A VIAnnoucement!!!

A VIAnnouncement: One of our rbcstudents donated $55 so that someone else can attend DNOW 2011. Let's not take this lightly! Who do you know that needs to hear Sam's message this weekend? Call Julie at 885.5232 for details.

"Why Church?": Week 5 -- We're a Mighty Force

For the past four weeks, we've been trying to figure out how to answer the question: "Why Church?" Why is going to church important?

For my final post, I'll start with a recap:
1. To fellowship and live in community because we were created to do so.
2. Because Jesus fills us with our own gifts. Each is unique.
3. To hold one another accountable.
4. To know why we believe what we believe.
5 And, finally, we are a force to be reckoned with.

The Bible says: Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or more are gathered in My name, there I am among them. (Matthew 18:19-20)

I think so often we forget what a special gift we have in salvation. That means we are in a relationship with He who made us! We ask, and He answers. We cry, and He hears. We praise, and He smiles. What a gift we have!

By gathering together, not only are we showing our love for Him by praising His name together, we are increasing the number of voices who are crying out with one heart and goal: to know Him and make Him known. We are gathering as a mass of people who all desire one another's prosperity. If there are prayer requests, we cry out together. If there are praises, we make a joyful noise together. AND WE ARE HEARD. Hallelujah.

I hope these past few weeks has changed what you think about going to church. If you've given up, I hope with all of my heart that you give it another chance. I pray that you find what you're looking for and more. Our God is an awesome God.

Grace,
Courtney Brewer

DNOW

DNOW, oh how we've missed you! April Fool's Day Weekend is going to be sweeeet.

Welcome back Nate Jones. Hello Sam Bhatt and Zack Atchley. Greetings to our super cool friends!

DNOW is April 1-3. Find registration forms in the FC foyer, download here or use our way new online registration.

Cost is $55.

DNOW Parent Meeting is March 30, 7:30 p.m., Ridgecrest Room.

sneak a peek at Ryan Matthews' testimony.

invite a friend!

rbcstudents e-news, end-of-March 2011

rbcstudents e-news.

The 411 for March 27, 2011

DNOW Sneak Peek at Ryan Matthews

One of our featured testimonies for DNOW 2011 is sophomore Ryan Matthews. Keep reading for a sneak peek at what he has to say. If you haven't yet signed up for DNOW, sign up now or on Sunday. Registration forms can be found in the FC foyer.

Parent Meeting Choice #1 is Sunday at 5:15 p.m. in the Ridgecrest Room. Parent Meeting Choice #2 is Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Ridgecrest Room.

excerpt from the testimony of Ryan Matthews
[ With that, no fireworks boomed and no choir sang. What did happen, though, continues to impact all those whom Matthews meets.

“Nothing in my life changed; I changed,” he states. "I found that I was more tolerant and forgiving in situations I wouldn’t have been without the Lord. Now, I feel as though God is telling me to be a leader in things I am involved in, not only so I can lead, but so I can influence those around me. If a leader is happy and positive, people wonder and ask. At that point, I can tell them that God allows me to be calm and positive in frustrating situations. I also pray for guidance as I prepare for the Jamaica mission trip so that I can share His love with the people of Harmony." ]

Want to read more about Ryan's life as a Christian, including why he'll never, ever be first? Sign up for DNOW already!

DNOW is April 1-3. Cost is $55.

Julie

The 411 for March 20, 20111

DNOW Early Bird Rates END Sunday

Dear rbcstudents, friends and others: Our DNOW 2011 Early Bird Rates END Sunday, March 20. Cost TODAY is $50. Cost MONDAY is $55. See the difference? Imagine all the things you could buy with that extra $5. $5-Dolla Footlongs, anyone?

Registration forms can be found in the FC and Worship Center foyers, of course. BUT they can also be downloaded. And -- are you sitting down? -- you can also sign up via online registration. I'm not kidding!

Questions? Let me know. Otherwise, enjoy this short promo featuring Miss Courtney Brewer.

Julie

The 411 for March 13, 2011

"Why Church": Week 4--Why Do I Believe?

Why Church?

by Courtney Brewer

Do you ever encounter people who are just waiting for you to trip up? What about people who talk on and on and have NO backup for what they’re saying? When I moved to Egypt, I was GRILLED with questions all the time. When people see you choosing a life they don't understand, they work hard to make you admit you're wrong or prove them wrong. While we cannot control those we come in contact with or their intentions, we CAN be as prepared as possible. Now wait a second. Prepared? Haven’t I been talking about living love? What is up with preparing? Let me explain.

