As You Walk Along the Way
On May 2, RBC held a Marriage Booster event featuring Mike Meyers, our Director of Children’s Ministry and the president of Open Arms Worldwide. If you missed the event or would like a refresher, you can listen to the audio here. Below is an outline from Mike from his teaching.
The greatest battle that the church family currently faces is the knock-down drag-out fight with Satan over the hearts of the next generation. Raising a generation that knows Christ and makes him known will be the greatest gift & legacy we leave for the world.
Key Verse:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deut. 6:5-7
Considering our passage in its immediate context,
- Verse 5 – Preceded by the “greatest command”
- Verse 6 – It is a matter of the heart
Notice in Verse 7,
- Not a request – The imperative form is used. This is a command.
- “Impress them on your children” – Teach them diligently.
- Life on life discipleship
7 Principles for Walking Along the Way
Principle #1 – Don’t Freak Out – “Concern is healthy; panic kills.”
- Take the long view because God is writing a story in the life of your child. It’s a movie not a snapshot.
Principle #2 – Be Real
- Walking along the way means not being a pretender. You may fool a very young child for a little while, but they will find you out it will shake their faith to its core.
Principle #3 – More lens, less shield
- Spend more time giving our children the proper lens through which to see this world, and less time sheltering them from it. If we don’t someone else will.
Principle #4 – Enter their world – Jesus entered ours (Phil. 2:5-7)
- Make it a point to know the young person you are walking with.
Principle #5 – The target is the Savior, not behavior – Adjust your aim
- Lead them to the gospel (Romans 3:23, 6:23)
Principle #6 – Be joyful
- “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4
Principle #7 – No excuses
- Excuses may be valid, but they will be overcome when generational discipleship becomes a priority.
I hope that you found something here to challenge you and to encourage you to take seriously God’s call to generational discipleship and ask yourself the question, “What legacy are we leaving?” “Will we be mentioned in anyone’s story of faith?”
Questions for further discussion:
- If I could be remembered by my children or grandchildren for only one thing it would be…
- If you looked back at your life using Mike’s metaphor of the “snapshot” what period of your life might have given the adults around you reason to despair? How has God used that time period in the broader narrative of your life?
- Have you ever thought about your relationship with the children in your life as one of teacher-disciple? Why/why not? How might this perspective change the way you parent or engage with young people close to you?
- Did you ever view your relationship with your parents as one of disciple to teacher? Why or why not?
- In what ways does the teacher-disciple relationship change as children grow up and in what ways does it stay the same?
- How are you, or could you be, living out God’s command to “walk along the way” with the next generation?
Sunday Rewind | 5.4.14
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Be Lifted High (John 3:30) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Endless Light (Psalm 113:3-4) – Cornerstone by Hillsong
10,000 Reasons (Psalm 103:1) – Unrelenting Love by Nick Thurmond
Jesus Paid It All (Colossians 2:13-14) – North Point Live by Kristian Stanfill
In Your Presence (Deuteronomy 31:6) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
TEACHING: Revolutionary Love, Part 3
Love heals us horizontally and vertically.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- From last week’s “homework assignment,” were you able to show practical love to a difficult person last week? What happened?
- What was one thing from this message that was particularly helpful or insightful? What was one thing that was difficult to understand or put into practice?
- Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 12:14-13:13. What do you observe about the nature of God? What do you see about the nature of man? What do you observe about the people of God in the context of the church? How does 1 Corinthians 12 set the context for 1 Corinthians 13?
- What do you observe about love from 1 Corinthians 13? Which of these are strong points for you? Which are weak points?
- Do you think 1 Corinthians 13 is an achievable standard for loving others? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Paul highlights faith, hope & love (1 Cor. 13:13)? Why is the greatest of them love?
- What does it mean to “empty yourself of yourself”? How does this show love to others? Is there a relational situation you can think of in which you need to empty yourself of yourself? Spend some time in prayer about this.
