Series Workbook
Download our Dwell Devotional Book
Our prayer for you during the next seven weeks is that you will intentionally deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ as we refresh the Dwell Initiative, a two-year discipleship journey. We prepared this guide to help you along the way. We would love for you to use this workbook to study God’s Word. We encourage you to take time to work through the questions and prayers.
Sermon Videos
January 8, 2023
Throughout Scripture, we see that God’s presence dwells with His people. Like Moses at Mount Sinai, we don’t want to go anywhere if God’s presence isn’t with us (Exo. 33:12-16). We also want to follow the call to dwell in our city, building houses, planting gardens, and investing into the good of the city (Jer. 29:4-7). In our own lives, we experience God’s presence in the Spirit, through Christ.
Our deep desire is that we would Dwell more deeply in God’s presence both individually and as a people and that Redemption Hill will have An Enduring & Faithful Presence here in DC. We hope to find a place that RHC can call home, where we can establish a lasting presence that will be a hub for ministry and a rooted commitment to the good of our city.
On Sunday we begin the journey together by exploring these themes across the pages and storyline of Scripture.
January 15, 2023
This Sunday we head to 2 Corinthians 8:1-9. Chapters 8-9 are the most extended teaching we have in the entire New Testament on handling money and, more specifically, on giving to God’s work. Money is an uncomfortable topic for many, maybe even you! I get it. There are all kinds of reasons it can be uncomfortable, but money is an important topic. Often, the desires of our hearts can be seen most clearly in our bank accounts. If the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, then it is important to understand what it looks like to steward all of God’s gifts well. Our passage on Sunday gives us a rooted and gospel-rich look how we ought to understand money.
January 22, 2023
This Sunday we will continue with 2 Corinthians 8:10-24. Chapter 8 begins with the all-of-life calling that we give ourselves first to the Lord. In this passage, Paul gave directions to the church in Corinth about how to handle money, and how money would be handled as Titus came to take the collection for the church in Jerusalem. It gives us important guidance on how we ought to Give God’s Way.
January 29, 2023
As we continue to look at our call to Dwell as An Enduring and Faithful Presence, we have heard the call to give ourselves first to the Lord, and seen what it looks like to give God’s way. This Sunday we continue with a call to give in abundance. The call in Scripture is not an exaction or some kind of church tax. God calls us to give out of what we have and to do so generously. A lot of our posture toward generosity – in time, talents, and treasure – comes down to our own mentality. On Sunday we will see the difference in outcomes if we operate from a scarcity mentality or from an abundance mentality.
February 5, 2023
This Sunday will continue with 2 Corinthians 9:11-15. As we continue to look at our call to Dwell as An Enduring and Faithful Presence, we have heard the call to give ourselves first to the Lord, and focused on the shaping influence of God’s grace on our own hearts as we think about resources that God has given us and how to best steward and invest them. This Sunday we continue with a call to Give to God’s Glory. Our giving has to flow from God’s work in our hearts and we can see the impact of our giving in the work God is doing. We get to join God in His work as we respond to grace and in that we get to see an increase of thanksgiving, worship, and prayer in others. So, this week we will look at the impact of giving to God’s glory.
February 12, 2023
This Sunday we closed out the Dwell series by studying Exodus 31:1-5. This series has worked to set our hearts and focus as a church on God’s call to us to Dwell in our city as An Enduring & Faithful Presence, investing our lives into the good of the city, trusting that in its good, we will find our own as well. We have looked particularly at investing ourselves financially into God’s work through the church. This week we will expand that view to see how God specifically gifts and calls us as individuals, equipping us with what we need to be part of His work for the sake of God’s glory.
February 4, 2024
One year ago, we started a journey together to pursue God’s call to us as a church to Dwell as An Enduring & Faithful Presence in DC. The Dwell initiative is really an extension of what we have always wanted to be about – joining God in His good work in our city and throughout the DMV. We are in the midst of a Midpoint Refresh of that journey.
FAQs
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Dwell: An Enduring & Faithful Presence is a generosity discipleship journey. Therefore, the first thing we’re asking you to do is open yourself up to the Lord’s work in you. This means asking God for grace to hear Him and grace to respond to His leading. Some practical ways to take this discipleship journey include:
Commit to attending all six weeks of the Dwell series.
Participate in a Community Group if you are not already in one.
Engage in personal reflection with God in the Dwell series book.
Talk with your friends, spouse, and family about what this commitment will mean for this next exciting season of your life.
