River Oaks Church: Live - Connect - Engage

Discovering and engaging in the God-given purposes for your life. This includes understanding gifts, understanding passions, recognizing needs, and engaging in ministry purposefully based on these foundations.  Wow! Today's Day by Day for Emotionally Healthy Relationships is spot on and uncovers cringe-worthy areas in my life - areas where I've slipped into the "elder son" area of the prodigal son story. The elder son is literally a picture of the Pharisees in many ways. Nenri Nouwen describes it this way: "I recognize the elder son in me. Often I catch myself complaining about little rejections, little impolitenesses, little negligences. Time and again I discover within me that murmering, whining, grumbling, lamenting, and griping that go on and on even against my will." How can we engage the world with purpose when we are struggling with our own sin and pharisaical attitudes? The answer is … by God's grace, and by more and more self-...

This Sunday we will celebrate Pentecost. Why does that matter? Because in the history of the church, this day, Pentecost, became the day when God fulfilled the promise Jesus left his disciples with. On the day when Jesus ascended to Heaven, he said this to his disciples. (Acts 1:8) But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” On the day of Pentecost, we see this: (Acts 2:1-4) When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.   As we have been discovering the tr...

Does Your Friendship Matter? This past Sunday we looked at why God wants us to have friendships with people who are "on the margin," people who are social outcasts, and simply people who don't know Jesus yet. I wonder what would happen if each of us would commit to becoming friends with just 1 person outside our Christian and Church circle. Someone who needs a friend who will listen. Someone who needs a friend who will point them to Jesus by our words and by our life. Someone who would be willing to work through the hard questions?  You were born to be that person. The one who offers genuine friendship and a safe place for a searching person to find God.  If you missed this week's message, you can watch it here . Let's continue to be in prayer about what God wants us to do, and how He wants us to engage in the opportunity to participate with city churches and ministries in this outreach event. It is a Community Initiative We are not in t...