Maadi Women's Bible Study

"I Was a Wandering Aramean" taught by Dr. Elisabeth Kennedy

Questions

1. What are rituals or actions you do to practice thankfulness in your life? How have they made a difference?
2. Do you have some uncharted territory ahead in your life? What part of your past story with the Lord can give you courage you as you move forward?
3. What keeps you from recognizing answered prayers and fulfilled promises when they happen? How can you start noticing them more?
4. What harvest fruits do you see in the lives of the women around you? Take some time to point them out and give thanks.

Divine Fury Divine Grace

j. Questions

 

1. Can you share about a time where you recognized God’s grace even in the midst of discipline?
2. We talked about suffering being a real eye opener for the Israelites. When is a time in your life that God used a difficult situation or a time of suffering that caused you to open your eyes and see something new about him or something significant that he wanted to do in you?
3. 29:29 says that there are some things God has chosen NOT to reveal to us. We talked about a Deuteronomy 29:29 folder where we file some of our painful whys. Is there a “Why” that you are struggling with that we can join you in praying over to release and trust the Father?

Deuteronomy 11

1.     Who is someone you have known who has taught you with their whole life, not only their words? How has your life changed because of them?

2.     What is an aspect in your life that you tend to partition off from the public version of your faith?

Some possible examples:

-       Histories: mistakes, wounds, disappointments with God and others

-       Relationship dynamics: revealing to others only strength or only vulnerability

-       Locations: places that are mundane, contexts that limit us

-       Competencies: things we do that we do not consider valuable

-       Ideas: doubts, questions, challenges

-       Body: parts of our physical, sensory experience

-       Emotions: feelings that we believe are not acceptable

3.     What can you do to bring all of yourself and your whole story with God into the story you share with others?

4.     How can we encourage one another in trying to bring our whole selves and our entire stories into our teaching of the next generation?

God's Character Revealed in His Law

Questions ch. 19-22

 

1. Can you think of a specific time when you were deterred from bad behavior because you had observed someone else being punished?

 

2. As you look at these laws in detail do you find God harsher than you expected or more gracious than you expected?

 

3. As you look at this collection of laws where can you see points of personal application or connection in terms of God’s mercy or holiness?

God Loves a Party

1. “What we celebrate identifies what we value.” In your family life what do you most celebrate and how does it reflect what you as a family value?

 

2. Passover is the story of the children of Israel seeking freedom from bondage and finding it in the Promised Land. The freedom God was offering was not simply physical freedom, but deep, true spiritual freedom. The Israelites walked away from Egypt in a day but not their deep bondage, that took many years. Where is bondage still present in your life? What would freedom look like to you?

 

3. The Feast of Weeks (Harvest) was a free will offering, as in the amount that you offered to God was up to the individual but the idea of “bringing your best” to God was commanded. How might you apply this idea of bringing your best to God (A- game) be applied in your everyday life and routine?

The Year of the Lord's Release

Notes The Year of the Lord’s Release

 

Prov 11:24 (MSG) The world of the generous gets larger and larger. The world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.

 

John 20:22-23 (MSG) Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive someone’s sins, they are gone for good. If you don’t forgive them, what are you going to do with them?”

 

Colossians 3: 12-14 (NIV) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 

Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG): “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

 

“It is a habit of yours to walk slowly. You hold a grudge for years. With such heaviness how can you be modest? With such attachments, do you expect to arrive anywhere?” Rumi

1. Is there a person or thing or way of thinking (comfortable rut) or being that you need to release?  How can a new rhythm help you have the faith to let them go? 

2. How can you exercise generosity in a new way? How can you stretch

    yourself? 

3. Do you have a rhythm or ritual of trusting God that brings joy? How can 

    you establish one? 

The Curse of the Good Life

Notes 

Remembrance Pattern

1. Remember the Relationship! I am YOUR God and you are MY people.

 

2. Remember the Rescue! By my right hand and mighty arm I brought you out of Egypt and through the desert. I fought King Og and King Sihon 

 

3. Remember the Revelation! I have spoken to you, written to you, showed my mighty power to you!

 

4. Remember to Recognize Me and Rejoice! God declares “I am the source and your provision in hard times; I will be your source and provision in the good times.”

 

5. Remember your Rebellion!

Questions

1.Self Confidence is a good and necessary trait to accomplish things but what do you think takes place internally that causes one to move from healthy self confidence to arrogance? How can you combat this thinking?

 

2. God specifies in exquisite detail how Israel was to worship Him in their thinking, their actions (eating, journeying…) and with their resources (tithing, sacrifices…) How can we practice the principles of right worship without slipping into legalism?

 

3. Often when we think about communal “right worship”(church service) we think in terms of what goes on upfront…song leader, song choice, style etc…What role do you think the congregation plays in practicing “right worship”

On the Threshold of Good Things

1. Review the cycle of experience described here: discipline in the desert followed by fruitfulness in the Promised Land, then complacency. Are you somewhere on this spectrum right now?

 

2. In ch. 7:21-22 Moses points out that Israel will not conquer the land in one decisive act, but will drive them out over time per God’s plan. Have you experienced a victory that you can recall was a process rather than a once and for all victory? How did you understand a it while in process? How do you see it in hindsight?

 

3. “You shall remember all the way which the LYG has led you in the wilderness…” How can you incorporate ‘remembering’ into your worship? How could it benefit you?

Hear Oh Israel! Elisabeth Kennedy teaching

Questions:

 

1. What are emotions and feelings you wish for in your walk with God? Are these emotions a helpful goal?

 

2. What does the Christian tradition you are a part of emphasize most: feelings, behaviors, or beliefs? Where do you think you need to be challenged most?

 

3. When have you felt most centered or whole in recent years? Reflect on that experience in light of the Greatest Commandment.

 

4. Share something that is currently pulling you away from your center, the one Lord who loves you and saves you. Pray for one another to be able to draw all things in your lives toward their true center.

Deuteronomy 4-5

Discussion Questions

God’s call for obedience is nestled snuggly in a relational context he is not asking for cold indifferent obedience!
Obedience is an expression of love.”

1. Can you recall an example in your life where you chose obedience, clearly as an expression of love for God? (na’aseh v’nishma we will do and we will understand)

2. Did you have a clear sense of His blessing afterwards?

3. What role does the Holy Spirit play in your obedience?

4. What are actions you can do in your life to “keep your soul diligently..”

   4:9