Women's Bible Study - September 4th, 2024 - First Week on Matthew with Deborah Buckingham

In one paragraph

This was the opening session of the JH Women's Bible Study at First Baptist Jackson, a nine-week study through the book of Matthew. Deborah Bacamino introduced the study and laid the groundwork for what it means to not just know about Jesus, but to actually know him. She drew on a framework from John Mark Comer to identify four forces that work against that kind of real, experienced relationship...

Read together

1. Psalm 1 the psalmist meditates on God's word and is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit and prospering
2. Psalm 34 when the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles
3. Isaiah 40 waiting on the Lord will renew your strength
4. Lamentations 3 Jeremiah depressed but calls to mind God's unending love, mercies new every morning
5. Genesis 1 God made humanity in His image
6. Genesis 2 God breathed His own life into Adam, making humans eternal spiritual beings
7. John 1:1 in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God
8. Romans 10:9 confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart He was raised, and you are saved

Talk about it

1. Deborah talked about the difference between gnosis, knowing facts about God, and epinosis, knowing God through lived experience. Where do you personally feel the gap between those two kinds of knowing right now?
2. Deborah described the narrative we play in our heads, shaped by childhood, past failures, relationships, and what others have said about us. What is one narrative you carry that you know does not line up with what God says about you?
3. Deborah compared the spiritual disciplines to golf muscle memory, saying they are the portal into a more intimate relationship with Jesus but they take time to develop. Which spiritual discipline feels most underdeveloped in your life, and what is one small step you could take this week?
4. Deborah warned that saying yes to everyone and everything can actually work against God's best for us, and she encouraged finding iron sharpening iron friendships. Who in your life right now sharpens you, and are you giving that relationship the time it deserves?
5. Deborah shared that Psalm 34 promises God delivers the righteous out of trouble, not necessarily by changing circumstances but by lifting us out of depression, despair and hopelessness. Can you think of a time when God did that for you, and how does remembering it help you face whatever you are carrying today?