DC127 Safe Families

by Joey

Worship through Prayer

Triune God, Holy Father, gracious Son, merciful Spirit, we come to you this morning. We lift our eyes up to you. We bring our hearts before you. We come into your presence this morning with singing. We come worshipping you with gladness. We declare your goodness. We declare your righteousness. We declare your faithfulness. We declare your majesty. To your name, be all power and dominion and authority.

Raise up a people for your namesake, O Lord. Use this church, Restoration Church, to magnify the fame of Jesus in DC and beyond. Use our brothers and sisters at Cherrydale Baptist Church in Arlington to exalt the person and work of Christ. Grow Redeemer City Church and Waterfront Church and Restoration City Church in holiness that they might shine brightly into a dark world.

Raise up a people for your namesake, O Lord. In the name of Jesus, we ask that you would bring the Molero family to DC to start a Christ-exalting Hispanic church. Save men and women among the BKs. We plead with you, O Lord, to get the Bible into B. Give the translators wisdom and diligence and perseverance to complete the New Testament. We pray for M and H and E as they labor that the Bs might read your Word in their own language. Do this, Lord, we boldly and confidently in the name of Jesus.

Righteous Father, we ask that you would conform us to your word by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Let us not be conformed to the world, but transformed by your word. Let your word dwell in us richly. Let our words be flavored and seasoned with grace that no corrupting talk would come out of our mouths, but only such as is useful for building up so that it may give grace to those who hear.

You gave us life, Lord. You gave us breath. You gave us words to honor and worship you. But we confess that’s not always how we live. We use our words not to honor you, but to hurt others. We confess that we use our words to wound and not worship. We confess that we use our words not to praise you, but to promote ourselves. Forgive us, Lord. Forgive us our pride that makes us self-righteously promote ourselves. Forgive our anger. Forgive our hypocrisy, saying one thing and doing another. Forgive the way we use our words to manipulate and malign others.

Clean our hearts, Lord. By the power of the Holy Spirit, uproot the weeds of sin that so entangle us. Give us the grace to live in gospel community, to drag our sin into the light that as mold it might shrivel up and die. Use the members of this church to spur each other on toward godliness. Use this church as a place of healing for the hurt, a place of rest for the weary, a place of hope for the anxious, a place of delight and pleasure for all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus.

Thank you that in the midst of our trials and temptations, or even in the times we are bored with you, you have provided a strong and satisfying Savior. Open our eyes to see the beauty of Christ. Silence our hearts when we condemn ourselves or doubt you. Remind us day after day that you are always on our side – you have lavished your grace upon us in Christ Jesus. Show us how your wrath toward our sin has been emptied on and exhausted by your Son as he hung on the cross. Let us feel deeply in our souls that Jesus has paid for every sin with his bleeding wounds that we might cry out, “Abba, Father” as your sons and daughters.

Father, we look at the world around us, and the brokenness is tangible. We pray for an end to elective abortions. We pray for hope and healing for those who have been forced or chosen to have an abortion. That probably includes some here this morning. Use us, Lord, as a place of grace and compassion. We pray for an end to modern day sex-slave trafficking of young girls and boys. We pray for an end to domestic abuse. Heal those here Lord who have tasted these things first hand. We pray for an end to religious persecution, not just that which is against Christians, but all religious persecution – persecution against Jews and Muslims and Yazidis and other faiths. Bring about peace, for you are a God of peace.

Give leaders worldwide wisdom and justice, and a deep desire to bring about human flourishing. We pray for the government here. Grant President Obama and Congress and elected officials integrity and humility and boldness to do what is right, not for personal agendas or political gain, but for the good of the people they are entrusted to lead. Grant us Lord the humility to respect those in leadership even when we disagree with them. We thank you that we find ourselves in a place of peace and order. Let us not take that for granted but be wise making the best use of our time.

We thank you that we can gather here without fear, and worship openly and freely. As we continue to pray and sing and listen to the preaching of your Word, remind us of all that you have given us. But remind us especially of the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, point us to Jesus that we might find our greatest delight in him. We pray all of this in the name of Christ. Amen.

by admin

Worship through Prayer

Father, we come to you this morning knowing that you are a good God, your steadfast love endures forever and your faithfulness to all generations. And we praise you for who you are and what you’ve done. And we plead with you. We plead with you to hallow your name – “Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

We pray that you continue give our church humility, patience and gentleness toward each other. By your Holy Spirit, help us walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. This week in our Community Groups give us the gracious gift of especially rich, bible-saturated discussion and gospel-fueled fellowship. As we listen to your word this morning fill us with the gravity of God’s holiness and make us glad that he’s singularly filled with soul-satisfying splendor.

