Sunday Rewind | 5.24.2015
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Endless Light (Psalm 113:3-4) – Cornerstone by Hillsong
Only King Forever (1 Timothy 1:17) – Only King Forever by Elevation Worship
The Lord Our God (2 Peter 1:3) – Let The Future Begin by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
Your Promises (2 Peter 1:3-4a) – Wake Up The Wonder by Elevation Worship
Your Great Name (Philippians 2:10-11) – Love Revolution by Natalie Grant
Be Lifted High (John 3:30) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
TEACHING: Seeing People As They Are, Part 1
Our tendency is to judge difficult people through our natural understanding of them, but Jesus has a whole new way of seeing people. If we only knew their story, we might respond with compassion instead of judgement.
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 was one thing that was said or done to you in the past that played a pivotal role in shaping your story?
- Read and discuss Matthew 7:1-5. What do you note about the nature of man? What does it indicate about the nature of God? How do you personally respond to this text?
- Read and discuss Luke 7:36-50. Compare and contrast Jesus with the Pharisee in this account. Where do you see yourself in this account? How does this section relate to the verses from Matthew 7 in the previous question?
- Who comes to mind in your life when you think of a difficult person or group? How do you see them? How do you think Jesus sees them?
- Even if you don’t know the specifics, how does knowing that someone has a story guide us toward compassion toward them?
- “The church should be safe place to tell your story.” Have you found this to be true? Why or why not?
- In what areas of your life do you struggle with hypocrisy? How might people on the “outside” who don’t know your story judge you for those? How does the gospel of Jesus address those areas?
- Spend some time in prayer asking God for the grace to see difficult people as Jesus sees them.
Sunday Rewind | 5.17.2015
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Exalted One (Psalm 121:1-2) – For The Honor by Elevation Worship
The Wonderful Cross (Galatians 6:14) – The Worship Initiative, Vol. 5 by Shane & Shane
Beautiful Lord (Ephesians 2:4-5) – Sound of Melodies by Leeland
Forever Reign (Lamentations 5:19) – A Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong
Lord I Need You (Hebrews 4:16) – All The People Said Amen by Matt Maher
TEACHING: Bucket List
Don’t misunderstand the promises of Jesus. We bring Him a bucket while He has a waterfall waiting for us. We need to see Him as greater than our personal bucket lists.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO (VIDEO IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS SERMON)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful or difficult to understand from this sermon?
- What are some specific promises Jesus makes in Scripture that you hold dear?
- Read and discuss John 4:4-42. What do you see about the nature of man? What do you note about the person of Jesus? What strikes you about this familiar story?
- What divisions and misunderstandings do you note between Jesus and the woman at the well? How does Jesus address those? How does the woman respond?
- What are some misunderstandings regarding Jesus that we deal with today?
- In what ways can we be “good at religion, but terrible at faith”?
- “We are too concerned with our citizenship on earth, and Jesus wants to point our eyes to our citizenship in heaven.” Have you seen this statement to be true? Why or why not? How does the gospel of Jesus point our eyes to our heavenly citizenship?
- How does the gospel show us that we are fully known and yet fully loved? How does grasping this truth affect our life? How might “the Gospel Rule” (do unto others as Jesus has done unto us) overflow and affect the lives of those around us?
- Spend some time in prayer thanking God that you are fully known and fully loved. Ask Him to help you set aside your “bucket” and quench your deepest thirst with the waterfall of His grace.
