3Rivers

Welcome!

2011-10-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

Blessings to you…and welcome to our web site! We’re glad you’re here. That’s pretty standard fare these days, and, most of the time it’s true – especially if there’s something the web site wants you to buy. But we don’t have anything to sell. We just know that people are into a quick and simple way to check something out & a web site happens to be a great way to do just that. So, all cheese balls aside, enjoy checking out our site and we hope you find it helpful. And may the Lord richly bless you!!

Youth NORCAL Allnighter

2011-10-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

NorCal Allnighter
10/21/2011 — 10/22/2011
Plan on being up All Night with Fun, Fellowship and Encouragement
We'll be joining youturn Student Misitries for a NorCal Allnighter. Churches plan on meeting us starting at Church of the Cross in Modesto at 9:00pm (3936 Dale Road, Modesto). We will meet there first to start the evening with a word of encouragement. The our night starts out going to Dell' Osso Farms Corn Maze-Funworks-Bowling at McHenry Bowl and breakfast at Golden Corral!!!
Click here to register.

Announcements

2008-07-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes
See the flyer in your bulletin for specific information on
how to pack a box. If you cannot pack a whole shoebox,
please donate small items at the table in the foyer.
Cash donations are welcome as well. If you need a
shoebox, grab one from the table. Plan to be a part of
blessing needy children around the world. Return filled
shoeboxes no later than Nov. 20th.

Old Time Carnival ~ Sun. Oct. 30th
Today!! Carnival games galore in the gym right after
church! All kids are invited.

Destination Unknown ~ Sat. Nov. 19th
All youth welcome! The cost is $10. Departure from the
church is 3 p.m. and arrival back to church is 11 p.m.
Parents need info? Call Travis at 209-985-6386.

Turlock Christmas Parade ~ Fri. Dec. 2nd
Get this fun event on your calendar now. It is a 3RCF
tradition. Arrive at the Maze’s around 6:30. Bring lawn
chairs, warm blankets and goodies to share. Warm
drinks are provided. Address is 434 N. Broadway, Turlock,
corner of Broadway and Park streets. Call Ed or
Meri with questions at 664-0516 or Ed’s cell 209-262-
5665.

3RCF Children's Ministry Application

2008-07-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in serving the body through the 3RCF Children and Youth program please complete the application available here. Your completed application should be submitted to either the office or Darin Willett.

Teachings

2008-07-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

We’re trying to make it simple to tune in & listen to the Word. That’s why you can listen online, download a teaching for your mp3 player or sign up for a podcast. The basic flow here at 3Rivers is that we’re teaching through the Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. We’re studying through the Old Testament on Wednesday nights and the New Testament on Sunday mornings. We kinda like doin’ that way – and hope you find these teachings a blessing and a boost to your walk with the Lord.

Pastor Scott's Blog

2008-07-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

You can check out Pastor Scott's blog here!

3RCF Youth Trip Sign-Up Form

2008-07-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Need a sign-up form or permission slip for a youth event? Just click here to download and print one. Please include the trip name when you fill it out and bring it the day of the event!

Grace

2008-07-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

The following passage is taken from Grace: The Glorious Theme by Lewis Sperry Chafer. Chafer was an American theologian and scholar in the early part of the 20th century. He was a key figure in the expounding of the Dispensational method of understanding Scripture, and wrote many books exploring the important “big picture” themes and motifs of the Bible.

“No more can grace remain grace, if by its benefits there is created and imposed the slightest obligation for payment or remuneration. Grace is unrecompensed favor. Its riches must be bestowed and received only on the ground that it is an uncomplicated gift. ‘I give to them eternal life,’ and ‘The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord’ (John 10:28; Romans 6:23).

In order that the field might be absolutely clear for the manifestation of uncomplicated divine grace, God has perfectly eliminated every work of man- past, present, and future- from the terms of salvation by grace: ‘not of works, lest any man should boast’; and, ‘if by grace, it is no more works’; ‘Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted [reckoned] as righteousness’; ‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.’ Man must take salvation as a gift. He need only believe in order to be saved. The complete setting aside of human obligation as payment for divine blessings is the only ground upon which God can be free to act in unlimited divine grace towards sinners; but every human work and obligation is now set aside, and pure grace is offered to all men in the Gospel of the grace of God.’