We pray for those hurting among us. Holy Spirit, for those struggling emotionally or with unfavorable circumstances, comfort their souls with the balm of the gospel and the hope of heaven. Holy Spirit, for those who feel dirty and ashamed from sins committed against them or because of something they’ve done, give them a fresh vision of the grace and forgiveness of the gospel. Use our church Lord to comfort the hurting, to call back the wayward, to encourage the faithful, to care for the downcast, to be patient with the doubting.

We pray for those laboring to spread the gospel on college campuses. Grant Andrew Powars much joy as he leads CRU at American and Howard. Give Paul Billings wisdom and insight and he leads Campus Outreach’s efforts at George Washington and Georgetown. For your namesake, O Lord, use Blane Young to give students at Chi Alpha an unquenchable desire to know and praise and enjoy Jesus.

Holy God, we pray this as your sons and daughters. We love you. We cry out, “Hallelujah, salvation and glory and power belong to our God…Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory.” Amen.

by admin

Sabbath Snow-In

Sunday’s church gathering and evening members’ meeting are both cancelled.

With feet (not inches!) of snow on the ground and Metro shutdown, it looks like this storm may keep us inside. But that will not prevent us from worshipping the Risen Savior.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

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 have each person share a portion of Scripture that has been particularly encouraging to them recently
• 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 at least 7 people through the ministry of Restoration in 2016
• A visa to be granted so the Molero family can move here and plant a Hispanic church
• 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
• Wisdom for government officials and safety for first responders in this blizzard
• Every member of Restoration to love God supremely and neighbor sacrificially (get the directory and pray for 3 members)

by Joey

Worship through Prayer

Holy God, Father, Son, and Spirit we rejoice in your glorious grace this morning. You have blessed us in Christ Jesus and lavished your grace upon us. You have sealed us with the Holy Spirit keeping us as your beloved children until we see you face to face. We testify to your greatness and bless your holy name.

We praise you that because of Jesus you do not deal us according to our sin, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is your steadfast love toward us; as far as the east is from the west, so far do you remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so you, our Father in heaven, show compassion to us.

Lord, we pray for our brothers and sisters around the world facing persecution. We pray for the 50,000+ Christians suffering from torture in North Korean labor camps. Lord, open Kim Jong-un’s eyes to the surpassing glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Give our Korean brothers and sisters boldness, especially those who are afraid to tell their own spouses and children about their faith in Christ.

Father, we also pray for our own nation. We pray for an end to any hint of racism. Lord, would this country be a place where all people, no matter ethnicity, no matter gender, no matter age, are treated with dignity and value and worth. Bring and end to police brutality. Bring an end to attacks on police. Bring an end to the oppression of undocumented immigrants. Bring an end to abortion. Bring an end to human sex-slave trafficking.

Father, we pray for those here this morning who have been personally affected by racism; those who have been physically or sexually abused; those who have been taken advantage of in some way, especially by the abuse of power over them. We pray for any one here this morning who had an abortion. By the power of your Holy Spirit, through the glorious news of he gospel that washes us clean and brings us back to you, our hope, our refuge, our rock, minister to those hurting among us this morning. Father, cause this church, Restoration Church to be a place of for rest for the hopeless, a place of healing for the hurting, a place where the glorious gospel of grace causes us to love and serve one another with kindness, compassion, and tenderheartedness.

No fear can hold us down Nor darkness steal our joy

For blood has been poured out The enemy destroyed

Death could not hold Him down The cross was not enough

To steal away His love For He is God

Oh, how we glory in the cross of Christ and rejoice in the everlasting, unending, always and forever love of God show to us in a bloody cross and empty tomb.

We pray this gospel message goes forth among the Behdini Kurds. We pray this gospel message takes root in the schemes in Scotland. We pray this gospel message goes forth to Haitian pastors who in turn shepherd their people in the gospel. We pray this gospel message goes forth through a church plant in Columbia Heights that ministers to Spanish speakers. We pray this gospel message is proclaimed and shared and discussed in our own lives; give us the grace and boldness to tell our friends, neighbors, co-workers about the good news of the gospel and the joy found in Jesus.