We are also asking that you make a faith-stretching commitment to give generously, as the Lord leads you. Follow His leading. Finally, we ask that you prepare to be amazed! The Lord promises in His word to “increase the harvest of your righteousness” (2 Corinthians 9:10). We anticipate an unprecedented impact from our collective Dwell commitments – something only God can do. We’ll celebrate this for the next two years!
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We are asking that everyone make a two-year commitment. The fulfillment period will begin on Sunday, March 5, 2023 with our First Big Give, and it will culminate on March 2, 2025.
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During this two-year period, every contribution to Redemption Hill Church is a contribution to the Dwell initiative. You will not be asked to designate your giving to a particular fund. This “one fund” approach helps us see how all our mission is connected, and it allows us to celebrate the total generosity of Redemption Hill Church in a clear and unified way.
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Be creative as you’re exploring ways to give Dwell. We included gifts from stored resources in this initiative to encourage you to ask, “Am I honoring God with what He’s already given me?” You might have valuable assets that can be converted to cash in order to make a greater kingdom impact. You might have stocks, savings, property, or other assets. You also might have stored resources that God has blessed you with in the past that He just might be calling you to give out of during this time. If you need help facilitating gifts of property or stock, contact Kristy Riedel at bookkeeper@redemptionhilldc.org for transfer instructions or assistance making this type of gift.
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Dwell was designed for you to be able to participate right alongside those who are already giving. Dwell is a “one fund” generosity initiative, meaning that it’s different than a traditional capital campaign where you are called to give an extra gift above and beyond your normal giving, thus creating TWO STEPS for people who are not yet giving. By doing a “one fund” initiative, we’re saying that every dollar given to Redemption Hill Church over the next two years goes toward Dwell. That means you don’t need to already be a regular giver in order to participate and make a difference. If you’ve never given before, this is your chance to get in the game and join the work God is doing. We really hope you will.
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Dwell is about growing as disciples and fulfilling the mission of Jesus. There’s no prerequisite for participating. You can do that whether you’ve been here 10 years or 10 days. We would love for you to make Redemption Hill Church your home church and join us in Dwell. If you’re ready, this is a great way to put a stake in the ground and make this your church.
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If you are currently seeking to pay off debt, we commend you for that and encourage you to stick with it! If you need help getting on a budget and putting together a plan to get out of debt, we’d love to connect you with a Redemption Hill Church member who counsels people in this way. Please contact Pastor Eric McPherson for a referral or advice about next steps. We also encourage you to consider that paying off debt does not preclude giving to the Lord. Everything we have – including the resources we use to pay down debt – is a gift from Him. Giving while at the same time responsibly paying down debt can be a way to honor God for giving you everything you need, while trusting Him with your future.
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The New Testament gives examples of generosity from people who are not considered wealthy compared to others. Jesus teaches His disciples about generosity by showing them a widow who gives two coins (Luke 21:1-4). Paul teaches the Corinthians about generosity through the example of the poor and persecuted Macedonian church (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). Consider this: if you participate in Dwell according to whatever means God has given you, it could be the thing He uses to spark generosity in others! That’s how the kingdom of God works. And that’s the spirit of Dwell!
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Dwell is about your total, prioritized, gospel-driven generosity to God’s mission at Redemption Hill Church. We believe that God calls us to action in times of hardship just as much as He does in times of abundance, and that looks different for every person. Dwell is about a heart surrender - one that is only accomplished by seeking the Lord and responding to His call and His Word. We would love for 100% of us to be a part of Dwell so that we can all be supporting, loving, encouraging, and praying for one another through this spiritually stretching season at Redemption Hill. If you have questions or would like help thinking through your unique situation, reach out to one of our pastors, or our Treasurer, Rich Kang, at treasurer@redemptionhilldc.org.
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The truth is that none of us know exactly what our future will hold. That’s the beauty and challenge of taking steps of faith! Even if you’re not sure if you’ll be a part of Redemption Hill Church for the full span of the next two years, we invite you to still commit to generosity and be a part of this life-changing endeavor God has for our church in this season. If needed, you may modify your commitment at any time. But often, people have continued to support Redemption Hill Church even after they’ve left the area – as a ministry they continue to be a part of into the future. If you happen to move out of the area, we would love for that to be your story!
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For more information, visit dwell.redemptionhilldc.org.
If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to speak personally to any of our pastors or elders, or submit a question via email to elders@redemptionhilldc.org.