The phrase that jumped out at me in the section above was “uncomplicated gift”. It’s hard to grasp sometimes, but our salvation in Christ is really a completely free gift with no strings attached! Having received it and going forward, we don’t owe God one single iota of work, response, etc. It’s a good thing there isn’t a price tag attached- how could we (being finite, and screwed up by sin to boot) pay for something of infinite value? Even if God granted us salvation at 99.9% off (what a deal!), there would remain a price to be paid (0.1% of infinity = uh-oh). The fact of the matter is, we can’t earn our salvation either before or after the fact, and don’t need to. The gift is uncomplicated and simple.

What about “faith without works is dead”? This is also true, and very important. But the works in question are produced by who we are in Christ (a new creature, one that operates in a new way) and not as an obligation or payback. When we speak of the freedom we have in Christ, it is the freedom to finally act in the manner that we were created to act; demonstrating faith towards God, love towards others, and a hope that moves us onward to deeper and greater things in Him.

-C. Wagner

The Nature of God's Goodness

2008-07-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

The following excerpt is taken from The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis. This short book was written in 1940 and was his first in a series of superb apologetic works. In it, he takes on a recurring question in the Christian life: How can pain exist in a universe governed by a God that is both perfectly loving and limitlessly powerful? The quote below is taken from the chapter exploring the nature of God’s goodness:

“We are bidden to ‘put on Christ’, to become like God. That is, whether we like it or not, God intends to give us what we need, not what we now think we want. Once more, we are embarrassed by the intolerable complement, by to much love, not too little.

Yet perhaps even this view falls short of the truth. It is not simply that God has arbitrarily made us such that He is our only good. Rather God is the only good of all creatures: and by necessity, each must find its good in that kind and degree of the fruition of God which is proper to its nature. The kind and degree may vary with the creature’s nature: but that there ever could be any other good, is an atheistic dream. George MacDonald, in a passage I cannot now find, represents God as saying to men ‘You must be strong with my strength and blessed with my blessedness, for I have no other to give you.’ That is the conclusion of the whole matter. God gives what He has, not what He has not: He gives the happiness that there is, not the happiness that is not. To be God – to be like God and to share His goodness in creaturely response – to be miserable – these are the only three alternatives. If we will not learn to eat the only food the universe grows – the only food that any possible universe can ever grow – then we must starve eternally.”

“My way or the highway” – the power-play implicit in the phrase can make us cringe. Yet that is the reality we are confronted with in this world; God tells us to “enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction.” There is not a single course other than the one “narrow way” in the whole scope of human choice that can possibly end in good. The above passage explains that God was not arbitrary in framing our world with the one right answer and the billion wrong ones: there really is, and can ever be, one truly right answer. When God (in His character, His will, His power, His goodness, etc. etc.) is PERFECT, with no possible improvement in any possible sphere, what other answer could there be? In what other direction could we grow to become fulfilled, other than to grow to be like Him?

-C. Wagner

Truth and Mercy

2008-07-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

The following passage is from Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, by J. C. Ryle. Ryle was a British minister in the late 1800’s, and his four volume set on the Gospels is deep and comprehensive, yet not difficult to read. The passage is taken from the section on John 1:15-18, and deals specifically on the contents of verse 17:

“We are taught, secondly, the vast superiority of Christ to Moses, and of the Gospel to the Law. It is written that ‘the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.’

Moses was employed by God ‘as a servant,’ to convey to Israel the moral and ceremonial law. (Heb. 3:5.) As a servant, he was faithful to Him who appointed him, but he was only a servant. The moral law, which he brought down from Mount Sinai, was holy, and just, and good. But it could not justify. It had no healing power. It could wound, but it could not bind up. It ‘worked wrath.’ (Rom. 4:15.) It pronounced a curse against any imperfect obedience. The ceremonial law, which he was commanded to impose on Israel, was full of deep meaning and typical instruction. Its ordinances and ceremonies made it an excellent schoolmaster to guide men toward Christ. (Gal. 3:24.) But the ceremonial law was only a schoolmaster. It could not make him that kept it perfect, as pertaining to the conscience. (Heb. 9:9.) It laid a grievous yoke on men's hearts, which they were not able to bear. It was a ministration of death and condemnation. (2 Cor. 3:7-9.) The light which men got from Moses and the law was at best only starlight compared to noon-day.

Christ, on the other hand, came into the world ‘as a Son,’ with the keys of God's treasury of grace and truth entirely in His hands, (Heb. 3:6.) Grace came by Him, when He made fully known God's gracious plan of salvation, by faith in His own blood, and opened the fountain of mercy to all the world. Truth came by Him, when He fulfilled in His own Person the types of the Old Testament, and revealed Himself as the true Sacrifice, the true mercy-seat, and the true Priest. No doubt there was much of ‘grace and truth’ under the law of Moses. But the whole of God's grace, and the whole truth about redemption, were never known until Jesus came into the world, and died for sinners.”

