Monday, April 20, 2015

Womens Bible Cafe™

Womens Bible Cafe™

Anonymous Online Bible Study | Week 4

Posted: 19 Apr 2015 11:33 PM PDT

anonymous week 4Online Bible study is a great way to connect, study and grow! We just finished week four in the workbook “Anonymous: Discovering the Somebody You Are to God,” by Cindi Wood. Please join us in our Facebook group for small group discussions this week. We’ll be discussing the Samaritan woman at the well from John 4:3-26 . Cindi Wood has named her“Ordinary” and this week we learn about our extraordinary identity in Christ.

Our memory verse for the week Psalm 139:14 says “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” How often do we see our ordinary selves absent of His great work? How often are we comparing our appearances, skills, accomplishments and dreams against other women? To be ordinary is to compare, yet to be extraordinary is to recognize Christ in you. 

Cindi Wood clarifies, ” Ordinary is not good or bad, positive or negative; it is simply ordinary. God longs to draw us deeper into His love and create extraordinary out of our ordinary.”

You are significant because of Christ. An identity absent of Him is a false identity.

My prayer is for you to draw closer to the Image Maker, as you find your identity in Christ. Come thirsty and let Him fill your heart. Worship Him with your love and invest time with Him daily. Surrender your ordinary to His extraordinary.

ASSIGNMENT FOR THIS WEEK

  • Join a small group this week
  • Read WEEK FIVE in your book. You’ll read one lesson per day, each lesson is about 20 minutes.
  • Optional due to cost: AFTER you finish the reading assignment, watch video session five  available from Amazon or the publisher website.
  • Register for Conversation Peace online Bible study- starts May 18- when you click here

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK

  1. Have you ever had a personal experience of divine encounter in your life? Describe it (Day 1, page 107)
  2. How do you typically view yourself:  1= I detest who I am, 3= I’m okay with myself, or 5= I’m in awe of God’s work. (Day 1, page 108)
  3. Have you ever pleaded with God to give you His answer? If so, how did you feel in the moment? (Day 3, page 121)
  4. On Day four we learned about “Conversing with Jesus.” Do you imagine yourself in conversation with Him? What is your biggest barrier to an intimate relationship with Him? (Day 4, page 137)
  5. Why do you think Christians feel ordinary when the extraordinary God lives inside them? (Day 5, page 133)

With Love,

christine abraham

How to Study Your Bible Online Inductive Bible Study | Week 4

Posted: 19 Apr 2015 09:38 PM PDT

How to study

Welcome to Week 4 of our online Inductive Bible study at the Women's Bible Café How to Study Your Bible. We are having an awesome time in our group chat sharing what God is teaching us on how to interpret His Holy Word to discover what it means, and how we can apply His Word to our daily lives.

This week we are going to dive deeper into our study by learning how to use an Exhaustive Concordance to study the original languages of the Old and New Testaments. We will also learn how to cross-reference Scripture to study all the places in the Bible on a certain subject (Let Scripture interpret Scripture). Our daily reading lessons this week includes:

  • Chapter 5: It’s all Greek to Me!
  • Chapter 6: Let Scripture Interpret Scripture
  • Appendix D: How to Use Word Study Tools

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) and was later translated in English and other languages. In order to gain greater clarification and insight on the meaning of some of the Greek and Hebrew words in Scripture, we need to do “word studies,” which is a major process of Inductive Bible study.

Kay Arthur writes:

“The purpose for doing word studies is to understand the meaning of a word or words in the contest you are studying.”

“Understanding the Greek verb can be an important key to a correct interpretation and application of Scripture. Remember, however, context is the most important key to correct interpretation and application, since the Greek words get their meaning from the context. Context is king!

ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK:

  • Remember to always begin your Bible study by praying and asking the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth and to open your mind and heart for understanding.
  • Read Chapters 5 and 6 in How to Study Your Bible.
  • Read Appendix D: How to Use Word Study Tools.
  • Continue your observations on the Book of Colossians. Instructions are posted in the Inductive Studies chat room.
  • Practice doing a word study by looking up the Greek word translated “manifested” in Colossians 1:26. You can look this up in an Exhaustive Concordance (see Appendix D) or by using the online resources at http://www.blueletterbible.org/ Step by step instructions for using this online tool are posted in the Inductive Studies chat room. Write your findings in the margin of your Colossians Observations Worksheet.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK (answer in your small group or post your answers here):

  1. When studying a letter, how do you discover the author’s purpose for writing?
  2. What is the purpose of word studies and how are they helpful?
  3. What is the most significant thing you have learned so far about Inductive Bible study that has already impacted your Bible study in a new and exciting light?

Blessings,

Sheree Poole

Experiencing God Online Bible Study | Week 4

Posted: 19 Apr 2015 05:11 PM PDT

Week 4 Experiencing GodWelcome back to women’s online Bible study at Women's Bible Café! This week we will be discussing Unit Four of Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby entitled "Love and God's Invitation." Our lessons this week took us into a deeper understanding of what it means to love God and be loved by Him. Great concepts but very intense and very powerful if we let them be.

Our daily lessons this week included:

  • Know God
  • Worship God
  • Love God
  • God Invites You to Join Him
  • Knowing Where God Is At Work

These concepts sure are building on one another each week, aren't they? On the surface, it seems like the lessons are repeating themselves…because they are…but each week is taking us deeper.

Our memory verse for this week is John 14:21 "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." This verse summarizes what loving God and being loved by Him looks like.

There is such a difference between knowing ABOUT God and actually KNOWING God for ourselves. That difference is huge. Consider the difference between hearing someone describe a sunset and seeing one for ourselves – is there any comparison? Of course not! We have to experience the sunset for ourselves to really comprehend it. Likewise, we can only know so much about God from listening to others. When we experience Him for ourselves we get to know Him for ourselves. We get to know Him when we spend time with Him in prayer or in worship. We get to know Him when we join Him in whatever He is doing around us. We get to know God when we obey Him. We get to know God when we love Him. Do you know God for yourself, or are you depending on the experiences of others? Don't be afraid to jump in and have your own personal love relationship with the one who made you!

YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK:

  • Join a small group for study and fellowship.
  • Complete Week 5 in your Experiencing God workbook.
  • Optional: Watch the Session 5 video or listen to the audio.
  • Record your thoughts in your spiritual journal.

BIBLE STUDY TIP FOR THE WEEK:
Have you thought about how you can use your Bible study time to get to know God? How can you experience Him in a deeper way as you complete the lessons? The answer has nothing to do with the questions. It has to do with prayer. Are you taking the time to pray each day before you start your lesson? If not, try it today and see what a difference it can make! Start your lesson by going to God in prayer to ask Him to send his Spirit to help you focus your attention on the day's lesson and to bind all distractions that may try to interfere with your Bible study time. Ask Him to guide you to what He would have you learn each day, to the lesson He has in these pages that is just for you. Ask Him to teach you and to reveal more of Himself to you each day. Prayer changes things, including the way we look at Scripture and our Bible study lessons. Use it and see what a difference a little prayer can make! You will be glad you did.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK (answer in your small group or post your answers here):

1. Describe an event through which you know you experienced God at work in your life. What name could you use to describe the God you experienced? (pg. 71-72)
2. Day Two's lesson asks you to spend time in worship. If you did this exercise, tell us about your experience. (pg. 74)
3. How can you demonstrate your love for God? (p. 75)
4. How can you recognize God's activity around you? What two factors are most important and why? (p. 80)
5. "What God initiates, He always completes." Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not? (p. 86)

I hope that this week's lessons have challenged you to really get to know God in new and different ways. I pray that you have been able to keep up with the lessons in the midst of your hectic schedules. If you are behind, do not despair! Make a plan to get caught up – and do it. It is worth the effort!

See you next week!

Blessings,
Carla
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