Sunday Rewind | 7.14.2013
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Be Lifted High (John 3:30) – Nothing is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Majesty (Isaiah 53:5) – Majesty: The Worship EP by Leeland
Lord of All (Psalm 97:5-6) – Louder Than Creation by Kristian Stanfill (North Point)
With Us (Psalm 46:10-11a) – God Is Able by Hillsong
Unending Love (Romans 8:38-39) – God Is Able by Hillsong
TEACHING: Ruth: A Story of God’s Redemptive Love, Part 3
How does God accomplish His great purposes without negating our choices as free moral agents? As we continue our series, Pastor Mike looks at how the providential goodness of God is seen in the life of Ruth and in the arrival of Christ.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO/VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- If you were to give a one-sentence synopsis of this message, what would it be?
- What is “providence”? What theological or practical tensions are there when considering the providence & sovereignty of God?
- Do you have any stories, situations or scenarios from your own life that can only be explained by the providence of God?
- Read and discuss Ruth 2:1-13. Where do you see the providence of God at work? What does this tell us about the nature of man? What do we see about the nature of God?
- How does personal character & integrity play out in to the story of Ruth & Boaz in the verses above?
- How are we “resident aliens” like Ruth? What impact should this have on our daily life?
- How does the Gospel give purpose to even the most mundane aspects of our lives? Can you think of someone with whom you could pray to “find favor” with for the sake of the Gospel?
- Is there an area or situation in your life where you are “playing chess with God”? What would it look like for you to surrender, trust and obey Him instead? Spend some time in prayer about this with your group.
Praying for Muslims During Ramadan
Muslims fast for thirty days once a year during a period called Ramadan (or Ramazan). Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of the religion of Islam and one of their highest forms of worship. During these thirty days, Muslims around the world will fast from first light until sunset, not even drinking water. They will typically break fast to eat and drink in the evenings. In the Muslim culture, Ramadan marks a period of heightened religious sensitivity and is regarded by Muslims as an act of obedience and submission to God as well as a means of atoning for sin. They view their fasting during this time as a way to purify themselves and earn favor with God.
As followers of Christ, clearly we do not celebrate Ramadan as a holy month like so many Muslims do. However, the Islamic emphasis on earning favor with God though the fasting and abstinence during this season should call to mind at least two things for us:
1 – We should be humbled and grateful before God that we do not have to earn His favor. Jesus Christ atoned for our sins – no other atonement is sufficient or necessary (Romans 3:22-26). God has done that for us, a great gift of redemption that cannot be earned or achieved through our good works. It is God in His great love and mercy that makes us alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-9). Thus, we should be both immensely humbled and grateful. Mind you, our gratefulness shouldn’t be in the Pharisaical sense (“God, thank You that I am not like these other people…”) but with a sense of wonder that He should have mercy on sinners at all (Luke 18:9-18:14).
2 – We should be drawn in compassion toward those who do not know His gift of grace in Jesus. In the first chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul urges Christ-followers to comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from our Heavenly Father – the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (1 Cor. 1:3-5). Muslims have no concept of God as Father, and without Christ, cannot know Him as such or be reconciled to Him. So for the Christian, the Muslim celebration of Ramadan is a special opportunity to pray that they might come to know the great and eternal comfort in Christ.
Why should we pray for Muslims during Ramadan? Our compassion for the lost should draw us – at a minimum – to prayer for them. Prayer for Muslims during Ramadan is a means by which Christians can missionally identify with Muslims for a fixed period of time and call for God’s sovereign intervention in the lives of Muslims during a time of the year when they are particularly religious.
We would certainly be clear that praying for Muslims during the month of Ramadan does not mean that we conform ourselves to the Muslim practices. As believers in Jesus Christ we do not hold to Islamic ideas, theology and practice. However, we can – and should – place an emphasis on God’s love for Muslims. All believers should cultivate a spirit of humility, love, respect and service toward Muslims, and the month of Ramadan is an entirely appropriate season to redeem for the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Though Muslims have been caricatured as “unreachable” with the Gospel, this simply is not true. About 20 years ago, the world had about 1.1 billion Muslims. Islam was a little-known religion in most Western nations, and efforts on the part of the Church to share their faith in Christ with Muslims were scarce. Today, efforts have increased ten-fold, and the technological advance of the past 20 years has transformed the way in which the Gospel is communicated to previously-unreached Muslim groups. For example, radio and satellite broadcasting throughout the Muslim world has resulted in millions of Muslims responding to the message of Christ. In the Arab world alone, one ministry, SAT 7, has a regular audience of 8.5 million. RBC supports a number of missionaries who are serving in Muslim communities around the world.
