SPECIAL SUNDAY WITH CHRIS WIENAND

Join us Sunday (9.7.14) as we have the privilege of hearing from our good friend and apostle, Chris Wienand. Over the last two years, Chris and his wife, Meryl, have spent quite a bit of time down here in San Diego helping us plant Restored Church, equipping our leaders, and encouraging us as we start this exciting adventure.

Chris and Meryl have been involved in church planting for over 30 years and have served as a spiritual mother and father to many new churches during that time. They have helped lay Gospel foundations in churches all over the world, from Europe to Australia to Africa and the United States. They currently lead the Genesis Collective, a Gospel-Centered leadership initiative. They are an amazing couple with a huge heart for the Gospel, mission, family and the Church!

Chris will be preaching this Sunday at Restored Church and if you were here last time he did, you know you will not want to miss it! Invite your friends and family as we gather together and worship Jesus.

Where: Adams Elementary School (4672 35th St, San Diego, CA 92116)

When: 10 a.m.

SUNDAY SERMON RECAP – REFINED PT. 5 – RESTORATION AT THE END OF SUFFERING

This past Sunday we concluded our “Refined” sermon series through the book of Job. We have spent the last 5 weeks seeing how the book of Job helps us as Christians respond to suffering in light of who God is and what He has done through Jesus. On Sunday, Brad preached through the last section of Job where we saw how God restored Job’s life, family, and wealth. While we as Christians are not promised a restoration like this in this life, we are promised a far more beautiful and complete restoration of all things at the end of our lives.

One of the dominant motivations in the New Testament for Christians who were suffering was the future hope and promise of the being with Jesus in the new heavens and new earth with resurrected bodies. While the promise of heaven helped the early Christians endure some of the worst sufferings possible, most of us have such a misunderstanding of heaven that we don’t see it as a legitimate way to help us endure in our present sufferings. Brad taught through different texts in the New Testament to give us a clearer picture of what the restoration of all things will look like for all Christians. The picture of our future reality in heaven is not a bunch of people with wings singing songs on clouds, but a real, deep intimacy with Jesus as we celebrate and enjoy Him with glorified bodies on the physical new earth without pain, suffering, sin, Satan, death, or sadness. This is our hope and it is the only way Paul can honestly say in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

If you missed our Sunday gathering, listen to the sermon here: Restoration at the End of Suffering

EXCITING UPDATE!

As most of you know, we spent yesterday as a church fasting and praying for God’s wisdom and direction in regards to potentially adding a second Sunday worship gathering. As elders, we had been sensing that a second gathering was both necessary and beneficial, so we asked the church to pray and contact us if they felt God gave them direction or insight into the decision. As of today, we can confidently say that we will be adding a second gathering in the near future because every single person that we talked with said they felt like this was what God was leading us into as a church!

As we gear up to launch our second worship gathering in early October, we are excited about the huge benefits that this additional gathering will bring. One of the main opportunities this addition will bring is the ability for more leaders to step up and take ownership over certain areas of ministry that may have been limited with simply one gathering. With a need for more prayer counselors, kids volunteers, preachers, and musicians, we will see who God is calling to take initiative and lead.

Another exciting opportunity in adding a second gathering is the reality that we will have more room for men and women who do not know Jesus to join us on Sundays to see Him and His family more clearly through the preached word, unity, and worship. We can’t wait to hear the stories of Jesus saving people as they join us on Sundays to hear about His scandalous grace.

Lastly, we know that an additional gathering will be an excellent step for preparing our South Bay church planting team that will be launching next year. Multiplying one gathering to two is a great step to multiplying one church community to another, which has been our dream since the beginning. Flooding the streets of San Diego with the radical grace of Jesus is our dream and we are excited that this is a step in that direction.

Join us this Sunday at 10 a.m. as we announce more details and continue to pray that Jesus would be glorified in all of this!

Love you all.

REMINDER: ALL CHURCH FAST TODAY!

Hey family!

If you were with us on Sunday, you are aware that we are having an all-church fast today (8.27) as we seek God’s direction and wisdom on the potential of moving from a single gathering on Sunday morning to two gatherings at Adams Elementary School in Normal Heights! Jesus has truly been growing Restored Church with disciples and we are grateful to be witnesses to His work. With growth comes the necessity of change and we want to ask the Spirit for guidance if this is the change He wants for us at this time.

We are currently in a spot where one gathering is feeling very full in the auditorium and we would hate for new people to feel like there isn’t enough room for them. If we would transition to two gatherings, we would have the opportunity to make space for new people to encounter the good news of Jesus and His family as we worship Him together on Sunday mornings and live on mission throughout the week in San Diego. Change is rarely easy, but it is often rewarding. We want to make sure that this potential change is something God is leading us in, so please join us today in skipping food and pressing into Jesus through prayer and listening.

We would love to hear what you feel God is telling you as you seek His wisdom in this decision for our church! Email us at restoredchurchsd@gmail.com or text Andy, Tom or Brad. We love you all and excited to see how Jesus will continue to use us as we make much of Him.