Identity in Christ Archives - Reston Bible Church: Recent Episodes
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. What stood out to you from yesterday’s message? 2. Just as Nicodemus came to Jesus by night out of fear of how the rest of the Pharisees and Sanhedrin would perceive him, has there ever been any moments in your life where you avoided revealing your beliefs about Jesus out of fear of others? 3. With a new birth comes new identity. In what ways have you found yourself identifying with God/Jesus Christ since being born again? 4. With a new birth comes new awareness. In what areas of your life has the Holy Spirit brought new awareness? 5. What dangers might lie in presenting John 3:16 as a single verse by itself without the added context of Jesus’ full response in the surrounding verses? 6. How do you think Nicodemus felt upon hearing that if he didn’t believe that Jesus was God’s only Son, he was “condemned already”? How do think the world responds to this message?
The post Jesus Encounters: Nicodemus appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. What stood out to you in this message? 2. Read John 15:4-5, Colossians 3:1-4, Galatians 2:20-21. Put into your own words what it means to have your identity in Christ. 3. When you consider the difficulties of your life, how do you think that God might be using them? 4. Have you or someone you know come to faith in Christ as the direct result of the testimony of someone else’s difficult journey? Explain. 5. Have you had an opportunity to see someone benefit from your handling of a challenging trial? Explain. 6. In your journey in life have you been able to make progress in seeing the value of suffering? Explain.
The post To Live Is Christ, Part 1: Joy in All Circumstances appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. What stood out you most in the message? 2. Read Matthew 5:17-18. Put in your own words what Jesus meant when He said that He came to fulfill the Law. 3. How is it that the Sabbath was created for man and not the other way around? What had the religious establishment done to this reality in Jesus’ day? 4. Read Hebrews 4:8-11 and discuss the various elements of rest referred to in this passage. 5. In what ways in your own journey are you struggling to let Jesus be your rest? 6. What is one change you can make this week that will put Jesus more in focus in producing a more effective rhythm with rest?
The post A Rhythm with Rest, Part 3: Jesus Is Our Rest appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. What stood out to you in this message? 2. When you have thought about life’s rhythms in your own life, what comes to mind? 3. How would you describe the current rhythms of you and your family? 4. Genesis talks about us being “created to work” or being creative. What does that mean to you? How do you feel most used by God? 5. Discuss the struggle between finding our identity in Christ versus what we are doing? Describe how you are doing with this struggle. 6. When do you rest? Do you rest with disregard to being tired? 7. What changes do you need to consider making to your journey of creating and resting?
The post A Rhythm with Rest, Part 1: God Rested appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. What stood out to you most in this message? 2. If our part in the process of conformity to Christ starts with getting to know Him better, what are one or two steps you can take to do just that?? 3. Read Philippians 2. The life of Jesus Christ was characterized by submission to the Father. Why is submission such a challenge for us? 4. Is there any way in which you are struggling with submission to God at this time in your journey? 5. If conformity to Christ takes time, how have you seen God work to accomplish this in your life? 6. Is there a particular challenge in your history that you have seen God use to make you more like Christ? 7. Pray together for the ability to submit to God’s transforming process through suffering.
The post Abounding in Hope, Part 4: Hope in Our Conformity to Christ appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. In your own Christian life, or in the life of someone you know, has there ever been a time that you would describe as having been “filled with the Holy Spirit”? 2. Read Ephesians 5:18. Why does Paul contrast drunkenness with being filled with the Spirit? 3. How would you respond if someone said to you, “The baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit will always be evidenced by speaking in tongues”? What Scriptures would you reference that refute this claim? 4. As a group, answer the concluding question that Pastor David asked: “Am I, personally, and are we, corporately, giving the Holy Spirit an opportunity to use us to give a unique witness to Jesus Christ through verbal proclamation and holy living?”
The post The Holy Spirit, Part 3: The Filling of the Spirit appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. The statements from Jesus in Luke 6:20-23 tend to be viewed by many as unreasonable. How can you see from the LORD’s point of view that they are actually a logical and reasonable expectation? 2. Have you ever had to stand alone for the LORD before? If so, what were the circumstances surrounding it? 3. Commenting on How to Stand Alone, three aspects were mentioned: Being Filled with the Holy Spirit, Having a Right Attitude, and Being Courageous. What else would you add to these? 4. To be filled with the Holy Spirit, four basic foundational practices were highlighted: Prayer, Focusing on Jesus Christ, Offering Our Bodies to Him, and Learning Scriptural Truth. What else should be considered so the Holy Spirit governs our behavior? 5. Pastor Bruce suggested making a private appeal to someone espousing false philosophies or godless behavior but he didn’t cover how to make an appeal. How does a person make a proper appeal?
The post Standing Alone appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. What most impacted you in this message? 2. Discuss the notion of a Banner/Standard/Ensign. What did you think before this message and what is your understanding now? 3. Discuss how the Amalekites are representative of the flesh. Read Romans 7 and discuss. 4. Discuss the closing points that Jesus as our Banner provides salvation, identity, and power for the battle. How do you see that in your own life? 5. What other banners have you tried to rally behind that have been substitutes for Christ? 6. How have you seen the Lord grow your identity in Christ and your power in the spiritual battle?
