FAITH SISTERS BIBLE STUDY NOTES She Ignites Mission Minded Fall 2016 Week One Notes by Sanri Honiball It is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission God s mission. - Christopher Wright 1) We ultimately all have completely different understandings of what it means to be mission minded. See Matthew 28:16-20; Mathew 24:14; Mark 16:15 What thoughts come to mind when you hear the words mission minded? 2) When defining Mission Minded one can say that it s the work of the church in the world today. The focus of the mission being on evangelism, discipleship, societal reform and social action in the communities and greater world that we live in. Being part of a Mission-Minded church means we have true hope for everyone. See Ephesians 4:11-16 Share some stories from your own personal experience that includes your individual or that of a group s involvement in any of the above mentioned activities. How important do you feel is it for everyone to be mission minded? 3) In today s day and age, we as the church need to have a renewed sense of urgency for Jesus call to go out, reach people, to share the word and make disciples. A sense of responsibility to reach the unreached and to engage with the unengaged is crucial to fulfilling our call as Christians. Matthew 9: 37-38 NLT: He said to his disciples, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. What are some areas you can commit to or work on, so that you can be part of a church that is missionminded? How can you better reach people for Jesus and be committed to becoming the change in our communities and greater parts of the world?
Mission Minded Week One Deeper Study Notes 4) Jesus modeled and is the best example when it comes to the Great Commission in His plan to restore, redeem and renew the world and the Great commandment of love and service. See John 3: 16-17; John 20:21; Isaiah 6:8; Acts 1:8; Matt 22:36-40 What can we learn from His example? We proclaim the Gospel because we love people and we love people because God first loved us.
FAITH SISTERS BIBLE STUDY NOTES She Ignites: Prayer Fall 2016 Week Two Prayer is easier than we think it is. And it can be so much a part of our life that we don t even realize how much we pray like breathing. Joyce Meyer Prayer is one of the greatest privileges we have as Christians. Prayer is simply conversation with God. It s asking Him to meet your need or someone else s. It s praising Him and thanking Him. It s about committing things to Him and consecrating things to Him. We need to pray about everything and anything. Read 2 Corinthians 3:5 1) As Christians what do you think is our source of sufficiency and how do we tap into that source? Read 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 2) What are the two forms of praying Paul speaks of? 3) In Paul s letter to the church in Corinth, he said that he prayed in the Spirit more than all of them (verse 18)! What can we do to stay consistent and persistent in our daily prayer life? Read Jude 1:20-22 4) How do you feel when you are built up on your most holy faith? 5) How does prayer help you see the world differently? (see verse 21) Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference. Max Lucado
6) Where can we find the Lord s Prayer in the Bible? 7) In Matthew 6, we see examples of how not to pray. What are some of these examples? 8) What are 3 ingredients in the Lord s Prayer that make it a perfect example to us of how we ought to pray to God daily? 9) Using the Lord s Prayer as a guideline, write your own Lord s Prayer in the language and vernacular most comfortable to you.
FAITH SISTERS BIBLE STUDY NOTES She Ignites Spiritual Warfare Fall 2016 Week Three Notes by Margie Green For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12 As Christians, there is a battle going on in the spiritual realm whether we are aware of it or not. We need to choose to believe with the eyes of our heart, instead of with the eyes in our head. 1. According to Hebrews 11:3, how was our world made? a. What does this verse tell us about Spiritual Warfare? b. How should this affect what we choose to believe and how we view challenges that arise in our lives? Some of our spiritual battles are against the world. 2. Read John 17:13-19 a. What does verse 14 say about the world and us? b. What does Jesus ask on our behalf in verses 15-17? c. How can this affect our prayer life and faith walk? Some of our spiritual battles are against our own flesh. 3. From Galatians 5:16-17, describe the battle of flesh vs spirit.
Spiritual warfare comes in two forms: offensive and defensive. We have the full armor of God to effectively fight in the battle of spiritual warfare. 4. Read Ephesians 6:10-20. Describe which parts of the armor are used for offense and which are used for defense and why. Offense: Defense: a. Which parts of your armor are you already effectively using? And which could you use more strongly? **Suggested reading for Spiritual Warfare Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer Spiritual Warfare by Derek Prince Basic Training by Kim Freeman The Bait of Satan by John Bevere
FAITH SISTERS BIBLE STUDY NOTES She Ignites Healthy Body Image Fall 2016 Week Four Notes by Sheena Collord Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:10 God has made each and every one of us in his image and likeness. But with all the pressures from our world today, it can be hard to remember that God has made us like him. We often times get caught up in our outer appearance and lose focus on what really matters. As a result, this kind of thinking can lead to having a poor image of our body. Let s take a look at what the word of God says about having a healthy body image. 1) We are daily bombarded by images of what the world portrays as the perfect body. Many of the images are often not realistic. In what ways have these pictures affected you and your opinion of your own body image? 2) Read 1 Samuel 16:7. How does God see you? What does he look at? 3) What kinds of negative thoughts have you had towards your body image? How can you change those thoughts into positive, healthy thoughts? 4) Read 1 Peter 3:3-4. We all know that we live in a natural body and that our natural bodies will eventually get old. What characteristics does Peter say are incorruptible? Why should we focus on qualities that are imperishable? 5) Of course it s okay to want to look nice and take care of our bodies for obvious reasons (health, confidence, self-esteem, etc). Turn to one of your table Faith Sisters and share something positive about them-whether it be about their personality or outward appearance doesn t matter! The goal is to build up and encourage one another! Look in the mirror every day and say the confession below to help gain positive, God-filled thoughts about your healthy body image! Confession: Lord, thank you that I am made in the image and likeness of you. I am fearfully and wonderfully made and my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Help me to focus my heart on the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. I thank you that I am becoming more like you each and every day. In Jesus name- Amen!
Deeper Study Notes 6) 1 Corinthians 10:31 says that therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. How can having a positive healthy body image bring glory to God? 7) Read 1 Timothy 4:8. Why is Godliness profitable for all things? How much does bodily exercise profit? 8) Why is it so significant in your walk with God to see yourself as he sees you?