Sunday Rewind | 4.6.2014
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
God Is Able (Ephesians 3:20-21) – God Is Able by Hillsong
Endless Light (Psalm 113:3-4) – Cornerstone by Hillsong
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Psalm 16:11) – Original Arrangement
Mighty To Save (Zephaniah 3:17) – Yahweh by Hillsong Chapel
Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) (Psalm 27:1) – Let The Future Begin by Chris Tomlin (Passion)
TEACHING: Before the Throne, Part 3
What happens when we pray?
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- If you had to give a one-sentence synopsis of this message, what would you say?
- Read and discuss Acts 10:1-43. What do you see about the nature of man? What do these verses tell you about the nature & person of God? How would you compare & contrast Peter & Cornelius? What do you observe about prayer and how God uses or responds to prayer?
- What is the difference between “descriptive” and “prescriptive” in regards to Scripture?
- In the verses from Acts 10, what can you identify as descriptive and what can you identify as prescriptive?
- Are there dangers in “hearing from God”? How can we know if we are actually hearing from God?
- Have you ever heard from God as a direct answer to a specific prayer? What happened?
- Are you currently waiting to hear from God on something specific? How do you want Him to respond? As best you can discern, what are your motivations in this? Spend some time together in prayer asking God to align your motives to His.
Sunday Rewind | 3.30.2014
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Alive In Us (Ephesians 2:4-5) – God Is Able by Hillsong
I Will Look Up (Deuteronomy 7:9) – Only King Forever by Elevation Worship
Nothing But The Blood (Ephesians 1:7-8a) – Facedown by Matt Redman
Always (Psalm 121:1-2) – Here For You by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
Forever Reign (Lamentations 5:19) – A Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong
10,000 Reasons (Psalm 103:1) – Unrelenting Love by Nick Thurmond
TEACHING: Before the Throne, Part 2
We tend to let cultural fears direct our prayers, which can lead to disillusionment and a lack of depth in our prayer life. May we instead be driven to deep prayer by the glorious greatness of Christ.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing from this sermon you found particularly helpful, insightful or difficult to understand?
- Read and discuss Ephesians 1:15-20. What do you see about the nature of man? What do these verses tell you about the nature & person of God?
- From these verses, what do you observe about Paul? What is he showing us about prayer?
- How does our culture affect how we pray? Are there ways in which this is good, bad or neutral?
- What is the “fuel” that drives you to pray? What do you pray most often about?
- Have you ever felt disillusioned because of prayer? What happened?
- Can you identify a particular fear that tends to dominate your thoughts or prayer life?
- How does understanding “the glorious greatness of Christ and the hope of His glory” affect how we pray?
- Spend some time in prayer together asking God to enlighten the eyes of your heart (Eph. 1:18) and deepen your desire and ability in the area of prayer.
Sunday Rewind | 3.23.2014
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Sing, Sing, Sing (Psalm 47:6-7) – Hello Love by Chris Tomlin
With Us (Psalm 46:10-11a) – God Is Able by Hillsong
Be Lifted High (John 3:30) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Our God Is Love (1 John 4:9-10) – A Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong
Christ Is Enough (2 Corinthians 12:9) – Glorious Ruins by Hillsong
In Your Presence (Deuteronomy 31:6) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
TEACHING: Before the Throne, Part 1
Through Christ, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence. Prayer is not about the result, but about the One in whom we trust – it is seeking the face of God, not just His hand.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing from this sermon you found particularly helpful, insightful or difficult to understand?
- What is prayer? How would you describe/define prayer to someone who doesn’t know what it is?
- Read and discuss Hebrews 4:14-16 and Psalm 46. What do you see about the nature of man? Of God? What does these verses tell us about how we can relate to God? What do you observe about prayer?
- What are other Scriptures you can think of that instruct us on the topic of prayer?
- What is the purpose of prayer? Why should we pray?
- On a scale from 1-10 (1 = non-existent, 10 = constantly in prayer), how would you rate your prayer life? Why?
- What do you find keeps you from prayer? What pushes toward prayer?
- How can you grow in the discipline of prayer? Spend some time in prayer about this.
TRAIL GUIDE: Spiritual GPS
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 1: The Holy Spirit is Our Guide
The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest (make known, show) the active presence of God in the world and especially in the church.
Isn’t GPS a great thing? It amazes me that a satellite high above the earth can see me, and when combined with digital mapping software, can tell me how to get from point A to B in the quickest way possible. It amazes me even more to consider that this system can see if there is heavy traffic or an accident along my route and re-direct me around it. If I take a wrong turn it quickly notifies me. “Rerouting.” But as amazing as this system is, it is only as good as its underlying data. How many times have you followed your GPS directions only to find out that its map data is incorrect and you are at a dead end or the address data is incomplete and you end up in a business park when you wanted to be at a friend’s house? Even when the data is good, it isn’t foolproof. An overcast day or poor cell coverage can knock your GPS out completely.
