Spring Clean Update
I’m glad God shows up with His power when it doesn’t seem humanly possible things will work out nice and neatly as I would like. This happened for the student ministry’s “Spring Clean” this past Saturday, April 16.
Each year we host Spring Clean to do jobs for those in the church — things like mulching, cleaning, raking, etc. to raise funds for student summer missions. This year we did 49 jobs, with 14 teams consisting made up of 150 workers (adults, students, and children). We had both fewer jobs and workers this year, but the Lord still showed His power by providing over $19,000 in funds!
We are blessed by a church congregation that supports missions and the student ministry in a big way! I was personally blessed by the adult captains of each team who give of their time and energy to make the day happen. I was also amazed by the students and adults who came out to help that day and had no stake in the mission trip, but wanted to help their friends. It is awesome to see the body of Christ work together for the Kingdom.
Sunday Rewind | 4.17.16
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Open Up Our Eyes (Ephesians 1:18-19a) – Nothing is Wasted by Elevation Worship
10,000 Reasons (Psalm 103:1) – Unrelenting Love by Nick Thurmond
Your Great Name (Philippians 2:10-11) – Love Revolution by Natalie Grant
Lord I Need You (Hebrews 4:16) – All The People Said Amen by Matt Maher
TEACHING: A Deep Dive
Shame gives birth to isolation. Memory gives birth to legacy. Testimonies are not formulas.
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?
- What is the difference between guilt and shame? What are some Scriptures you can think of that deal with guilt and shame?
- Why is shame so powerful? Would you be willing to share something you are ashamed of with your group?
- What is the role of our conscience? What Scriptures can you find that deal with the conscience?
- “Shame gives birth to isolation.” How have you observed or experienced this?
- How does our society promote the eradication of memory? What Scriptures can you think of that deal with memory and legacy?
- “Memory gives birth to legacy.” What legacy was left for you? What legacy are you leaving? Is there an area where you need to intentionally instill good memories in someone’s life?
- “Testimonies are not formulas.” How does comparison hold us in bondage? Where have you observed or experienced this?
Sunday Rewind | 4.10.16
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Blessed Be Your Name (Job 1:21) – Where Angels Fear to Tread by Matt Redman
Rock of Ages (Deuteronomy 32:3-4) – Death of Death by Charlie Hall
The Lord Our God (James 1:17) – Passion: Let the Future Begin by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
I Will Look Up (Deuteronomy 7:9) –Only King Forever by Elevation Worship
Jesus Paid it All (Colossians 2:13-14) –Everything Glorious by Kristian Stanfill
TEACHING: James – Living Out Our Faith, Part 14
Conflict occurs when our desire to be right overshadows our desire for peace.
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 3:13-18. How would you define each of the attributes of heavenly wisdom in v. 17? What examples of each can you think of?
- What does it mean to “sow in peace”? What does this look like? What happens when we do this?
- What is the Law of the Harvest? Where have you seen this principle at work in your life?
- Share a time your desire to be right overshadowed your desire for peace. What happened?
- Where does conflict tend to get occur in your life? What is typically the common denominator cause? What do you bring that contributes to the conflict?
- How has God sown in peace toward us through the gospel of Jesus? How does the gospel call and empower us to sow in peace?
- Is there a current situation in your life where you need to sow peace? Spend some time in prayer with your group about this.
Sunday Rewind | 4.3.16
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Open Up the Heavens (Psalm 108:4-5) – Worth It All by Meredith Andrews
Cornerstone (Psalm 18:2) – Cornerstone by Hillsong Worship
How Deep The Father’s Love For Us (Galatians 6:14) – Love Displayed by Liberty Campus Band
Your Love Never Fails (Romans 8:28) – Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture
TEACHING: James – Living Out Our Faith, Part 13
The problem with the world is not lack of truth, but lack of proper application. Wisdom is not an intellectual virtue, but a moral one.
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 3:13-18. What does this tell us about us? What does it tell us about God? What do you observe about wisdom? What warnings, admonishments or encouragements are there for us to heed?
- How are two kingdoms portrayed in the verses above? Compare & contrast.
- How does Scripture take us into ” the world of the unknown”?
- What happens if we do not apply truth? Can you think of any examples?
- What’s the difference between reason and revelation? What place does each have in the Christian life?
- Is your ambition mainly for yourself, or others? How does the gospel direct our ambition? How can you apply your ambition to kingdom work?
- In the wake of your life, would you say there is mostly peace, or conflict? How do you need to grow in this area? Spend some time in prayer together about this.
