Your “Virtual” Mission From God – Sunday March 30

Dear RiverTown Family,

As you read this our first RiverTown “International” mission trip is underway! We touched down in the nation of Guatemala yesterday afternoon. Please be in prayer for Oscar & Casey Valencia, Jeff Allen, Connie Vogtlin, Holly Slay, Shelby Granberry, Maren Doernbrack, Hannah Rathel and her Dad (ME!). This team will all need your prayers this week as we intend to pave the way for a long term mission relationship with an unreached people group in a rural area in Guatemala near the Pacific Ocean called Canales!  The local Guatemalan Pastor we will be supporting in that area is described as “A 75 Year Old Fireball.”  We can’t wait to meet him!  

We are already planning and preparing for additional trips as God leads. Every member of RiverTown will have the opportunity to go on a “life-changing mission journey” to extend the work we are beginning this week.  Get ready, you’re next!

Until then, we have a gift for you from RiverTown!  The definition of a VISION is to see something with your soul before you see it with your eyes!  

This Sunday at RiverTown one of the best traveling missionaries I know, Rev. Royce Railey (www.gofishoutdoorministries.com), will share a message describing the transformation in a Christian’s life when he or she goes on a mission trip!  Royce is a veteran mission traveler and has taken dozens of groups on life-changing mission journeys.  This will be your “Virtual” mission trip and prepare you for your every-day mission here in our city and around the world.  

Jesus himself traveled on a mission from Heaven, to Bethlehem, to The Cross, then to Conquer Death and Hell through his bodily Resurrection we Celebrate on Easter Sunday!  Come home to RiverTown this Easter and experience the TRUE meaning of Christ’s Resurrection.

All for Jesus,

Pastor David Rathel 

Sunday, April 13th: The True Story of Palm Sunday! – 9:30am & 11:00am

Friday, April 18th: The True Story of Good Friday! – 6:00pm

Sunday, April 20th: The True Story of Easter Sunday!

             Sunrise Resurrection Worship: 7:00am

             Gourmet Breakfast: 8:00am

             Huge Kids Egg Hunt: 9:00am

             Easter Celebration Worship: 10:00am

Dear RiverTown Family,

Have you ever been friends with someone who was truly a Rich Giver?  You know the kind of person I’m talking about.  They don’t flaunt it, but you know they have it.  This is the guy who always figures out how to pay for every lunch.  Or, its the woman who lets you borrow her “extra” car when yours is broken down.  It could even be the family with the vacation home they’ve let you use.  The best part about this kind of person is that you know they don’t want anything in return and never hold it over your head.  

This is a rare kind of friend, but they do exist.  The size of the gift always varies, but the heart behind it is always the same.  It’s the heart of encouragement, compassion, and generosity.  I’ve always been inspired by the “rich giver” friends God has brought into my life.  I’ve always wanted to be more like them too.  

The faith of the rich givers I know just blows me away!  How do they open their hearts so wide and still trust God to take care of them and their families? The most shocking thing about this kind of faith is that rich givers aren’t always rich in the world’s eyes.  Jesus showed us this in vivid color in Luke chapter 21.  He pointed out the all-or-nothing gift of a poor widow in Luke 21 and compared it to the showy but small percentage given by the religious crowd.  

There’s one more characteristic of rich givers that I admire and honestly find contagious.  They are always happy!  I’ve seen people give compassionately to help a ministry or someone in need to to point of extreme sacrifice.  Then, instead of being more worried and upset about how they are going to survive, they actually become happier!  The gift sets the person free from their self-concern as they learn to depend on God completely!

Then, as God supplies the giver’s need, his or her faith grows until they can’t wait to give again!  I have seen this pattern in so many lives.  As a believer in Jesus Christ, we get to ride on the crest of the wave of our own “God-given” generosity.  God powerfully stirs the waves of his own material and spiritual blessings to support us when we choose to dive into the deep waters of being a Rich Giver!  

Join us this Sunday as we learn how to ride the waves of God’s blessings!  

All For Jesus,

Pastor David Rathel

P.S. EASTER IS COMING!   ALL THE DETAILS HERE!

Video From Last Sunday:

Dear RiverTown Family,

A bigger house, nicer car, better vacations.  Wanting more isn’t always bad, but are we looking for satisfaction in the right places? Maybe it’s not about how much we have, but what we do with what we already have.  Join us this Sunday at RiverTown for a new perspective on Being Rich.

No matter how much money you have you can always be rich.  The richest people in the world are the ones who have decided to be Rich In Good Deeds!  

We have been building a powerful biblical confession phrase-by-phrase each week, based on 1 Timothy 6:17-19, as God leads us through this message series.  

GOD HAS BLESSED US WITH MORE THAN WE NEED.  WE ARE RICH!

WE WILL NOT TRUST IN RICHES.  BUT IN HIM WHO RICHLY PROVIDES.  

BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE, WE WILL DO MORE.