But there is a guidance system that is 100% trustworthy, 100% of the time. Its data is perfectly reliable. It works no matter how dark it gets because to it, “darkness is as light.” It is an integrated system that lights your path, turns your darkness to light, guides you on the best path possible, reroutes you when you make a wrong turn, and even provides roadside assistance when you break down along the highways of life. That is our triune God. God’s living Word, breathed out by the Father through the Son is its database. It is empowered by his Holy Spirit whose job it is to make known the active presence of God in the world and especially in his children by guiding us into all truth. Our students need to learn early that they can depend, with ALL their hearts, on their fail-safe guidance system.
“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16)
“Guide me in Your truth and teach me…” -Psalm 25:5a
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Isaiah 42:16
John 8:12
Psalm 119:105
Psalm 23:1-3
Event Recap: 2014 Women’s Retreat
For the third year in a row, the ladies of Reston Bible Church converged on the Sterling Doubletree Hotel for a weekend away from the pressures and stresses of everyday life. We gathered together – freed from the distractions of families, careers and simple things like making our own beds and meals – ready to hear from the Lord through Shawn Lantz, who taught on the subject of Living with Unmet Desires.
Shawn is the daughter of missionaries who moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo when she was ten, and now resides in Nashville with her husband and three children. Throughout the course of our three days together, Shawn led us through the four core issues of jealousy, taught us to expose the true idols of our hearts, and learn how to forgive ourselves and those who we feel have sinned against us. Shawn’s message was a balm to many hurting hearts, and her delivery was clear and concise. She shared many moving anecdotes about her time in the Congo and was transparent about her own personal experiences and struggles with the topic at hand, which was refreshing and encouraging.
After each teaching session, we talked through what we’d learned in small groups. Sharing in our small groups was a great way for women to share with and encourage each other, and form new connections.
On Saturday afternoon, a chunk of free time afforded us the opportunity to participate in a service project for the RBC Food Pantry or attend a special interest meeting. We were also given the opportunity to buy handcrafted bags to support Napada, a ministry in Bangkok that employs women from low-income communities. The proceeds (and there were many!) went directly back into the ministry (and the bags were gorgeous). Some women took the chance to head out to the outlets for some shopping or worked out together at the gym. And I think a great many of us took naps.
Once again, the RBC women’s retreat proved to be an extraordinary time of teaching, connecting with other women, and hearing powerful messages from the Lord. Please pray that the Lord would continue to bear fruit from our time together at the retreat.
– Emily Cassee, Retreat Planning Committee
In this video, shown during the retreat, Jan Stevens shares about the loss of her son, David, and God’s redeeming hand throughout his life. Her story is a powerful testimony of our Lord’s grace & provision in the midst of the most difficult of unmet desires.
Sunday Rewind | 3.16.2014
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Glorious (Psalm 111:2-3) – Everything Glorious by Chris Tomlin (Passion)
Closer (Psalm 89:14-15) – Glorious Ruins by Hillsong
The Solid Rock (Psalm 18:2) – Original Arrangement
Hosanna (Mark 11:9-10) – All of the Above by Hillsong
I Will Look Up (Deuteronomy 7:9) – Only King Forever by Elevation Worship
TEACHING: Philippians – A Journey Toward Humble Joy, Part 15
Greed shrivels the soul. The remedy is generosity for the cause of Christ.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- If you had to give a one-sentence synopsis of this message, what would you say?
- What is generosity? Do you consider yourself a generous person?
- Read and discuss Philippians 4:14-23. What do you observe about the partnership between Paul and the church in Philippi?
- Are you “dieting” in the area of generosity? Does generosity come easily for you? Why or why not?
- How does generosity build deep relationships and nourish the soul?
- In what ways does generosity reflect and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ? How does the gospel push us toward great generosity?
- What do you think your specific role is regarding generosity and the advancement of the gospel?
- Is there someone you can thank for their generosity toward you? Take some time this week to thank them.
- How can you grow in the grace of strategic, consistent, sacrificial giving? Spend some time thanking God for His generosity toward us and ask Him for creativity in growing in our own generosity in gospel-centric ways.
Sunday Rewind | 3.9.2014
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
As It Is In Heaven (Psalm 96:1-3) – Overflow by Matt Maher
Rock of Ages (Deuteronomy 32:3-4) – Death of Death by Charlie Hall
I Will Look Up (Deuteronomy 7:9) – Only King Forever by Elevation Worship
Be Thou My Vision (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) – Cathedral by HEARTSONG
Glorious (Psalm 72:18-19) – Glorious by Paul Baloche
Beautiful Lord (Ephesians 2:4-5) – Sound of Melodies by Leeland
TEACHING: Philippians – A Journey Toward Humble Joy, Part 14
We will battle for contentment all throughout our lives.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was something from this message that you found particularly helpful, insightful or difficult to grasp?
