Maadi Women's Bible Study

1. As you look at these 7 churches and their struggles where do you see that you share some of these faulty ideas and similar struggles.
2. In ch. 4 The heavenly liturgy calls God the “ruler of everything,” and emphasizes God’s glory, honor, and power. How is this vision of God similar to the way you most often think about God, how is it different? What effect does this vision have on you? Why?

Questions

1. What is something that stood out to you that you were not aware of before?

2. How could this awesome (in literal sense of inspiring awe and terror) picture of Jesus be an encouragement to the 7 Churches suffering at that time?

Questions

1. What is your knowledge, background or initial thoughts concerning the book of Revelation?
2. Read 1:6. What do you think this means? What other Bible texts inform your thinking about this verse?
3. What verses in ch. 1 are portraying the authority and power and overall rule and domain of Jesus. When you read these what feelings do they inspire in you?

Questions

1. In what ways can you see that Ruth rejected or resisted the philosophy of caution?
2. What have you learned from Ruth’s bold example that you could apply in your life?
3. Why do you think years (hundreds) later the genealogy was added to this story? What feelings do you have about the ending of the book? Satisfying…still wanting answers…too good to be true…

Questions

1. What do you think are differences between why Naomi’s apparently self concocted solution to her situation (Ruth to present herself to Boaz at the threshing floor) was blessed by God and positively furthered his story while Abraham and Sara’s self concocted plan to further their family line through Hagar was NOT?

2. How does Ruth and Boaz’s generous interpretation of the law

foreshadow Jesus’ teaching of the Beatitudes?

3. In what ways does this kind of rule breaking help you imagine the endless possibilities to the greatest command to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself”?

Questions

1. Can you recall a time of emerging from a deep spiritual darkness? Was it a sudden awareness or gradual? To whom and how did you express that you saw that God was still at work?
2. What do you think are some of the lessons we are intended to learn from this story? Does aspects of the story make you uncomfortable? Why or why not?
3. What are areas of my life where I need to be bolder, more of a risk taker?

Questions

1. What made Ruth’s decision (1:16-17) so radical? 

2.   Read Ps. 13 where is hesed present and how does it change David’s perspective?

3.   Describe a time in your own life that spoke God’s hesed for you.

Questions

1. “I shall look at the world through tears.Perhaps I shall see things that dry- eyed I could not see.” Share about something you have been able to see through tears that you couldn’t or didn’t see dry-eyed.
2. Describe a time in your life where you shared Naomi’s view of God?
3. Did you feel encouraged or discouraged by those around you when you were wrestling with God’s goodness or apparent lack there of?
4. As a friend of a struggler, what is your worry or fear when being engaged in these hard conversations? What can we consider and do to be better support to the strugglers?

Questions

1. In what ways has patriarchy touched and influenced your life and your thinking?
2. How does viewing the book of Ruth as the story of Naomi, a female Job, contrast with how you previously viewed the story or heard it taught?
3. Why do you think the subject of God inevitably come up when we are going through difficult circumstances or experiencing loss?
4. How do your own struggles and losses shape your view of God? 

List All the Feasts in the Book

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Peripety: a sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances 

Questions:

How has studying the book of Esther challenged your understanding of God and how he works in the world?  Can you point to where in your life he has worked for your good through his providence?