River City Church

River City Church A gospel-centered church of disciples making other disciples of Jesus Christ. River City Church is a gospel-centered church in Swissvale.

If you are interested in being a part of this new church please contact us to find out more, join us for a Sunday gathering, or visit RiverCityPGH.com

Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week! I often find that in the midst of my per...
06/11/2026

Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week! I often find that in the midst of my personal devotion, the Lord will point to certain scripture or topics that He will lead me to write about. You know what really stood out to me for, like, a week and a half? Psalm 119:65-72! Our scripture for the week states, ““It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”

Woah! I’m sure for many of you that the first part of the verse, “It is good for me that I was afflicted” probably really stood out, not in a positive way. I’m sure you are saying, “good that I was afflicted? I don’t want any affliction!” I agree with you and the psalmist here agrees with you, as well. However, the psalmist doesn’t write this as some form of masochism but instead highlighted an important aspect of our faith. How can I say that? Because this theme is interwoven within Teth (Psalm 119:65-72). Let’s look at it!

In Psalm 119:65-72, the psalmist is repeating the fact that he loves the Word of God. The psalmist loves God’s precepts and statutes that he is asking for the Lord to teach him further about God’s good judgement and knowledge. He then continues by stating that even though he has to deal with trouble that was brought on by his enemies, he keeps God’s word! Now, the principle being conveyed by the psalmist is found in the latter section of 71 into 72. Psalm 119:71-72 states, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” And there it is! The psalmist is talking about the worth of God’s word! He is explaining that he really understood the worth of his relationship with God and His word as he was dealing with his affliction! The psalmist is expressing that his relationship with God deepened because he could learn God’s statutes in the process of dealing with his troubles! The attachment was worth the affliction.

Look, no one is seeking trouble, trials, or affliction. However, these are things that we must deal with in this life. Like the psalmist, our focus should not be the affliction, but the fact that God is with us! Believer, take an honest review of your life right now. Think about your seasons of trouble and how God brought you through it. How much more can we say that God is Jehovah-Rapha when we need healing? How much more can we say that Christ is truly the Good Shepherd when we went through seasons of being completely lost? How much more can we say that Christ is Immanuel when He brings us out of seasons of insolation and loneliness? How much more can we truly appreciate that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life when we were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1)?

So today, let’s remember how good God has been to us. Let’s remember the many times that the Lord has been with us, during the good times and the bad. Let’s shift our minds to not be so focused on our troubles, but to have our eyes set on our Savior.

At River City Church, we are simply a group of people who have been radically changed by God’s grace, and we desperately want others to hear the Gospel as well. Beloved, how can we pray for you today?

📍2037 Noble St, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
⏰10:30am Sunday Service

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06/05/2026

Remember how good God is! "God's past faithfulness transforms our present trust."

📍2037 Noble St, Swissvale, PA 15218
⏰10:30 am Sunday Service

Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week!Question family; how do we deal with peop...
06/04/2026

Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week!Question family; how do we deal with people that just get on our nerves? How do we deal with people that have no control over their mouth and seek to insult? Do we respond in the same way or do we keep our cool? Let’s be honest with ourselves. I’m sure all of us have not handled these situations in the best way possible.

Let’s head to our verse for today Proverbs 12:16 - "The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult." Vexation? What does that mean? Well, this word refers to the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried. So, the foolish person lets out their annoyance, frustration, or worry immediately. Scripture is pointing out that this person is impulsive in their reactions. This person will quickly lash out, sulk, or seek revenge. As stated before, we’ve all, at some point, let our emotions get the best of us. The question is why should we be wary of this? Because these outbursts often lead to shame, conflict, and potentially damaged relationships. Sometimes we think that we control our anger but so often it is our anger that controls us. So, how do we move from acting foolish due to our emotions to being a prudent person.

Because scripture supplements scripture, let's turn to Galatians 5:22-23, which states, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” And there it is! Self-control is an evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Thus, if we are struggling with our impulsiveness, our angry outbursts, or our need to get revenge, we need to run to God! When God is in control of our hearts, then we can exercise wisdom and self-control more easily. By the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, the prudent person can choose when to overlook an insult and maintain peace instead of being baited into an argument, which further displays emotional intelligence and maturity. Ask ourselves; how often have we responded rashly to something that wasn’t worth our time, energy, or stress? How often has responding with anger solved the situation or even made us feel better? The answer is probably few and far between. Now, God isn’t telling us to not respond to anything. Rather, God is pointing out how we respond. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that changes our responses to look more like Jesus Christ, filled with love, truth, peace, and wisdom.

