The ministry of Riverview Baptist Church is two-fold in purpose: "Sharing Christ - Building Believers." We exist to lead individuals to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and to build strong Christians who are growing in their relationship with the Lord. For those who do not know Jesus Christ as personal savior, or for those who do not know what that means, this page is for you!
Without a doubt the most important message of all times is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no other name on Earth, beneath the Earth or in the Heavens above by which a person can be saved except through the name of Jesus.
Man was originally created by God as a perfect being. God gave man all good things at creation including a free will to make his own decisions. In one instance of Satanic temptation, man chose to disbelieve what God had commanded him thus disobeying God and falling from his sinless state of perfection. The Bible says, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12). Every man, woman and child has sinned. There is none righteous, no, not one. Romans 3:10. That day Satan was cursed by God for deceiving Adam and Eve: And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:14, 15). Verse 15 is the first verse to contain a prophecy of the coming Redeemer.
The only way sin could be atoned for was through a perfect, sinless sacrifice. The events, sacrificial offerings and prophecies of the Old Testament looked forward to the day when Messiah would come and redeem the world from sin. Jesus Christ is that perfect, sinless Messiah; the Son of God born of a human virgin, the sinless God/Man.
It is my prayer that you have already made the most important decision to accept Christ into your own life. There is only one way of salvation and it is through Jesus Christ.
Becoming a Christian is an act of faith. Jesus Christ willingly died for your sins and calls upon you to trust him as your personal Savior.
Knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior is the most exciting experience of life. Yet millions of people live today as if there were no God at all. They live as though the death and resurrection of Christ made no difference for them. He does not matter to them because they have never come to know Him as their personal Savior.
One does not become a Christian by merely attending church or religious services. Sitting in church will not make you a Christian any more than sitting in your garage will make you an automobile!
To become a true Christian believer, you must come to know Jesus Christ. This involves a personal encounter with Christ. Such an encounter may happen anywhere: at a church altar, in your car, or at home. The place is incidental. The personal experience with Christ is what really matters. Jesus said, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). I want to introduce you to this abundant life.
We need forgiveness. The Bible clearly teaches that we are all sinners by nature and by choice. Sin is the transgression of God's law. To sin is to voluntarily disobey God's law. The Scripture says, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Sin is a problem with which we all must deal because its consequences are so devastating. The Scripture says, For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death involves total separation from God for all eternity. It is the greatest of all the consequences of sin.
We are all guilty of sin. The degree or intensity of our sins may vary, but we are all guilty of sinning. The Bible reminds us, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). The prophet Isaiah illustrated it this way: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way (Isaiah 53:6).
Doing the best we can or trying to "balance the books" is not sufficient to remove even one of our sins. That is why the payment for sin always involved a blood sacrifice. In the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed for sin. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, became the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
Sin is an offense against a holy God. It separates us from God and keeps us from experiencing all that God has for us in life. Since we cannot save ourselves, nor remove the fact of our sin, we need to be forgiven.
We need a Savior. A savior rescues someone else from dire consequences. Jesus Christ is called the Savior because He died to rescue us from the consequences of our sin. The Bible says, Christ died for our sins... was buried, and... rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The apostle Peter put it this way: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [raised] by the Spirit (I Peter 3:18).
Jesus died in our place and took the punishment for our sins. Trusting Him as your personal Savior means that you accept his death on the cross as the sufficient payment for your sins. The Bible declares, The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (I John 1:7).
Christ's payment for our sins is so complete and sufficient that we can add nothing to it. We cannot save ourselves, and we need not try, because He has already paid for our sins. That is why the apostle Paul said, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Salvation is a free gift of God made possible by His grace to undeserving sinners. It is not a reward for our good deeds. Nor is it something we must spend a lifetime trying to earn. It is a gift that we must receive by simple faith.
We need to receive salvation by faith. Knowing that Christ died in our place and that God is willing to pardon our sins will not save us until we receive that pardon by faith. If a prisoner was condemned to die and was given a pardon, he would have to receive it in order to be set free. Saving faith is simply receiving God's pardon for sin. That pardon was secured by Christ's death on the cross.
Faith is the placing of one's trust in someone or something. It is believing a chair will hold you up when you sit on it. It is believing the word or promise of someone when he gives it to you. Saving faith is believing in the promise of God. It is accepting the offer of salvation as a free gift from God to you personally.
The Bible is the instrument of our faith. It is the inspired Word of God, which declares the message of God to mankind. The apostle Paul said, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). The apostle Peter describes this process as being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God (1 Peter 1:23).
The Holy Spirit is the agent of our faith. He is the one who convicts us of our sin and causes us to see our need of a Savior (John 16:8). He is also the one who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit initiates conviction in our hearts and draws us to the Savior.
Jesus Christ is the object of our faith. Having faith alone cannot save anyone. It is the object of one's faith that really matters. In relation to our salvation, our faith rests in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He alone is the object of our faith. To trust Him as your Savior means to believe by faith that He died for your sins and that the price has been paid.
We need a spiritual rebirth. The New Birth is not an improvement on our old nature. It is the imparting of an entirely new nature. By the creative act of the Holy Spirit at salvation, the believer becomes a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). When we trust Christ as our personal Savior, the Holy Spirit enters our lives and causes us to be born again with spiritual life.
Jesus said, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). The New Birth is not just a nice idea, it is an absolute necessity. The unanimous testimony of the Bible is that one is born again when he receives Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.
Spiritual rebirth occurs when God is born in us and unites His Spirit with our spirit. The marvelous truth of Scripture is that God lives within your soul. When you receive Jesus Christ, He comes to live within you forever (John 14:20).
In the last night of His earthly ministry, Jesus prayed for all who would come to believe in Him: That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us (John 17:21). Our union with Christ is to be exemplified by our unity with other believers. The New Birth makes us children of God and adds us to the family of God. By the New Birth we actually receive the divine nature of God Himself.
We need to call upon God to save us. The invitation of the gospel is clear. The Bible says, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13). I want to personally invite you to call upon God, by faith, to save you. Ask Him to save you and believe that He will do it. Do not hesitate. The Scripture urges us, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near (Isaiah 55:6).
Right now, while you are visiting this web page, give your life to Christ and receive Him as your personal Savior. The Bible says, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear God, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. If you have any questions or would like to have some literature about living the Christian life please contact us, tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you and get you started on a joyful Christian walk with God.
Thank you and God bless you,
Pastor Shahn Wilburn