The River Bible Church

We’re excited to share that registration is now open for the Fellowship of Biblical Counselors (FBC) 8th Annual Conference!

Whether you are involved in biblical counseling, church ministry, discipleship, or simply desire to grow in applying God’s Word to life’s challenges, this conference is a wonderful opportunity to learn and be encouraged.

If you are in the Beverly, MA, area, we would love for you to join our local conference watch party and experience the event together.

Please take a moment to register here:

Fellowship of Biblical Counselors 8th Annual Conference Registration
fbcounselors.org/

We hope you can join us for this excellent time of biblical teaching, encouragement, and fellowship!

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The River Bible Church

#missionmoments #riverbiblechurch #natesaint #prayformissionaries #Ecuador #missionarypilot #MissionAviationFellowship

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The River Bible Church

Event Eight: The Announcement of the Birth of Christ to Joseph

Passage: Matthew 1:18-25

Several important observations about the announcement to Joseph are worth noting:

(1) Joseph's Character. Scripture reveals that Joseph was a "just man" (v. 19) and a thoughtful man who carefully considered everything Mary shared with him about her situation (v. 20). These qualities are especially significant given the circumstances surrounding his bride-to-be. Though legally betrothed — which in Jewish custom carried the same legal weight as marriage — they had not yet consummated the relationship. After her visit to Elizabeth, which lasted at least three months (Luke 1:56), Mary returned to Nazareth visibly pregnant. She told Joseph the truth, but as everyone knew, virgins simply do not become pregnant — which is precisely what made her situation so unique and miraculous. Yet Joseph did not act rashly or with hostility toward her. Instead, he considered the matter carefully and resolved to divorce her quietly (vv. 19-20).

(2) God's Message Through an Angel. God communicated directly to Joseph through one of His angels, referred to as "the angel of the Lord" (v. 20), confirming the truth of Mary's account and instructing Joseph on what to do.

(3) Joseph's Humility and Obedience. Joseph responded with complete submission to God's instruction, doing all that he was commanded in the dream (vv. 24-25).

Though Joseph was only the earthly father of Jesus, he was entrusted with an extraordinary calling — and he fulfilled it faithfully. He took Mary as his wife, refrained from any physical union with her until after Jesus was born, and obediently named the child Jesus, which means Yahweh saves.

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The River Bible Church

#missionmoments #Adoniramjudson #burma

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The River Bible Church

Event Seven: The Birth of John the Baptist and the Song of Zechariah

Passage: Luke 1:57-80


Here is another remarkable event in the preparation for the coming Messiah — the fulfillment of God's promise to Elizabeth and Zechariah: a son.


This event was widely known among family and friends, because Elizabeth's barrenness had been no secret. For her to conceive and bear a son in her old age was understood as both a miracle and a blessing, one that removed the shame she had long carried. In Jewish culture, the inability to have children was often viewed as God's judgment for unrepentant sin — a harsh and mistaken assumption — but God allowed this season of barrenness not as punishment, but for His own glory and as a blessing to this faithful couple.


Following the custom of the Law, the child was circumcised on the eighth day and given a name (Lev. 12:3). Tradition held that a firstborn son would be named after his father or another family member, so those present naturally assumed the child would be called Zechariah. However, both Elizabeth and Zechariah were obedient to God's instruction and insisted the child's name would be John.
It is worth noting that Zechariah had remained mute from the moment the angel Gabriel struck him silent (Luke 1:20), and so when the family pressed him to weigh in on the name, he called for a writing tablet and wrote plainly: "His name is John." At that moment, his tongue was loosed.


Zechariah then responded in two significant ways. First, he burst forth blessing and praising God: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people" (Luke 1:68). Second, he delivered a Spirit-filled message to all who were present, closing with these words of promise: "To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:79).


Finally, in verse 80, Luke offers a brief but telling glimpse into John's future — both the character he would develop and the manner of life in which he would be raised.

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The River Bible Church

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The River Bible Church

Event Six: Mary’s Song of Praise

Passage: Luke 1:46-56


In this passage, we see a beautiful response to God’s calling. This song of praise by Mary is a loose retelling of Hannah’s song of praise in 1 Samuel 2:10. We see evidence that Mary knew and loved the Lord her God and His Word, the Scriptures. Additionally, we observe that Mary remains with Elizabeth until the time of John the Baptist's birth (v. 56).

In Mary’s song of praise, she doesn’t focus on herself but on the One who has blessed her. Mary expresses this in her song with three great thoughts. First, she thanks God from the depths of her soul for His favor on her, a humble maid of Israel (46-50). Second, she praises Him for exalting the humble and resisting the proud, haughty, and rich (51-53). Thirdly, she lifts up the name of God because He fulfills His promises, which He spoke long ago to the fathers (54-55).

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (v. 47). Over and over in this song of praise, Mary points all her attention, glory, and praise to God. Amen.

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The River Bible Church

Event Five: The Visit of Mary to Elizabeth

Passage: Luke 1:39-45


At Mary's arrival, the unborn John leaped in Elizabeth's womb — no ordinary prenatal movement, but a divine response. At that moment, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"
Luke 1:42–43
Key theological observations
Elizabeth's words were divine special revelation — Mary had not yet told her about the angel's message.
"My Lord" was an Old Testament Messianic title David used in Psalm 110:1, now applied to the unborn Jesus.
Elizabeth did not praise Mary for sinlessness but for faith — "blessed is she who has believed" (v. 45).
This meeting confirmed the divine announcement to Elizabeth, Zechariah, and Mary alike that Israel's Savior and Sovereign had come.
"Elizabeth eulogized Mary, not because of her sinlessness, but rather because of her faith when she said, 'blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.'"
— J.D. Pentecost

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The River Bible Church

Happy Mother's Day!

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The River Bible Church

Event Four:
The Announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus

Passage: Luke 1:26-38

It's the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, and the angel Gabriel is on the move again. No grand temple. No important city. God sends him instead to Nazareth — an overlooked, dust-covered town in Galilee so insignificant it barely deserved a spot on any map. And yet, that's exactly where heaven turns its attention.

Because this moment marks the beginning of the greatest event in all of human history.


Gabriel's destination is a young Jewish girl named Mary — humble, faithful, and devoted to God. She was betrothed to Joseph, a simple carpenter in Nazareth, and by every worldly measure, she was nobody special. But God had chosen her to carry in her womb what no woman had ever carried before — the very Son of God, the Savior of the world (John 4:42).

This stunning announcement wasn't without precedent. It was the fulfillment of prophecies written centuries before Mary ever drew a breath. Isaiah had declared it: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). The promises of an eternal throne (2 Samuel 7:16), an everlasting kingdom (Isaiah 9:7), and a Son of Man who would receive dominion over all nations (Daniel 7:13–14) — all of it was now converging on one young girl in one forgotten town.

Sadly, Mary has not escaped the distortions of sinful men. Over the centuries, she has been lifted from her rightful place as a humble servant of the Most High God and reimagined as a "sinless" perpetual virgin — despite Scripture clearly telling us she had at least six other children (Matt. 13:55–56). The truth is, Mary was a sinner in need of salvation just like every one of us. What set her apart was her faith. By trusting God's promise concerning the incarnation of Jesus Christ, she displayed a faith that echoes Abraham's — the kind of faith God credited to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:20–21; Heb. 11:8–12). Mary doesn't need to be elevated beyond what Scripture says. Who she actually was — a faithful, believing servant of God — is remarkable enough.

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