So today, let’s work on letting the Holy Spirit rule our emotions rather than letting our emotions rule us. Remember, we can’t control what comes out of other’s mouths, but we can control what comes out of ours. Finally, remember James 1:19-20, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

At River City Church, we are simply a group of people who have been radically changed by God’s grace, and we desperately want others to hear the Gospel as well. Beloved, how can we pray for you today?

📍2037 Noble St, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
⏰10:30am Sunday Service

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06/03/2026

The book of Esther doesn't mention the name of God, but we see over and over again that God is sovereign and God is just.

Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week! Let's get right to it and head to Galati...
05/28/2026

Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week! Let's get right to it and head to Galatians 5:13 for our verse of the day, which states, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Paul is letting us know a very important point within the Christian faith; we are free. Understand that the finished works of Christ, his death and resurrection, freed us from the bo***ge of sin and exchanged our debt with a new life, flourishing in liberty! Things that seemingly controlled every aspect of our life, whether it be fear, worry, greed, lust, etc., are no longer our master. Christ is! If Christ is your savior and you are struggling, breathe easy today because the thing you are struggling does not have dominion over you anymore. Instead, we trade bo***ge for the easy and light yoke of Christ. However, His yoke has guardrails.

As the great legalist he is, Paul is quick to let us know that our liberty is not to be used as an opportunity to appease the flesh. At no point can the believer willingly and knowingly sin, say “I’m sorry”, then go back to repeatedly sinning. Real freedom is not serving the law to save yourself. According to I John 3:6, “no one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or know Him.” Here’s the thing: though we have the freedom to use this glorious freedom in this manner, the Holy Spirit that resides in us will dissuade us from this path. Why? Because Christ didn’t do that to us. Christ’s actions were full of love and sacrifice and never sought to take advantage of us for His own gain. So, how are we supposed to use our freedom?

Well, Paul wants to transform how we look at the term “liberty.” As believers, “liberty” is redefined from “the power or scope to act as one pleases” to “the Spirit-given desire and ability to act as God pleases.” Think about the example of Christ. Jesus Christ, who is God, the second person of the trinity, who the Father has given all authority to, took on flesh and dwelled among us. He had more liberty than anyone whose walked the Earth. How did he use this liberty? He did the opposite of the flesh because He served others through love. Like Christ, we show our love for God when we should mercy, grace, and generosity to others. When we do this, we are free to participate and abide in the greatest commandment from our Lord!

So today, let us walk in liberty. Let’s use this freedom to love our neighbor as Christ loved us. Let’s use this freedom, not to trample over our brothers and sisters, but to instead let them up as Christ lifted us up. My friend, we have been free to serve!

At River City Church, we are simply a group of people who have been radically changed by God’s grace, and we desperately want others to hear the Gospel as well. Beloved, how can we pray for you today?

📍2037 Noble St, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
⏰10:30am Sunday Service

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05/27/2026

The book of Esther is a story of reversals. But the greatest reversal of all was when Jesus Christ rose from the grave in victory over sin and death. Join us on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. to hear the conclusion of our sermon series, Esther: The Hidden Hand of God.

Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week! Let’s face it; we all make mistakes. The...
05/22/2026

Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week! Let’s face it; we all make mistakes. There are just times in our life where we feel like we fall short of the mark. Have we ever been disappointed with our own behavior? Maybe there have been times when we should have acted but didn’t or visa versa. Let’s add this thought to the mix. Are there times in our lives that we fall by the actions of ours or things outside of our control? Well, let us run to the Word of God because our verse of the week covers both.

Our encouragement to get us through the week is found in the book of Proverb 24:16, which states, “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” This verse is fertilizer for our spiritual growth in two ways. First, we have come to grasp that we are human. Even while we have submitted ourselves to Christ and we acknowledge what He has done, we are still hindered by our sinful nature. Let’s face it, some days we will fall and we will make mistakes. However, I point us to Donnie McClurkin’s simple yet powerful song, which says, “We fall down, but we get up. For a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up.” God has no desire for us to wallow in our sinful mistakes but to be restored through Christ’s forgiveness. God helps us get back up. God helps us not fall into the same sinful mistakes. Friends, we are not perfect, but we are being perfected by the Holy Spirit in us.

