A Quick First Fruits 2015 Update
Praise God with us for the work and blessings during First Fruits this year. Last Saturday, November 21, we had 32 teams composed of 659 volunteers completing 133 jobs. This day raised $43,490! The teams used some of what was raised to buy groceries and bring gift cards to 32 families with financial need that night. An additional 40 or more families will also be receiving grocery gift cards in the next few weeks. Five local high schools will be participating in a Perseverance Scholarship for seniors as they prepare for college. Teachers will also be nominated for a gift from us. All of these opportunities to exemplify God’s love to our neighbors is only possible because of the many people who sacrificed their time, energy and finances. Thank you!
To learn more about how First Fruits has an impact, read First Fruits: Beyond the Leaves.
Love as Viewed by the Recipient
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV)
LOVE IS PATIENT: Thank you for being patient with my shortcomings. It makes me feel accepted by you.
LOVE IS KIND: Your kindness is more than I could ever wish as it makes each day something to look forward to.
LOVE IS NOT ENVIOUS: I have never felt your envy toward me which makes our relationship one of encouragement and not competition.
LOVE IS NOT BOASTFUL: You never speak highly of yourself which becomes an example for me to emulate.
LOVE IS NOT PROUD: Your humility landscapes the lives of those around you, and my life has been shaped by it.
LOVE IS NOT RUDE: There are no sharp edges in your speech or manners. I can express my thoughts without fear of attack.
LOVE IS NOT SELF-SEEKING: The fact that you are not self-seeking makes me feel important and not just tolerated.
LOVE IS NOT ANGRY: You never seem angry which makes me feel protected and safe when I don’t measure up.
LOVE DOES NOT KEEP SCORE: I have the freedom to fail without being reminded of past failures.
LOVE DELIGHTS NOT IN EVIL: Your avoidance of evil is a moral safeguard in our friendship.
LOVE REJOICES IN TRUTH: Your pursuit of truth gives me confidence that you are making wise decisions.
LOVE PROTECTS: I feel secure that you desire to protect my reputation, emotions and the hidden fears of my heart.
LOVE TRUSTS: Your consistent trust in me removes any suspicion and replaces it with trust in you.
LOVE GIVES HOPE: When you give hope to my life, I feel valued.
LOVE PERSEVERES: Your persevering love has been a faithful guide for my earthly pilgrimage.
YOUR LOVE HAS SET ME FREE.
Sunday Rewind | 11.22.2015
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
In Your Presence (Deuteronomy 31:6) –Nothing is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Your Great Name (Philippians 2:10-11) – Love Revolution by Natalie Grant
Come Thou Fount (Psalm 16:11) – Original Arrangement
Keeper of My Heart (Psalm 121:1-2) – Majestic by Kari Jobe
Lord I Need You (Hebrews 4:16) – All The People Said Amen by Matt Maher
TEACHING: James – Living Out Our Faith, Part 7
Where love reigns, sin is unemployed.
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 2:1-9. 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?
- Why is “love your neighbor as yourself” referred to as “the royal law” in verse 8? Who does this royal law apply to? Who is your neighbor? In what way is this an impossible command? In what way is it possible?
- Why do we tend to trust in our wealth or possessions? How is this a false security?
- Can you identify an area of life where you struggle with favoritism, bias or prejudice? What would it look like to apply the gospel to this area?
- Discuss the implications of this statement: “Where love reigns, sin is unemployed.” Have you found this to be true? What are some examples? What are some examples of the opposite of this statement (where love does not reign, sin is employed)?
- How does the gospel compel us to “be neighbor to” those in need? Who do you need to see as your neighbor?
- Spend time in prayer thanking for His great love toward us. Ask Him to help you identify those in need whom you can “be neighbor to” and give you the grace to love them in practical ways.
LOVE AS VIEWED BY THE RECIPIENT
LOVE IS PATIENT: Thank you for being patient with my shortcomings, it makes me feel accepted by you.
LOVE IS KIND: Your kindness is more than I could ever wish as it makes each day something to look forward to.
LOVE IS NOT ENVIOUS: I have never felt your envy toward me which makes our relationship one of encouragement and not competition.
LOVE IS NOT BOASTFUL: You never speak highly of yourself which becomes an example for me to emulate.
LOVE IS NOT PROUD: Your humility landscapes the lives of those around you, and my life has been shaped by it.
LOVE IS NOT RUDE: There are no sharp edges in your speech or manners. I can express my thoughts without fear of attack.
LOVE IS NOT SELF-SEEKING: The fact that you are not self-seeking makes me feel important and not just tolerated.
LOVE IS NOT ANGRY: You never seem angry which makes me feel protected and safe when I don’t measure up.
LOVE DOES NOT KEEP SCORE: I have the freedom to fail without being reminded of past failures.
