<description>Pentecost - Let the HOLY SPIRIT be Your WORSHIP LEADER - September 15, 2024 by Riverbluff Church</description>

Pentecost - Let the HOLY SPIRIT be Your WORSHIP L…

Pentecost - Let the HOLY SPIRIT be Your WORSHIP LEADER - September 15, 2024 by Riverbluff Church

Pentecost - Let the HOLY SPIRIT be Your WORSHIP LEADER - September 15, 2024

<description>In Matthew Chapter 24, the Gospel writer records JESUS teaching His disciples about the global conditions before His 2nd Coming. There, JESUS tells them (and us), that before His Great Return, “There will be more and more evil in the world…” v12 (NCV). This week’s school shooting in Winder, Georgia, is but one example of the growth of “more and more evil in our world”.

How are we as followers of JESUS, called to respond to this rapid intensification of evil all around us? GOD inspired the Apostle Paul to write down instructions for how we are to engage this “evil world” in SPIRITUAL WARFARE. In Ephesians chapter 6 Paul writes “Pray in the Spirit at all times…” v18 (NLT2).

Our GOD has not abandoned us to this evil, but has equipped us to be strong in this battle. Prayer is our most prominent and powerful weapon in this fight. It empowers every other weapon in our God-given arsenal. Learning to “PRAY IN THE SPIRIT” is critical for us as we “stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11).

Last week we turned to the incredible book of Revelation to learn from the Apostle John how to “PRAY IN THE SPIRIT”. This week we’ll study from that great Chapter 8 of the book of Romans. I’m praying for you watch this message, as we grow together is our capacity to “PRAY IN THE SPIRIT”!

Pastor Joe Still</description>

In Matthew Chapter 24, the Gospel writer records …

In Matthew Chapter 24, the Gospel writer records JESUS teaching His disciples about the global conditions before His 2nd Coming. There, JESUS tells them (and us), that before His Great Return, “There will be more and more evil in the world…” v12 (NCV). This week’s school shooting in Winder, Georgia, is but one example of the growth of “more and more evil in our world”.

How are we as followers of JESUS, called to respond to this rapid intensification of evil all around us? GOD inspired the Apostle Paul to write down instructions for how we are to engage this “evil world” in SPIRITUAL WARFARE. In Ephesians chapter 6 Paul writes “Pray in the Spirit at all times…” v18 (NLT2).

Our GOD has not abandoned us to this evil, but has equipped us to be strong in this battle. Prayer is our most prominent and powerful weapon in this fight. It empowers every other weapon in our God-given arsenal. Learning to “PRAY IN THE SPIRIT” is critical for us as we “stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11).

Last week we turned to the incredible book of Revelation to learn from the Apostle John how to “PRAY IN THE SPIRIT”. This week we’ll study from that great Chapter 8 of the book of Romans. I’m praying for you watch this message, as we grow together is our capacity to “PRAY IN THE SPIRIT”!

Pastor Joe Still

Pentecost - What The HOLY SPIRIT Does For Us When We Pray In HIM - September 8, 2024

<description>If you have ever seen a fish out of water, you know that it just flops around, wiggling and jumping all over the place. If it's out of water, it's out of its intended environment. The fish is trying to move but it can't go anywhere because it's not in the environment it was made to be in. So it flops and twists and flips, absolutely going nowhere. Why? Because it's trying to be “fishy” in a non-water environment and it wasn't created for that. So no matter how much flipping and flopping it does, all it's doing is running out of breath. The fish will die because it is not in its home.

In John 6:33 JESUS said: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.” Followers of JESUS who pray “in the flesh” instead of “in the Spirit”, are like that fish, just flip-flopping around.  GOD designed prayer for HIS people, and in HIS design, HIS Spirit gives life to our prayers.  The HOLY SPIRIT is the environment that fills our prayer-life with power.

I’m praying for you watch this message, as we look to GOD’s Word to learn how to PRAY IN THE SPIRIT!

Pastor Joe Still</description>

If you have ever seen a fish out of water, you kn…

If you have ever seen a fish out of water, you know that it just flops around, wiggling and jumping all over the place. If it's out of water, it's out of its intended environment. The fish is trying to move but it can't go anywhere because it's not in the environment it was made to be in. So it flops and twists and flips, absolutely going nowhere. Why? Because it's trying to be “fishy” in a non-water environment and it wasn't created for that. So no matter how much flipping and flopping it does, all it's doing is running out of breath. The fish will die because it is not in its home.

In John 6:33 JESUS said: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.” Followers of JESUS who pray “in the flesh” instead of “in the Spirit”, are like that fish, just flip-flopping around.  GOD designed prayer for HIS people, and in HIS design, HIS Spirit gives life to our prayers.  The HOLY SPIRIT is the environment that fills our prayer-life with power.

I’m praying for you watch this message, as we look to GOD’s Word to learn how to PRAY IN THE SPIRIT!

Pastor Joe Still

Pentecost - What Does it Mean to “Pray in the Spirit”? - September 1, 2024

<description>After my message two weeks ago (August 11, 2024) on the armor of God, the question came, “can we pray the armor onto someone else?” While the answer is, “not exactly”, the heart of that question is “can our prayers help others against the spiritual attacks of our great enemy and his minions?” The answer to that question is absolutely yes!

While each of us needs to welcome the reign of Jesus personally in our lives and then keep giving Him more and more room to vanquish the darkness in us where his reign hasn’t been welcomed; our prayers can help each other fight this good fight!