As I mentioned before, many people are completely turned off by the church because of hypocrisy. Don’t you think it is just as hypocritical to claim a belief you do not even attempt to understand? Obviously, we think Christianity is THE WAY or else we would believe something else. But do we know WHY we believe it is THE WAY? That’s when Christianity becomes a title rather than a belief. Why on earth would anyone take you seriously? It is no secret that the our pastors study the word daily so that they can deliver the Word to the church. Have you ever really thought about why we have pastors, teachers, elders, etc? The Word of God is difficult to understand! I’m sure we’ve ALL thought that a time or two. What if going to church can be, for lack of a better word, educational.

Okay, before you say, “Boring,” think about it. We are supposed to hunger and thirst for the Word. Sometimes we do. But we hit a wall when we do not understand, and, too often, we quit. We give up. That’s why we gather together. So we can discuss it together and share understandings from different perspectives. If only one person interpreted the Word, then we would make him/her our only source of Truth. We wouldn't need the Word at all. Church is a place where we, the imperfect humans, can try and make sense of what our incredibly complex Lord has to tell us.

Also, when we’re asked questions by the world, how can we really answer unless we are studying and trying to discover what and why we believe? “Uhhhh, I’ve never thought about that,” isn't going to cut it. Such a statmenet may be all it takes to confirm someone’s accusation of hypocrisy or even ignorance. I’m not meaning to be harsh, but I think we take advantage of the fact that we’re bought by grace, and we forget the lifestyle that is to follow our salvation. We have the God-breathed Word. That’s so awesome!

So why church? So we can collaboratively try to unravel the mystery of our God so we can truly understand our faith.

DNOW 2011 Videos

The 411 for March 6, 2011

Are you a social media junkie?

Are you a social media junkie? Take the survey, above, and join us next week at 651 for week 2 in the "YouTwitFace" series. Learn what happens when social media and your faith collide!

651, Wednesdays, 6:51-7:45 p.m., FC.

"Why Church?": Week 3--Accountability

Why Church?

by Courtney Brewer

Greetings, RBC! I hope this Friday finds everyone well.

Last week, I talked about your irreplaceable role in the body of Christ. Today, I am going to talk about accountability. Let's dive in.

I think one reason people stop coming to church is because they see hypocrisy. When a speaker makes lifechoices that are inconsistent with his/her teachings, for example. Obviously, we cannot control this, but what we can do is question and hold them accountable.

Likewise, with your brothers and sisters in the church, if they are not making choices that would glorify the One, they should be spoken to in love. Again I say, IN LOVE. This is not a suggestion to publicly call out a preacher if you disagree, or to beat your friend with the New Testament. Instead, it is to bring the situation to their attention out of a desire that they lead the best life they can.

Now, this does not simply apply to your friends. What about you? Do you know in your heart there is something you need to be held accountable for? If so, don’t hide it away! So often, we’re terrified to be judged and rebuked and embarrassed because we don’t have it all together. Let’s just bury those thoughts by saying, "NO ONE DOES." Sure it’s extremely hard to tell people, “I have a problem,” or, “Hey I did this,” but when you do, what more do you have to lose?

My first year in Egypt was definitely challenging. Long story short, I made some decisions that contradicted all I stood for, believed in and talked so passionately about. While it made me sick inside knowing it had happened, what made me sicker was that my witness was tainted. However, not a soul in the world would talk to me about it. So, at youth group a few nights later, with guts I didn’t know I had, I asked if I could borrow the microphone for a minute after our Youth Pastor was finished. I walked up in front of everyone and told them, “I need you.” I told them what I knew they knew and that I was sorry. I told them the last thing I wanted was to be thought of as a hypocrite and that I was genuine in what I said when they first met me, and I truly desired to serve the Lord but was struggling and hoped that my witness was not tainted.

Shocked faces were followed by welcoming arms when I was finished. There is something so foreign about raw honesty. What would it look like if we never let things go unsaid, and we looked out for others in love? Could people ever accuse the church of hypocrisy if we admitted our struggles and let the world know we don’t expect perfection -- from ourselves or others?

What do you have to lose? Look at the people you love and hold each other accountable. God has an abundant life for us and things are not worth holding onto when they get in the way of that.