the power of the Christian life comes from a life committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is God’s one and only plan for us and He always infuses power into the lives of people who are daring enough to stake their entire lives on it!
Luke 15 tells the story of a Father and two sons. We usually think of the younger son as the story’s only rebellious prodigal because of his typical sinful lifestyle. The truth is that both sons were prodigals. Both of them wanted only what the Father could give them instead of the Father himself!
They both turned away from the power of the Father’s love and presence as their true inheritance. This Sunday you and I will come face to face with the two brothers in this story and see how their hearts expose our hearts. The true Gospel is a message of coming home to a Father who fills your heart with his love, presence, and power to such an extreme degree that you NEVER want to leave home again!
All For Jesus,
Pastor David Rathel
P.S. – Last Wednesday night’s GROW was attended by 40 adults! We had to keep adding more chairs and printing more teaching booklets. These sessions will help you understand your S.H.A.P.E. – Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences! God has a SHAPE for your life and your ministry to others. These GROW sessions will help us all get prepared for the launch of our HOME TEAMS semester on February 2nd. The healthy snack competition was a huge hit as well. “O taste and see that the Lord is good!” Psalm 34:8
