The River Online

To hear messages from Pastor Steve Crombie & guest speakers at The River Community Church here in Faribault, visit http://theriverchurch.org/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=FaithHighway/10000/4000/459TH/links.

Enjoy your day & your weekend with your family!

What Lies Are You Believing?

Last night at our small group, we were talking about the lies that we believe. These lies are, of course, from the devil himself. However, if we are not consciously casting these thoughts down and replacing them with the truth about ourselves from God's perspective, our minds get full of junk. God's perspective about things can be found in the Bible.

The Bible is full of words of wisdom along with how he sees us even before we come to him and say "God, I have messed up. I know that your son died for me on the cross and rose again. Please forgive me. God, I want you to be in control of my life." The Bible says in Romans 5:6 NIV "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners." God loved us when we were formed in our mother's womb. Isn't that good news? We are loved by God Almighty, the creator of the universe.

Now, back to my original thought, lies, lie, and more lies. If there is one thing that I cannot stand is being lied to. I would rather be told the truth and deal with what that brings. The devil is the original liar. My question to you is "What lies are you believing?" I encourage you to write the lie down on an index card and after the lie write what the Bible has to say about that lie. Share the lies that you are being told with a trusted friend who can pray with you and encourage you. If you want to share with me, please email me at gullandfamily@q.com or call me.

I could write an entire post about lies that I have believed. Unfortunately, I do not have time to do so today. I am heading off to an Encounter Weekend, so I need to get my house in order for the boys.

Please keep me and the ladies from The River in your prayers as we head off away from our families for the weekend to encounter God and deal with the junk in our soul (which is our mind, will, and emotions).

Blessings to you and your families! Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Easter!

Look at the lines the artist used to draw this picture of Christ. There are scenes from Christ's life. Have you ever seen anything like this?

Hope you are having a wonderful Easter celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Holy Week

This week is a special week on the Christian calendar. Today is Good Friday. The day that we commemorate Jesus' death on the cross. I am hoping to watch "The Passion" tonight after our Good Friday service at The River. If we don't watch it tonight, I would like to watch it tomorrow morning or tomorrow evening. I am not really sure about letting David watch it yet due to the graphic nature of the movie. He did just turn six, and he knows about what Jesus did on the cross. Yet, I am still hesitant. Please feel free to voice your opinion either by email: sgulland@marykay.com or post a comment.

I am currently taking a class at our church. The book we are using is called The Journey to Freedom. Before our Encounter Weekend next weekend, we have been focusing on the truth of the Gospel and the power of the cross. Now that I want to blog about it, I cannot find the book to reference from. :-( Another reason to clean up my bedroom! :-)

As we continue this week until Easter Sunday, remember that Jesus is not still on the cross. He was taken down from the cross and buried. However, that wasn't the end of the story. The rock was moved from the tomb where he was buried and the tomb was empty. Jesus was resurrected from the dead, and he is alive today!!! Jesus is sitting next to God the Father in heaven. Aren't you glad that we serve a God who is so powerful?

Praying that everyone experiences resurrection power this week in every area of their lives!

The Gospel in Fifteen Words

1. God loves us.
2. We are sinners.
3. Jesus paid for our sins.
4. We must receive Jesus.

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." Romans 10:9-10 New Living Translation

God is Good All the Time!

I was reading "Commissioned" which is a newsletter published by Living Word Christian Center's missions department on a quarterly basis. It has testimonies from recent trips along with upcoming trip information. At the end of the report it had a picture of Africa, and it said that there are 25,000 new believers a day on this continent. Isn't that amazing? It also said that it is the first continent to become majority Christian (over 50%) in a single century.

God is moving throughout the land. Are you open to his voice? Have you asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior? Here are a few things you need to know about God:

1. God loves you and offers you a wonderful plan for your life.
*Jesus said, "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" (John 10:10
New American Standard Bible).
*Jesus also said that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life
(John 3:16 New American Standard Bible).

2. Man is sinful and separated from God.
*The Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
*No one is perfect. God knew we were imperfect, so He came up with a plan to reconnect
us to Him. He reconnects us to him through his son, Jesus.

3. Jesus Christ through his life, his death on the cross, and his resurrection is God's only provision for our imperfection.
*Through Jesus we can know and experience God's love and plan for our life.
*The Bible says, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were
still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
*Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me" (John 14:6).
*It is not enough to know these truths. We need to ask God to be a part of our lives.

4. We must each individually receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Then we can know God personally and experience His love and plan for our life.
*We need to ask God to be a part of our lives.
*"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,
even those who believe in His name" (John 1:12 New American Standard Bible).
*Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens
the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20 New American Standard Bible).

Inviting God into my life by asking Jesus to be my Lord and Savior (at the tender age of thirteen) was the best decision I have ever made. Has my life been perfect? No, but I have had someone who has been there for me through all the tests, trials, twists, turns, and ups and downs that life has thrown my way. If you are ready to ask God to be in your life, then pray this prayer of salvation to God from your heart. Ask Jesus into your heart now by simply praying this prayer to God and meaning it from your heart. A miracle will happen as you pray. You will be forgiven and brought into the family of God.

Pray this Prayer: Heavenly Father, I do believe that Jesus is your Son. That He came to earth to die from my sins. That He rose again from the dead. Jesus please come into my heart. Please forgive me of all my sins. Please wash them all away. Please come and live in my heart. Please teach me your ways. Please help me to learn and understand your Word. Please give me Christian friends that love you and can help me grow in your Word. Please help me find a church that will teach me the Bible, and help me grow in knowing you. I thank you now in Jesus name, Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, please let me know by either leaving a comment here or by emailing me at sgulland@marykay.com. The next step is to find a good church that teaches God's truth which is found in the Bible and will help you grow in your faith. Welcome to the family of God!