Investing in the Teens of RBC
My name is Bob Shull and I am the Senior High Youth Pastor here at Reston Bible Church. I am so thankful for the investment that RBC has made in the youth of our area for almost 40 years now. I am actually one of the fruits of the Youth Ministry here – having become a Christian when I was a Junior at Herndon High School (back in the “Remember the Titans” era) through the ministry of Dave Wentzel, RBC’s first Youth Pastor. Since that time, many things have changed (hair & clothing styles, the cost of gas, technology, to mention a few) since then in our society and in our church. RBC however has continued to focus the time and energies of our Youth Staff on encouraging our families with teens, teaching and equipping our students, and working with our students in reaching out to their friends. We follow the goal of the church as a whole to “Know Christ and make Him known” – both in a big group and small group setting. We also have a long tradition of taking and extended time with our teens in the Word of God at our Winter Retreat and Summer Camp. We give teens an opportunity to be involved in the ministry by using their gifts in worship, drama, teaching, and in the one anothers. We are blessed to have a facility that allows us to do bigger outreaches and events like “First Fruits” and our “Bring It” Talent Competition that impact our community. We have also been blessed to go with teens on over seas mission trips to places like England, Trinidad, Croatia, Brazil, Bolivia and to stateside locations like PawPaw, West VA, Chicago, Maysville SC, St. Louis Mo., and many more. It is on these trips that our teens have had to put their faith to the test and have seen God meet them there. What never ceases to amaze and motivate me is the ability of our teens to still believe and obey God in both little and big ways. Older adults can learn from them in this!
One of the greatest gifts that God has and continues to give the Youth Ministry are many volunteers He has led to join us in investing in our teens and their families and building the Kingdom of God. It is an understatement to say that working with teens is very “relational”. Just like all adults, teens are looking for a place to “belong”, a place to wrestle out what they believe, a safe place share their thoughts and doubts and grow in their faith in God. Doing this requires us to have men and women of all ages, gifting, and personalities who have a clear love for God, a love for His word, and a willingness to love and work with teens. Could God be nudging you to consider stepping out to join us?
The Youth Ministry is hosting a “Youth Ministry Preview and Training Event;” it will be on Sunday May 31st, 2015. It is designed to help anyone who wants to learn more about the youth ministry and is evaluating how he or she can serve at Reston Bible Church. Our hope is everyone attending will get the answers they need to make that decision. We will meet at 10:30am in the front classroom of the Youth Building. Aaron Osborne and Lee Banton will give the group an overview on the who, what, and why of the Youth Ministry. It will briefly cover what we do and the strategy behind it. We will then have the group join and observe the Sunday Morning Meeting – either in the Senior High (called GAP) or the Junior High (called Break Thru). This runs from 11am to 12:15pm. Afterwards the group will have lunch and the training aspect of the event. We will first cover the volunteer process; how someone becomes involved in the youth ministry. We will next cover what the volunteer roles are that we need in the Youth Ministry. We actually need not only relational people, but also those who are gifted administratively, and with specific talents – in music, drama, video, multimedia, etc. We will then go over what we see as being the “essentials” of youth ministry. There is not one type of person who can do youth ministry. However there are some essentials every volunteer needs to have and be growing in. Finally, we will talk about of the “keys” or wisdom that volunteers need to know to be effective in working with teens. It is not about just “hanging” out with teens – it’s helping them to individually learn how to follow Jesus in their lives.
If this sounds like something you want to explore, I would invite you to use this link to register for the “Youth Ministry Preview and Training Event.” You can go to this link: www.restonbible.org/youthpreview
Coming to this event does not mean you are committing to join the Youth Ministry Volunteer staff. However it will allow you to hear, see, and experience what Youth Ministry at RBC looks like and be able to make an informed choice on applying to volunteer with us. It is our goal to identify those who want to join us and begin working with them over the summer to be ready by the fall. If you have any questions or want any other information, please contact Lee Banton at leebanton@restonbible.org
Sincerely,
Bob Shull, Sr. High Youth Pastor
Sunday Rewind | 5.10.2015
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Open Up Our Eyes (Ephesians 1:18-19a) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Christ Is Enough (2 Corinthians 12:9) – Glorious Ruins by Hillsong
Your Promises (2 Peter 1:3-4a) – Wake Up The Wonder by Elevation Worship
I Will Look Up (Deuteronomy 7:9) –Only King Forever by Elevation Worship
TEACHING: Praying for Mercy
If you come before God thinking He owes you something, you will see Him as distant and powerless. We should approach God understanding our need and confident in His character.