For Ryle, both the grace and truth that Jesus brought to us demonstrate His mercy. Grace is found in the divine plan to save us, even while we were enslaved by sin and in active rebellion against God. Truth is found in the perfect means of that salvation; His spotless, righteous life and effectual, atoning death on the cross in our place. Both show us His amazing mercy, and it is this mercy that both makes our new birth possible and continues to sustain us in our walk with Him.

Why then can it be so hard for us to show mercy to others, when it is so central to our relationship with God? Read James 2:13 – it is of vital importance that we extend mercy in our own sphere of relationships. When we meditate on just how much we have been forgiven, and understand the cost paid personally by Jesus to do so, we become much more open to extending mercy to others. Mercy triumphs over judgment, James says, and that is good news that we all need to hear and experience.

Something to Chew On

2008-07-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

The following excerpt is taken from a sermon in a collection published by John Wesley in 1771 under the title Sermons, On Several Occasions.

“The more any believer examines his own heart, the more will he be convinced of this: That faith working by love excludes both inward and outward sin from a soul watching unto prayer; that nevertheless we are even then liable to temptation, particularly to the sin that did easily beset us; that if the loving eye of the soul be steadily fixed on God, the temptation soon vanishes away: But if not, if we are exelkomenoi , (as the Apostle James speaks, James 1:14 , ) drawn out of God by our own desire, and deleazomenoi , caught by the bait of present or promised pleasure; then that desire, conceived in us, brings forth sin; and, having by that inward sin destroyed our faith, it casts us headlong into the snare of the devil, so that we may commit any outward sin whatever.

From what has been said, we may learn, secondly, what the life of God in the soul of a believer is; wherein it properly consists; and what is immediately and necessarily implied therein. It immediately and necessarily implies the continual inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit; God’s breathing into the soul, and the soul’s breathing back what it first receives from God; a continual action of God upon the soul, and a re-action of the soul upon God; an unceasing presence of God, the loving, pardoning God, manifested to the heart, and perceived by faith; and an unceasing return of love, praise, and prayer, offering up all the thoughts of our hearts, all the words of our tongues, all the works of our hands, all our body, soul, and spirit, to be a holy sacrifice, acceptable unto God in Christ Jesus.

And hence we may, thirdly, infer the absolute necessity of this re-action of the soul, (whatsoever it be called,) in order to the continuance of the divine life therein. For it plainly appears, God does not continue to act upon the soul, unless the soul re-acts upon God. He prevents us indeed with the blessings of his goodness. He first loves us, and manifests himself unto us. While we are yet afar off, he calls us to himself, and shines upon our hearts. But if we do not then love him who first loved us; if we will not hearken to his voice; if we turn our eye away from him, and will not attend to the light which he pours upon us; his Spirit will not always strive: He will gradually withdraw, and leave us to the darkness of our own hearts. He will not continue to breathe into our soul, unless our soul breathes toward him again; unless our love, and prayer, and thanksgiving return to him, a sacrifice wherewith he is well pleased.”

In the analogy of our life in Jesus as the “life of God in the soul of a believer”, Wesley deals with the nuts and bolts of the “biology” of the spiritual new man- in order to stay alive and thrive, he has to breathe both in and out. Respiration is required for all life, both physical and spiritual. Our life in Christ is far more than a conversion experience, correct beliefs, or even a touch from God; it also crucially involves our response to that touch. When living things stop breathing, or breathe irregularly, things do not go well for them. In the same way, our relationship with Christ cannot be merely receiving; we must be continually giving back to Him in order to experience a healthy life in Him. Only when we are pouring ourselves out in prayer and service do we find that the inflowing Spirit is limitless in both scope and power, and is never lacking to fill us when we simply feel the need to allow Him in.

-Chris Wagner

Three Rivers Events Calendar

2008-06-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

Easter 2008

2008-06-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

Download Teachings Here

2008-06-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

Press play to listen now. Or, to download a teaching or grab the podcast click here.

