Setting Spiritual Goals

It's always good to set goals whatever our circumstances may be, but what does it look like to set spiritual goals?

Why set spiritual goals?

We should set spiritual goals for ourselves much like we set goals for our everyday lives. Setting goals gives us a chance to look at who we would like to become as a Christian. As a Christian the goal is to grow in our faith and understanding as followers of Christ. Setting spiritual goals and reaching them allows us to look back on who we were, to what we have become in Christ. 

Here are some spiritual goals to start with:

  • Read a book of the Bible
  • See family come to Christ
  • See prayers answered
  • Memorize verses
  • Discover spiritual gifts

here are some other ways to start Spiritual Growth in your life:

  • Read the Bible
  • Obey the Bible
  • Active prayer life
  • Invite others to Church
  • Fasting
  • Give your talents, treasures, and time

 

Here's a video of Pastor Marc's message on Spiritual Growth and setting Spiritual Goals.

5 benefits of small groups

Why join a group?

Every week we encourage people to join small groups. We do it when we have lots of guests. We do it when we have lots of regulars. We continually encourage people to join groups because groups are where growth happens. We believe we can grow in a few specific ways at group:

 

groups are where we grow closer to each other

We all want friends. Well, most of us do. It's tough to foster deep relationships at church once a week. Small group creates an atmosphere for connection. It offers us a chance to get to know people we may see often, but know very little about. Everybody needs 3am friends. 3am friends are friends you can call at 3 am when your world is upside down. Often, those relationships begin at small group. These are the people doing life together with you.

 

groups are where we grow closer to God

Church is amazing. However, many assume those 60-80 minutes are all that are needed to have a powerful relationship with God. Throughout the New Testament God instructs the church to meet together as a large group, but we also find regular mentions of smaller informal groups. Jesus had about 120 followers, 12 disciples, and 3 in the inner circle. This isn't coincidence. It's easy to fade into the crowd at church. However, at group, we are all visible and, yes, vulnerable. We are open to accountability and community. God uses the Word to grow us. He also uses the encouragement of other believers to draw us closer to Himself.

 

groups are where we grow closer to God's church

Too often, we envision the church as a place or a service. The church is so much more. It is God's people. It is Jesus bride, His passion. When we get into groups we put faces with the church. We see the mission of the church lived out: people growing closer to God and each other. Jesus longs for us to not just be part of the church, but to be passionate about the church, it's people and it's mission.

 

groups are where we learn how to wrestle with Scriptures

It's one thing to hear good preaching. Let's call that belief 1.0. It's another thing to read God's Word. Let's call that belief 2.0. Small group takes it to the next level. This is were people read and discuss God's Word. In a group others have experiences, insights and knowledge that allow them to really unpack a passage in a way that maybe we'd never considered. This is where growth begins to take root. 

 

groups are where prayer becomes personal

When someone in group asks for prayer, it's more than just another request. These are the people you've grown to know and cherish. They feel the same about you. Your prayer request is urgent to them because they care about you. Their request will likely be on your mind as you pray daily. Prayer for the ones we care about should be a regular occurrence. Groups will always encourage a strong prayer life.

When you're ready to embrace all the benefits group has to offer, head over to our small group page and sign up for a group.

 

This week at Restore Kidz

This week we talked about Leadership at Restore Kidz. Leadership as we will learn this month is "influencing others toward right." It was fun watching and listening to the kids talk about how they like to lead at school and among their friends as well as talk about other leaders that they respect. Moms and dads were mentioned too:) 

 

Throughout the week I hope you will create opportunities for your children to practice their leadership skills through everyday activities. Here is an audio recap of what your kids learned in Junior Church.

What's your next step?

This week at Restore we had FOUR people (Terry, Jenny, Caleb, and Alex) take their next step with baptism!! 

What's your next step? Pastor Marc taught us this week from Ephesians 2:4-10 on how we can take the steps to having a better relationship with God. Here's what you missed!

“God said, ‘I want you to be Mine and I want to be yours.””
— Marc

SPend time with God

The more time that we spend with God, the more we come to realize how perfect He is and how far we are from Him. But that isn't supposed to discourage us, it's supposed to encourage us to strive to be more like God in how loving, merciful, and gracious we are with other people.

Jesus has called you to change your world

Our focus shouldn't be to change the whole world, but to change our community, our workplace, our families, and ourselves for Jesus.

it starts with your relationship with god

Before we can change our world God has to change us first. God wants to rescue you from who you were. God wants to redeem you into who you were called to be. And through you God wants change the world.