Second, God raises us up only when we fall short, but when calamity happens to us! Let’s go back one verse to verse 15, which states, “Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home;” Wait, this is a command against the wicked, essentially warning them not to bring violence or rob the house of the righteous. Why shouldn’t the wicked rob the home of the righteous? Because he will rise again! Yes, bad things happen and sometimes they happen to us. Sometimes these bad things are done by wicked people who plot against us. Take comfort in the Word of God here; in the end, the righteous will not be defeated!

So today, let us give thanks to God for raising us when we fall. If it is due to sin or trouble, God is there for us. Christ’s works not only saves us but sustains us. Regardless of what life brings our way, let us have confidence.

At River City Church, we are simply a group of people who have been radically changed by God’s grace, and we desperately want others to hear the Gospel as well. Beloved, how can we pray for you today?

📍2037 Noble St, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
⏰10:30am Sunday Service

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05/17/2026

Join us at 10:30 am as we continue the story of Queen Esther and learn about the wonderful providence of God.

📍2037 Noble St, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
⏰10:30am Sunday Service

Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week! Today, let’s head to Psalm 119, the long...
05/14/2026

Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week! Today, let’s head to Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible! I encourage you to read all of Psalm 119 but we are going to focus on Psalm 119:89-96, the section titled Lamedh. This is a Hebrew word that represents a shepherd’s staff or a goad, which symbolizes the teaching, security, and guidance of the Word of God. The psalmist here expounds on the sustaining power of God’s Word, pouring gratitude on the pages. Within this, he states our verse for today Psalm 119:92, “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” Wow, what a statement!

Let’s break it down further as we look at the text. He said that the law of God was his delight! The psalmist rejoiced when he thought about the word of God. Reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word were not a bother to him. It was his delight! Question, family; is the word of God our delight? Is reading and focusing on scripture a chore for us or is it something we look forward to? In times of need and clarity, do we run to God or do we figure it out ourselves while our Bibles collect dust? It is possible that some of us need a perspective change toward the divine power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture is not a simple set of rules and regulations that we mindlessly follow. No beloved, scripture is how the loving, just God speaks directly to His people. If you are a believer, that…is…you! Yes, you!

And here is the thing; there will come a point when we realize that scripture is reading us more than we are reading scripture. In the text of our Bibles, we will find truth that fits every occasion, every joy and every pain and every bewilderment. As we increase our fellowship with God, we will find that God so frequently meets us within His word. Through the Holy Spirit, God expands our minds and hearts and brings us closer to Him. We need to think about things in the same manner the psalmist did. Within Psalm 119:89-96, the psalmist shifts from his personal struggles to the . The word of God connects with and sustains every level of existence so it would be wise to hear what the creator of all things has to say.

Let’s take it a step further because the psalmist stated that “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” How often has God addressed our situation, our affliction, our trial in the midst of studying His word? We need to come to the same conclusion that the psalmist did. Without our relationship with God and His word, where would we be? Our days bring different challenges, our circumstances change back and forth but the word of God never changes, for God’s word is “firmly fixed in the heavens (Psalm 119:89)”. We can always run back to His promises, sealed with the finished works of Jesus Christ! As well, think about how often we’ve avoided peril because of the pricking of the Holy Spirit through scripture. The word of God provides a level of stability, permanence, and faithfulness that nothing else can come close to.

So today, let’s be encouraged to delight in the word of God. Like the shepherd guiding the sheep, let’s be thankful for the word of God that prods us and pushes us to stay on the path of righteousness. Let us pray that God’s eternal perspective changes our view of current circumstances. Like sheep who trust the prodding of the shepherd, let us stand firm and rejoice in God’s word, which is alive and eternally speaking to us.

At River City Church, we are simply a group of people who have been radically changed by God’s grace, and we desperately want others to hear the Gospel as well. Beloved, how can we pray for you today?

📍2037 Noble St, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
⏰10:30am Sunday Service

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2037 Noble Street
Pittsburgh, PA
15218

Opening Hours

10:30am - 12pm

Telephone

+14125013161

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