Preparing for Sunday | February 19
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Hosanna | [listen]
Brooke Ligertwood
Mark 11:9-10
Glorious | [listen + lyrics]
Brenton Brown, Paul Baloche
Psalm 111:2-3
Man of Sorrows | [listen]
Matt Crocker, Brooke Ligertwood
Isaiah 53:3
Forever Reign | [listen]
Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan
Lamentations 5:19
God Is Able | [listen]
Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan
Ephesians 3:20-21
SERMON TEXT
Proverbs 30:1-9
Preparing for Sunday | February 12
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Praise to the Lord | [listen]
Joachim Neander, Catherine Winkworth
Psalm 106:48
Cornerstone | [listen]
Eric Liljero, Reuben Morgan, Edward Mote, Jonas Myrin
Ephesians 2:20
Good, Good Father | [listen]
Anthony Brown, Pat Barrett
Galatians 4:7
This Is Amazing Grace | [listen + lyrics]
Josh Farro, Phil Wickham, Jeremy Riddle
Revelation 5:12
Always | [listen + lyrics]
Jason Ingram, Kristian Stanfill
Psalm 121:1-2
SERMON TEXT
Proverbs 3:11-12
Preparing for Sunday | February 5
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Great Things | [listen]
Carl Cartee, Steven Furtick
Psalm 126:3
Come to Me | [listen]
Elizabeth Akers, Jeff Capps, Michael Bleecker
Matthew 11:28-30
Man Of Sorrows | [listen]
Matt Crocker, Brooke Ligertwood
Isaiah 53:3
Doxology | [listen + lyrics]
Thomas Ken (1674), Music attributed to Louis Bourgeois
Jude 24-25
SERMON TEXT
Proverbs 6:6-11
Women’s Retreat 2017 (a.k.a., Bad Hair Sunday)
Men of RBC: On March 3-5, the Women’s Ministry is holding their annual retreat. I have called the Sunday of that weekend, “Bad Hair Sunday” because it is the one Sunday out of the year that children show up with varying degrees of bedhead — worthy of pictures. For every man who spends the weekend with his children while his wife is away on a Women’s Retreat there are several valuable lessons in store. First, he realizes just how under-insured his wife is and that any thought he has ever had that even smelled like “I could do her job” was delusional at best. He also learns that you can dress your kids for church on Saturday night and put them to bed in those clothes. Lastly, he learns that Jehovah Jireh in the NIV means “Papa John’s delivers.” Men, you do not want to miss out on this.
More importantly, the weekend is a great opportunity to invest in your wife. I speak at a lot of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) groups in the area. When I go to these groups there is a room full of moms eager to hear my every word. (Not really.) I know that if a mom knows that her kids are being watched and someone is giving them food that they did not have to prepare, they would come and listen to me read the dictionary. No, I’m not the speaker for the retreat – they actually found someone with spiritual depth and great communication skills. But I am asking you guys to consider blessing your wives by strongly encouraging them to attend the retreat. All kidding aside, your wife will have the chance to spend time with other women of RBC, hear great teaching from the Bible and possibly get some much-needed rest.
Imagine how much they will laugh when they see the pictures you take of the kids on that Sunday morning. For more information on the 2017 Women’s Retreat, visit www.restonbible.org/womensretreat.
Paul Goodnight
Counseling Pastor
Preparing for Sunday | January 29
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Rejoice | [listen]
Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend
Philippians 4:4
Only King Forever | [listen]
Brown, Brock, Furtick, Joye
1 Timothy 1:17
Man Of Sorrows | [listen]
Crocker, Ligertwood
Isaiah 53:3
I Will Look Up | [listen]
Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Wade Joye, Matt Redman
Psalm 121:1
Jesus Is Better | [listen]
Aaron Ivey, Brett Land
Mark 9:24
SERMON TEXT
Proverbs 7
The Sacredness of Human Life
This month, we have the opportunity to reflect on the sanctity of human life.
And that is certainly a topic worthy of reflection. Such a phrase represents far more than just a political issue or a cultural debate. Rather, it is a reminder of the value placed on us by God Himself.
All life is miraculous and amazing, a dazzling display of the Creator’s intricate design and handiwork. But human life is uniquely precious, significant, and sacred. How do we know that? Because Scripture, from beginning to end, reveals the profound esteem given to Adam’s descendants.
Human life is sacred because it is made in the image of God. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).
Human life is sacred because it is elevated above the rest of creation. “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31).
Human life is sacred because God takes special care to craft each one. “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-14).
Human life is sacred because it is eternal. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).
Human life is sacred because Christ was willing to pay an inexpressible cost to redeem it. “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Human life is sacred because all of heaven celebrates when a sinner repents. “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).