 

Here's a video of this weeks message.

Where do I start reading the Bible?

You've determined to start reading the Scriptures. Great! ...but where to start? There are dozens of books and over 1,000 chapters you could begin reading. Each of them has much to offer, but which are the easiest to read for someone new to the Scriptures? 

Here are a few recommended starting points:

John- one of the easiest gospels to read (21 chapters)

I, II & III John- three short letters to new believers with deep truths (7 chapters)

Mark- another easy to understand gospel that focuses on the story of Jesus (16 chapters)

Acts- the story of the early church (28 chapters)

James- a practical letter discussing the Christian life that faith brings about (5 chapters)

Galatians- a short book focusing on grace (6 chapters)

Philippians- a letter focusing on joy and humility in the midst of trials and struggles (4 chapters)

If I were to recommend a pattern, I'd start here:

John- Start here because it's the basic story of Jesus and the gospel.

Acts- Move right into the next book in your Bible and discover the early church.

Romans- Take a giant leap into the teachings of the gospel. Paul details how sin, grace and faith play a role in the gospel story.

From there I'd head to the Old Testament and begin reading the book of Psalms, as well as Proverbs. Once you've tackled these books, you'll be well on your way to a healthy devotional life.

“A final recommendation relates to how much you read at a time. Too many people get discouraged because they attempt to begin reading 3, 4, 5 or more chapters every day. That’s a worthy endeavor, but focus on quality not quantity your first few weeks reading Scripture. I’d rather read one chapter and understand it than rush through 3 or 4 chapters to say I read them. Our goal is to be changed by what we read, not impressed by how much we’ve read.”
— Pastor Marc

What does it look like to Step Up in faith?

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO STEP UP?

Life consists of a multitude of daily decisions. With each of these decisions we must come to a conclusion on whether we say yes or no. There is no backseat to these decisions that we face. When we answer the call to accept Christ into our lives we are actually giving a two-fold answer. First, we answer that we believe in Christ's complete sacrifice for all sin. The second of which is that we choose to live our lives for Christ, in the same way that He lived, to the best of our ability. In James 1:19-27 we read that we should not only be hearers of the Word of God, but doers as well. We aren't called to live life with a backseat mentality, we are called to Step Up and take action.

HOW DO I TAKE MY FIRST STEP?

Our first step starts with having faith in Christ and that he will be glorified in our decisions. Colossians 1:15-20 tells us that everything begins and ends with Christ. Our faith in Christ is what saves us, but our faith should produce works. James 2:14-26 explains that our faith is to be active along with our works, and that our faith is completed by our works. Faith and works aren't separate. When we choose to STEP UP in our faith in Christ, genuine love will be the product.

Maybe you're trying to decide to STEP UP to a new relationship, an engagement, or marriage. Maybe you've wanted to STEP UP to a new job opportunity. Maybe you've been afraid to STEP UP and share your faith in Christ. We weren't made to remain idle. We were made to do. We were made to love.

 

What step are you trying to make now?

There is a first step for everything, but our first step is only the beginning. 

What's your next step?

This week at Restore Pastor Marc taught from Matthew 14:22-33 and challenged us to take our Next Step. Here are a few takeaways from this week.

WHEN SHOULD I START MY NEXT STEP?

Anytime life calls us to step up in any aspect of life our first inclination is to wait till things are just right. But we don't live in a perfect world. More likely than not things will never be "just right" for us to make our next step. In Matthew 14 Jesus made his disciples leave by boat before he spent some time alone to pray. Directly after this we read that his disciples were being tossed by the waves. They were terrified that they wouldn't make it out alive, but during this storm that they were passing through Jesus appeared. WALKING. ON. WATER. But during all of this Peter asked, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." Jesus replied, "Come." 

We can't wait for things to be perfect. Jesus knew that this storm would come and he still commanded his disciples to go ahead of him. They thought that they were alone and doomed, but Jesus knew all along that he would come to lead them out of disaster. 

BUT WHAT IF I FAIL?

When Peter trusted Jesus, he walked to him. ON. THE. WATER. But as soon as Peter began to doubt in fear he started sinking. He cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out and took his hand. Failure is a real thing. It happens, but we can't be afraid of failure just because it may happen. There are times that Christ calls us out to do miraculous things that we can't begin to comprehend and all we have to do is trust in Christ.

Jesus told Peter to come to him on the water and Peter walked to him. What is he calling you to do?

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ON THE STEP YOU're ON?