Sunday Rewind | 4.27.2014
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
All Because of Jesus (Romans 8:10) – Louder Than Creation by Steve Fee (North Point)
The Lord Our God (James 1:17) – Let The Future Begin by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
With Us (Psalm 46:10-11a) – God Is Able by Hillsong
Your Love Never Fails (Romans 8:28) – Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture
I Lift My Hands (Psalm 46:10) – And If Our God Is For Us… by Chris Tomlin
TEACHING: Revolutionary Love, Part 2
People all around us are in desperate need of redemption. Who do you know in life that you need to “be neighbor to”? If we took this mindset seriously, nothing would stop us from sharing & showing the revolutionary love of the Gospel.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing from this message that was particularly helpful or insightful? What was one thing that was difficult to understand or put into practice?
- “Everybody, deep down, wants redemption.” Have you found this to be true? Why or why not?
- Read and discuss Mark 12:28-34. What does this tell you about the nature of man? What does it tell you about God?
- What does it mean to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (v. 30)? What does it mean to “‘Love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 31)? How are these two laws connected?
- Read and discuss Luke 10:25-37. Why does Jesus tell this story? Identify the characters in this story – who do you relate to most?
- What is the difference between asking “Who is my neighbor?” and “Who can I be neighbor to?”
- Can you think of a difficult person God has put in your life? What makes that relationship so difficult?
- How could you practically show love to that person this week? What would it look like to “be neighbor to” them? Spend some time in prayer about this.
Sunday Rewind | 4.20.2014
TEACHING: Revolutionary Love, Part 1
As Pastor Mike begins a new series on the revolutionary love of God, we look at the roles of logic, science and faith when considering the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing from this message that was particularly helpful or insightful? What was one thing that was difficult to understand or put into practice?
- What does Easter mean to you? What Easter traditions do you and your family have?
- Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 15:12-28. What does this tell you about the nature of man? What does it tell you about God? How do you respond to the hard statements Paul makes in these verses?
- In what way(s) does the Christian faith hinge on the resurrection?
- What do these verses tell us about the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
- How would you define faith? How does one grow in faith in something?
- What are the roles of logic, science and faith when considering the resurrection?
- How does the resurrection show God’s love?
- How does the full narrative of the Bible point to the resurrection?
- What personal impact does the resurrection have for you? Spend some time in prayer thanking God for His revolutionary love expressed through the power of the resurrection.
Prayer Resources at RBC
E-MAIL PRAYER CHAIN
To join our email prayer chain: Send an email to: prayerchainatrbc@gmail.com and put the word “Join” in the subject line. You will then be added to our email distribution list to received regular updates of prayer requests.
Prayer requests should be for attendees, their families, and upcoming ministry needs. Please indicate if your prayer requests are confidential. Confidential requests will be distributed to the staff and elders only. All other prayer requests will be complied and distributed periodically to the members of the RBC prayer chain.
To submit a prayer request: Send an email to prayerchainatrbc@gmail.com with “Prayer Request” in the subject line. If it is a confidential request, please indicate so in the subject line (confidential prayer requests are sent to staff and pastors only). Urgent prayer requests can be phoned in to the church office at 703-404-5010.
THRONE OF GRACE
In addition, there is an attachment to our weekly e-newsletter called Throne of Grace. Throne of Grace is a compilation of current prayer requests divided into the following categories: Praises (including new births), Health Concerns, Ongoing Needs, Family Needs, Condolences, Upcoming Events (RBC), along with occasional staff-designated categories such as Featured Ministry, Featured Area of Prayer (such as people in the military, marriages in the church, etc.).
The purpose of Throne of Grace is not just to inform the body, but to give you the opportunity to minister to the body through love, prayer, encouragement and meeting each others needs. If you do not receive our weekly e-newsletter, please email Dale Peak.
We pray that Reston Bible Church will become a church of prayer and glorify God in all that we do.
TRAIL GUIDE: Lean Not On Your Own Understanding
The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend. We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.
