RBC Marriage Conference – Grace-Filled Marriage with Dr. Tim Kimmel
If you are married or engaged, we have a special event you don’t want to miss!
Maybe you’d like to turn your good marriage into a great marriage. Maybe you’re in a struggling marriage and need help and hope. Maybe you’re about to begin the journey of marriage and desire to set out in the right direction.
If so, come and learn how to make love work, by adding the secret-sauce that many marriages are missing…GRACE! Bestselling author and speaker, Dr. Tim Kimmel, will be here for Reston Bible Church’s annual Marriage Conference on January 22 and 23 to host Grace Filled Marriage…Making Love that Lasts!
Packed full of fun and insight, Dr. Kimmel will encourage us to see our spouses through fresh eyes, ignite our intimacy, fight fair and bring the best out of each other. Don’t miss this opportunity to improve your marriage as we begin the new year!
Bridget and I would like to invite you to join us at this great upcoming marriage event! We’d also like to encourage you to take the opportunity to stay overnight at the beautiful Hilton Hilton DoubleTree at our discounted rate. You can choose to stay in-between the Friday night and Saturday morning conference sessions or for the entire weekend. It’s a great opportunity to disconnect and relax without the travel. We hope to see you there!
The cost of the Marriage Conference is $45 per couple. Register here by Christmas Day to receive a $10 discount. Hotel accommodations for one or both nights can be made through this Conference Registration as well.
Thank You from Guilford Elementary
We want so give a huge THANK YOU to all who donated of their time and resources to make the Guilford Elementary School’s Community Thanksgiving Dinner a huge success. Our congregation donated over 90 pies and 1000 servings of stuffing. We also had 12 volunteers who helped serve the families by pouring drinks and carrying trays for moms with lots of small children. This was the largest Thanksgiving Dinner that Guilford has hosted to date, with over 900 people enjoying traditional North American Thanksgiving foods, many for the first time. Parents who often don’t have the resources to feed their families an abundant meal like this were truly grateful. We are thankful for you, our generous congregation and our faithful God who allows us to serve these families and staff at Guilford Elementary.
RBC Annual Report 2015
“I will remember the deeds of the LORD, I will ponder all Your work and meditate on your mighty deeds.” – Psalm 77:11-12
Our Annual Report is not a list of our accomplishments, but rather a recounting of some of the great things God has done in us, for us and through us over the past year.
The 2015 Annual Report is available in print format at the Welcome Desk in the church lobby, or you read through the online version here. You can also click here to download a PDF.
We hope you’ll take some time to read through it, remember the mighty deeds of our great God, and be moved to deeper gratitude and trust in our great Savior.
Sunday Rewind | 12.13.2015
VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENTS
During Sunday worship services, we want to spend less time making announcements and more time worshiping. To help facilitate that, we’ll show a brief video announcement segment 4-5 minutes before each service begins. Grab an early seat just before your service begins so you can take advantage of these pre-service announcements. We’ll also post them here on the Sunday Rewind each week.
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
All Creation Sing (Joy To The World) (Psalm 96:12-13a) – North Point Christmas by Seth Condrey (North Point)
O Come All Ye Faithful (John 1:14) – Christ Is Come by Big Daddy Weave
Alive in Us (Ephesians 2:4-5) – God is Able by Hillsong Worship
I Will Look Up (Deuteronomy 7:9) –Only King Forever by Elevation Worship
With Us (Psalm 46:10-11a) – God Is Able by Hillsong Worship
TEACHING: James – Living Out Our Faith, Part 9
The moral law is a judge. The royal law is a guide.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO & VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful or difficult to understand from this sermon?
- Read and discuss James 2:8-13. What do these verses tell us about us? What do they tell us about God? What encouragements, warnings or commands are here for us to heed?
- What is the moral law of scripture? Why does Paul call it “the law of righteousness” (Romans 3:21)?
- “To violate any part of the moral law is to violate all of it.” Why? What are the implications of this?
- What is the “royal law” (v. 8)?
- It what ways is the royal law “easy to understand, but hard to believe”? How should we live this law out in speech & action?
- What is mercy? What does the gospel of Jesus demonstrate for us about mercy? How does mercy triumph over judgement?
- Share a time when you received mercy. Is there someone to whom you need to show mercy?
- How is Christ the both the end to the moral law and the fulfillment of the royal law?
- Spend some time in prayer thanking God for the mercy we have in Jesus Christ. Ask Him to reveal to you if there is someone to whom you need to show mercy instead of judgement. Pray for the faith to step out in obedience in showing mercy.