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 Luke 18:9-14, 35-43. What do these verses tell us about the nature of man? What do they tell us about Jesus? What do you observe about prayer? What do you observe about mercy?
- Compare & contrast the different prayers in the verses above. What are the similarities? What are the differences?
- How would you describe your prayer life? Do your prayers reflect a desperate need for God? Why or why not?
- How should knowing our need and being confident in God’s character affect our prayers?
- Have you ever prayed for mercy? Share what happened.
- How can praying for mercy align our hearts with God’s?
- Discuss the following quote from Tim Keller. Have you found it to be true? What does it mean and how can you apply it? To the degree you can shed the ‘unreality’ of self-sufficiency, to that degree your prayer life will become richer and deeper.
- Spend some time as a group praying through Psalm 51. Thank God for His great mercy in Jesus Christ and ask Him to help you see your desperate need for Him.
Sunday Rewind | 5.3.2015
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
How Great Thou Art (Psalm 145:3) – Hymns Ancient & Modern by Charlie Hall (Passion)
Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) (Psalm 27:1) – Let The Future Begin by Chris Tomlin (Passion)
God You Lifted Me Out (Psalm 30:1-2) – For The Honor by Elevation Worship
The Lord Our God (James 1:17) –Let The Future Begin by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
Be Thou My Vision (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) – Cathedral by Heartsong
With Us (Psalm 46:10-11a) – God Is Able by Hillsong
TEACHING: Grace Given, Grace Received – Part 2
Grace empowers talent to do what talent could never do alone.
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?
- How is grace “the power to live the Christian life” and “an instructor”?
- Read and discuss 1 Peter 4:7-11 and Romans 12:1-8. What do you see about the nature of man? What do you note about the nature of God? What do these passages tell us about grace? About gifts?
- What is the difference between a talent and a gift?
- What gifts or talents do you have? (Evaluation questions: What tends to frustrate you? What are you passionate about? What do people around you say that you are good at?)
- Why does God give His people gifts? Do you feel you are using your gifts for His purposes? Why or why not?
- What are some specific ways you can use your gifts for the kingdom of God?
- Spend some time in prayer asking thanking God for the gifts He gives His people. Ask Him to empower your talents with His grace and use you to further His kingdom.
From the Field: Haiti Family Mission Update
Over Spring Break, a team of 21 parents and Jr. High students flew to Pignon, Haiti to serve with RBC-supported national pastor, Francois Romelus (featured here in a previous From the Field). While adults from RBC had visited before, it was the first trip that included students, and it was amazing to see the way the Lord used them.
Pastor Francois runs an orphanage of 50+ children, and it was such a blessing to see the ways that our students could play and interact with them, despite the language barrier. Our students were really able to open up the children there and practically show the love of Christ. On top of playing games of soccer, teaching them to skateboard, braiding hair, and hanging out, we also had several special opportunities with them.
We set up Easter Egg hunt with them and talked with them about the resurrection of Christ. We treated them to s’mores cooked over an open fire, after which everyone licked clean their sticky fingers. We had English classes as they taught us some Creole. And we took the oldest ~20 students to a beach a few hours away. Most of them had never been to the ocean and didn’t know how to swim. It was a treat for them, and a blessing to have fun with them.
We also had the blessing of helping the local church run a VBS-style children’s program. While it was a bit chaotic at times with almost 400 children who couldn’t speak English, it was an amazing blessing to serve the community. Our theme for the week was “Mwen Se Trésor Bondye” or “I am a Treasure of God’s”.
We had a great opportunity to play and do crafts with the children and act out Bible stories, as the national pastors taught God’s Word. At the end of each day, each the church provided a meal of rice, beans, and a little chicken for the children, and it was humbling to see how so little meant so much to them. Please pray for the children to understand that they are God’s Treasure.