Why Jesus Loves Us

2008-06-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Why Jesus loves us? Frankly, we have no idea. We just know that He does. We’re all pretty messed up. The Bible is full of stuff that says we’re pretty messed up, but that God somehow loves us anyway...like John 3:16 – yup, it’s that verse you see at sporting events on a poster held by that guy with the rainbow fro (at least I used to see him back when I was a kid…come to think of I have actually seen him for a while and I’m hoping he’s ok.) Then there’s Rom. 5:8 that says He proved His love for us by dying for us while we were still in the pig pen, not when we were trying to get all prettied up in our own righteousness.

We really want to keep that simple focus of the impact of God’s grace. We believe that perhaps the two most important corporate (tho’ definitely NOT like a corporation) activities of the church are to 1. Love the Lord through worship & 2. Study His Word. We believe that the more you engage in one the more you’ll want to engage in the other. They feed each other. As we extol the Lord and His character the more we are inclined to want to know this God that loves us with such wanton abandon! This leads us to inquire, to study, to learn of Him in His Word, which, in turn, makes us love Him all the more.

We honestly don’t know why He loves us like He does. He just does. We certainly haven’t, can’t, and won’t ever give Him reason to love us. In fact, we will probably be wondering about the answer to that question for all eternity. We, and the angels in heaven, will forever be praising the "glory of His grace!" (Eph. 1:6) For now, however, we want to keep growing in His amazing grace! (2 Peter 3:18)

Please feel free to contact us if you'd like more info about how to personally receive the grace of God!

Webcasting Live!

2008-06-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, indeed! We are webcasting live on
Sundays and Wednesdays. Check it out
at ustream.tv/trcf. Archived videos are
also available at the site.

3RCF Youth

2008-06-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

You've found REFUGE. The place for the jr. high and high school youth at 3RCF. To find out more about us and see the latest events check us out at our blog. http://www.threeriversrefuge.blogspot.com/

I will say of the Lord, "He is my REFUGE and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." Psalm 91:2

got game? vbs 2009

2008-06-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

eXtreme VBS 2008

2008-06-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in eXtreme VBS.

What a blessing! What a blast!

What To Expect

2008-04-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

Where are you located?
We are located at 500 9th Street Suite B, Modesto, CA 95354 . We are on the corner of 10th & F streets in downtown Modesto. To see a map or to get directions, click here.

When are your services?
Worship Service (Thru' the New Testament): Sundays @ 10 am
Wednesday Night Thru' the Bible Study (Thru' the Old Testament): 7:00 pm

How should I dress?
At THREE RIVERS, you come as you are. You will see people in button-up shirts and dresses as well as jeans and T-shirts.

Who attends?
It would be easier to say who doesn’t. We have young and old, single and married, those with and without children, and various ethnic backgrounds.

What is your praise and worship like?
We have contemporary praise and worship that lasts for about 20–30 minutes. Children that are old enough to participate are welcome to join us and will be excused to Sunday School after worship. Younger kiddos can be dropped off at the nursery prior to the service.

What do I do with my baby/infant/toddler?
You can take advantage of our mother-baby room located in the children's ministry wing, or you can drop off your infant or toddler at our nursery service. If your baby needs you during the service, a number will come up on the screen that corresponds to your child.

Where do my children go?
We have a vibrant children’s program for your elementary age children to enjoy. They enjoy interactive, high-energy lessons teaching them the basics of God’s Word and enjoy a worship time made just for them. The individual classes are Nursery, K-1st grade, 2nd-3rd grade and 4th-6th grade. As the kids are excused after worship please walk them to their classes and sign them in. Pre-teens and teenagers 7th grade and up are invited to stay in and be a part of the main service.

What is in store for my teenagers?
The youth meet on Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm for a study thru' the Scriptures geared just for students in Junior High and High School. Before and after service, they can hang out in the gym filled with air hockey, foosball and other games. They also enjoy monthly activities and outings.

Who will be working with my children?
Not only do we have appropriate appropriate protocols in place, but we also do a background check on everyone who works with our children and youth. The safety of our kids is of paramount importance. Our volunteers are well-trained and love working with children and youth to help them grow in their walk with God.

How can I get connected in small groups?
Easily! Join one of our Koinonia Home Fellowships for an intimate and friendly time of fellowship, prayer, and unusually good eats on the 2nd and 4th Sunday nights of the month. Men's Bible Study meets each Friday morning at 6am here at the fellowship. They consider various bible characters in a format directed by one of the brothers, yet open & lively. Our Women's Fellowship gathers on Thursdays from 6:30pm-8:00pm for a sweet time of fellowship, study and prayer. There is also a once-a-month Saturday fellowship and yummy brunch open to all the women in the fellowship.