Unashamed of the Gospel

He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians 5:21

-THIS SUNDAY'S TEXT-

Dear River Family,

I (Eric) have gotten a little ahead of myself. Earlier this week I sent out an email to help us prepare for Sunday. Well, I am not preaching that sermon this Sunday; I will be preaching that sermon the following Sunday. This Sunday, Blake Luna will be preaching. Blake is one of our young people. He has grown up in The River Family and he has expressed a call to ministry. Blake is currently serving as an intern at The River. Blake has been preparing and teaching some of our staff each week, and I recently asked him to prepare to preach a sermon for Sunday morning. Well, that will be this Sunday. I want to encourage you to pray for Blake as he further prepares for preaching this Sunday. Also, come and worship with us and grow in Christ with us and encourage Blake as he grows in teaching and preaching. Below you will find Blake's instruction for us to prepare for this Sunday.

  This week we will be talking about being unashamed of the Gospel. When Paul wrote the letter of 2 Timothy, persecution was heavy for believers. People were mocked for believing in a crucified man, they were killed and imprisoned. In fact, Paul himself was awaiting his death sentence when he wrote this. 
     In 2 Timothy 1:8, Paul encourages Timothy to not be ashamed of Jesus Christ, Paul, and the Gospel. Just as Paul commanded Timothy to be unashamed then, we are to also follow that command.
     Temptations to shame are still very evident today. In fact, I bet all of us have felt shame at some point in our life about Christ, other believers, or His Word. It could be on certain controversial topics that scripture talks about, such as abortion, homosexuality, or creation. There is a lot of social pressure to compromise your Biblical views. 
     This week, we will unpack the question: How can we be unashamed of our faith in a world that is so antagonistic towards Christ, the Church, and His Word?
     In preparation for Sunday, it may be helpful to read these passages:

• 2 Timothy 1 • Matthew 13:18-23 • Acts 4&7

Have a blessed week!

Blake

PRAYER & THANKSGIVING

Thank God for the good news of Jesus Christ.

Thank God for the security we have in Jesus Christ.

Thank God for His faithful work in sanctifying His children.

Ask God to continue to be merciful and gracious in saving the lost.

PRAY: Ask God to give you confidence in Christ and boldness in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sunday School

We have started back Sunday School. Pray and contact one of the leaders below to ask questions and sign up for a SS Class. The following are opportunities to gather and grow in fellowship & faith in Christ:

After Service

Encouragers SS Class In the Sanctuary contact: John Hilvert 870-405-7111

Will van der Hoeven' Class Lobby Class Room and Zoom A Study of Isaiah contact: Will van der Hoeven 512-636-3821

Wirt McKee's Class Zoom only Diving Deeper into Sermon contact: Wirt Mckee 870-404-5398

There will also be Sunday School for both children and youth during the Sunday school hour. For children, contact: Luke Humphries 870-510-7573

For youth, contact: Eric Smeltzer 870-421-4341

Life Groups

There are two different Life Groups that meet on Monday evenings:

contact: Russel Tucker 870-350-0809 contact: Nathan Jackson 970-301-1676