Family Quest: The Hope – Called to Walk
“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7
CALLED TO WALK IN THE WAYS OF GOD
“…by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” – Romans 3:20
God promised that if the Hebrew people obeyed the law they would be blessed, but if they disobeyed the Law they would be punished. We also saw that God, knowing the Hebrew people would not be able to fully and consistently keep the Law, provided a way to cover their sin through the offering of sacrifices.
But there is yet another important aspect of the Law we must consider. Many people have the idea that the Law was given as a means for man to be right with God. But the Bible is clear (Romans 3:20) that no person can gain right standing (be justified) with God by keeping the Law. Think about it. If we could keep the Law perfectly (although we can’t), we would still be infected with the sin which was passed down to every person through Adam (see Lesson 18). Sin separates man from God. Even if you had never sinned, the sin in you would still separate you from God.
As we study the Bible, we learn that the Law is like a mirror – for both God and man. In the Law, we see a true reflection of God’s character. That reflection reveals that God is holy and righteous. But in the Law, we also see a true image of ourselves. Our inability to keep the Law reveals our inadequacy, for the Law clearly reveals that we do not measure up to God’s standard of holiness and righteousness. Something in us prevents us from measuring up, and according to Romans 3:20, that something is sin. A mirror can be helpful to show you if your face needs washing. But it cannot be used to wash your face. No one in their right mind would take a mirror and rub it on their face to remove dirt. That requires a cleansing agent such as soap. So it is with the Law. The Law reveals sin, but it is not a cleansing agent. It cannot cleanse us from sin, but it can show us our need to be cleansed. It can create a sense of need for the promised Deliverer, the only One who can take away sin!
– Read more in the HOPE Project online Study Guide
BIG IDEA: God’s perfect law protects us and reveals our imperfection.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Exodus 20
Deuteronomy 30
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
SECTION VERSES:
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:3
LESSON VERSE:
“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7
PRAYER:
Thank God for his gift of the Law which shows us our need of him, and for Jesus who empowers us to obey God.
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- Why did Moses go to Mount Sinai?
- What did he get there? From whom?
- Why did God give us the 10 commandments?
- Were the Hebrew people able to keep God’s law perfectly? Are you?
LIVE IT OUT!
- Make an appointment to spend 15 minutes each day this week just being quiet and thinking about God and reading your verses.
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ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader. In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.
Sunday Rewind | 12.6.2015
VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENTS
During Sunday worship services, we want to spend less time making announcements and more time worshiping. To help facilitate that, we’ll show a brief video announcement segment 4-5 minutes before each service begins. Grab an early seat just before your service begins so you can take advantage of these pre-service announcements. We’ll also post them here on the Sunday Rewind each week.
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Be Lifted High (John 3:30) –Nothing is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Our King Has Come (Romans 5:1-2) – For The Honor by Elevation Worship
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Luke 2:9-10) – North Point Christmas by Eddie Kirkland (North Point)
Be Thou My Vision (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) – Cathedral by Heartsong
TEACHING: Reconciliation – Crossing Thresholds
Racial reconciliation happens in the seats, not in the pulpit. You must walk with people who are different in order to love them.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO & VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful or difficult to understand from this sermon?
- Read and discuss Acts 10. What do these verses tell us about us? What do they tell us about God? What encouragements, warnings or commands are here for us to heed?
- What examples of ethnic discrimination do you see in these verses? How is it resolved?
- How does our own hypocrisy keep us from crossing ethnic thresholds?
- What is the role of prayer in racial reconciliation?
- “You must walk with people who are different than you in order to understand and love them.” Have you found this to be true? What examples have you seen of this?
- How can you reach out to those who don’t like you, or whom you don’t like? What is one way you can you be intentional to cross racial/ethnic thresholds in your life?
- How does the gospel of Jesus Christ empower us to cross ethnic thresholds? How did Jesus walk with people who were different than Him? What must our response be to His example?
- Spend some time in prayer, thanking God that He walks with us in Christ. Ask Him to enable you with gospel-powered grace and wisdom to intentionally cross ethnic/racial thresholds in your spheres of influence.
Family Quest: The Hope – People of the Promise, Part 2
“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.” Exodus 14:13
The Exodus would become the event that defined the people of Israel and their relationship with God. The Passover would become their most revered festival and continues in Jewish homes to this day. After watching the video this week and meditating on the scriptures we’ve listed, take some time to consider the parallels between Israel’s Exodus from slavery in Egypt and your own Exodus from slavery to sin. How did God show himself strong over the god’s that ruled your life before Christ? What path to salvation did He open that appeared to be closed. There are rich echoes of the first Exodus in our own. What obstacles did He overcome in your life?