Finally, we were blessed with many opportunities to connect with and encourage the local church. Eric Smith, the chairman of RBC’s elders, taught a marriage class. We were able to hear the testimonies of and pray for all of the national pastors and elders of the church in Pignon. Please continue to pray for them as they face many hardships and persecution to lead the church.
Thank you to the many who prayed for this team. We definitely saw the answers to many of your prayers. Please continue to pray for Pastor Francois’ children and their futures, as there are very few career opportunities for them.
**Thanks to all who attended the team review on Wednesday, 4/29 in the Jr. High Room. Please continue to pray for Pastor Francois and the ministry there.
Sunday Rewind | 4.26.2015
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Your Love Never Fails (Romans 8:28) – Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture
In Your Presence (Deuteronomy 31:6) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Come Thou Fount (Psalm 16:11) – Original Arrangement
Unending Love (Romans 8:38-39) – God Is Able by Hillsong
Cornerstone (Psalm 18:2) – Cornerstone by Hillsong
TEACHING: Grace Given, Grace Received – Part 1
Grace is not just for salvation – we need it in every ongoing aspect of our lives. Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning.
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 comes to mind when you think of the word “grace”? How would you define grace?
- Read and discuss Ephesians 2:1-9 and Romans 5:6-20. What do you see about the nature of man? What do you note about the nature of God? What do these passages tell us about grace?
- In what ways do we tend to “shelve” grace? What are the results?
- How does biblical grace address sin, pride and self-pity? Which of these three do you tend toward? Why?
- In what ways have you received grace? In what ways have you given grace?
- How can you “drink more deeply from the well of grace”?
- Is there a specific area or situation in your life where you need to give or receive grace? What would it look like in practical terms for you to do that? Spend some time praying about this.
Take 5: Examples from Jonah, Part 24
The marvelous revelation of God’s grace and His redemptive plan through Christ is woven within every book of the Bible.
This is our final Take 5 (for now!) We hope these have been encouraging and helpful for those who teach the Word of God. These videos will remain archived here: vimeo.com/channels/minter.
Take 5: Examples from Jonah, Part 23
The abrupt ending to the book of Jonah forces us to consider God’s great concern for the lost.
Take 5 is a series of videos for pastors & teachers of God’s Word. Mike Minter, teaching pastor and founder of Reston Bible Church, shares practical wisdom from over 40 years of ministry experience.
For more Take 5 videos, visit vimeo.com/channels/minter or subscribe via RSS here: blog.restonbible.org/category/resources/take-5/feed/
To suggest a topic for Pastor Mike to cover, send an email to questions@restonbible.org.
Sunday Rewind | 4.19.2015
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Open Up The Heavens (Psalm 108:4-5) – Worth It All by Meredith Andrews
Alive In Us (Ephesians 2:4-5) – God Is Able by Hillsong
My Deliverer (Psalm 18:1-2) – Hello Love by Chris Tomlin
I Stand Amazed (2 Corinthians 8:9) – North Point Live by Candi Shelton (North Point)
Glorious (Psalm 111:2-3) – Glorious by Paul Baloche
TEACHING: Missions Sunday – From the Field
All followers of Jesus are significant in the work of missions. We must move from information and inspiration to personal involvement in Christ’s great work in missions.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO & VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- How would you describe “missions” to someone who doesn’t know? What comes to mind when you think of “missions” and “missionaries”?
- Do you have any experience with missions?
- Read and discuss Luke 10:1-24. What does this tell us about the topic of missions? What other scriptures can you think of that inform and inspire us to personal involvement in missions?
- Why is every single believer in Jesus significant in the work of missions?
- What are the dangers of missions? What hinders missions?
- Would you say that you have a “burden for the lost”? Why or why not? How can we develop this?
- How can we as the church discern between significant and insignificant issues as we consider the topic of missions?
- “God does not want to use all of us in the same way, but He does want to use all of us in some way.” How do you respond to this statement? What role do you think God is giving you in the important work of missions?
- Are you willing to make yourself available to the Lord for the work of missions? Why or why not? What are you willing to risk? Spend some time praying about this.