God’s faithfulness is on full display in our upcoming Bible studies this August. Ruth Chou Simons’s Now and Not Yet highlights 6 ways God is more faithful then we know, Max Lucado’s What Happens Next unveils God’s faithfulness to us in the End Times, Sandy Richter shows how God is faithful to his people during one of the most chaotic and morally dark eras of Israel’s story in her Deborah study. Keep reading to learn more about these and more!
If you’ve ever waited on the Lord for something—direction, answers, resolution, strength—you know how challenging it can be. Even when we fully believe that God sees and hears our requests, if we’re honest, we sometimes view waiting as wasted time. But, what if it’s not? What if waiting is the means God uses to make us more like Christ? What if there are some pieces of God’s character that we’ll only learn while we wait?
If that’s true… how do we lean in? What lessons do these seasons hold? How do we keep hoping and believing what we know to be true?
In this six-week study, you’ll explore five biblical narratives that put God’s faithfulness to waiting people on display and help you direct your gaze from the answers you’re seeking to the God who meets you while you wait.
Here’s Ruth talking about her Now and Not Yet Bible study→
The Book of Judges narrates one of the most chaotic and morally dark eras of Israel’s story. Many speak of it as Israel’s “Wild West,” where the heroes and the villains stand only inches apart. Into this morally-ambiguous time comes one of the most unlikely leaders of the biblical text—the prophet Deborah. She is a wife and mother in an entirely patriarchal world, yet due to her integrity and courage, she transforms chaos into order and leads Israel in one of the most pivotal victories of the settlement period.
Illustrating the era of the Judges by means of the archaeological record, historical geography, and the hard facts of warfare in the ancient world, this study draws students immediately into the grand tale of Deborah and Barak, Jabin and Sisera, and of course the most unlikely of leaders, Jael. This study compels the modern reader to ask and answer three critical questions:
- What territory can you see from where you’re standing that you know belongs to the Kingdom, but is not yet won?
- Is it worth fighting for?
- Are you willing to step out on faith and trust God for the victory?
Here’s Sandy inviting you to her Bible study on Deborah →
Even moreso than in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, when we read this second letter to the church in Corinth, we are hearing one side of a somewhat tense conversation. The relationship between the Corinthian congregation and Paul had soured significantly. In the midst of enduring personal attacks, how was Paul able to give meaningful spiritual direction? Paul responds to their criticisms with tactful straightforwardness while pointing out their shortcomings in a constructive manner.
In this volume of the New Testament Everyday Bible Study series, Scot McKnight walks you through Second Corinthians showing the complicated relationship with Paul and the Corinthians. Paul’s heart is on display as he seeks restoration with a hostile congregation.
Check out the first lesson of the study here
Are we living in the end times? If so, what does that mean for me? The world feels fragile. Christ told us that things would increasingly get worse. That the birth pains would increase with frequency and intensity. But at the core of the gospel is the promise that the best is yet to be. In his optimistic, accessible, and non-sensational Bible study to what happens after death and at the end of the age, Max Lucado provides a wise, well-researched, reassuring overview of what God’s Word has to say on a topic that often creates confusion and anxiety.
Max explores four big ideas that will provide a solid foundation for understanding the future:
- We were made to reign with Christ
- God has made and will keep his promises.
- God has a plan and we can know what’s in store for us.
- God invites us to spend eternity with him in our true and eternal home.
Whether you find yourself in the “I can’t wait,” “I’m almost ready,” or “I’m not sure about all of this” camp, What Happens Next reminds us that we are headed to a far better place than where we started.
Here’s Max talking about What Happens Next →