“If you want God to receive glory from your life, then be prepared for trials. He may very well allow an obstacle in your life that only He can overcome. In fact, the greater the obstacle, the more He is glorified when He overcomes the obstacle. And if He is calling you to be silent, then let Him fight for you. Like the Hebrew people you will discover that “The Lord is a warrior” (Exodus 15:3) who can make a way when there appears to be no way!” – The HOPE Project Study Guide
BIG IDEA: God will make a way.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Exodus 1-14
Matthew 26:26-29
John 1:29
Acts 3:22
SECTION VERSES:
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:3
LESSON VERSE:
“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.” – Exodus 14:13
PRAYER:
Think of a friend, family member, or neighbor who is still in slavery to sin and ask God to rescue them.
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- Why did God have Isaac’s people live in Egypt? (safety to grow into a nation, learn skills that would be useful in the Wilderness)
- How did God help the new nation?
LIVE IT OUT!
- Retell your salvation story to your children. You may even want to write it down for the family record.
– – –
ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader. In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.
God at Work in First Fruits
For over 20 years, the youth ministry has run the First Fruits project the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Every year, we raise money by raking leaves and doing other jobs throughout the day. That evening, we purchase lots of food and deliver the food to families in need in our community. This year, with an army of over 650 workers, we raised over $43,000 to provide food for over 100 families. We were also able to provide college scholarships to five local high school seniors.
Because we have been doing this for so many years, it is easy to just assume numbers like these will happen. But every year God does something that just makes us realize it is His work and His plan, not ours.
First, this year we had over 200 students from Parkview and Herndon High School sign up to work with us. These students have no affiliation with RBC, but the schools announced the project and they came to work with us. As a youth ministry, we are always trying to think of creative ways to reach out with the truth and hope of the Gospel to the students around us, and it’s so cool how God has taken something we designed to care for those in physical need and open so many doors for us to tell so many students about their greatest spiritual need. We never had a “strategic plan” or “vision” to turn First Fruits into an outreach, but it is now our biggest outreach of the year. Please pray for the hundreds who heard the Gospel at First Fruits.
Second, God orchestrated several food deliveries in ways that only He could. To identify many of the families we assist, we work through parent liaisons at several local public schools. We seek families that are experiencing hardships, but not currently being helped. These families are then randomly assigned to one of our 32 teams.
This year, as one team was entering the home of the family they were delivering to, the face of a young girl and her parents lit up. They were excited not for the food, but that one of the people delivering the food was the girl’s preschool teacher from several years prior. This instantly broke the ice and allowed for a powerful opportunity to share the love of Christ. When a group of strangers walk into someone’s home with bags of food and gifts, it can be awkward. But God, in providentially working out the right family with the right team, completely changed the situation. Only God can work out situations like that.
A similar situation happened with another team. They were supposed to deliver food to a different family, but at the last minute their delivery was switched. It just happened to be switched to a family a team member knew, which has opened the doors for additional ministry and care for the family.
God is not random. Our God is powerful and is doing great things in our midst, even when we don’t recognize it. Thank you so much for giving us jobs, working with us, donating to the project, and being part of what the Lord is doing to make His name known in Northern Virginia.
Below are some highlight pictures from the day. Enjoy!
Sunday Rewind | 11.29.2015
VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENTS
During Sunday worship services, we want to spend less time making announcements and more time worshiping. To help facilitate that, we’ll show a brief video announcement segment 4-5 minutes before each service begins. Grab an early seat just before your service begins so you can take advantage of these pre-service announcements. We’ll also post them here on the Sunday Rewind each week.
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Endless Light (Psalm 113:3-4) – Cornerstone by Hillsong Worship
Open Up the Heavens (Psalm 108:4-5) – Worth It All by Meredith Andrews
Rock of Ages (Deuteronomy 32:3-4) – Death of Death by Charlie Hall
Your Promises (2 Peter 1:3-4a) – Wake Up the Wonder by Elevation Worship
TEACHING: James – Living Out Our Faith, Part 8
God’s moral law tells us how to live, but condemns our every attempt to live it. Yet obedience to His holy standard sets us free from being slaves to sin. We obey out of God’s love, not to earn God’s love.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO & VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful or difficult to understand from this sermon?
- Read and discuss James 2:8-11 and Romans 6:12-19. What do these verses tell us about us? What do they tell us about God? What encouragements, warnings or commands are here for us to heed?
- How is the term “law” used in these verses? How does the law condemn us? At the same time, how is this also a “law of liberty” (James 1:25)? What is the relationship between law and grace?
