We have officially reached the end of our Book Club. We have spent the past 7 weeks reading and studying various women of the bible who found the courage necessary to fulfill their calling through a secure and blossoming relationship with God. Only through Him could they accomplish all the greatness He created them for. So, now that we are at the end, where do we go next? We can look to the women who grace the pages of the last two chapters of our book to show us the direction God want's us to take. Make more disciples & spread the Good News of His Word. We learn from Priscilla, featured in Acts, that to create more disciples, we must be willing to mentor them and show them God's way. Priscilla was on fire for God and she was creating disciples by mentoring the "younger" generation. They may not have been younger in years, but they were younger in faith. Because that society didn't have social media, tv, or even radio, all mentoring was done in-person, face-to-face. We, as a whole, spend so much time looking at our devices that we are missing wonderful opportunities to mentor our younger generation, encouraging them to become disciples for Christ. We can learn from her that through courage we, yes women of the world, can create disciples for Christ. But one of the things necessary to create and mentor disciples is a fire for the Lord. We must have such love and passion that no matter what the cost, we are willing to spread His word and give others the tools necessary to do the same. In our last chapter about Philip's four daughters, we learn from Grady that there are 4 reason's women aren't on fire for God.
Are you on fire for God after reading about these courageous women of the Bible? If not, what is holding you back? Are you scared about how society will look at you or are you just comfortable in your current life and want to avoid the feelings that come with being used by God? Whatever the reason, it's time to step outside your comfort zone and make disciples for Christ. Here's a little secret for you...you already took the first step by following along with this study and learning from women of the Bible. Let's have our final chat. 1. What keeps you from creating disciples for God? 2. Tell us about a spiritual mentor that you have had in your life. How did they make a difference in your life? Did they lead you to Christ or were you already a believer? 3. What barriers are keeping you from being on fire for God? 4. What is the most important thing you learned, a "take away," from this study?
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We all have a past. There are skeletons that we prefer stay locked up in our darkest closet. We have done things we'd rather the world not know about. But, there is One we can't hide our ugly places from: Jesus. He knows everything about us and loves us despite all our faults and sins. Jesus knows everything we have ever done and will ever do. He knows our true heart and soul. A perfect example of his love towards us, despite everything, is represented in the two women we are studying for our book club this week. The Samaritan Woman and Mary Magdalene both had pasts that they would probably have liked to forget, but Jesus loved them regardless of the decision they made. He loved them without question because He knew their heart and treasured forgiveness and love above all else. In Chapter 12 we are introduced to the Samaritan woman who had been married 5 times and in that culture, she was an outcast. The reason she was out in the middle of the day to gather water was to avoid the people that would ridicule her. What she never expected was to meet Jesus, a rabbi, since Jews did not come to that area. She especially didn't expect for Him to know about her 5 marriages, and live-in boyfriend, and chose to talk to her. This must have been a complete shock. Now, Mary Magdalene's story is a little more vague. Some say she was a prostitute which cannot be proven for sure, but what we do know is that she suffered from being afflicted by demons. In Luke chapter 8 we learned that she was cured of those demons after spending time with Jesus. What brought them on, we don't know, but Jesus healed her and loved her so much, that she was the first person to see Him once He resurrected. What both of these stories have in common is love and healing. Through Jesus' love for them, both of these women found a way to move forward, beyond what defined them in the past, and heal from all their bad choices and problems. What I loved from this week's reading is that Grady gives us a 4 step process to find healing, just like Mary and the Samaritan woman.
If we follow these steps we can find healing just like these women did. But more than healing, if we look towards Jesus and seek Him, we can find love, ever-lasting, unconditional love. There is no greater gift than that. Let's Chat... 1. Why was it so unusual for Jesus to go to Samaria and begin a conversation with a woman? What does this say to you about Jesus? 2. Is there a painful experience in your past that you have not had the courage to face? If you are feeling lead, please share your experience with us and what you have learned from it. 3. Mary Magdalene was an unlikely candidate to be a disciple of Jesus because of her past. Are there things about your past that still haunt you and cause you to think you are disqualified from being used by God? 4. Is there anything else that stood out to you from our chapters this week??? Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mary of Bethany. One is the perfect example of worship, while the other is the epitome of ultimate surrender. Both of our women this week have the same name, loved Jesus with all their hearts, and display certain qualities that are necessary for an intimate relationship with God. "But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.'" {Luke 1:30-31 NIV} Mary was a simple teenage girl engaged to the man she loved, until she was visited by an angel to announce that she would become the mother of the Messiah. I don't know about you, but if this happened to me I would have been arguing with God and questioning "why me?" But, God knew what He was doing and knew the heart of who He had picked because Mary went along with the plan and completely surrendered herself to His plan. Mary completely accepted her life the way God planned and lived it out fully, in His glory, to the end. Regardless of what was to come, she was willing to accept all that He was to offer. "This is the hallmark of a surrendered life. And it is a requirement for all women who want their lives to count for God. A surrendered heart is not an option for a true disciple. We must be willing to wave a white flag over our lives and let go. We must come to a place where we can say with Mary, 'May it be done to me according to Your word.'" {J. Lee Grady} Fulling accepting God's will for our lives is what a surrendered heart is all about. No matter what the outcome, trials, and tribulations, being completely open to all that He will bring before us is the ultimate surrender. Mary was willing...Are you? Now, as for our other Mary this week... She was one of Jesus' closest friends and shows us how to truly worship. When we feel overwhelmed with everything that needs to get done in our lives, we can take a minute and find the perfect example of truly showing our love for God in Mary of Bethany. In the Bible we learn about Mary's willingness to forego everything that needed to be done to sit at the feet of Jesus when He arrives and listen with an open heart. Most know the story of Mary and how her sister, Martha, got upset because she was running around making preparations for Jesus when all Mary was doing was sitting listening to Him. "'Martha, Martha.' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'" {Luke 10: 41-42 NIV} Mary has chosen what is better... No matter what was going on in her life at that time, Mary chose to worship. Even when her brother, Lazarus, died she worshiped Jesus despite the fact that He could have healed Lazarus and didn't. It's hard to relate to Mary at times because our troubles seem overwhelming, but we can learn a very important lesson from her...No matter what goes on in life, we must press into Him and there we will always find our strength. We need to make sure we are choosing what is better. Let's Chat... 1. Different denominations have different views of Mary, mother of Jesus. What is your view of Mary? 2. Why is it so significant that Mary of Bethany sat at Jesus' feet and listened to His word? Why was this revolutionary? 3. How can we become more like the Marys we are studying this week? In what ways can we give ourselves over to surrender and worship more without feelings of fear and guilt? |
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