The post The Names of God: Jehovah Nissi appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. What are your impressions of the interview with Walt Heyer? 2. How does the church provide support for the proper shaping of children? What practical steps could we take to improve our support of parents in the shaping of children? 3. Discuss the idea that the church is a hospital for sinners rather than a country club for saints. In a culture of increasing challenges, how should the church respond if a transgender person walks through the door on a Sunday? 4. Respond to the statement that God has never placed anyone in the body of the opposite gender. How should we respond biblically to the cultural notion that someone can be born in the wrong body? 5. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Discuss the passage related to the focus of the interview with Walt. 6. Read Romans 12:1-2 and apply the Scripture to topic at hand. 7. Have you had any experiences interacting with someone who disagrees with the perspective shared at RBC on these topics? Share what happened. 8. Pray for our church as we navigate life in this ever-changing world.
DOWNLOAD PARENT-TEEN DISCUSSION GUIDEThe post God’s Creation, God’s Design appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. What were your impressions of the sermon and what stuck out to you most? 2. Can you say that “Christ is my life”? If so, what does that mean to you? 3. Review Colossians 1 and 2. These chapters list various truths of Christ. Which truths about who Christ is, what He has done, and who you are in Him have affected you recently? 4. Colossians 3:16 lists various means for allowing Christ’s word (His truths) to dwell in us richly. How do you seek and set your mind on the things above (Colossians 3:1-4)? 5. Romans 2:4 states that “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (a change of mind and heart that changes our behavior). How have you experienced this reality in your life? How about recently? 6. Read Galatians 2:20. Discuss what this means in practical terms for the upcoming week. 7. Read Philippians 1:21. Discuss what this passage means when it says, “For to me to live is Christ…?” 8. How will you live differently this week because of this message?
The post Portraits of Christ: Our Life appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS1. What stood out to you in the message “Portraits of Christ: Gentle and Lowly”? 2. What portrait or picture is your default image of Jesus? Has the description of Jesus as gentle and lowly been part of your personal portrait of Him prior to this message? Why or why not? 3. Read Matthew 11:28-30. Discuss the ways in which you have felt heavy laden in your life. 4. The sermon mentioned four implications related to Jesus being gentle and lowly. Which one of these means the most to you in your current season of life? * Saving sinners brings Jesus joy * Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses * Jesus is gentle when we stray * Jesus sees us through to the end 5. Describe how well you feel you do at resting in the favor of the gentle and lowly Christ. What makes it difficult to embrace His rest? 6. What could you do to find more rest in Christ and to take His “yoke” upon you? 7. If we were able to rest in the favor of Christ, we would be bolder in showing love to others. Do you agree or disagree with that statement?
The post Portraits of Christ: Gentle and Lowly appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
Many of the fundamental truths of the Christian faith become diluted over time. But grasping those basic concepts is crucial in helping us live out what God says is true of us.
The post All Things New: Living As a Child of God, Part 1 appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
A primary tactic of the enemy, our flesh, and the fallen world is to use shreds of truth to lead us to false solutions. Only Jesus Christ has the true right, power, and authority to bestow, form, and shape our identity.
The post Colossians, Part 6: Identity in Christ appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
If anyone could claim that his works were sufficient to earn God's favor, it would be the apostle Paul. Ye he counted all his good deeds as "loss." It can't be any clearer: We have no righteousness in and of ourselves. Our righteousness has to be His righteousness placed to our account.
The post Joy from Jail: A Study in Philippians, Part 3 appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
Pride leads to division and brings an end to fruitful dialogue. But humility allows God to breathe truth into our lives.
The post Joy from Jail: A Study in Philippians, Part 2 appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
When our identity fades, our hope fades. But if our identity is in Christ, our hope will go on forever. What do you find is getting in the way of an all-consuming passion for Christ?
The post Our Identity in Christ appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
These are confusing and troubled days, as though we are all wandering around in a dark cave. In seeking the light, Christians should pursue grace, humility, dialogue, and identity with Christ.
The post The Bond of Peace: Seeking Unity Amidst Confusion appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
Everybody is suffering with some kind of shame, so we've got to find people we are safe with—people who love you no matter what and take you to the gospel. Those who are in Christ can know that there is now no condemnation.
The post Mind Your Heart, Part 2: Shame and the Gospel appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
How will you position your life to be part of making God's salvation known among all nations?
The post Among All Nations appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
Our true Sunday best is not found in presenting ourselves well, but in presenting Christ well.
The post Dressed in Our Sunday Best appeared first on Reston Bible Church.
Pharaoh has absolutely everything—but in reality he has nothing. Joseph has absolutely nothing—but in reality he has everything. Joseph's encounter with Pharaoh has echoes of revelation, illumination, identity, and suffering, all of which find their fulfillment in Christ.
The post In the Beginning, Part 50: Pharaoh’s Dreams appeared first on Reston Bible Church.