Many Christians are finding a new passion and commitment to see God’s kingdom come in Muslim nations, according to an article from Thirty Days Prayer Network.
In November 2012, 70,000 Christians from all denominations gathered in Cairo to pray for their nation. Others are finding increasing boldness as they lovingly reach out to their Muslim neighbours in new ways during these uncertain times.
Across the region there is an explosion of stories of Muslim people coming to faith in Christ and meeting together for support, encouragement and discipleship. Increasingly, however, these movements are finding themselves the targets of intimidation and persecution by their family, community or governments.
The challenges in reaching Muslims for Christ are great, but the power of the Gospel is greater. Our prayer is that Muslims will experience the love and grace of God the Father through the revelation of His Son, Jesus, to them as their Savior.
We encourage you to seek further information and gain a greater understanding reaching the Islamic world for Christ by viewing articles online at www.30-days.net. There, you can find daily prayer ideas though the month of Ramadan, as well as general articles and ministry ideas relating to Islam.
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Jason VanDorsten with Bill Hurley
Sunday Rewind | 7.7.2013
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Sing to the King – The Best of Passion by Candi Pearson (Passion)
King of Glory – Hello Love by Chris Tomlin
In Your Presence (Deuteronomy 31:6) – Nothing is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Blessed Be the Name (Job 1:21) – Sacred Revolution by Matt Redman (Passion)
Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) – See The Morning by Chris Tomlin
TEACHING: Ruth: A Story of God’s Redemptive Love, Part 2
Both Ruth & Naomi experienced seasons of famine, departure, harvest and return – but one returned full of faith, the other full of bitterness. The mystery of pain & suffering in the hands of a sovereign & loving God should lead us not to bitterness, but to greater faith in Him.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO/VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What is one thing from this message that you hope to discuss as a group?
- If God is good and sovereign, why does He allow suffering? Have you ever had a season in life where you struggled to reconcile the sovereignty/goodness of God with the suffering of a painful circumstance? What happened?
- Read and discuss Ruth, chapter 1. With whom do you relate to more – Ruth or Naomi? How would you describe Naomi’s spiritual state? How would you describe Ruth’s?
- What role does suffering and pain play in the life of a Christ-follower?
- Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 13:12. How might this verse encourage Naomi? What other verses can you think of that would encourage her away from bitterness and toward deeper faith?
- How does the Gospel of Jesus Christ provide context for our pain and redeem our suffering?
- Is there an area of pain in your life that has lead you to bitterness toward God or others? What would it look like for you to rest in God’s grace in that area? Spend some time in prayer with your group about that.
Men’s Ministry News – July 2013
Men of RBC: The Men’s Ministry would like to invite you to some upcoming activities that have been designed to positively and encouragingly impact your walk with the Lord and in turn your spheres of influence.
WEEKLY DISCIPLESHIP CLASSES
Men’s Ministry weekly discipleship classes are a great way to get connected and increase your knowledge of the word and provide you with some mid-week encouragement. No previous experience or Bible knowledge is required; all you need is a willingness to grow and be challenged. For a course listing and full details, please visit www.restonbible.org/men.
- FUEL – Men of Action: The Role of Authentic Men in the Next Generation Church. Join us on this journey to authentic manhood. Tuesdays 6:25-7:30 AM – Sr. High Bldg. www.restonbible.org/fuel
- Training Faithful Men – Great Doctrines of the Faith. No registration required. For questions, call or email Ray Shoaff (703-625-5595) or ray@shoaff.com). Wednesday 6:00-7:00 AM – Sr. High Bldg. https://www.restonbible.org/men#TFM
Upcoming activities are scheduled in August and beyond. So mark your calendars.
2013 RBC Men’s Retreat
- Speaker: Dr. Richard Blackaby
- Where: Meadowkirk Retreat Center, Middleburg, VA
- When: Sept 20-22, 2013
- Topic: Living on God’s Agenda
Stay tuned – registration will open on July 15th and the limited space will fill up quickly for this nationally sought out speaker. Want to learn how to hear from God and live it out? Enjoy fellowship with other like-minded men in the scenic, quiet and local Virginia countryside. Close enough for a day trip if you can’t stay overnight. Save the date on your calendar and stay tuned for more details. www.restonbible.org/
THE SUMMIT
When: October 21, 2013-6:30 Dinner, 7:30 Event
Speaker: Congressman Daniel Webster of Florida
Where: RBC Sanctuary and clubhouse for dinner
Registration: Further information and registration coming soon.
