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We are daily discipled to divide and devalue those who are different from us. But in the Church, we are called to something radically different: a oneness that does not require our sameness. Through the reconciling work of the cross, Jesus has brought togehter a new kind of family, a people who meet people where they are, practice hospitality, and build bridges across boundaries in the name of Jesus. That’s our fourth core value: we are bridge builders.

So what is Church, anyway? To some it’s an hour on Sunday. To many, it’s a building they find themselves in a few times a month. But in the New Testament, the most prominent and persistent metaphor for the Church is family. The call to know our fellow believers as brothers and sisters wasn’t just sentimentality. It was solidarity. This week we’re exploring why we seek to love one another like family by growing out roots down deep in the love of God.

Our second core value speaks not simply to what we believe, but who we are becoming as we believe it. What unites us at Restoration is a commitment to walk together toward wholeness in Christ - a commitment that fosters humility and solidarity because while we are far from arriving, we are well on our way with Jesus.

What kind of church do we want to be? That’s the question that sits at the heart of our vision series, Restore. In the weeks ahead, we’re exploring five core values that shape everything we do at Restoration – and we’re inviting you to live them out with us. This week, we’re continuing our focus on our first value, We are Jesus-centered, by speaking to how our focus on Jesus shapes our culture of belonging.

What kind of church do we want to be? That’s the question that sits at the heart of our vision series, Restore. In the weeks ahead, we’re exploring five core values that shape everything we do at Restoration – and we’re inviting you to live them out with us. This week, we’re beginning with our first and most foundational value: We are Jesus centered.

We live in a world that constantly tells us to do more, accomplish more, and carry more—but Jesus offers a very different invitation to those of us who are weary and burdened. What if the thing we most need isn’t something else to accomplish, but something we need to learn to receive? (Matthew 11:28-30)

James 1:5 tells us that if we need wisdom, we should ask – because God gives it freely. That’s good news, but it begs a question: how do we know if what we think we’re hearing from God is actually his wisdom? How can we tell the difference between God’s voice and our own desires? In this message, we’ll explore how we can know the difference – and what it means to draw near to God as we do.

When the Bible tells us to pursue wisdom, it’s not asking us to embark on an isolated journey towards enlightenment. Instead, the wisdom we seek is found in the the relationships around us – among those who we walk with on the journey towards becoming whole. In this message, we unpack the centrality of community in our pursuit of wisdom – and share some ways we might find it at Restoration. (Colossians 3:12-16)

We’re told to open our Bibles when we are looking for wisdom – and rightfully so. But once they’re open, it isn’t always easy to know where to start. In this message, we’re exploring the Bible’s role in our journey towards wisdom, and how we can guide and guard our steps as it points us to Jesus.

Where is God when we are searching for answers? Some imagine a distant God who is waiting for us to believe (or behave) well enough to figure out the right thing to do. But Proverbs gives us a different vision – a God who doesn’t simply show us the way. He becomes the way for us. So will we trust Him to lead us where we need to be? (Proverbs 3:1-6)

Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson famously wrote that “We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom.” In a time where the amount of information available to us continues to expand, our souls need something more. We need wisdom. And as we begin our pursuit, we’re giving our attention to where all wisdom and understanding begins. And it might not be where you think. (Proverbs 2:1-5)

The more we follow the Holy Spirit into the world around us, the more we will encounter people of different faiths and backgrounds. So how do we know what it means to faithfully witness to the Gospel without antagonizing or belittling those who are different from us? This week, we’re looking to Paul’s time in Athens in Acts 17 – a story that helps us see how we can bear witness to our hope with neither condemnation or compromise. (Acts 17:16-34)

The most persistent problem that the Church in Acts faced wasn’t persecution or competing beliefs. It was division. As the Church expanded into new countries and cultures, the differences between the Jews and Gentiles came to a head. In the end, they found a unity that did not erase their differences. It empowered them for mission. The same can be true for us. (Acts 15:1-19) https://restorationlex.com/reflectionguide/

All kinds of things can hold us captive: our emotions, our addictions, our circumstances, our past… but when we encounter the good news of Jesus, we find a liberation that upends our story and changes the trajectory of our lives. This week, we’re looking at two very different people who both experience freedom – and we’ll explore how that we can find liberation, too. (Acts 16:16-40)

What is a disciple of Jesus to make of our life as an American citizen? Acts gives us the backdrop to answer that question – through the witness of a Church that disrupted the power of empire not through the Senate or the sword, but through a radical, shared way of life that centered on our primary allegiance: Jesus. (Acts 22:25-29)