Father, we thank you for our brother Nathan as he labors week after week to study your word and faithfully preach it to us. Give him grace this morning as he does this yet again. Holy Spirit cause him to worship you as he preaches; use him to extol the excellencies and wonders of you, our great triune God. We praise you for each of the elders and the unique gifts you have given them to serve and care for and shepherd our church body. We praise you for the “every member ministry” of this church, and the many ways the church body serves one another. We praise you for the birth of Parker. Grant Jake and Jamie much grace these early days of parenting. Cause them to wonder at how amazingly great you are God. We rejoice in the numerous ways your working in our church body. Draw our eyes up toward Christ that we might continue to gaze on his beauty. We pray all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

by admin

Worship through Prayer

Mighty God, we come to you this morning. And we worship you in all your splendor. Father, Son and Spirit perfect in holiness, gracious in redemption, sovereign, unchangeable, justice, righteous and good. We worship you. Father, we praise you for adopting us as your sons and daughters. Jesus, we praise you for your sin-atoning death and glorious resurrection. Holy Spirit, we praise you for sealing us and keeping us secure in Christ Jesus. You, Lord, are good; your steadfast love endures forever and your faithfulness to all generations.

We pray for those here this morning with a heavy heart, those struggling with trials and unfavorable circumstances. Remind them of your compassion and love this morning. We pray for those here this morning who are battling to find joy in Christ, who in this season find you dull and boring. For the sake of your name, fill them afresh with your Holy Spirit and open their eyes that they might behold the beauty of Christ and be satisfied. We pray for those here this morning that are encouraged and walking faithfully with Jesus. Spur them on all the more and cause your word to be all the more captivating to them. Father, for the glory of your name and the good of Restoration Church, use all of us to speak gospel truth into each other’s lives. Give us the grace to continue to live interconnected, interdependent lives that magnify Jesus. We praise you for the numerous ways this happens each week. We also praise you for the financial generosity of our church. Thank you that our members give generously to support the gospel ministry of our church. Continue to conform us to the image of Jesus all the more.

We pray for our enemies this morning. We pray for those who desire to harm and murder your image bearers. Bring the leaders of ISIS and Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda to faith in Jesus. If your grace and mercy saved us, it can save them. For the glory of your name, richly pour out your saving grace on Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Ahmed Direye. Bring Ibrahim al-Asiri and Abu Omar al-Shishani to repentance and faith in Jesus. In your sovereign grace, use these men to not harm people, but to bring about their good. However, you choose to work Lord, restrain the evil these groups are able to bring about.

Father, we thank you that we live in a land of peace. We thank you for a government that is orderly. And we pray for our government officials. Give President Obama wisdom and a sense of justice to rule in such a way that brings about flourishing for all your image bearers. We pray for federal and state and locally elected officials; direct and prosper all their dealings, to the advancement of your glory, the good of your Church, the safety, honor, and welfare of all people. Father, we pray specifically that you would give our leaders divine wisdom regarding the issues of immigration, gun control and abortion. Help them use their power not to accomplish personal agendas, but to serve all your people, to protect all your image bearers, even those in the womb or those from another country. Lord give us all wisdom as we seek to live in a broken world filled with turmoil. We praise you that our ultimate hope is not in our government or any other nation, but in Christ Jesus. Come, Lord, Jesus come, we pray.

We pray this morning for the students and teachers as they ready themselves for another semester. Help students and teachers alike use their time and resources to honor you. Give all our students the capacity to learn, to honor you with their mind and get the best God-honoring grades they can. Give all the teachers among us the perseverance and humility to faithfully serve their students day after day. We pray for this school, for Woodrow Wilson High School. We pray for Principal Kimberly J. Martin. Give her much grace and wisdom as she leads this school.

Father, we’re so thankful that we’re not the only church laboring for your gospel here in this city. We praise you for Washington International Church and All Nations DC and Capitol Hill Baptist. Use them Lord to make much of Christ. We praise you for churches around this nation faithfully proclaiming Christ Jesus. Continue to use our mother church, North Wake, and our sister churches, Oaks Church Raleigh and Exchange Church and Covenant Life Church in Tampa, to make much of Christ Jesus.

Lord, we praise you for the many ways the gospel is advancing around the world. Raise up believers among the Behdini Kurds. Save people from the unreached Rakhine people of Burma and the Malay people of South Africa. For the hallowing of your name, save people from all tribes, tongues and nations.