SERVICE OPPORTUNITY
Men’s Ministry is looking for a few good men to help with our event logistics and to take photos of our events. No special skills needed—just a servant heart. Events are The Summit, Marriage Conference, Boosters, and special men’s events. We plan to have teams that can alternate events. If interested, please contact Brad Hummel at mensministry@restonbible.org.
As always, the Men’s Ministry is here to be an encouragement in your walk with the Lord. Contact us at mensministry@restonbible.org if you have any questions or concerns.
God Bless,
The Men’s Ministry Leadership Team
Kids Camp 2013 Update
Radically trusting in the promises of God.
“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (Psalm 62:1-2)
RBC Kids Camp is a week-long day camp open to all children between the ages of 4 and sixth grade and takes place the last week of June.
Through quality Bible teaching, art, drama, music, and a ton of awesome games, Kids Camp (formerly VBS) is a unique opportunity for children to begin or grow-in their relationship with Jesus and to learn to share their hope and joy with others.
This year we hosted more than 500 children and 200 volunteers for our 2013 edition of Kids Camp called, “The Rock.” Against the backdrop of a rock climbing adventure, the children learned that when we trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God guarantees certain things to us. These “promises” are things we can trust in completely. As we put our weight on these promises we see that God is faithful and we will grow in our faith. With each passing day we grow to trust Him more and more.
We are very thankful to the parents and volunteers for their commitment to making this event a success and to raising a generation that knows the goodness of our God.
Stay tuned for Kids Camp 2014!
From the Field: Slovakia
On the busy streets of Bratislava, Slovakia, no one found it odd to see an advertisement for a class on the biblical principles of marriage. Slovakia is, after all, a religious society. Talking about God is normal, but living in relationship with God – that’s a different story. Many see Christianity as a crutch for the weak, something that strong, self-reliant people have no need of.
H. and A. came from this background, but decided to attend the class on marriage offered by Crossworld missionaries. Like many Slovak couples, H. and A. were not married, but lived together. They each believed they were committed to their relationship. After the five-week class ended, they both still seemed interested in learning more, so the missionaries teaching the class invited them to study the Bible together.
For several weeks, they met to study the books of Mark and Romans, and continued to discuss the gospel and what it means to follow Christ. H. finally told the missionaries that she and A. understood it, but they were not ready to accept it.
A few months later, the missionaries called to check on H. She broke down and wept over the phone as she told how A. had left her and she did not know where to turn. The missionaries did their best to comfort her, and as they shared Scripture, her walls came down. She started attending a small group, and shortly after, she accepted Christ.
The Slovak people often think those who are strong have no need for God, and at one point, H. might have said the same thing. But H. learned she was not as self-sufficient as she thought. It was God’s gracious hand reaching out to her during a crisis situation that helped her see her need.
Months have passed since H. trusted Christ, and she has become one of the most faithful members of her local church. She still struggles with sharing her faith openly, but she recently decided to be publicly baptized and is steadily becoming bolder in her witness.
One of the keys to H.’s salvation was having a relationship with the missionaries who lovingly pursued her and invested in her life. There are no guarantees that investing in people’s lives will pay off. A. chose to walk away, but H. decided to keep seeking. But God’s truth – delivered through a caring relationship in the context of the difficulties of life – is a powerful formula for life-transformation.
Jesus came not just to transform our eternity, but to radically impact our life here and now. That’s why the best disciple-makers are those who learn to engage people where they live and speak Gospel-centered truth with love into the brokenness of life that Jesus came to redeem.
Pray for all our missionaries in Slovakia as they seek to make disciples and, by the power of the Gospel of Jesus, transform people’s eternity and their lives in the here and now.
Sunday Rewind | 6.30.2013
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Sing, Sing, Sing (Psalm 47:6-7) – Hello Love by Chris Tomlin
Alive In Us (Ephesians 2:4-5) – God Is Able by Hillsong
Give Me Faith (Psalm 73:25-26) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
The Solid Rock (Psalm 18:2) – Original Arrangement
I Stand Amazed (2 Corinthians 8:9) – North Point Live by Candi Pearson Shelton (North Point)
TEACHING: Ruth: A Story of God’s Redemptive Love, Part 1
In Ruth Chapter 1, Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth suffer the tragedy of losing their husbands. But Naomi’s honest faith and Ruth’s unyielding loyalty pave the way for royal line of the Messiah.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO/VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- How can we become people whom others want to “follow” through life with such eager commitment as Ruth’s? Do you know any people like that?