Paul instructs us to always keep praying for all of the saints, with all kinds of prayers and requests. He invites us to join in the spiritual battle for the sake of others. One of the ways we join God in transforming the life of someone else is by interceding for them in prayer. To intercede is to stand in the gap for someone. In prayer we intercede by praying prayers for someone they ought to be praying for themselves, but can’t or don’t know to be praying. For instances, an unbelieving friend doesn’t know that he needs his eyes to be opened to the reality of his sin and God’s mercy…so we stand in the gap and pray for this on their behalf. We also do this when we ask for a friend to be set freed from an addiction or wound that causes them to limp through life, never experiencing what God has for them. We are called by GOD to do this and we need to persist in it!

Persisting and persevering in prayer on behalf of someone else is a vital part of intercession. We keep on praying the love and the blessing of the blood of Jesus over their life. In Jesus’ name, we pray against the attacks of Satan on their life. We ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where He’s working and what He wants to see accomplished and we pray in agreement with Him. Our prayers for others are powerful and effective and an important way in which God moves their lives. Is there someone for whom you need to be persevering in prayer?

I’m praying for you watch this message, as we learn to stand in the gap together in prayer for one another and those we love!

Pastor Joe Still</description>

After my message two weeks ago (August 11, 2024) …

After my message two weeks ago (August 11, 2024) on the armor of God, the question came, “can we pray the armor onto someone else?” While the answer is, “not exactly”, the heart of that question is “can our prayers help others against the spiritual attacks of our great enemy and his minions?” The answer to that question is absolutely yes!

While each of us needs to welcome the reign of Jesus personally in our lives and then keep giving Him more and more room to vanquish the darkness in us where his reign hasn’t been welcomed; our prayers can help each other fight this good fight!

Paul instructs us to always keep praying for all of the saints, with all kinds of prayers and requests. He invites us to join in the spiritual battle for the sake of others. One of the ways we join God in transforming the life of someone else is by interceding for them in prayer. To intercede is to stand in the gap for someone. In prayer we intercede by praying prayers for someone they ought to be praying for themselves, but can’t or don’t know to be praying. For instances, an unbelieving friend doesn’t know that he needs his eyes to be opened to the reality of his sin and God’s mercy…so we stand in the gap and pray for this on their behalf. We also do this when we ask for a friend to be set freed from an addiction or wound that causes them to limp through life, never experiencing what God has for them. We are called by GOD to do this and we need to persist in it!

Persisting and persevering in prayer on behalf of someone else is a vital part of intercession. We keep on praying the love and the blessing of the blood of Jesus over their life. In Jesus’ name, we pray against the attacks of Satan on their life. We ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where He’s working and what He wants to see accomplished and we pray in agreement with Him. Our prayers for others are powerful and effective and an important way in which God moves their lives. Is there someone for whom you need to be persevering in prayer?

I’m praying for you watch this message, as we learn to stand in the gap together in prayer for one another and those we love!

Pastor Joe Still

Pentecost - Prayer as Warfare part 2 - August 25, 2024

<description>I’ve talked often about growing up in the home of a Residential Home Builder.  It gave me the skills to actually build the house Kathy and I have lived in since we married in 1983.  One of the skills my dad taught me was how to spot good quality building materials, which is quite important, because all construction products are not created equally.  Plywood is one such product!

Plywood’s name tells us much about that product!  It consists of thin layers of milled wood that have been glued together.  The thickness of a “sheet of plywood” determines the number of layers and the amount of glue needed.  Not all “plywood manufacturers” use the same quality or amounts of glue in their product, which can end in a poor product, and by extension, a poorly constructed house. When it comes to plywood, high quality glue is essential to a good construction outcome, because it holds so much together!

In a similar way, PRAYER IS THE GLUE that holds the ARMOR OF GOD together for SPIRITUAL WARFARE!  Prayer is what deploys that ARMOR, and all Christ-followers can have a strong PRAYER-LIFE. If you don't, you are deficient in the strategic area of battle preparation. You can't win in spiritual warfare without it!

I invite you to watch or listen to this message, as we explore PRAYER AS WARFARE, continuing our journey to live in the presence and power of the HOLY SPIRIT!

Pastor Joe</description>

I’ve talked often about growing up in the home of…

I’ve talked often about growing up in the home of a Residential Home Builder.  It gave me the skills to actually build the house Kathy and I have lived in since we married in 1983.  One of the skills my dad taught me was how to spot good quality building materials, which is quite important, because all construction products are not created equally.  Plywood is one such product!

Plywood’s name tells us much about that product!  It consists of thin layers of milled wood that have been glued together.  The thickness of a “sheet of plywood” determines the number of layers and the amount of glue needed.  Not all “plywood manufacturers” use the same quality or amounts of glue in their product, which can end in a poor product, and by extension, a poorly constructed house. When it comes to plywood, high quality glue is essential to a good construction outcome, because it holds so much together!

In a similar way, PRAYER IS THE GLUE that holds the ARMOR OF GOD together for SPIRITUAL WARFARE!  Prayer is what deploys that ARMOR, and all Christ-followers can have a strong PRAYER-LIFE. If you don't, you are deficient in the strategic area of battle preparation. You can't win in spiritual warfare without it!

I invite you to watch or listen to this message, as we explore PRAYER AS WARFARE, continuing our journey to live in the presence and power of the HOLY SPIRIT!

Pastor Joe

Pentecost - Prayer as Warfare - August 18, 2024

Riverbluff is a Disciple-Making church with a strong heart  to see every man, woman, and child is given repeated opportunities to see, hear, and respond to the Gospel of Jesus where they live, work, and play.

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