Family Quest: The Hope – He Has Risen, 2
HE HAS RISEN! PART 2
“But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” – Luke 22:69
“Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” – Luke 24:44–49
Jesus was returning to his Father, but for 40 days he explained to his disciples the full significance of his life among them from the scriptures, and shared with them what their mission would now be. After this he was taken up from them into heaven among the clouds. We see this event in Acts 1:9 from the perspective of the disciples, but in the book of Daniel, many hundreds of years earlier, we were given the view from heaven of this same event.
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.” Daniel 7:13
Jesus has ascended into heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God the Father. He is our King, our mediator and High Priest (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 10:12,14), making intercession for us (Romans 8:34), until all his enemies have been made a footstool (Matt 22:44).
BIG IDEA: Jesus rules from Heaven.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO (Watch from 2:25 to the end)
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Daniel 7:13-14 Psalm 89:27
Psalm 110:1 Luke 24:50-53
Matthew 28:16-20 Acts 7:56
Acts 1:1-11 Hebrews 1:3
Acts 2:34-35 1 Corinthians 15:25
Revelation 3:21 Revelation 19:16
SECTION VERSES:
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’” – John 14:6-7
LESSON VERSE:
“But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” – Luke 22:69
PRAYER:
Give thanks that Jesus the Messiah, the KING, completed God’s story of Hope and rules heaven and earth with the Father.
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- How long did Jesus remain on the earth?
- What was he doing during that time?
- What kind of body did Jesus have when he rose?
- Where is Jesus now?
LIVE IT OUT!
- When we trust Jesus as KING we become part of His Kingdom and are given his Spirit to live a Kingdom life. How can we do that today?
– – –
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.
Winter Retreat 2016 Update
Each winter, the students and leaders of the RBC Youth Ministry are blessed to have the opportunity to “retreat” from the daily schedule of life and trade it for time with each other, time in God’s Word, time on the slopes, time away from electronics, and more.
In February, we went back for the third time to Doubling Gap Christian Retreat Center in Doubling Gap, PA. The setting is awesome for “retreating” because it is an old hotel in the mountains with very little cell service (and it’s covered in snow!)
The speaker this winter was Shelby Abbott, who is on staff and an emcee for CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ). Shelby spoke on the theme of Living Outside the Box.
That theme is out of John 17:14-18, where Jesus calls His disciples to be in the world, but not of it. The desire was to help students see that God wants them to be engaged with the world around them without being overtaken by it. To do this as Christians we need to take on God’s approach to life. Shelby spoke on taking God’s approach to pop culture, extremes (legalism vs. license), relationships and dating, and suffering. The final message was to be on taking God’s approach to power (living by the Holy Spirit), but due to snow the retreat ended Sunday night. Many students have commented that the message on relationships and suffering were very impactful to them. This is most likely due to the difference in what they heard from the Bible and what the world tells them about relationships and suffering. God’s Word is truth and speaks!
We also had a blast out on the slopes of Round Top, the bowling alley, and the roller rink. New relationships were built and friendships were strengthened. Leaders poured into the lives of the students in their small groups. Students meditated on God’s Word and it spoke to them. We are blessed to have the opportunity to lead these camps and retreats, which are milestones for students because they clearly see and hear God in their lives.
The RBC congregation was generous in providing the funds to give scholarships for over 25 students to be able to attend the retreat. THANK YOU! Your financial gifts and prayers are so important! From the Youth Ministry Staff we all say thank you!
Family Quest: The Hope – He Has Risen, 1
HE HAS RISEN! PART 1
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” – John 11:25
“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”
– Romans 6:4-7
“…having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” – Colossians 2:12
“Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14)
Jesus’ resurrection vindicated His divine claims and conquered once for all the power of the second death, separation from the Father, opening a way into the true Holy of Holies, the Throne of Grace for all who are found in Christ. What joyful news! He is risen! He is risen indeed!!
BIG IDEA: Jesus defeated death.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO (Watch from the begining through 2:25)
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Matthew 28:1-15
Luke 24:1-49
John 20-21
1 Corinthians 15:14
SECTION VERSES:
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’” – John 14:6-7
LESSON VERSE:
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” – John 11:25
PRAYER:
Thank God that we don’t have to fear physical death because we have been made alive spiritually with Jesus forever!
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- How would you feel if you were one of Jesus’ friends when He was buried?
- What about when He rose from the dead?
- Why did Jesus rise from the dead?