- Since we are no longer under God’s moral law, but under grace (Romans 6), should we still obey the law? Why or why not?
- What’s the difference between obeying the law and being under the law?
- How do we tend to compartmentalize our sin? What are the effects of this?
- How does the gospel of Jesus absorb the curse of the law for us? How then should we live?
- Spend time in prayer thanking for His perfect law, which points us to Jesus. Ask Him to help you grow in grace-fueled obedience.
Protect or Love? Thoughts on the Refugee Crisis
The issue regarding the refugee crisis has become more than a political and religious hot button. It is now causing division among nations, churches and friends. “My brothers, this should not be!” (James 3:10)
The first thing to consider when engaging in a matter of this complexity is to admit we do not have the necessary biblical knowledge, since Scripture does not expressly address the subject. None of us possess all the necessary information to make a “thus saith the Lord” declaration over this heated issue. In other words, humility must be at the forefront on a matter of such import. There is no singular answer to multi-complex issues. The refugee problem is cultural, religious, social, economic, and national. Any misstep in the handling of it could prove catastrophic for the future of the world. The Bible is clear on many matters, but not on all matters. Immigration of refugees is one of those debatable subjects. Let’s take a look at why this is such a difficult issue to navigate.
Suppose you strongly believe we should allow all refugees into the U.S. The verses you might employ in defense of your position will contain love, compassion and mercy. You will talk about how Jesus loved all people and went after the poor and disenfranchised. You will want to bring in the fact that God is not a respecter of persons. And these are all valid points. However, if you are on the side of those who say don’t let any refugees in, you will select a very different set of verses. Certainly you will want everyone to know that God’s chosen people didn’t just let anyone into their world. In fact, you will point out that God told Israel to wipe out whole nations.
We also need to factor in our spiritual gifting and personal biases. If you are a mercy person, you may say, “Let’s care for all these people!” But if you’re a prophet or more truth-oriented person, you might say, “Let’s protect our own people!” There is also the issue of mixing apples and oranges. Some commands in Scripture are given to an individual (such as “thou shalt not kill”) while others are given to governments (such as “rulers do not bear the sword in vain.”) The government is commissioned to protect us from evildoers (Romans 13:3-4). By contrast, the love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 is directed toward the individual and says, “Love always protects.”
So who is right – the let’s bring ‘em in or the let’s keep ‘em out? Which is it? Protect our families from terrorists at the expense of letting innocent people suffer? Or let all of the refugees in, knowing terrorists will enter with them and innocent people will be killed?
Who can answer all these questions? Not me. I have some thoughts, but none of which I would die for. What we are facing is the call to show compassion to all and the call to protect our own. These seem to be competing views, yet both are found in Scripture, and we are called to hold to the truth that God never contradicts Himself. Abraham was given the promise of God that he would have a son, but when the son arrived, he was told by God to offer up his son. We now have God’s promise being negated by His command. Now what? Abraham was certain God could not lie, and thus believed the only way out was that God would raise his son from the dead.
Perhaps that’s where we are with these two competing commands in Scripture – protect and love. I believe the answer is found in the church humbling itself before the Lord and seeking His guidance on this matter. He may actually give different directions at different times and in different ways. He has certainly done so with Israel and the church in the past. He may do it again. No matter what side you are on, you will be confronted by the other side with endless statistics and verses that prove the rightness of their position. You will no doubt return the favor. At this moment, I am really praying and reading Scripture while also getting advice from people who know far more than I do on the subject. So no, I don’t have a hard and fast stand. When I do, I will put it out there.
But here is what I do have a strong view on: the way Christians are treating each other over this issue. A recent post on Facebook says that if you don’t believe in bringing all the refugees in, then you don’t believe the gospel. I have no problem with this person expressing their view, but I do have concerns as to how it was expressed. Using Scripture as a weapon for the purpose of intimidating those who disagree only angers the other side and exacerbates an already volatile situation. Suppose I said if you don’t witness everyday you don’t believe the gospel? How might you react?
There are clear guidelines in Scripture as to how we are to communicate. “Let your speech be seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6), and “Let no corrupt communication proceed from your mouth but that which ministers grace to the hearer” (Ephesians 4:29). Could it be that such divisive issues become training grounds for believers to learn the value of “Iron sharpening iron” (Proverbs 27:17), or “Speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15)?
Perhaps if we learn to obey what is clear, God will reveal to us what is not clear. One thing that is certain: Obedience leads to greater illumination of his revelation, and unity is the fruit of corporate humility.
Blessings,
Mike