Womens Bible Cafe™ |
| Experiencing God Online Bible Study | Week 11 Posted: 07 Jun 2015 10:03 PM PDT
Our daily lessons this week included the following topics: Last week we spoke about what it means to be part of the Body of Christ. We talked about our relationship with other believers, primarily within our local church and our local communities. God brought you into a relationship with Himself. He then added you to a local body of believers – your local church. That church is hopefully an active member of the body of Christ in your local community. This week we expand that thought to talk about our relationship to believers, and not-yet-believers, around the world. Blackaby says "The Spirit who bonds you to other believers in a local church also connects you to all believers around the world. God's people from every local body of Christ are part of God's kingdom. Christians are kingdom people, and Christ Himself is the eternal King over His Kingdom" (p. 226). As Christ followers we are to be missionaries to the world. We become involved in God's mission to reconcile a lost world to Himself. To be in relationship with Jesus Christ means we are on a mission with Him and for Him. As John 20:21 says "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Our memory verse for this week is 1 John 1:7 – "If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His son, purifies us from all sin." Here God tells us that as Christians in fellowship with Him, we walk in the light and are can no longer walk in darkness. Furthermore, as Christians who profess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are purified from our sins by the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross. So what does that have to do with Kingdom living? It means that all of us who have received this gift are in this together! By accepting this gift from God, we become part of the kingdom and have been entrusted with the responsibility to share the message of Jesus Christ with the world. Pretty cool, huh? Of course, as you have learned, accepting this assignment will require some adjustments on your part! God will involve you in His work – wherever that may be. The first adjustment we are all called to make is to be in fellowship with other believers. As Blackaby says "You cannot be in true fellowship with God and out of fellowship with other believers" (p. 229). He uses the word koinonia to describe the "fullest possible partnership and fellowship with God and with other believers." In order to experience koinonia within the kingdom of God we must first experience it with God and with other individual believers. This is the essence of Kingdom Living. Taking this a step further, our local churches are called to be in koinonia with other churches across denominations, both locally and worldwide. It is all about stepping outside our boundaries to live for our God. This week's lesson takes us through the Essentials of Koinonia in Days 4 and 5. First we are asked to look at our personal relationship with God because that is the "basic element of salvation and eternal life" (p. 239). As Blackaby says "Koinonia with God is an experience of His presence." Without that, there just isn't much else! Second, we are challenged to make our koinonia with God real and personal. Blackaby says "Koinonia is threatened when you allow anyone or anything to make you a spectator rather than an active participant in relationship to God. You must encounter God firsthand or you will become passive and apathetic. If you do not continually encounter God firsthand, your fellowship with God will grow cold. You will quit caring about God's concern for His church, His Kingdom, and the lost world" (p. 243). Conversely, when you are an active participant you cannot help but care deeply about His Kingdom and the lost world. You cannot help but want to take action. Christianity is not a spectator sport, ladies. Are you ready to get off the bench and in the game? Are you ready to be a team player for the Kingdom of God? YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK: BIBLE STUDY TIP FOR THE WEEK:This week let's take a close look at our roles as Kingdom People. Think about where you experience koinonia and where you don't. First, revisit one of the questions you were asked last week – what does your relationship with your local church look like? Is it a place where you experience koinonia with other believers? Does your local church promote the koinonia you are called to have with God? Yes, this is a personal relationship between us and God. That relationship is not the responsibility of our local church; per se. Yet the right local church can have such a tremendous impact on our personal relationship with God! And the wrong local church can be detrimental. So think about that and whether or not you have a local church that is the right fit for you and your family. If you do, what can you do to grow that koinonia? If you don't, what are you going to do about that? What sort of relationship does your church have with other local churches? With other churches of the same denomination? With churches of different denominations? Challenge yourself to be part of promoting koinonia between your church and others. How can you do that? What does it look like? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK (answer in your small group or post your answers here)
See you next week – for the last time! What a wonderful ride this has been… Blessings, |
| Conversation Peace Online Bible Study | Introduction Week Posted: 07 Jun 2015 08:18 PM PDT
It’s not too late to register and join us in the Conversation Peace online Bible study! Click to join: Conversation Peace Sign Up Over the next six weeks we’ll discover how to use the word of God to transform our speech from the inside out. We will identify areas that our speech needs transformed and actively engage in the steps to make the change. God has a purpose and a use for our speech, and with His help we will began using our words to uplift, encourage, speak love and life to others every time we open our mouths. Are you as excited as I am? Since I have the gift of gab naturally, I am of course always ready to start or engage in conversation. It doesn’t matter whom I’m with or where we meet, I love talking with others. But can you imagine with me just for a moment how wonderful our speech can be when we use it for God’s glory? I can imagine each of us speaking life into a person who has given up hope, encouraging our children to accomplish their dreams, supporting our spouses with loving words, uplifting co workers who are struggling with life issues. The list is endless and God is ready for us to get started! I cannot wait to journey through this study with you! I know that God is going to bless us in a mighty way. Hold on tight! YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK:
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK: (You can answer in your small group or post a comment here on the website if you do not have a Facebook account)
Praying for you,
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