I’m dreaming of how God is going to use this week’s message to unleash unprecedented amounts of compassion in our community.  The first step in transforming a community a Church that is broken and on it’s knees before God asking Him to allow them to DO MORE in them and through them.  I honestly believe that our church IS the answer to the needs in the lives of those around us needing God’s power and help.  I’ve heard it said again and again that The Local Church Is The Hope Of The World!  I Believe It!  

All For Jesus,

Pastor David Rathel

Check out last week’s message on YouTube:  

Money Lies.  It’s true!  

When you have a lot of it you feel like everything is OK and you can do whatever you want.  When you think you don’t have enough it feels like you need more in order to be happy.  Neither one of those extremes are true!  

The problem is that money is often the number one competitor for our hearts, time, and sense of security.  The bottom line is that its easy to believe that money promises to give us the happiness and security that comes from God alone.  

During the first two weeks of our new series, BE RICH, we faced the fact that everyone in our church qualifies as someone who is very “Rich” by global standards.   This Sunday we’ll face the fact that our money lies to us!  Jesus called it “…the deceitfulness of riches…” in Mark 4:19.  

Join us this Sunday and you’ll be able to say: “I WILL NOT TRUST IN RICHES. BUT IN HIM WHO RICHLY PROVIDES.” 

Check out our YouTube video of last Sunday’s service to hear my daughter’s version of The “Christian” Cup Song, Worship in SPANISH, ENGLISH and CHINESE, as well as our new Pastoral Intern’s message that I would call – “The Best Message Of The Year” at RiverTown. 

All for Jesus,

Pastor David Rathel

P.S. I HAVE A CONFESSION.  As a Pastor I hate spring forward Sunday.  Somebody always forgets and misses the the blessings in God’s word and worship they need to make it through the week. The message and mission of our ministry always shines with the light and love of Christ on this Sunday just like all the others.  So, don’t forget to Spring Forward!  Set your hearts and clocks ahead one hour Saturday night.  I can’t wait to see you!  

A Message Seven Years In The Making!

Dear RiverTown Family, 

I’ve heard it said many times: The Man IS The Message!  

The messenger so important because of the meaning, credibilty, and personal journey he represents!  This Sunday is one of those days that the messenger makes all the difference.  

Slowly, “under the radar” for seven years God has been preparing a soldier in our midst as a soldier for Christ! Matthew Cotner came to Columbus seven years ago as a U.S. Army Ranger and has served as a volunteer in every area of ministry inside and outside of the church that RiverTown has to offer.  He has now taken the position as a learning and growing ministry intern on our ministry staff in addition to still serving our nation as a contractor for The Rangers on Ft. Benning full time.  Matt teaches middle school and high school students on Wednesday nights for our family ministry and will lead our Sunday morning welcome teams!  All the volunteers in these ministries have been so excited about Matt and his wife Michelle’s Gung-Ho style and attention to the details going on in people’s everyday lives.  His humility and tremendous desire to learn has been so encouraging to all of us who have had the privilege to walk along side him in his journey!

Yesterday Matt gave me and the other men at our “Kingdom Man” HomeTeam a full preview of his message for Sunday Morning.   I was personally blown away by God’s power in Matt’s testimony and teaching.  The content of the message God has given him, Rich In Character, fits in perfectly with our series this month called BE RICH!  I have been saying to people all week, “Matt’s message is going to be soooooo good…..!”

We have found that a church does its best work in developing people when it is done slowly over time.  That’s what God has done in Matt’s life and ministry over the last seven years.  That’s also the only way a minister and a Man of God is made.  We will all find out Sunday how to apply the principles of this kind of tenacious journey to our own lives.  I am believing that God will use this message to show us how he wants to use RiverTown to be a church where thousands of people RICH IN CHARACTER are born.  

Two great milestones in my family’s life will also happen this weekend.  Melanie and I will celebrate our sixteenth wedding anniversary. God brought us together and he has been faithful to provide the love and life to sustain us every step of the way.  We have needed Christ in our marriage as much or more than anyone!  I am so grateful for her and the way she has been a faithful woman of God and pastor’s wife through every mountain and valley we have faced.  Please thank her when you see her for the gift she is to our Church family!  Thanks to the generosity of time off from preaching and our wonderful family taking care of our children, we will be spending a much needed weekend away together.  I will be excited to be back in preaching mode next Sunday for week three of BE RICH!  

Another milestone this Sunday will be the experience you will have being led in worship by our amazing praise team featuring our daughter Hannah as our primary worship leader.  This will be the first time she has ever put together all the songs and rehearsed with the band in preparation to lead you to God’s throne.  One day you will be able to say, “I was there on the first day when Hannah…”  

Needless to say, Melanie and I are super proud parents and are so thankful for the important role all of you play as spiritual examples and disciplers in the lives of our children.  You have supported us and loved us as a family and as your friends for almost fourteen years now and I wouldn’t take anything for the journey!