SOUL SHERPA, LESSON 2: The Holy Spirit is Our Guide
My mother is infamous for her sense of direction. Or should I say, lack thereof. She once followed a car for some distance out of her way because “they looked like they knew where they were going.” She has driven almost out of state before realizing she had taken a wrong turn. Mom was sure she was going in the right direction. She even thought she had recognized some landmarks. It took some time but Mom has learned to lean not on her own understanding when it comes to directions. Nowadays she makes sure she either rides with or follows someone who knows the right path.
How many times have you headed down a path that you were sure was right and wise only to find out that you were on a road to heartache? When we depend on our human discernment and worldly understanding they will fail us in the end. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
We can contrast two great men of scripture in this regard. Saul, the first anointed King over Israel, when pressed, did what he discerned to be the wise thing when Samuel was delayed and an attack seemed imminent. He took it upon himself to sacrifice to the Lord. It might seem to us, on the face of it, to be an intelligent move. Samuel hadn’t shown up on time, they were in great danger, and they needed God’s favor. But Saul had been told to wait. He did not inquire of the Lord and he did not trust the command he had been given by the man of God. He was leaning on his own understanding. By contrast his successor, King David, inquired of the Lord for almost every big decision he made, with the exception of a few that famously went badly for him. God has given us a trustworthy spiritual GPS system; his Word and his indwelling Holy Spirit, ever present to guide us. Inquire of the Lord and He will make your paths straight. He is our trustworthy teacher and guide. This is a promise of God.
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? – 1 Corinthians 1:20
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” -Traditional Hymn
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 14:12
1 Corinthians 1:20
1 Samuel 13
1 Samuel 23:4
Sunday Rewind | 4.13.2014
TEACHING: Before the Throne, Part 4
Why does all hell break loose when we try to enter into prayer? Because prayer is war, and the lack of prayer is nothing less than a declaration of independence from God.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing from this message that was particularly helpful or insightful? What was one thing that was difficult to understand or put into practice?
- Read and discuss Matthew 26:36-46. What do you see about the nature of man? What do these verses tell you about the nature & person of Jesus? What do you observe about prayer in these verses?
- “Prayer is war.” What does this mean? Have you found this to be true?
- Pastor Mike highlights several other hindrances to entering in to prayer: “Prayer is too hard.” “I rarely get what I ask for.” “I can’t find the time.” “Prayer is boring.” “I get distracted.” “I can’t see the Person I’m talking to.” “I can’t hear a response.” “I don’t need to pray about ____. That will never happen to me – I’ve got this under control.” Which of those hindrances do you struggle with?
- What other hindrances to prayer can you think of?
- How does being strategically specific help us engage in prayer?
- Can you think of a prayer that God did not answer, then discovered later it was for the best?
- Through this series, what have you learned about the importance & benefits of prayer? By contrast, what are the detriments of not praying?
- How do you feel you need to grow in the area of prayer? What will you do to pursue this – what’s your plan? Spend some time in prayer asking God to make you a person of consistent prayer, and our church a church of constant prayer.
New Women’s Ministry Offerings
RBC Ladies, I wanted to let you know about a couple new offerings in Women’s Ministry. Both will meet at the church beginning soon.
- FORGIVEN & SET FREE: This confidential 8 week study is for women who suffer pain, guilt or shame of a past abortion(s). This study, which effectively administers God’s healing grace, is offered in a safe environment with the goal of helping you find lasting healing, forgiveness, and freedom that can only be found in Christ. If you struggle with secrecy, guilt, condemnation or forgiveness, this study is for you. It will meet on Thursdays from 7:00-9:00 pm beginning April 24. For more information or to register contact Amy Raye, 571-283-7248, wildly_a@yahoo.com or Kathy Kennedy 571-327-0617, Kathy.kennedy17@gmail.com.
