Dear River Reach Family,

When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying, 22:1   “Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

Acts 21:40-22:1

When people hate us and intend to harm us our natural inclination is to hate them back. As believers this ought never be the case. Since the moment we believed in Jesus Christ, all three members of the Godhead have been working to radically transform our hearts and lives from the inside out. Jesus now empowers us to “love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who mistreat us.” (Luke 6:27-28) Rather than being angry at our oppressors, we ought to have compassion on them and see them as similar to our previous condition: lost and blinded to the truth. Rather than hitting back or slicing back with our tongue by God’s grace we will be empowered to seek to build a rapport with the lost in order to share the life transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. One of the best ways to share Christ with another person is by sharing your own story with them. In our passage for this Sunday, Paul shares his conversion story with his oppressors in an attempt to encourage them to receive Jesus Christ.

Sermon: “Share Your Story” – Acts 21:37-22:22

This Week’s Schedule:

• Sunday
  • 9:25am – Adult and children’s classes (Adult class and Timothy class online as well through Sunday morning link)
  • 10:30am – Morning Worship (nursery available)
• Wednesday: 6:30pm online only

Live Streaming Links

• Live streaming to Zoom available for all services
  • 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:

• Peace and righteousness in our land
• Susan’s health
• Those who are fighting Covid
• Our missionaries to be encouraged in the Lord
• 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

Blessed to be your Pastor!
Matthew Rowley