Holy God, we’re so thankful and praise you that there is salvation and satisfaction in Christ Jesus. We praise you because we ourselves are the foremost of sinners. We confess that we often think we’re better than others; that somehow our goodness is what saves us. Forgive us, Lord. We confess that we lie to make ourselves look better; we self-righteously compare to justify our behavior; we gossip and slander and withhold forgiveness. Forgive us, Lord. We praise you that there is now no condemnation for those in trusting in Christ Jesus. We thank you that we are not just pardoned criminals, but your precious children. We praise you that in Christ, you’re not just our distant judge but our devoted Father. We praise you that we are saved according to the riches of your grace lavished upon us in Christ Jesus, who lived, died and rose again that we might have forgiveness and the fullness of joy forevermore. It’s in his name we pray. Amen.

by admin

Worship Through Prayer

Father, we gather here this morning in the name of Jesus Christ. We gather to hallow your great and glorious name. You, O Lord, are faithful never forgetting your promises, never forsaking your people. We come this morning to behold the wondrous mystery of the gospel and bless your holy name. We come to behold a rugged cross; we come to behold an empty tomb and we rejoice that Satan is defeated, sin is conquered and death is swallowed up in victory.

Holy triune God – Father, Son and Spirit – at the beginning of this year when we are filled with resolutions and plans and goals, remind us of your unwavering resolve to keep your people from stumbling and to present us blameless before the presence of your glory with great joy, according to your plan all the glory of your name. Holy Spirit, fill us afresh this morning that we might resolve to follow and trust and treasure Christ as you work in us. Cause our resolutions and plans and goals to be Christ-centered, gospel-advancing, and building up to the body of Christ.

We praise you for other churches that have been faithfully laboring for the gospel in our city. We praise you for the saints at Capital Hill Baptist and our brothers and sisters at Grace DC. Encourage them this morning with your word. We thank you for the gospel labors of Christ our Shepherd and Church of the Resurrection. Shape these congregations to increasingly reflect Christ this year. For the newer churches like Pillar DC and Redeemer City and Grace Capitol City and Waterfront Church, grant them perseverance and favor to see and savor Christ Jesus as they make disciples that make disciples. We pray for NAMB and praise you for the many ways they invest to facilitate church planting in North America.

We praise you Lord for the many ways the gospel is advancing in and through our own church. Yes, Lord, we praise for you the gospel unity of our church, and the ways you’re using this church to proclaim the excellencies of Christ. For your namesake, O Lord, use our ministry at Friendship Terrace to exalt Christ. Use American Friends to see people come to faith in Jesus. Use every member of Restoration to zealously and boldly make disciples that delight in Jesus. This year, Lord, give us a deep thirst to drink from your word, to sing your praises, to intentionally invest in others that Christ might be formed in them.

We pray for Restoration Kids, Lord. Oh, how we praise you for this growing ministry. Thank you for the opportunity to disciple so many young children. Thank you for working in the hearts of so many members to actively be a part of teaching these young ones. Holy Spirit, as they learn about Christ right now, do what only you can do – open eyes to behold the glorious hope of Jesus.

Father, we praise you for the selfless service of our Community Group leaders. As we start another year, give these men and women grace to joyfully serve the church body in so many ways, seen and unseen. We pray your grace upon Nathan & Andi, Haigh & Laura, David & Melinda, Kyle & Nicolette, Mike & Liz, Berkley & Megan, Deholo & Madeliene, David & Jodie, Misael & Brandi, Hector & Kathryn, myself and Page. We also pray for extra measures of grace upon those who host: Laura Wolz, Ryan & Sarah, Chris & Tessa, Will & Lauren. And we pray for those who will be leaders and hosts. For the glory of your name, Lord, and for the good of your people, use our Community Groups as a place where we build each other up into Christ-like maturity, mutually care for each other, and send each other out on mission.

We also pray for our dear brother and sister laboring among the Kurds. We praise you that their city continues to be safe and a place of refuge. Help them to continue learning the language. Give them grace in their parenting and patience with each other. As they learn the language and meet others in their city, bring people to faith in Jesus. Raise up disciples and pastors and healthy churches among the Kurds we pray.

Sovereign Lord, this year we’re asking you to bring at least 7 people to faith in Christ through our direct ministry. Yes, Lord, we plead with you to hallow your name by using the gospel proclamation of our people to bring eternal life to at least 7 people who have not yet trusted Christ Jesus. We also ask that you would work so that our visa petition for the Molero family would be granted by March. Bring Alejandro and his family to DC by this summer to that we might begin actively working on planting a Spanish-speaking church in Columbia Heights for the fame of Christ Jesus. You are sovereign Lord, and you are able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work in us so that you might receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.

Hallow your name in us and through us this year Lord. And to your name be all glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

by Joey