Trust Issues

If you’ve been around Riverwood for more than 2.4 nanoseconds, you have probably heard me talk about being Jesus-centered. What I desire is for YOU to live a Jesus-centered life and help us create a Jesus-centered community.

To create this Jesus-centered community, we focus on three values - Grace, Truth, and Trust. Over the next three weeks, I want to explore these three values. But I’m going to do them out of order. This week, I am going to talk about “trust."

Trust and Entrust

At Riverwood, we want to see people trust Jesus. Trust Him with their lives. Trust Him with their futures. Trust Him in their difficulties. Trust Him through all things.

But the idea of being a Jesus-centered community of trust goes further than that. We also want to entrust one another.

Here’s what I mean:

Imagine you have an area of ministry at Riverwood that you LOVE. Maybe it’s greeting. It might be planning events. Perhaps it is teaching kids about Jesus. Or it may be leading a Growth Group.

Now, let’s say that you not only serve in that area, but you are so good at it, you practically become an expert. Everyone compliments your service. They turn to you to find out how you do it so well. Other churches want to learn from you. In fact, you are so good at your area of ministry that people are begging you to write a book so they can learn how to be as good as you.

Many experts love being recognized as experts. They hoard their knowledge so that everyone has to come to them for the answers. They hold tightly to their area of ministry so that the spotlight has to remain on them.

But that’s not how we want to operate at Riverwood.

Shifting the Spotlight

At Riverwood, we want to be a community of trust. We want to entrust others to do the ministry. So if you become an "expert", then we want you to pass on your wisdom to others, seeking to make them experts as well.

And if you AREN’T an expert - you STILL entrust your ministry to others.

You see, to be a Jesus-centered community, we can’t keep the spotlight for ourselves. We have to put the spotlight on Jesus. And one way to do that is to trust that He can use us to help someone else serve him.

That’s why this Sunday, I am gladly giving up my microphone to Mike Howard. Mike is planting a church in Des Moines. I want you to hear from young fresh voices who are seeking to be Jesus-centered and willing to give up everything to help others find and follow Jesus.

If I wanted the spotlight for myself, then I wouldn’t let Mike teach this Sunday. But because I want the spotlight on Jesus, I am gladly giving the mic to Mike, so that you might be inspired and touched by voices other than my own.

I pray that this becomes a regular part of Riverwood. Not just on the stage, but in every area. I hope we have a culture of reproduction, where we each are looking to not only find areas to give our FIST (finances, influence, skills, and time), but looking for ways to help others give their FIST as well.

So jump in. Serve. Make Riverwood an amazing church family. And part of being a family means serving with others. It’s always more fun to do ministry as a team and an honor to know God used you to help someone else find a place to serve the Kingdom.