- LIVING HOPE: This will be a women’s group for those who struggle with depression. Psalm 42:11 asks the questions, “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” Beginning May 15, we will host an 8-week (5/15 – 7/10) group on Thursdays, 9:30 – 11:30 AM for women who struggle with depression. We will share from Scripture and from our own personal lives for the purpose of building each other up as we walk through difficult emotions and circumstances. Our goal is that through sharing openly and honestly with one another, reminding each other of the truths found in Scripture and speaking the truth in love, we will be able to say to our souls, like the Psalmist, “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Due to the intimate and confidential nature of the group, size will be limited (6 – 10 women). Childcare will not be provided. If interested, please contact Julia Blanchard (juliablanchard@restonbible.org, 703-404-5045).
Have a wonderful week and enjoy this gorgeous spring weather…finally!
Marsha Mathews
Director, Women’s Ministry
Conversations Volunteer Needs
Conversations starts on Monday and we hope you are planning to bring your friends, co-workers & neighbors to this year’s production. Plenty of invitation cards will be available this weekend, so please grab a few when you are at services this Sunday.
We still need many volunteers to help make this event a success. Our greatest needs are:
- CHILDCARE: We need 25 more people willing to work in childcare so the parents can go enjoy the show. You can work one evening or multiple evenings. A background check is required if this is your first time serving with our Children’s Ministry. To serve, e-mail Joan Lastova. Please indicate what evening(s) you are available to serve, and what age group you prefer working with (nursery, preschool, grade school).
- BAKERS: We need 40 more people who would each be willing to bake 8 dozen cookies or brownies. All goodies are to be delivered to the church by noon on your appointed drop-off day. You can deliver your goodies to the church on your way to work if necessary – we will have a table outside the main doors. If you are delivering after 8:00 am, please drop off your goodies on the tables set up just inside the Lobby doors. You may also drop off the night before (for example if you are serving in the Coffee Shop on Monday and your day to bake is Tuesday, you can bring your baked goods Monday night. To sign up to bake, click here.
- MEALS FOR CAST AND CREW: Most of our Conversations cast and tech crew come directly from work to serve. Please consider blessing these volunteers by signing up to provide one or more food items for meals during Conversations week. To help, please click here and choose the date that is most convenient for you and to see the list of food items needed. You will be contacted with additional information as to when and where to drop off your food items.
That’s it. With your help, next week will richly bless many thousands of people by clearly sharing the good news of the gospel in a creative & contemporary way. To God be the honor and glory!
Dale Peak
Administrator
ESL & Emergency Preparedness
With all that it takes to become comfortable and productive in Northern Virginia culture, it occurred to me that the internationals in our English as a Second Language program would benefit from understanding how to handle emergency situations. One of our teachers, Ron Colan, has a son who is a deputy with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s office. Deputy Colantonio was only too happy to come in and share basic knowledge with our students. I also contacted the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Squad and they sent a very capable public education manager, Lisa Braun, to provide training in all matters having to do with fire safety and calling 911.
For our two lower-level classes, I had to provide translators in order to ensure clear understanding of this important information. Thankfully, I was able to find the right people for all the major language groups. The presenters deftly maneuvered talking then pausing, over and over again, in order to allow the translators to work effectively.
Ms. Braun provided a 911 simulator which looks like a telephone and has a recording of the likely dialog that would be heard from the 911 operator. It was great for the students to try to answer the dispatcher’s questions and listen for instructions. When one is in a stressful situation, this may not be so easily done – even for a native English speaker!
Deputy Colantonio talked about what to do if one is pulled over by a police officer and also the procedure to follow should one have a traffic accident. Students had many questions on other matters pertaining to the law that have either been misunderstood or not known.
We strive to give our students practical information about how to live here as responsible citizens. Part of that is helping them to acquire the language and part of that is providing cultural insight including understanding the law. The more we show our love and concern for them, the more likely we will have a platform for pointing them to the ultimate need they have in their lives – knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relevance to every person, whether born here or elsewhere.