Women's Bible Study - September 27th, 2023

In one paragraph

This session, the halfway point of a fall women's study at First B Jackson, was taught by Deborah. She worked through Galatians 6:7-9 and related passages to make the case that genuine Christian faith is not just a matter of belief but of consistent, deliberate action, and that the choices we sow daily shape the harvest we and those around us will eventually reap. Deborah opened by pushing back on...

Read together

1. 1 Corinthians 9 Paul's analogy of athletes training hard and running to win, contrasting a tarnishing gold medal with eternal gold
2. 1 Corinthians 3 Judgment day fire revealing the value of each person's work, wood hay and stubble burned up, saved as through flames
3. Galatians 6:7-9 Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked, we reap what we sow, sowing to the flesh reaps destruction, sowing to the spirit reaps eternal life, do not grow weary
4. James 1 Don't just listen to the word, do what it says, like looking in a mirror and walking away without acting
5. Psalm 126:5-6 Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy, they cry as they plant but sing at the harvest
6. 2 Corinthians 9:6 Whoever sows sparingly reaps sparingly, whoever sows generously reaps generously
7. Matthew 13 Seed falling on good soil producing a harvest sixty or thirty times more than was sown
8. Galatians 5 Referenced as listing the fruit of the flesh alongside Galatians 6
9. Matthew 16:26 What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul

Talk about it

1. Deborah shared stories from friends at the wedding who had practiced the habits of Jesus for twenty or thirty years, and said, 'This stuff works.' Where have you seen that kind of long-term fruit in your own life or in someone close to you?
2. Deborah drew a distinction between believing in Jesus and submitting to him as Lord, and pointed out that even Satan believes Jesus is real. How do you personally notice the difference between what you say you believe and what your daily choices actually show?
3. Deborah described reaping and sowing not as getting what we deserve but as the natural consequences of the direction we choose to travel. Looking at your own life, what are you currently sowing, and what kind of harvest does that road seem to be heading toward?
4. Deborah talked about sowing in tears and waiting years before seeing a harvest, including the story of her son moving from calling himself a deist to praying over his children at bedtime. Where are you tempted to give up on something you have been sowing, and what would it look like to keep going?
5. Deborah referenced Neil Postman's idea that Americans may be amusing themselves to death, numbing themselves with entertainment until they lose awareness of serious matters. Where do you see that pattern in your own week, and what would sowing to the spirit look like in those same moments?