- How would you define “contentment”? What makes you content?
- Read and discuss Philippians 4:10-13. What is your initial reaction to these verses? What do you note about the character of Paul? What do you observe about contentment in this section of verses?
- What are the blessings of contentment? By contrast, what comes from discontentment?
- Where does the major battle rage for contentment in your own life?
- Why don’t negative comparisons work in pushing us toward contentment?
- “In the light of spiritual riches, other things begin to dim.” Have you observed this to be true? In what ways? What are “spiritual riches”?
- How does the gospel of Jesus Christ enable us find contentment in any situation? Is there a situation or circumstance you are currently dealing with where you are finding it difficult to remain content? Spend some time in prayer about this.
The Green Room Sessions: I Will Look Up
We’re introducing the song “I Will Look Up” in our worship services. In this edition of the Green Room Sessions, Paul, Erik & Melody discuss how Melody lost her keyboard, band dynamics, dealing with criticism, and the past, present & future faithfulness of God.
Just the Music: 08:23
The Green Room Sessions are a sneak peak into the heart of the worship ministry at Reston Bible Church. We have a huge desire to communicate God’s Word through song and respond to the Spirit, freely worshiping when we’re together. Our hope is that these short videos will provide an extension of the community at RBC and supply your home, car, and office with great songs about the greatness and love of our incredibly able God. See more Green Room Sessions here: rstbl.ch/PrUkYS
TRAIL GUIDE: Imitate God
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.
SPOTTER, LESSON 3: God is Faithful to Forgive
“Be imitators of GOD, therefore, as dearly loved children” Ephesians 5:1 (emphasis added) The Bible makes plain that, when we are reborn in Christ, we are called to be “imitators of GOD,” that is, imitators of his communicable character attributes, those attributes GOD “shares” with his adopted children. We can know the character of our GOD because it is clearly revealed in scripture. Among his many qualities we find that God is loving, patient, kind, good, joyful, faithful, righteous, generous, courageous, creative, and, not least of all, forgiving. These are traits we should strive to imitate.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) Forgiveness is sweet and grace is a great virtue when we are on the receiving end. It is something to rejoice over. But how things change when we are the “offended” party. Suddenly justice takes center stage and we begin to entertain thoughts about whether the offender “deserves” our forgiveness. We focus on our wounds and wallow in our injuries. We think that the kind of forgiveness Jesus offered his enemies on the cross, “Forgive them for they know not what they do,” is impossible for us to imitate. After all He is God. But this excuse falls apart when we look a few pages further on into the book of Acts and we see Stephen imitating his Lord in the face of a brutal death by stoning. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Can we hope to attain to this level of forgiveness? I’ll let Jesus answer that one. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” With God’s indwelling Holy Spirit all things are possible.
As we close out this section on forgiveness, we should seek to help the children understand that on this side of heaven, we are striving to imitate Christ, knowing we will stumble and fall, trusting in his forgiveness when we do, and letting Him pick us up and urge us on to continue the climb He has called us to.
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil.3-12-14
“Help me now to do the impossible:
Forgiveness.” -Matthew WestMEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Ephesians 4:32, 5:1
Matthew 6:8-14
Matthew 18: 21-35
Phil.3-12-14
Sunday Rewind | 3.2.14
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Endless Light (Psalm 113:3-4) – Cornerstone by Hillsong
Awesome Is The Lord Most High (Psalm 47:1-2) – See The Morning by Chris Tomlin
The Lord Our God (James 1:17) – Let The Future Begin by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
Unending Love (Romans 8:38-39) – God Is Able by Hillsong
Give Me Faith (Psalm 73:25-26) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
TEACHING: Not What I Expected
Where is God during moments – or seasons – of disappointment? He lovingly uses the disappointments of life to remind us that this is not our home and to push us closer to Christ.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was something from this message that you found particularly helpful, insightful or difficult to grasp?
- “The line between expectation and reality is disappointment.” Have you found this to be true in your life? Why or why not?
- Why do you think God allows disappointment?
- Read Luke 24:13-24. How does the theme of disappointment come out in this passage?
- How does disappointment remind us that this earth is not our home (Philippians 3:20)?
- How can disappointment push us to depend on Christ? Do you have examples of this from your own disappointments?
- How does Romans 8:31-39 provide a context for suffering, difficulty and disappointment in life? Is there a situation or circumstance you are currently dealing with that needs to be viewed through the lens of those verses? Spend some time in prayer about this.