- Why is it so important that He rose?
LIVE IT OUT!
- Eternal life starts the moment you trust in Jesus. Make a list of the ways this new life has changed you and is changing you.
– – –
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 | 3.27.16
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Mighty to Save (Zephaniah 3:17) – Yahweh by Hillsong Chapel
This I Believe (the Creed) (Romans 3:22) – Live Sessions Vol. 1 by For All Seasons
Forever (Matthew 28:26) – Majestic by Kari Jobe
Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) (Psalm 107:14) — See the Morning by Chris Tomlin
Glorious (Psalm 111:2-3) – Glorious by Paul Baloche
TEACHING: He Is Risen – A Dialogue on the Power & Resurrection of Jesus
Everything hangs on the resurrection. If Jesus Christ never rose from the dead, He is no Savior and Christianity is a lie. But if He did rise from the dead, He is our life.
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?
- What Easter traditions do you practice with your family?
- Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 15:1-34. What does this tell us about us? What does it tell us about God? What do you observe about the resurrection of Jesus? What warnings, admonishments or encouragements are there for us to heed?
- Paul goes so far as to say that without the resurrection, “our faith is in vain” (1 Cor. 15:17). Why would he say this?
- What other verses do you know of that speak to the resurrection of Jesus?
- Why does all of human history in the Bible seem to center around the resurrection?
- Do you have doubts about the resurrection? How can we believe it is true that Jesus rose from the dead?
- If His death paid for my sins, why does it matter that Jesus rose from the dead?
- Romans 8:11 says, “The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us…” What does this mean and what does it look like?
- Beyond Easter as a holiday, how does (or should) the resurrection affect us today? How should this affect our daily life? What does it look like to live through the power of Jesus’ resurrection?
- Spend some time in prayer, thanking God for the power of resurrection. Confess any doubts you have about the resurrection and ask Him to speak into your doubt.
Sunday Rewind | 3.20.16
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Awesome Is The Lord Most High (Psalm 47:1-2) – See The Morning by Chris Tomlin
Hosanna (Mark 11:9-10) – Savior King by Hillsong Worship
Forever Reign (Lamentations 5:19) – A Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong Worship
Before the Throne (Romans 8:34) – Worship Initiative, vol. 3 by Shane and Shane
Majesty (Isaiah 53:5) – Majesty: The Worship EP by Leeland
TEACHING: Facing Uncertainty
The just shall live by faith.
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?
- Does uncertainty in life make you afraid or nervous? Why or why not? Do you have any examples?
- Read and discuss Hebrews 10:32-39. What does this tell us about God? What does it tell us about us? What do you note about faith in these verses? What encouragements, warnings or commands are here for us to heed?
- What other verses or portions of Scripture can you think of that instruct us about faith?
- What does it mean to “live by faith”?
- What examples from your own life can you give of stepping out and trusting God by faith?
- How are love and faith related?
- How does the gospel allow and empower us to face uncertainty with confidence?
- Is there an area or situation in your life where you need to step out in faith? Share with your group and spend some time in prayer together.
Sunday Rewind | 3.13.2016
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Exalted One (Psalm 121:1-2) – For The Honor by Elevation Worship
Great Things (Worth It All) (Galatians 6:14) –Wake Up the Wonder by Elevation Worship
This I Believe (the Creed) (Romans 3:22) – Live Sessions Vol. 1 by For All Seasons
Lord of All (Psalm 97:5-6) – Attention by Kristian Stanfill
Be Thou My Vision (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) – Cathedral by Heartsong
TEACHING: James – Living Out Our Faith, Part 12
It’s not what you say, it’s why you say it.
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?
- From last week’s questions – were you able to speak words of encouragement and life to someone in particular this week? Give a report to your group.
- Read and discuss James 3:7-12. What descriptions, illustrations and metaphors are used to describe the tongue here? What do you think the significance of each one is?
- Go through each metaphor and illustration of the tongue in these verses – how have have you seen these at work in your own life?
- “A thousand encouraging words are wiped out by one harsh word.” Why? Do you have an example of this from your own life?
- Reflect on James 3:9. What is the significance of this verse? Why is it important to see others as made in the image of God? Why does this seem particularly important as we consider the power of the tongue?
- “It’s not what you say, it’s why you say it.” Why does the motivation of heart carry more weight than what we say or how we say it?
- How do we try to control the tongue? Can it actually be controlled? How?
- What does the gospel of Jesus have to do with how and why we use our words?