Search Results for: church

Posted: 03 Feb, 2019 | Author: Steve Nelson

Acts 2:38-39 Peter replied, Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away all who […]

Posted: 28 Oct, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson

The church is a beautiful thing, precious to God, and a source of good to the world.  The Biblical word “church” does not describe a building where people meet, or an event, but a group of people.  We are the church. Being the church has many wonderful dynamics and is a rich experience I would […]

Posted: 23 Sep, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Proverbs 23:19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path. NIV11 Once, when I was a kid, my family went to church at a drive-in theater. My dad pulled up, put the speaker on his partially rolled-down window, and we quietly sat through the service. We were on vacation […]

Posted: 08 Apr, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Psalms 16:5-6 Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. NIV84 It is important for us, as a church, to be thankful for the special things God has given us, and […]

Posted: 11 Feb, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

It is important to keep our mission ever before us. As a church, we want to help people connect to the source, God, experience life, and to have that life flow through us and into the world. In this message, Steve explains how the prophet’s vision in Ezekiel 47 relates to our church name and […]

Posted: 27 Aug, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

Dove shares about how he has felt a tendency in his own life to isolate himself or become isolated from others.  Yet, the hope of Christ is that his family (his church) will relentlessly fight these tendencies and pursue unity.  We each have a role in building up the family of God and staying united […]

Posted: 12 Feb, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

If those who speak are supposed to speak as if speaking the very words of God, how are those who listen supposed to listen? In faith, can we believe that God will speak to us through His Word, through worship, through others, and even through the sermons we hear? 1 Peter 4:11a If anyone speaks, […]

Posted: 29 Jan, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

The church in Corinth had serious issues that Paul addressed throughout 1 Corinthians. He spoke so strongly on at times that you might think his letter to them would have ended their relationship. Yet as he concluded his letter in chapter 16, instead of writing an it-was-nice-knowing-you ending to their relationship, he penned a very ordinary […]

Posted: 04 Dec, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson

What comes to mind when you think of authority and the submission to authority?  Our own experience and cultural context have inevitably shaped that view.  We probably all know examples of the abuse of authority and realize the potential to be taken advantage of.  As we look deeper, we see that a loving authority is […]

Posted: 16 Oct, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

How can the church be a hospital for broken and sinful people and also hope to have a standard of behavior that reflects our higher calling? Is it possible to be loving and compassionate and yet draw a line in the sand and say that certain behaviors are not acceptable among God’s people? In this […]

Posted: 23 Aug, 2016 | Author: Tommy Tinajero

Tommy courageously shares his story of how an addiction to pornography threatened his walk with God, inner peace, and marriage. Most (if not all) of us can relate to such life-consuming struggles, but God doesn’t want that to be the end of the story. He can help us to be free and to fill our […]

Posted: 08 May, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson

In this message, Dove talks about coming together as a church—not only as the local church, but as a community of followers of Christ within this city, country, and world. We were made to thrive in unity and togetherness. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when […]

Posted: 01 May, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

In this message, Steve talks about how being involved in the church is a strategic part of our mission to advance God’s Kingdom. Church was never intended to be an event, but the church is Christ’s body, in a brotherhood expressed practically in deep and meaningful local relationships, and on mission like a spiritual army. Serving in […]

Posted: 24 Apr, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

In this second installment in the There Is series, Steve talks about the mission of the church. Why do we do what we do? What are we as a church doing to accomplish our mission? From small groups to lunch after church, everything we do is designed to accomplish our mission to be disciples and make […]

Posted: 17 Apr, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

This is the first of a four-part series called “There is.” Our “There is” campaign is a rallying call, to not just be a group of people who meet together on Sunday mornings, but, to be one body with one faith, following one God. It is based on this verse: There is one body and one […]

Posted: 06 Mar, 2016 | Author: John Houser

In this message, John Houser talks about the importance of working through offense and conflict within the church. God wants the church to be united, and in order to do that we must be prepared to deal with the internal conflicts that will arise over time. “I have given them the glory that you gave […]

Posted: 28 Nov, 2015 | Author: Dove Cranson

So often we make Christianity about a list of things to do or events to attend. And yet when Jesus walked the earth, he didn’t ask people to come to small group or prayer meeting. Instead he took his disciples on a journey of commitment and excitement. In this sermon, Dove speaks about how Christianity […]

Posted: 21 Nov, 2015 | Author: Steve Nelson

Our human plan for reaching the world is not working. However, God has a plan to reach the world, and we know that it does work. However, in order for it to work well, we have to be doing things God way. In this message, Steve takes a look at God’s way of reaching the world—through the […]

Posted: 14 Nov, 2015 | Author: Bruce Bradford

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” -Hebrews 6:10   Download Handout Disciple the Heart resource 4 – Serve – Give of Your Life

Posted: 12 Sep, 2015 | Author: Steve Nelson

In this sermon, Steve talks about leadership and the exciting news that Dove Cranson is being recognized as a pastor at the Rio!   Download   Church Leadership – Handout

Posted: 30 Aug, 2015 | Author: Steve Nelson

In this final part of the Knowing Jesus sermon series, Steve takes a look at three things that stop us as a church from working together as a team: sin and selfishness that entangles and disqualifies, failure to work as a team and to see what is small as being part of something bit, and indifference […]

Posted: 25 Jul, 2015 | Author: Steve Nelson

God calls the church to unity—an unconditional, tightly-bound unity. So what do we do when we meet people who we don’t naturally get along with? How does God call his saints to respond when faced with a difficult relationship? “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” […]

Posted: 16 May, 2015 | Author: Steve Nelson

As we continue our series through Philippians, we’re going to take a look at the place of suffering in a Christian’s life. Suffering is very real, not only in the sense of the persecuted church, but also in the sense of the day-to-day struggles and battles that we face regularly. These sufferings, in whatever form, […]

Posted: 01 Sep, 2012 | Author: Steve Nelson

Divorce affects us all. Some of us may have been through it ourselves, or we may have come out of broken families. People in our church have been divorced and we all have friends and acquaintances who have been affected by it. So what does the Bible say? Is it ever permitted? Is remarriage allowed? […]

Posted: 01 Nov, 2020 | Author: Dove Cranson

We can give and receive a blessing with the persecuted church around the world. 

Posted: 22 Nov, 2020 | Author: Steve Nelson

We must refuse to be okay with the way things are. Jesus wants to bring people into life and out of death and darkness.

Posted: 07 Mar, 2021 | Author: Steve Nelson and Dove Cranson

Church finances may bore you, but being refreshed in our vision is always worth it.

Posted: 30 May, 2021 | Author: Dove Cranson and John Meyer

In the midst of loss, God's love for us shines out as we love each other and choose to listen to His voice. 

Posted: 14 Mar, 2011 | Author: Steve Nelson

Community Parenting Seminar given at the Rio Church in 2011

Posted: 21 Mar, 2011 | Author: Steve Nelson

Community Parenting Seminar given at the Rio Church in 2011