Human life is sacred because it is made for God’s glory. “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:7).
Human life is sacred because God loves it beyond measure. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
A question that may be at the forefront of our minds this month is: When does life become precious, sacred, and valuable? Is it when we’re holding a crying newborn at the hospital? Right before birth? When we see little arms and legs moving on an ultrasound? When we hear the first heartbeats? At the moment of conception?
Or maybe long before? “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
Science may be able to speculate about when life “begins,” but only the Creator of life can assign it true worth. And He has assigned it immense worth. Incomprehensible worth.
So this month, and every month, we reflect on life. We marvel at life. And much more so, we marvel at the One who formed us.
Preparing for Sunday | January 22
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Alive in Us | [listen]
Ingram, Morgan | Hillsong Music
Ephesians 2:4-5
Lord of All | [listen]
Stanfill | Sixsteps Music
Psalm 97:5-6
Great and Mighty King | [listen]
Chris Brown, Zachary Kale, Brett Younker
Psalm 145:3
What A Beautiful Name | [listen]
Fielding, Ligertwood | Hillsong Music
Hebrews 1:3
This Is Amazing Grace | [listen]
Riddle, Farro, Wickham | Music Services, Inc.
Revelation 5:12
SERMON TEXT
Proverbs 14:8
To the Field: Sending Our Own
It’s a great way to start the year, indeed! We praise the Lord the privilege of sending our very own, Louisa Schlener, to the mission field.
As the early church sent Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey through prayer and the laying on of hands (Acts 13), so RBC has commissioned Louisa to take the Gospel to Portugal.
Dear Lord – we continue to lift Louisa up to You. May You use her mightily in the Word of Life camps as she shares Your love to the many campers. As she reconnects with her childhood church, use her to impact and bring many women and girls into a deeper walk with You. Bless her and bless Your name as she cares for the other female Word of Life staffers arriving in Portugal. Protect her, give her much wisdom and continue to draw her closer and closer to You! Thank You for calling Louisa and allowing us the blessing of sending her. In the name of our Precious Savior, Amen!
Louisa – just has you have impacted many here in NOVA, we are confidant that the Lord will use you mightily in Portugal. Keep walking by faith! Know that you are loved deeply! (Love, Your RBC Family)
Preparing for Sunday | January 15
We will be singing a new song this week called What A Beautiful Name, which we will sing after a baptism. The truth we will sing can be found in Hebrews 3, where we read that Jesus is far greater than Moses, just like the “builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.” As we joyfully celebrate the work of grace in the lives of those being baptized, we are reminded that it is a testament to the beautiful and powerful work of Jesus Christ who “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection” (1 Peter 1:3).
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Come Thou Fount | [listen]
by Robert Robinson (1873)
Psalm 16:11
O Praise The Name | [listen + lyrics]
by Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher, Marty Sampson
Romans 5:8
In Your Presence | [listen]
by Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, London Gatch, Wade Joye, Jane Williams
Deuteronomy 31:6
What A Beautiful Name | [listen]
by: Ben Fielding, Brooke Ligertwood
Hebrews 1:3
Great Things | [listen + lyrics]
by Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Wade Joye
Isaiah 12:5
SERMON TEXT
Proverbs 6:16-19
Caroling for Christ Update
Throughout the month of December, RBC ministries, Shepherd Groups, and friends joined together to spread Christmas cheer and the gospel of Christ to our Northern Virginia neighbors.
This was the first time that we offered “Caroling for Christ.” It was an evangelistic opportunity, led by those in the congregation. To participate, the carolers would pick up a Caroling Kit that equipped them with everything they needed for planning their community outreach. Each Caroling Kit contained song sheets, candy canes, gospel booklets of the book of John, and invitations to the Christmas Eve service.
After gathering in groups, choosing a time and a location to carol, and assembling the Christmas caroling material, each group greeted 15 houses. Not only was this an event to minister to our community, but it was a fun way to bring Christian brothers and sisters together and be an encouragement to one another. Many caroling groups drank hot cocoa, ate cookies, and shared laughs together.
Over 500 households were reached the Christmas message. Praise God!
Here are a few comments we received from members our caroling groups:
“After caroling at one house, the lady commented that she had never been caroled to before. We asked if she’d like to hear another song and she said, ‘Yes, please!'”
“I was surprised by all the smiles.”
“It was a magical night, hopefully the first year of a long-lasting tradition.”
“We had an overwhelmingly positive response from the neighborhood and one family even wanted more information about RBC service times.”
“We had a whole night of caroling practice and prayer before actually caroling. I’m thankful for this community!”