In this season where our Church is unable to gather as a whole family for worship, we’re seeking to equip our Restoration family for God’s work among them – right where they are. That’s what Home Church is all about: giving you tools to gather with community groups or other believers (*safely* in person or online) for a shared experience of worship with the whole Restoration family. Below, you’ll find three movements of worship together: Worship (praise and prayer), Word (opening the Scriptures), and Witness (talking it out and living it out. So whether with a community group or a friend or two, let’s worship together! (Kids Resources Here!)

Worship is the continual process of orienting our hearts around that which we value most. Each Sunday, we worship in song and prayer to offer our hearts and allegience to Jesus, who alone is worthy of our praise. In your Home Churches, we encourage worship through the use of the video below or by worship in person. If you cannot participate through song in your group, spend time answering this question:

What do I have to praise God for this week?

Praying Together

In light of Jesus’s words about purity of heart from the Gospel of Matthew, we will respond to God in prayer. The following prayer is simple. It can be meditated on alone, prayed aloud in unison with family, or shared with a home church group by a designated reader. However you choose to partake in the prayer, let the words we share together this week point your gaze — and our collective gaze — toward Christ and his Kingdom.

Jesus, give us eyes to see that outward actions, while often meaningful, are nothing without your radical and Spirit-driven transformation of our hearts. Bolster our hearts with your love, your forgiveness, your meekness, and your purity. As we grow in Christlikeness, you make our hearts clean. We see you in this. Likewise, as we grow in Christlikeness, give us abounding grace for the actions of others, that we may sow seeds of love as you transform the hearts of each of your children, until the day you return to make all things new. Amen.

Today’s Scripture: Matthew 5:8, 15:1-9

Whether among your community group or a few friends over Zoom, we want to challenge you to move beyond just knowledge and information and into practicing the way of Jesus in your everyday life! But we do this together. Below you’ll find some questions to discuss, as well as next steps for living it out!

1. Be honest: how is your heart right now? As you look inward, how would you describe your current state within your heart?

2. How do we know when we’re “going through the motions” in our faith journey? What are some of the signs that it’s happening in us… and how should we respond? 

3. In Matthew 15:1-9, the Pharisees had allowed their added traditions to blind and even hinder them from what the Bible actually called them to do. What are some of the “man-made” traditions that we are prone to that undermine our obedience to Jesus?

4. Robert Murray M’Chyne tells us: “For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.” How do we continue to fix our eyes on Jesus – and not ourselves or others – when we are seeking to grow and overcome sin?

Practice. Examen. Examen is a practice of prayer that helps us tend to the condition of our heart and move towards repentance and deeper trust. This week, try following these prayer prompts as you look back on your day and week. 

Replay: What happened? Good? Bad?

Rejoice: Looking back, what do you praise God for?

Repent: Looking back, what do you need to surrender to God?

Reboot: Looking ahead, how do you intend to grow?

(from Pete Greig – www.prayercourse.org/toolshed)