River Oaks Church: Live - Connect - Engage

LIVE IN JESUS FULLY - Matthew 23:27-28 When we say, "Live," we are talking about the life in Jesus that is full. Life with Jesus is vibrant, authentic, genuine, and characterized by a life of prayer, worship, discipline, maturity, and the power of the Holy Spirit. So, what does it look like to LIVE fully in Jesus? How does it relate to Jesus' "Uh Oh" message to the Pharisees? On Sunday, I referred to Jesus words in Matthew 23:27-28 when he says, "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside. In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins.  As some would say, "Big oof!" As people who are pursuing a full life in Jesus, what is our response to those words? I'd suggest these words stir us toward more and authentic se...

To truly CONNECT, a disciple of Jesus must live out an authenticity that is counter-cultural. The connection that we refer to includes an openness to the input of others and their discernment, an authenticity based on our willingness to be our “true self” in the relationship and finally a genuine love for one each other that comes from a deep awareness of how loved we are by God himself.  Reflecting on Sunday's Message: Referring back to the main text (James 4:11-12) from Pastor Tim Martin's message this weekend, we find keys which are helpful to become "Authentic Connectors": 11 Do not criticize one another, my brothers and sisters. If you criticize fellow-Christians or judge them, you criticize the Law and judge it. If you judge the Law, then you are no longer one who obeys the Law, but one who judges it. 12God is the only lawgiver and judge. He alone can save and destroy. Who do you think you are, to judge someone else?  Last evening I had a great ...