Joey

Snow-in Service

Sunday’s church gathering is cancelled.

With several inches of heavy snow on the ground (and forecasted to fall for hours to come), and Metro service disrupted, it looks like this storm may keep us inside. But that will not prevent us from worshipping the Risen Savior.

Below is a suggested way to worship the Lord on Sunday morning. Whether you are holed up by yourself, or have roommates, a family, or are within a safe walking distance of other Christians plan for a time of prayer, singing, and discussing Scripture.

• Read Psalm 100
• Sing a few songs (YouTube Playlist)
  • Be Thou My Vision
  • Bless The Lord O My Soul
  • In Christ Alone
  • Jesus Paid It All
  • My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less
• Spend some time in prayer (Suggested prayer points below)
• Read a portion of Scripture and discuss it together (e.g. Psalm 100 or Ephesians 2 or Colossian 3)
  • What does this passage tell you about the character of God?
  • What does this passage tell you about us?
  • How does this passage point to person and/or work of Jesus?
  • What does it look like to apply this passage to your life?
• And/Or listen to a previous sermon preached at Restoration Church
  • A Sovereign, Steadfast God (2 Chronicles 20:1-30)
  • Waiting for the Lord (Psalm 130)
  • Blessed in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-4)
  • Redemption in Christ (Ephesians 1:7-10)
  • Union with Christ (Matthew 3:13-4:17)
• Pray and sing some more and enjoy the Lord’s fellowship

May this Sabbath snow-in be a time of creating memories for us all.

_________

Praise God for

• His character
• His Word that reveals himself to us
• His grace to Restoration Church in providing for us financially
• The gospel unity in our church body

Confession of Sin & Assurance of Forgiveness

• Ask God to reveal any unknown sin to you (Ps 19:13-14)
• Ask God to help you hate sin as he hates sin (Ps. 97:10)
• Confess any known sins to God
• Praise God for the hope of the gospel (Eph 1:18)
• Rest in the grace of Christ that was lavished upon us (Eph 1:7-8)
• Draw near to God as your Father in heaven
• Ask the Holy Spirit to enjoy Christ as your supreme treasure

Pray for

• God to save through the ministry of Restoration in 2019
• Iglesia Biblica Sublime Gracia to see their baptismal waters full in 2019
• Our friends laboring for the gospel among the unreached in the Middle East
• Our brothers and sisters in North Korea, China, Iran and Iraq facing persecution
• Safety for first responders and wisdom for government officials
• Every member of Restoration to love God supremely and neighbor sacrificially (get the directory and pray for 3 members)

by Joey

Advent Conspiracy

by Joey

Advent Calendars

Thanks giving has come and gone. Christmas time is here. In the midst of the season's "hustle and bustle" we encourage you to be intentional about setting your heart upon Christ; hat's what this Advent season is all about.

In fact Advent means “coming,” and for the Christian Church, Advent is a season marked by waiting and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth in history (His first coming) and for the anticipation of Christ’s triumphant return (His second coming). It is a season of thoughtful reflection and repentance; an opportunity to rethink our priorities, to realign our lives with God’s desire for us, to seek forgiveness and to start anew.

On of the ways you can do this is through the use of an Advent calendar. Maybe that "calendar" is in the form of a devotional book you read each day. Or if you have kids (or are just a kid at heart), you could make a calendar. There are numerous ways to go about doing this. Here are 33 cleaver ways; and here are a dozens more; and here is a free one to download; and if you don't like that one, you could download this one. Or just go the simple route and buy one.

Whatever the case, make sure your calendar and time spent using it revolves around Christ and not just chocolate.

by Joey