Can You Forgive?

Hello everyone! I know that today is the sixth anniversary of 9/11. I cannot believe that it was six years ago that this tragedy occurred. I wish I had something profound to share, but I simply do not. Instead, I am going to post an article that was in my inbox. I hope this helps you grow in your relationships with Jesus and others.

Up-Close Forgiveness

By Dennis Rainey

If you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Matthew 6:14

I am often reminded of what C. S. Lewis said: “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive.” How true. It’s not until forgiveness becomes personal and costly that it takes on its actual size and weight.

But perhaps some of what troubles us about forgiveness is that we don’t understand what it is and what it isn’t.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean:

• Excusing what someone did to you
• Forgetting what happened
• Denying, or stuffing, your feelings
• Reconciling instantly every time
  

It does mean:

• Embracing the offender—Christ modeled forgiveness at its best when He forgave and welcomed back those who hurt Him the most.
• Being proactive—When Jesus said from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34), He was forgiving people before they even asked for it.
• Surrendering the right to get even—The essence of forgiveness, especially in marriage, is letting go of our rights to punish and see justice done. Forgiveness is evident when one spouse ceases to demand restitution for hurt feelings and wounded pride.

The other night when Barbara and I were praying together, I turned to Barbara and said, “Sweetheart, before we pray, there’s something I need to ask forgiveness for.” Then after some dialogue, the words “I forgive you” were spoken by Barbara. That’s when you know your marriage is what it was meant to be—a relationship in which forgiveness can flow at the slightest offense. Forgiveness is one of the most important qualities you must practice if your marriage is to become great.

Discuss: Talk about the definition of forgiveness . . . surrendering the right to get even. Is there anything you need to ask forgiveness for?

Pray: Pray that God will show you both how to be aggressive in pursuing forgiveness and appropriately quick in granting forgiveness.

This week’s Marriage Memo is from Dennis and Barbara Rainey’s new book, Moments With You. A sequel to their best-selling Moments Together for Couples, this new book offers 365 new daily devotions. To order this brand-new resource, click here.

If You Were to Die Today, Where Would You Go?

IF you should die today are you 100% sure - sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that you would go to heaven? If you feel you can say yes, please read on.

IF you should die and stand before God and He asked you why He should let you into Heaven, what would you say?

If your answer is, "I am sure I would go to Heaven because I have tried to be a good person," it's the wrong answer so please read on.

Salvation, or the gift of eternal life cannot be earned. To have earned it you would have had to live your life without ever sinning - something that no man except Jesus Christ Himself has ever done. This gift of the forgiveness of our sins, the gift of eternal life called salvation is just that - a gift. It can't be earned. Like any gift, it's free and only has to be received. The following verses help you see these glorious and eternal promises and truths.

We can know - not hope - that we have eternal life! (I John 5:13) "That these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

No one has been able to live a sinless life. (Romans 3:10) "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:23) "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

Sin has touched every human being's life. (Romans 5:12) "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

We deserve punishment for our sins but Jesus offers us the free gift of eternal life. (Romans 6:23) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

God isn't waiting for us to get cleaned up first; He'll help us with that. He accepts us while we are still sinners so, there is no sense in putting it off. (Romans 5:8) "But God commendedth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Faith in Jesus Christ, and the receiving of the gift of salvation, is initiated by believing in our hearts and saying what we believe to God first, and then others. (Romans 10:9-13) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

If we say we haven't sinned, we have lied to ourselves. When we admit that we have, God is faithful to continually cleanse us. (1 John 1:8-10) "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."

Jesus is waiting for you right now! Don't put it off for a second. Let Him into your life! (Revelations 3:20) "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

Pray this prayer of Salvation to God from your heart and mean it. If you would like to ask Jesus into your heart now, simply pray this prayer to God and mean if from your heart. A miracle will happen as you pray. You will be forgiven and brought into the family of God.

Pray this Prayer: Heavenly Father, I do believe that Jesus is your Son. That He came to earth to die from my sins. That He rose again from the dead. Jesus, please come into my heart. Please forgive me of all my sins. Please wash them all away. Please come and live in my heart. Please teach me your ways. Please help me to learn and understand your Word. Please give me Christian friends that love you and can help me grow in your Word. Please help me find a church that will teach me the Bible, and help me grow in knowing you. I thank you now in Jesus name, Amen.

You Ask Why I Follow This Jesus?

A friend of mine over at CafeMom posted this to her journal, and I absolutely HAD to share it. For more information about CafeMom, visit www.cafemom.com.

You ask why I follow this Jesus?
Why I love Him the way I do?
When the world's turned away from His teachings
And the people who serve Him are few.

It's not the rewards I'm after
Or gifts that I hope to receive
It's the Presence that calls for commitment
It's the Spirit I trust and believe.

The Lord doesn't shelter His faithful
Or spare them all suffering and pain,
Like everyone else I have burdens,
And walk through my share of rain.

Yet He gives me a plan and a purpose,
And that joy only Christians have known,
I never know what comes tomorrow,
But I do know I'm never alone.

It's the love always there when you need it;
It's the words that redeem and inspire,
It's the longing to ever be with Him
That burns in my heart like a fire.

So you ask why I love my Lord Jesus?
Well, friend, that's so easy to see,
But the one thing that fills me with wonder is
Why Jesus loves someone like me.

Author Unknown