LOVE DELIGHTS NOT IN EVIL: Your avoidance of evil is a moral safeguard in our friendship.
LOVE REJOICES IN TRUTH: Your pursuit of truth gives me confidence that you are making wise decisions.
LOVE PROTECTS: I feel secure that you desire to protect my reputation, emotions and the hidden fears of my heart.
LOVE TRUSTS: Your consistent trust in me removes any suspicion and replaces it with trust in you.
LOVE GIVES HOPE: When you give hope to my life I feel valued.
LOVE PERSEVERES: Your persevering love has been a faithful guide for my earthly pilgrimage.
YOUR LOVE HAS SET ME FREE.
Family Quest: The Hope – People of the Promise, 1
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28
Many Bible students believe that Joseph’s life foreshadows God’s promised Deliverer, who we will soon study in upcoming chapters of The HOPE. In fact, the similarities between Joseph and the promised Deliverer are truly amazing.
Consider that both Joseph and the promised Deliverer …
were sent by their fathers to their brothers – Joseph’s brothers hated him and sought to kill him, and the Deliverer’s own kinsmen rejected Him and sought to kill Him (see Genesis 37:13, John 7:3, Luke 20:47), had a robe that was taken from them (Genesis 37:23-24, John 19:24), spent time in Egypt (see Genesis 37:25-28, Matthew 2:14-15), were sold for the price of a slave (see Genesis 37:28, Matthew 26:15), were bound in chains (see Psalm 105:18, Genesis 39:20, Matthew 27:2), were tempted (see Genesis 39: 7-10, Matthew 4:1-11), were falsely accused (see Genesis 39:16-17, Matthew 26:59), were placed with two other prisoners, one of whom was saved and the other lost (seeGenesis 40:2-22, Luke 23:32-43), began their ministries at the age of thirty (see Genesis 41:46, Luke 3:23), were exalted by God after a season of suffering (see Genesis 41:41-43, Philippians 2:9-11), forgave those who harmed them (see Genesis 45:1-15, Luke 23:34), were sent by God to save many (Genesis 45:7, Matthew 1:21, Mark 10:45), understood that God turned evil into good (see Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28), and brought reconciliation, one to his family, the other to the world (see Genesis 45:7-10; Romans 5:10).
In Joseph, we recognize the evidence of a purposeful divine influence guiding the events of his life. Like a leaf that has fallen into a great river, Joseph’s life was moved by the powerful flow of a divine current. And with each event that came into his life (even the difficult ones), Joseph submitted to that flow rather than resisting it. God used Joseph’s life to accomplish exactly what He had planned beforehand, bringing good to Joseph and to others, and glory to Himself.
For additional study and insight, check this out, from The HOPE Project online study guide.
BIG IDEA: God is at work, even in hard times.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Genesis 37, 39-50
Genesis 50:20
James 1:2-4
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:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28
PRAYER:
Pray that God would help you see how He is at work around so you can join him in his work.
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- Was God with Joseph when bad things happened? How? When?
- How do you see God working in the story even when people make evil choices?
LIVE IT OUT!
- Think of way you can bless a person or family that is going through a hard time and then follow through.
– – –
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.
Memorial Service for Oral Mizelle
After a long battle with liver disease, Oral Mizelle went home to be with his Lord early Tuesday morning. His memorial service will be this Friday, November 20 at 2:00pm here at RBC. There will be a small reception immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, condolences to the family may be made in the form of donations to the RBC Missions Fund, which supports our global missionaries and mission projects. Letters of sympathy and encouragement to the family may be brought to the service or sent to:
The Mizelle Family
c/o Reston Bible Church
45650 Oakbrook Court
Dulles, VA 20166
Please be in prayer for Oral’s wife Laurie and children Elizabeth and Nathan as they grieve their loss and rejoice in heaven’s gain.
Haiti Update & Christmas Hope
Pastor Aaron and his family spent the month of October in Haiti working with Pastor Francois’ church and orphanage in Pignon. In this video, he gives a brief report from our sister church there.
If you would like more information on the family mission to Haiti during Spring Break 2016, visit www.restonbible.org/familymissionhaiti.
To support the Christmas Hope project, visit www.restonbible.org/christmashope.
Sunday Rewind | 11.15.2015
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
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
The Solid Rock (Psalm 18:2) – Original Arrangement by Reston Bible Church
I Stand Amazed (2 Corinthians 8:9) – North Point Live by Candi Shelton (North Point)
You Never Let Go (Psalm 23:4) – Beautiful News by Matt Redman
TEACHING: Sons & Daughters
Too many of us fall into fear and despair because we see God through the lens of our earthly relationships. Yet, through Jesus, God has adopted us as His very own children.
