For the Love of the Church – Acts 20:1-12

Dear River Reach Family,

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together.
Acts 20:7-8

What you love will be visible in your actions. The passions of our hearts drive our actions (Luke 6:45). Heart loves will propel personal sacrifice of time, comfort, and other conveniences. While applicable in every area of life, our actions are a clear indicator of our love for Christ and His church. The Book of Acts records the swell of souls being transformed by the power of the Gospel into passionate disciples of Jesus Christ. As time progresses and the Gospel spreads geographically and internally with the hearts of believers, love for Christ produces visible displays of devotion and service. Our Lord loves to see and support those who pursue Him with a heart of passion and a life of devotion. In our passage for this Sunday, the Holy Spirit through Luke pulls out details from the growing church to reveal the beauty of Christ at work in the hearts and lives of His children. May our Lord continue growing that same glory within us!

Sermon: “For the Love of the Church” – Acts 20:1-12

Schedule this Sunday

Adding in Person Sunday school!

9:25am – we will have a verse sharing opportunity. If you have a verse that you have memorized, or just a verse that the Lord has blessed you with this week, please encourage us all by sharing it!
9:30am – Adult and children’s Sunday Classes
10:30am – Morning Worship in person or online

Preparing to observe the Lord’s Supper on June 21st

Having been delayed by the pandemic, we look forward to following our Lord’s instruction to remember His death together as a church. We are still not back to normal yet, but we want to do what we can to honor Lord in the meantime. It is our desire to include those of you who are homebound at this in our observance. Beginning this Sunday we will be making available prepackaged bread and grape jucie for you to use in our celebration on June 21st. You are welcome to pick them up from the church if you are in the area. You may have a family member bring them home for you. We will be happy to deliver them to you if you desire to participate. If you have any questions, please contact myself or Pastor Dan.

Praise: Church network and internet are now working!

After a problem on Wednesday, we were able to get the network back up and running and should be ready to go with live-streaming this Sunday! We thank the Lord for His help and grace in this area.

If you have feedback on the live-stream quality, please let us know.

Phased reopening of in person services:

Phase 2 (Current Phase): 9:25am Sunday School; 10:30am Sunday Morning worship; 6:30pm: Wednesday Prayer and Bible Study in person and online
- Childcare: Available for nursery and young children who can’t sit through the morning service
Phase 3: Resume all normal service and children’s programs
Live streaming to Zoom will continue through all phases
- Morning Worship: https://zoom.us/j/360308233
- Wednesday Prayer and Bible Study: https://zoom.us/j/225762120
- Backup Plan: If Zoom goes down we will move to Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/qbm-xhcd-vxf

Zelle Online Giving available

If you would like to give an offering through an electronic means, you may now give through Zelle. You will find our church listed under the email address: give@riverreachbaptist.org

If you put in the email address correctly Zelle should recognize the recipient as “River Reach Baptist Church, Inc.” If you have any questions, please contact me.

Prayer Requests:

Carolyn and Mark recovering from a flood in their home
Peace and justice for all in our nation
Our audio/visual/live streaming equipment to work and operate without distraction
Our leaders to have wisdom
Opportunities to share Christ in these uncertain times
Spiritual growth and strength for each one in our church
Our nation to repent and turn to God
Someone that the Lord can use you to lead to Christ
Someone that the Lord can use you to lead to follow Christ
Our missionaries as they serve the Lord around the world

Blessed to be your Pastor!
Matthew Rowley