Maadi Women's Bible Study

5. Genesis The Rest of the Story (ch.16 Hagar Monologue)

Notes and Questions

A. Geneology 11:26-32

     B. Test for Abram 12:1-9

          C. Abe sojourns in Egypt and passes Sarai off as sister 12:10-20

                D. Abram and Lot incident 13:1-14

                      E. Covenant 15

                            X Hagar and Ishmael

                       E. Covenant 17

                 D. Abram and Lot 18-19

             C. Abram sojourns Gerar passes Sarai off as sister 20:2

         B.  Test for Abram

A. Geneology 22:20-24

 

If you were to rename certain locations based on your testimony of God’s faithful work, which places would you focus on? 

What names might you give them? Share or write down one of those meaningful stories of God’s faithfulness.

 

 

4. Genesis The Rest of the Story (ch.15-17)

Questions

1. What are you waiting on God for? What could it look like for you to wait patiently and with expectant hope in God’s faithfulness?

2. Examine your social circle. How much diversity is present in your community? How can you go about working on being more open to different/odd/uncomfortable relationships? Keep in mind it isn’t a project you do on the side for a short time but it is the goal of what it looks like to be the family of God.

3. Genesis The Rest of the Story (ch.13-14)

Questions

1. What questions or fears arise when you ponder that understanding the Bible may not be as plain and simple and literal as you might have once thought?
2. Share a thought that was new to you or stood out to you as important?
3. We often talk about our "testimony" or our "witness" but what if we shifted our language of outward responsibility to reflect more of how it is worded in Genesis 1-2,  as a mandate to image God as priest and king? What difference does this make in how you understand what God wants from you? 

2. Genesis The Rest of the Story (ch.12. The Call of Abraham)

Notes and Questions

My apologies for not doing a great job at repeating what different ladies identified as patterns. The first one about Rebellion Language was in reference to Pharaoh seeing Sarai was beautiful and taking for himself and acting upon it by making her his wife. 

1. In what ways can you describe how your family, culture, and nationality has shaped your identity? How has living in a cross- cultural environment shown you things about your identity that you would not have otherwise seen?

2. Do you think it would be easier or harder to geographically “leave” your old identity (country, culture, community) as Abraham did vs. what we are called to do which is non spatial (eg. Emotional, behavioral) separation.

3. How does looking at Abraham’s mistakes and struggles encourage you in your journey?

4. “Blessed to be a Blessing” Have you ever experienced this in your life or ministry, that seeking to bless rather than “convert” provided a greater opportunity to share the gospel?

1. Genesis 12-40 The Rest of the Story (Intro)

Notes and Questions

1. Take a few minutes and look at your own life as a narrative arc. Sketch out some of your meta narrative (joys and pains, ) can you see God’s faithfulness as the red thread connecting it all together? Sometimes it’s hard to see what it all means, but this “evil turned to good” theme will start to sink in and give you hope that even your own failures will not get the last word in God’s story for you.” 

10. Colossians Pushing Back and Pushing Forward (ch.3:18-4:1)

Questions

Colossians 3:18-4:1

1. What are some examples of the negative connotations associated with the word “submit”?

2. Because of these negative connotations on a societal level, it’s easy to feel uncomfortable using the word “submit,” even though it’s a biblical word. But rather than swap out the word for something else, I think the best way to recover the concept is with faithful practice, coupled with helpful synonyms. Now, imagine for a moment that you’re talking to a non-Christian friend, and your friend says, “Hey, I’m interested in Christianity. But this whole “wives submit” bit is ridiculous. I don’t get it.”

How would you explain the meaning to your friend? What kind of stories or illustrations might you use? What examples might you use from your own marriage?

3. A main idea in the book of Colossians is the superiority and preeminence of Jesus. The book teaches that only when Jesus is supreme over the details of everyday life and relationships that they are transformed from burdens to gifts, from drudgery to freedom. Apart from Jesus, the temptation in every relational context is make it about “me.”

Why do you think making every relational context about yourself ultimately becomes a burden?

How does reconnecting the details of our relationships to the supremacy of Jesus infuse them with meaning? What difference does it make? Why do you think such reconnecting is so important?

9. Colossians Pushing Back and Pushing Forward (ch.3:1-17)

Colossians 3:1-17

Questions

1. Luke 12:34 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What is a heart tie or treasure that you struggle to release and get a heavenly perspective on?
2. Discuss the struggle and challenges of dealing with your own failure and the failure of others to fully live into our new identity. How do we pursue something and yet graciously love and forgive and accept the weakness and frailty of our own living and those around us?
3. Looking closely at verse 11, it seems like an odd inclusion at this point  yet obviously relevant to the time and situation of the church at Colossia. Is it relevant to our times? How does our constant thinking of heaven and our new identity help us with judgmental thoughts about people of other races or socio economic status?

8. Colossians Pushing Back and Pushing Forward (ch.2:16-2

Notes and Discussion Questions

Read Acts 15:1-29, Mark 7:1-23  

What stays? What goes?  Why?

Questions:

1. What is so attractive about rule-keeping? Why do you think it's so ingrained in us?

2. Read Matthew 5:17-19.  How did Jesus understand His relationship to the law?

3. What aspects of legalism do you think you have been prone to in your Christian life? What truth about how God relates to us has helped you resist the pull of legalism?

7.Colossians Pushing Back and Pushing Forward (ch.2:1-16)

Lets begin by taking a few minutes and look at the passage on your own.

- circle repeated words, phrases

- underline key words or ideas that you feel the writer is calling 

emphasis to.

- take notice of grammar and tense that is being used

Questions

1. How do you reconcile or work out your responsibility or role in what God is saying is his responsibility?
2. It was highlighted that the work of Christ on the cross plays out or applies at 3 levels personal salvation, corporate (the body) debt forgiveness, and victory in the cosmic realm over the forces of evil. Which one do you tend to think of most often? How are all three levels connected?

3.   Give some examples of philosophies and current trends of thought

      that are likely influenced by elementary spiritual forces.

6. Colossians Pushing Back and Pushing Forward (ch.1:24 Filling Up What is Lacking)

Pre- lesson Question

As you look back at your “come to Jesus story” how significant was the suffering that Jesus endured, to your story and understanding?

1. Do you think you have ever suffered in some capacity (physically, emotionally, relationally) because of your relationship with Christ?
2. What do your prayers say about your truest thoughts on suffering and trails?
3. Do you think all suffering counts as redemptive?