 

Here's a video of Pastor Marc on how we make our next steps.

Three benefits of joining a small group

ACCOUNTABILITY

When we give our lives over to Christ and choose to follow Him we give up the way we use to live our lives. Colossians 3:1-17 talks about putting to death everything that is earthly in us. This sounds easier said than done, and rightly so if we attempt putting to death our earthly desires on our own. But we weren't designed to live this life alone. The saying that, "there is strength in numbers," applies to our lives as we live for Christ. In the same passage about putting to death our desires it also says in verse 16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom." Joining a small group gives you the opportunity to live out Christianity by bearing each your burdens with other Christians as we all are putting to death those earthly desires within us.

ENCOURAGEMENT

But it doesn't stop at accountability. Small groups don't stop with us only holding one another accountable. We need encouragement. Through encouragement we build one another up so that we have strength to persist through the difficulties that we face. Living for Christ isn't always easy, but that's why God gave us each other. 

WATER

Water serves many purposes. Of all it's purposes, the most important of which is that water brings life. We need water to live. The same is true for us as Christians, but our water is the Word. Joining a small group is refreshing. It's an opportunity to learn more about living for Christ. We need the Word so that we can grow as Christians. The thing that is so amazing about water is that, if there is enough of it, it can carve through mountains and terrain. The water that we drink, the Word of God, is just like that water. When we have it behind us it will cut through anything.

Sowing and Reaping the Gospel

This week at Restore Pastor Kevin spoke about how we teach children in Elements during Jr. Church each Sunday, and what spreading the Gospel looks like from Mark 4. Here are two takeaways from this week.

“The seed is the Word of God”
— Kevin

WHERE DOES THE SEED FALL?

The seed falls to the ground. These are the individuals that refuse to accept the Word when they hear it.

The seed falls to the rocky ground. These are the people that hear the Word with enthusiasm, but have a shallow acceptance of the Gospel and are quickly choked out once they are faced with hard times.

The seed falls amongst the thorns. These are those individuals who hear the Word, but who's desires for the world leave them unfruitful. 

The seed falls into the good soil. These will be the people that hear the Gospel and accept it with gladness. They will allow the Word to use them to reach other people.

THE GOSPEL IS OFTEN REJECTED

Living for Christ isn't easy. There are many that will choose not to accept the Gospel, but as Christians our focus should not be placed upon if a person accepts the Gospel or not. Christians are to spread the seed of the Gospel with joy and without judgement or bias towards any person. We do not save people. Christ does, just as He saved us.

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

Romans 5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Three ways to live generously

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give some of your treasure

Our first thought when it comes to generosity always goes to money.  Many in the church give a tithe of our income, but is that where giving stops? Giving to the church should only be the start. There are plenty of people in our city that are struggling. How can you give some of your treasure? Maybe it looks like supporting a local food bank. Maybe it looks like finding someone who hasn't eaten today and paying for them to have food. What if you paid for the groceries of a single mom next week? Jesus said where our treasure is, our heart will be. Let's have a heart for the church and our community.

Give some of your talent

We often assume that talent only relates to playing an instrument, juggling, or performing a back handspring. Those are great talents to have, but there are so many more things out there we can use. This week one of our guys was retelling the story how he met his neighbor. His neighbor is 20 years younger and really looks up to him because he's handy. The last few weeks they've been changing oil, simple home maintenance and more. This middle-aged gentleman is being generous with his talent. As a result he's mentoring a young man he just met. Maybe you can affect your neighborhood just by going out to love and encourage your neighbors. Maybe you're the kind of person who is good at orchestrating and gathering people of different talents to do a great thing in your community. When you know what you're capable of, you can begin to share that talent with others.

Give some of your time

This sounds so simple, but sometimes giving our time is the most difficult thing to give. You've probably had a busy week. Things have not gone the way you had hoped and you've been playing catch up since Monday morning. During those kinds of weeks we long to have some ME time, but it's during those times that we often turn off the issues that others around us are experiencing. Maybe you have people that are asking for some of your treasure, or some of your talent, but there are plenty of people out there that just want some of your time. Be willing to give someone your ear. Be willing to give someone your Saturday morning. You'd be amazed how many people are starving for relationship and community.

 

Sometimes we are guilty of telling ourselves we'd be more generous if we had more time, talent or treasure. We look at someone and tell ourselves if we were in their shoes things would be different. The hard truth is many of us do have more time, talent and treasure than those we come into contact with. Let's not wait until we've got everything worked out to be generous. Start today.