Sunday Rewind | 4.12.2015
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
God Is Able (Ephesians 3:20-21) – God Is Able by Hillsong
Closer (Psalm 89:14-15) – Glorious Ruins by Hillsong
The Wonderful Cross (Galatians 6:14) – The Worship Initiative, Vol. 5 by Shane & Shane
In Christ Alone (Galatians 2:20) – Let The Future Begin by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
TEACHING: The Conscience
We tend to think of our conscience as a thermometer that registers the moral temperature around us. In reality, the conscience is more like a thermostat, which can be “reprogrammed” by the influences around us.
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 would you describe the moral/religious environment in which you grew up?
- Read and discuss Acts 24:14-16. What do you observe about the conscience? Why would the author of Acts “take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” (v. 16)?
- Have you ever felt the weight of trying to maintain something that is not found in Scripture? What was the source of that pressure?
- What is the distinction between viewing the conscience as a thermometer as opposed to seeing it as a thermostat? Why is this distinction important?
- Are we born with a built-in moral code? What initially forms and shapes our conscience? What examples come to mind?
- What influences/environments have shaped and reshaped your conscience over the years? Can you think of good and bad examples from your own life?
- Read and discuss Titus 1:15-16, Ephesians 4:17-20, Romans 1:18 and 1 Timothy 4:1-3. What warnings are here regarding the defilement of the conscience?
- How does the gospel redeem, inform, enable and shape our own conscience? What does the gospel require of us in regards to others’ consciences?
- What areas of your life need to be readjusted to “true North”? Spend some time together in prayer for this.
Take 5: Examples from Jonah, Part 22
There will be times in life and ministry where it seems that God has “removed” His grace. Do you have the right to be angry if He does?
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.
Take 5: Examples from Jonah, Part 21
When grace is given, we are to receive, apply, and distribute it. The first two are easy – the third is much more difficult. Ministry requires the distribution of grace.
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 | 4.5.2015
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Only King Forever (1 Timothy 1:17) – Only King Forever by Elevation Worship
Alive In Us (Ephesians 2:4-5) – God Is Able by Hillsong
Christ The Lord Is Risen Today – Love Divine by Aaron Keyes
Your Great Name (Philippians 2:10-11) – Love Revolution by Natalie Grant
Our God Is Love (1 John 4:9-10) – A Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong
TEACHING: Too Good to Be True
At Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus as the pivotal turning point in the history of man. But is the Easter account too good to be true?
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 traditions do you and your family have to celebrate Easter?
- Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 15:12-28. What do these verses tell us about the nature of man? What do they tell us about Jesus?
- Why would Paul say that without the resurrection, our faith in Christ is in vain (v. 14)? Why is Jesus’ resurrection from the dead the pivotal turning point in the history of mankind? Why does the resurrection matter?
- Is it difficult to believe in the resurrection? Have you ever felt the gospel is “too good to be true”?
- Chris said, “The path to belief looks different for different people.” Where are you on your own path to belief? What has your path looked like up to this point in your life?
- Where do you see death & resurrection metaphors reflected in our culture?
- Spend some time in prayer for the things you’ve discussed. Give thanks to God for all that we have in Jesus Christ.
Take 5: Examples from Jonah, Part 20
You don’t have to vindicate yourself from teaching the full weight of God’s Word. After all, it’s His Word – not yours.
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.
TRAIL GUIDE: Matters of the Law
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.
EXTREME MAKEOVER, Unit 2, Section 3, Lesson 2: The Weightier Matters of the Law
“You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” – Jesus the Christ
Think back to your days on the school yard. What was the law of the jungle? The weak kid, the overweight kid, the kid dressed poorly, the different kid, was ignored (at best) and in many cases the object of abuse. If you’re like me, you might be feeling some shame right now as you think back on those times. Good. Now let’s help our children be “other than” when it comes to their treatment of the defenseless and needy.
What is one sign of a life surrendered to Christ? That we more and more reflect His love for mercy and justice in our every day lives. This is something so real to the children we minister to. They don’t need to stretch their imaginations to picture this. They live it. And for a child it’s more out in the open and obvious. We adults have learned to mask it.
