Womens Bible Cafe™

How to Study Your Bible Online Inductive Bible Study | Week 8

Posted: 17 May 2015 08:25 PM PDT

Welcome back to our online Inductive Bible study at the Women's Bible Café. Beginning this week and through the remainder of our study time together, we will look at the last component part of Inductive Bible study…Application.

Application answers the questions:

How does the meaning of this passage apply to me?

What truths am I to embrace, believe, or order my life by?

What changes should I make in my belief, in my life?

Not only must we be hearers of the Word, we must also be doers of the Word. This is why application is the most important component of Inductive Bible study or else our Bible study has been in vain.

Kay Arthur writes:

“No matter how much you know about God’s Word, if you don’t apply what you learn, Scripture will never benefit your life.”

This week we will also learn how to analyze a long passage of Scripture by outlining the main important facts. When I was in high school and college, I recall outlining my history lessons to prepare for an exam. Outlining the chapters helped me to focus on the main important facts so I could recall those facts once I took the exam. Likewise, outlining the Chapters in a book of the Bible is a visual method to help you identify and organize the main points of Scripture.

Our daily reading lessons this week includes:

Chapter 13: The Transformed Life
Chapter 14: Outlining–Just the Bare Facts
Colossians

ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK:

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 His Holy Word.
Read Chapters 13 and 14 in How to Study Your Bible.
Review and outline Colossians in a notebook or journal.

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

Review your observations of Colossians and answer the following questions:

Why was there a need for Paul to write to the believers in Colossae? In other words, what is the author's purpose in writing?
What were the warnings about in Colossians? Where were they primarily in the letter? Do any of these warnings apply to us today? How so?
What does it mean to be complete in Christ? (Colossians 1:28)
What did you learn about Christians bearing fruit?
How has God spoken to you through your study of Colossians?

Blessings,

Experiencing God Online Bible Study | Week 8

Posted: 17 May 2015 08:24 PM PDT

Welcome back to online Bible study at Women's Bible Café! This week we are discussing Unit 8 of Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby – "Adjusting Your Life to God.” This topic is both fascinating and scary, isn't it?!

Our daily lessons this week included the following topics:
– Adjustments are Necessary
– Kinds of Adjustments
– Obedience is Costly, Part I
– Obedience is Costly, Part II
– Total Dependence on God

It is one thing to think that we want to be obedient to God and another to actually do it. Obedience has a price and that price is adjustment of our lives to accommodate what God wants to do through us. That sounds exciting – and often it is – but obedience can also be costly and painful. The adjustments God asks us to make in order to follow Him in obedience may be painful to us and to others around us. So how do we prepare ourselves for that?

Our memory verse for the week gives us a clue:
"Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33

Well, that sounds just great doesn't it? Give up EVERYTHING??? As in all of it, every little bit? Yes. Potentially, everything.

Adjustments prepare us for obedience. They put us in a position to obey the Lord. Adjusting one's life to God is well worth the cost. (p. 156-157) As Reality Six says "You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing." It is tempting to think that God won't ask ME to make major adjustments… but Scripture tells us that He can and He will – so be prepared!

God is likely to ask you to make adjustments in one or more of these areas:
– Circumstances
– Relationships
– Thinking
– Commitments
– Actions
– Beliefs
The adjustment will come at the point of acting on your faith. (p. 160) God is not looking for ways to make your life difficult. He just wants to be Lord of your life! Any adjustment God expects you to make is for your good. (p. 161)

Adjustment and obedience come at a price. God can interrupt our plans anytime He wants. We want Him to affirm our plans but in fact He may do just the opposite. Our obedience may come at a cost not only to us personally, but to those around us. Those around you may have to pay a price for your obedience. We see many examples of this in Scripture. We also see that God is faithful not only to us but to those around us – we can trust Him!

Finally, we see that obedience requires us to totally depend on God. A major adjustment we must make in order to know and do the will of God is to come to a point of total dependence on God to complete what He wants to do through us. That means giving up our dependence on ourselves and our abilities, our gifts, our talents, our resources, our experiences and depending only on Him. That's a tall order. It's a huge adjustment that is never easy to make. But it can be done!

YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK:
1) Join a small group for study and fellowship.
2) Complete Week 9 in your Experiencing God workbook.
3) Optional: Watch the Session 9 video or listen to the audio.
4) Record your thoughts in your spiritual journal.
5) Pray and ask God how He wants you to adjust your life.

BIBLE STUDY TIP FOR THE WEEK:

The second half of this study is nothing short of INTENSE! This is where we have to start to apply what we learned in the first half of the course and begin to actually do something.

The purpose of this study is to change your life so that you EXPERIENCE GOD in a major way. This will not happen without serious thought and prayer. Your life will not change because you read a book – it will only change because you take to heart what you have read, make the decision to invite God into your life and allow Him to go to work on you.

Allow time during the remainder of this study for some major reflection and time alone with God. Let Him speak to you – and listen. Ask Him to stretch you in ways that you never imagined. He will. Then get prepared to make some major adjustments in your life as you respond to Him.

This is not simple or easy. It is not likely to happen overnight. But it will happen and it will be worth it.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK (answer in your small group or post your answers here):
1) Have you come to a place in your life where you are willing to yield everything to God in order to follow Him? (p. 157)
2) Describe at least one adjustment you have made in your thinking as you have studied this course. (p. 161)
3) Why do you think a cost is often required to follow Christ? Have you ever had an experience in which your adjustment or obedience to God was costly? If so briefly describe that experience and the cost you had to pay. (p. 166)
4) Can you recall an experience when your family had to pay a high price for you to do God's will? If so, briefly describe the experience. Can you recall a time then you chose not to obey God because of the high cost to those around you? (p. 169)
5) One a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate the intimacy and quality of your walk with God? What, if any, adjustments do you think God wants you to make to renew a consistent, right relationship with Him? (p. 175)

These questions may require some thought and preparation. Pray over your answers and ask God to grow your faith in what He can accomplish through you. Ask Him how He wants you to adjust your life to Him. Then be prepared to do it!

See you next week!

Blessings,

femaleInside

Monday, May 18, 2015

Womens Bible Cafe™

Womens Bible Cafe™