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 Romans 8:14-17. What do these verses tell us about us? What do they tell us about God?
- What is something you feel guilt or shame about?
- How does Romans 8:14-17 free us from the burdens of guilt, shame, fear and performance?
- Why would the enemy want us to relate to God the same way we relate to our earthly parents (or other earthly relationships)?
- What does it mean that we are adopted by God and thus “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17)? What are the daily practical implications of this truth as we live out our lives?
- In what ways do you tend to identify yourself by your performance? How does the gospel simultaneously free us from the burden of performance, while enabling us to perform rightly?
- Spend time in prayer thanking God for adopting you as a son or daughter. Ask Him to help you live out this truth in your daily life.
Family Quest: The Hope – Be a Blessing
“Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” – Romans 4:20-21
“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” – Genesis 22:1–2
“And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” –Genesis 22:10–14
“And Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide.” Our God is a promise maker and a promise keeper. Most of us would like to think of ourselves as promise keepers, but the reality is that even the best of us cannot truly guarantee a promise. Too many variables are outside of our control. That is why we in the church have the tradition of tacking, “Lord willing,” onto the end our verbal commitments. But with YAHWEH it is an entirely different case. We have already learned that our God created all things from nothing, He is all powerful, all knowing, and unchangeable. When God makes a promise you can take it to the bank. Help the children this week to appreciate how deeply God can be trusted.
BIG IDEA: God is a promise keeper.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Genesis 12-22
Hebrews 11:8
James 1:17
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:
“Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” -Romans 4:20-21
PRAYER:
Pray that God would help you show your trust by obeying His word more every day.
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- When did Abraham and Sarah obey and disobey God?
- What problems have happened when you disobey?
- What did God promise Abraham?
- How did God keep his promise?
LIVE IT OUT!
- Think of an area where you haven’t obeyed God and go for it! He’s a promise keeper!
– – –
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 | 11.8.2015
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
God Is Able (Ephesians 3:20-21) – God is Able by Hillsong Worship
Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) (Psalm 27:1) – Let The Future Begin by Chris Tomlin (Passion)
How Deep The Father’s Love For Us (Galatians 6:14) – Love Displayed by Liberty Campus Band
Take My Life (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) – Hymns Ancient & Modern by Chris Tomlin (Passion)
TEACHING: From the Field – How’s My Vision?
We live in a world that knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. Do you see Christ as precious? God is a God of love, but He does not sit idly by and allow His love to take second place in our lives.
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 Haggai 1:2-11 and 1 Corinthians 16:19-20. What do these verses tell us about us? What do they tell us about God? What warnings or commands are there for us to heed and obey?
- Have you ever felt stagnate in your walk with the Lord? What was the cause? What can we do to avoid spiritual stagnation?
- What does it mean to have “spiritual vision”? How can we develop spiritual vision?
- How much of your time, talent and treasure does God have? How can you grow in the grace of giving in each of these areas?
- How much of your life is driven by impatience, distraction, or discomfort? Considering that eternity is only a heartbeat away, what areas of your life do you need to “rebuild the temple”?
- How do you think God wants to use you to make a difference in the world around you? How does the gospel of Jesus enable and propel us to do this?
- Discuss how your small group can help you “rebuild” and spend some time in prayer for this. Give thanks to God for the grace that covers our sin and drives us to impact the world around us for His glory. Pray that He would help you see the eternal value of Jesus and be driven by Him instead of by impatience, distraction or discomfort.
Sunday Rewind | 11.1.2015
VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENTS
As we adjust to three 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
Closer (Psalm 89:14-15) – Glorious Ruins by Hillsong Worship
Your Promises (2 Peter 1:3-4a) – Wake Up the Wonder by Elevation Worship
Glorious (Psalm 111:2-3) – Glorious by Paul Baloche
Great Things (Worth It All) (Galatians 6:14) –Wake Up the Wonder by Elevation Worship
Christ is Enough (2 Cor. 12:9) – Glorious Ruins by Hillsong Live
TEACHING: James – Living Out Our Faith, Part 6
No sin so blinds the human soul as favoritism. We are often not so much partial against others as we are for ourselves.
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 one way in which you tend to struggle with partiality, favoritism or bias toward others? From others?
- Read and discuss James 2:1-4. What do these verses tell us about us? What do they tell us about God? What context does James 1 give to these statements? What warnings or commands are there for us to heed?
- “No sin so blinds the human soul as favoritism.”Have you observed this statement to be true? How?
- Why is it “second nature” for us to be partial in ways that strain, inhibit or damage relationships?
- How does the gospel help us see others as “imago Dei” – in the image of God? Why is this important?
- Spend some time confessing areas where you show partiality and ask God to reveal any hidden areas of favoritism in your life. Give Him thanks for His impartial mercy in the gospel of Jesus.