To God Be The Glory!  

All For Jesus,

Pastor David Rathel

If you missed last Sunday at RiverTown, you can check out my friend and mentor in ministry Pastor Buddy Lamb in his message “I AM RICH.”

Dear RiverTown Family,

Have you ever wanted to be rich?  What if you found our that you already were?  This Sunday kicks-off a brand new message series called BE RICH.   It’s not about pursuing wealth.  The Bible teaches us in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 to be rich in what matters most so that we can give more and do more with the life God has given us.

This series of messages and even a book on the topic originally comes from Pastor Andy Stanley and North Point Community Church in Atlanta.  But is has also been adapted and used by Pastor Craig Groschel of LifeChurch.tv as well as many other pastors and churches worldwide.  Pastor Buddy Lamb, my mentor and friend, has seen God use these messages at Schomburg Rd. Baptist Church to powerfully change their member’s perspective on money and the way they live their lives.

This Sunday Pastor Buddy Lamb will be with us at RiverTown to help us get this new message series started off right.  Pastor Buddy will share with us about the power of the understanding how rich you already are in his message titled:  “I AM RICH!”

Last week’s valentines message to men, When A Man Loves A Woman, has been requested again and again.  You can find it here in audio podcast version on our weekly sermon podcast: http://rivertownchurch.buzzsprout.com

Or, check out the full video of this message with all the baby dedications too on my YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/davidrathelchannel

Our HomeTeams are really going strong this semester.  There’re is still room for you!  www.rivertownchurch.com/home-teams 

I will be there on Sunday front-and-center anxiously listening to Pastor Buddy’s message and ready to apply the principles of BE RICH to my life and family!

All For Jesus,

Pastor David Rathel.

Dear Men in Our RiverTown Family,  (And All The Women Who Are Reading This Anyway!)  

This Sunday I have a biblical valentines rescue for you.  The truth is that we known how much valentines means to the woman in our life and none of us are certain that we have truly reached her heart.  The cards, candy, flowers, or other gifts are so much more superficial than the love we really want to share and show.  The truth is that the reason you don’t know what will make her feel truly loved is that her heart is always a moving target.  

Each day, week, and month bring different needs and desires that are hard for to predict.  She doesn’t even really know her own true feelings sometimes, but she wishes you did!  Have you ever heard from her that all she really wants is for you to “know her.”  She says that because she craves to be loved and cherished and intimately known by you even if she never tells you what she needs.  So we try… sometimes succeeding and sometimes not! What’s the answer?  

God knows her better than you know her and better than she knows herself. He designed every part of her being and he always knows what will satisfy the longing in her soul.  She doesn’t even have to know God or agree with God about her needs to be satisfied by Him working through you to touch her heart.  

What can you do?  Exercise your God-given spiritual leadership in her life today.  Ask her to come and sit with you at RiverTown this Sunday as we open up God’s word in Ephesians 5:25-33 where God teaches men what it looks like “When A Man Loves A Woman.”   

If you don’t have a woman in your life responding to your spiritual leadership, then you might just pick up a few pointers on how to be the kind of man who attracts the one you have or the one God has waiting for you.

I’m praying for you and your valentines success and blessings of satisfying Godly love today!   

 All for Jesus,

 Pastor David Rathel

 P.S. To All the single ladies (who are still reading, right?) I know we’ll find you there front and center to see what this kind of Godly love looks like.  

If you missed last Sunday, then check out my message here on YouTube!  If you hit the subscribe button under the video, then you can get email and Google notifications every week.    

Dear RiverTown Family,

In almost 13 years of teaching and preaching at RiverTown, I have never simply been unable to finish a Sunday message… until last Sunday!  I have been intensely praying over the last several months and depending on God to dramatically take over my messages.  I have been preparing my messages each week with a whole new level of dependence on God for every word He gives me.  Last Sunday was really a breakthrough in my dependence on God as a Pastor and communicator.  

I’m sure the message title had a lot to do with God’s power and presence with us.  

“Don’t Hold Back… In Spiritual Warfare!”

Here’s a link to the Message on the RiverTown Church Podcast.  http://rivertownchurch.buzzsprout.com/8890/146123-dont-hold-back-in-spiritual-warfare

And On My YouTube Channel:

This Sunday we’ll have two great challenges to GROW as a Church Family!  First, you’ll hear about how to stay on the winning side in our daily spiritual warfare in part two from last week’s message.  Second, you’ll be able to decide which Home Team or Fellowship to join for the upcoming session during our Home Teams Kick-Off!  Kick-Off is a perfect theme since many of our minds will be on the Super Bowl Sunday Night!  Come on Sunday Morning ready to win the spiritual battle by joining a winning Home Team!      

Check out all our New Home Teams in advance on our website: https://www.rivertownchurch.com/home-teams

I love you Church Family!  

All for Jesus, 

Pastor David Rathel