Every child of God should be a minister of mercy and justice. This should be reflected in the friends we keep, the way we spend God’s money, the way we spend the hours God has blessed us with, and the way we use the spiritual gifts and talents that we have been given.
Giving from a distance doesn’t cut it. It’s not the way Jesus worked and it’s not the way His body, the church should work either. We are called to personally stand up for the defenseless, care for the needy, the orphan, the widow, the oppressed. This starts in our family, moves into our family the church, and then to the world around us. Through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, this should be the hallmark of our lives. If it is not then God says we can keep the rest (Amos 5:23-24).
“The key to evaluating any individual church or nation in terms of its use of material possessions (personally, collectively or institutionally) is how well it takes care of the poor and powerless in its midst, that is, its cultural equivalents to the fatherless, widow and alien…People always take priority over prosperity.” - Craig Blomberg
IMITATE GOD – DEFEND THE DEFENSELESS AND THOSE IN NEED. “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
James 1:27 | Amos 5:15
Ps 82:3 | Zechariah 7:9
Matt 23:23 | Ex 22:21-22
Lev 19:34
Sunday Rewind | 3.29.2015
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Glorious (Psalm 111:2-3) – Everything Glorious by Chris Tomlin (Passion)
Open Up Our Eyes (Ephesians 1:18-19a) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Hosanna (Mark 11:9-10) – Savior King by Hillsong
Beautiful Lord (Ephesians 2:4-5) – Sound of Melodies by Leeland
Always (Psalm 121:1-2) – Here For You by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
TEACHING: Who Are You? Part 3
What do we do when Jesus’ claims contradict our experiences? What you believe about Jesus will define you.
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?
- Take some time to read through John 6. What stands out to you? What themes do you notice? What do you learn about ourselves in this chapter? What do we learn about Jesus? What does John 6 have to do with Easter?
- Why is it that so much of the gospel accounts seem to be focused on the mistakes and misunderstandings of the disciples?
- In what ways can we seek Jesus with wrong motives?
- What has Jesus asked you to do for those around you? How would you describe your level of obedience?
- What are your go-to excuses for those times when you struggle with faithful obedience? How does what you believe about Jesus affect this? How can you grow in joyful obedience?
- How has Jesus challenged you to participate in ministry? What do you lack that He must provide?
- How do Jesus’ claims sometimes contradict our experiences? What do you do with the claims of Jesus you don’t understand? Can you think of any examples?
- What hard questions about life do you have?
- Spend some time in prayer for the things you’ve discussed.
Take 5: Examples from Jonah, Part 19
God sometimes gives faithful men no results, and unfaithful men great results. Do we have a right to be angry about this?
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.
Take 5: Examples from Jonah, Part 18
Think your ministry rests wholly on your shoulders? Think again.
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.
TRAIL GUIDE: House Calls
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.
EXTREME MAKEOVER, Unit 2, Section 3, Lesson 1: Doctors Who Make House Calls
What if Jesus had stayed in the temple courts or the synagogue teaching? What if He never ventured out into the community, never called old Zach down from the tree, never ate with tax collectors and sinners, never touched the sick and hurting?
Why don’t doctors make house calls these days? I’m not sure, but wouldn’t it be interesting if suddenly people stopped going to a doctors office or hospital when they were ill? What if they thought that was the last place to go to be healed? How long would it take for the docs to begin making house calls again? Not long I suspect. Is the church today, the body of Christ the great Physician, staying in the hospital building waiting for the sick to show up? Or, worse yet, are we staying in the hospital talking about the remedy but secretly hoping that the sick stay away?
I think Jesus was less like a physician as we know it today and more like a field medic or a country doctor of days past. He went out looking for the lost sheep. Let’s help give our children a heart for the lost and pray that the Lord would use them to make Christ known in the world!
“Jesus is providing an acted parable, an illustration of what He has come to do! Jesus has come to bring sinners into fellowship with God, and these dinner scenes are but little pictures of this bigger picture.” – Pastor Fred G. Zaspel
JESUS LOVED THE UNLOVEABLE LIKE US – SO SHOULD WE. “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Matt 9:10-12 | Luke 5:29-32 | Luke 7:36-50 | Luke 15:1-7 | Ps 25:8 | Ps 25:8 | Ps 68:18 | Ps 51:13 | 1 Tim 1:15