- Read Ruth 1:11-13 and 20-21 and discuss Naomi’s reaction to her circumstances. What do her words reveal about her walk with Lord? Can you think of other examples in Scripture where people responded similarly? Do you ever express yourself to God like that?
- Have you ever had a season in life where you felt called to abandon all that you know to follow God’s plan? Did you go?
- Read Ruth 1:15-17. What does this section reveal about Ruth’s persistent faithfulness to Naomi?
- What are some ways you can already see in this section that God is using the lives of these two women to prepare the way for Christ’s arrival on earth?
Living Out the Gospel in International Connection Childcare
It is always a challenge to bridge the gap in International Connection, the English as a second language program at RBC. There can be language gaps, cultural gaps, faith gaps, or even gaps between kids and their childcare workers. We cannot presume that our folks have 100 percent understanding at any one time. It’s one of the frustrating/challenging/enriching aspects of ministry in the ESL world.
This past year, I had the pleasure of watching the Gospel being lived out between a kind-hearted childcare worker, L., and a 3-year-old Iranian boy, P., and his mother, M. They were new to the country and M. had signed up for English classes at the church last fall. P. did not speak a word of English, but he obediently stayed in the nursery while his mom was in classes Tuesday nights and Wednesday mornings. His mom, meanwhile, loved the community she felt in the classroom and sensed that she was gaining strength in her language acquisition.
In Jan., when M. and P. returned for the spring semester of classes, P. suddenly had a change of heart. He began to have panic attacks every time his mom left him in the charge of the childcare workers. These attacks were not just mild, they entailed kicking and screaming! This was a shock to the childcare workers who had seen a quiet and happy child in the fall transition to a very upset little boy in the new year. His mother was equally shocked to see this new behavior! She was unable to leave P. in the nursery without quite a bit of drama. Though it is against program policy to allow a child to stay in the classroom, it was allowed for a short time just to give him a chance to see that she was alive and well, not far away. But this was not a long-term solution. M. stopped coming to classes out of frustration.
One childcare worker, L., decided that she was going to find a way to bridge this new gap in the relationship. She decided to visit the Iranian mother and her son in their home, along with her own little daughter, in order to show them that she was a friend and not someone to be feared. They started to have little coffee times and lunches together to foster friendship and to also get to know one another’s culture. The Iranian mother confessed that she knew she was going to have to put her son into a preschool sooner or later and had no idea how to go about selecting one in the area. She was stymied with many other aspects of living in this country, so L. decided to be as helpful as possible in bridging the many gaps in M.’s understanding. This led to more and more conversations on various topics. Inevitably, M. wanted to know more about this church and about L.’s faith. What an amazing road to deep conversation that started from a seemingly insurmountable problem in the nursery!
L. is praying about how and when to give her whole testimony to M. With the help of some outside resources she trusts that the language and faith barriers will be bridged because now they have a foundation of trust and friendship to build on. Isn’t it amazing that God has used this former difficulty for His good and His purposes?
Sunday Rewind | 6.23.2013
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Endless Light (Psalm 113:3-4) – Cornerstone by Hillsong
Open Up Our Eyes (Ephesians 1:18-19a) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Be Lifted High (John 3:30) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
God, You Lifted Me Out (Psalm 30:1-2) – For The Honor by Elevation Worship
Glorious (Psalm 72:18-19) – Glorious by Paul Baloche
In Christ Alone (Galatians 2:20) – Let The Future Begin by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
TEACHING: Is That a Fact?
With all of the modern advances in economics, technology, and medicine, life should always be getting better and better. But instead, things seem to be going downhill, almost as if the world is cursed.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO/VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was your initial reaction to his message? Do you still feel that way?
- Why do logic, knowledge, and science fail so miserably in fixing the problems of the world?
- What are some examples of economic, technological, or medical advances showing evidence of the curse?
- Read Romans 8:18-25. How does this passage affect your view of life on earth – or your anticipation of the life to come?
- Do you agree that the world has lost its ability to produce genius (the likes of Beethoven, Rembrandt, or Newton)? Why or why not?
- How can you use what you learned in this message to share the Gospel with your friends, family, or neighbors?
Good Samaritan Advocates Legal Clinic Update
This past Saturday, June 15, RBC hosted the kick-off for the Good Samaritan Advocates legal clinic.
Twenty-five RBC’ers attended the orientation and training to volunteer as pro bono attorneys, paralegals, administrative support and in hospitality. The clinic assisted four clients in need of legal counsel. If you would like to learn more about the Good Samaritan Advocates legal clinic or how you can volunteer, go to restonbible.org/legalclinic.
Our next clinic will be on July 20.
