Women's Bible Study - October 30th, 2024 - Living in the Power of the Resurrection

In one paragraph

Deborah brought the fall Root It series to a close with a message on the resurrection of Jesus, why it is the hinge on which everything in the Christian faith turns, and what it means for how we live right now. She moved from historical evidence for the resurrection to its personal implications, ending with a reflection on heaven drawn from a conversation with her dying friend Jane. Deborah opened...

Read together

1. 1 Corinthians 15 Paul's account of what he passed on: Christ died for sins, was buried, and raised on the third day, and appeared to Peter, the twelve, five hundred, and James
2. Acts 23 Paul on trial, telling former Pharisee friends he is being tried because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead
3. Galatians 1 After Paul's conversion, Jesus sent him to the desert for three years and taught him personally
4. Acts 4 Peter and John in trouble with temple guards and Sadducees for teaching resurrection of the dead through Jesus
5. Acts 7 Referenced in context of Paul in Athens with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers being called a babbler for preaching a risen God
6. John 14 Jesus tells his followers he is leaving but they will see him again because he lives and they will live
7. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If God's people humble themselves, pray, seek His face and turn from wickedness, He will hear, forgive and heal their land
8. 1 John 5:4 Everyone born of God overcomes the world, and the victory is their faith
9. John 16 Jesus tells his followers they will have trouble in the world but can have peace in him because he overcame it
10. Philippians 1:6 God who began a good work in you will continue it until the day Christ Jesus returns
11. 2 Corinthians 5:8 To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, used to explain the immediate transition to heaven
12. Revelation 21:4 There will be emotions in heaven but no sad crying, Jesus will wipe away all tears
13. Isaiah 25 Vision of a coming feast the Lord Almighty will prepare: rich food, aged wine, best meats and finest wines
14. 1 Peter 1 Born again by God's mercy through Christ's resurrection, we have a priceless inheritance in heaven and joy ahead through trials

Talk about it

1. Deborah drew a distinction between resuscitation and resurrection, saying Jesus came back in a glorified body to never die again. How does that distinction change the way you think about what Jesus actually did, and what it means for your own future?
2. Deborah said our faith is not blind faith, and walked through several pieces of evidence for the resurrection, from the missing body to non-Christian historians like Josephus to the eyewitness accounts that turned frightened disciples into people who could not be silenced. Which of those pieces of evidence landed most personally for you, and why?
3. Deborah challenged the group with the question: am I living out of the power of Jesus Christ alive within me? She said that shame, guilt, condemnation and doubt are signs we are stuck at the cross rather than living in the resurrection. Where do you find yourself in that tension right now?
4. Deborah shared John Stott's image of salt that stays in the salt shaker versus salt rubbed into meat, and said it will take both commitment and courage to be that kind of presence in the world. What does that practically look like in your daily life, and where does the courage feel hardest to come by?
5. Deborah shared the story of her friend Jane, who said she was not ready, and then a week after they talked through what heaven looks like, texted to say she was at total peace. What did the details Deborah shared about heaven, the immediate transition, keeping our memories, having purpose and emotions, stir up in you personally?