Same Girl, different place...

Hi! No clue who all of you are who have been logging on to this page but if you enjoyed these bible study discussions I have started a coffee break page on my family blog. Just click on the link and then click on the tag that says coffee break under the header. Probably will be a bit more light hearted discussions than this blog. Thanks for logging on and your enthusiasm about studying scripture.
~CB

http://thebrownchronicles.blogspot.com/

My Child, Get up!!

Sorry about the 3 week pause! I have been a little busy, but have no excuse as to why I have not posted!

Luke 8: 49-56

While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher any more."

Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, and James, and the child's father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "she is not dead but asleep."

They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!" Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Discussion:

Okay, while thinking over these verses before I began this post, I was a little stuck. What do we discuss? The miracle of a physical saved life of Jairus' daughter? Maybe. We know that God does amazing things medically to help his children and show his amazing power. But here is what came to my mind while writing this. It was more of a spiritual meaning to me tonight.

1. How often do we not give God the credit for what we think we are in charge of making happen?

2. How many friends/ family members/marriages/ relationships have lost their way, or their faith and we have ridden them off as though their hearts have been hardened and they will never be "alive" again in Christ? Or negative attitudes we feel have no hope of changing?

3. How many churches have we seen dwindle down to almost no members and we forget to look at how God can completely turn the situation around and rebuild it? I think that faith is such an important aspect. When focusing only on our works, we just lose the divine power that drives our lives. All it takes is for God to say, "My Child, get up!" and it can and will happen. It can be as quick as that. Thank goodness for our hope in Jesus Christ!

Posting this has just given me a quick, "attitude check" boost, that I think I have greatly needed. I get so bogged down when I feel not in control of situations! That exact feeling is why I think I have avoided posting the last couple of weeks on this site! What are your thoughts on these verses? How can they change your week to come?

CB

Daughter, Your faith has healed you....

Luke 8: 40-48

There are two stories of how faith was rewarded in this passage. This week I think we will focus on Luke 8:40-48 Here is a summary if you have not read the passage.

The Woman who had an issue of Blood....

In this story, Jesus was actually on his way to Jarius' house and the crowds were so thick around him that they were almost crushing him. A woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched his cloak. Immediately her bleeding stopped.

"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. Peter told him that all of the people were crowding and pressing against him. But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all of the people she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you, go in peace."

Discussion:

1. This woman must have had tremendous faith that Jesus would heal her. It is one of the only times where I can remember Jesus not know who he had healed...sort of indirectly happening. Almost not necessarily willed by the humanity of Jesus but by his spiritual conscientiousness and power. Jesus admits that he has felt that power had gone out of him, but wants to know to whom. It made me think of the Holy Spirit and how he pleads for us even when we cannot do it for ourselves. How he intercedes for us. What are your thoughts on this?

2. When the woman admits to the crowd that she had had and issue with bleeding, if they did not know, this must have been a bit embarrassing for her. She was so brave and willing to proclaim what Jesus had done for her. Are we generally this willing to share what has happened in our lives through our faith experiences? It seems like in that time, she would have really been, "putting herself out there for humiliation" as far as how society viewed women. What are your thoughts on this?

Reading for next week:

Luke 8:49-56

Hannah, A Woman of Faith

I Samuel 1-2:11---Please read this on your own, but this summarizes.

Hannah is a barren woman. She continues to ask the Lord to give her a child. Hannah tells the Lord that if he gives her a son, that she will give him back to the Lord to serve him all of the days of his life. The Lord gives Hannah a son, and she in return does what she promised. She gives takes him to the house of the Lord as soon as he was weaned and leaves him with the priests to serve God.

Discussion:

• Can you relate to this story? Please share.
• Do you think you would have kept your end of the deal in the end?
• How did Hannah's faith lead her actions?
• How does this story affect you today?

I can relate to this story, I told my husband earlier this week that we should have named our oldest son Benjamin, Samuel...because as you will find in the reading, Hannah named her son Samuel, because she asked the Lord for him. The Hebrew translation of Samuel is."heard of God."

My husband and I tried for 16 months to have our first child...while that may not be long compared to many people, it seemed long to us. Of course, everyone we knew was getting pregnant and having children. After a year, we conceived and lost a baby. This was really hard on us. After this happened, I just kept praying, and it dawned on me that God had a specific little life that he was waiting for..a child whom He already knew and had planned...and for some reason, I was at peace with that, and not as sad about things...then finally after we were really at peace with things, we conceived our son Ben. Such a challenge and such a blessing! Full knowing that God has a plan for his little life! As I have read this story, I am so impressed with Hannah, re-reading it as a mother, I am so impressed with the fact that she was able to let him go, away from her, and back to serve God. It was her faith and courage that led his outcome of being the first Judge of Israel, and such a faithful leader for God. I have tried to think of other stories in the bible where someone asks for child, and God hears their prayers, and after a time of faith, he blesses them. Here are some other people I thought of:

Elizabeth, in the New Testament, wife of Zechariah, mother of John the Baptist,

Sarah, in the Old Testament, Abraham's wife, Issac's mother, Jacob's grandmother.

Rachel, in the Old Testament, Jacob's wife, mother of Joseph and Benjamin

The consensus that I came to was that the Lord hears the prayers of a faithful women, and after enduring the wait, he bestows his blessings in ways we could never have imagined. Although it must have been hard for Hannah to give Samuel up, the Lord did bless her with more children...and I have to say, I cannot even imagine how proud she must have been of her little boy as he grew and became such a great man of God.

Next week: Luke 8:40-56

According to your faith, it will be done to you...

Matthew 9:27-31

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they replied.
Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.


Discussion:
This is a small passage, but I think it holds so much wisdom from Jesus. Such a lesson about faith..."Blind Faith"....no pun intended! It can be looked at literally, because the men were actually void of sight, or figuratively, from a perspective of the men being void of "sight" which could be the wisdom of a correct path or perspective.

1. How much faith do you have that God will follow through with something when you ask it from him?
2. How often do we forget to ask, until a task or a problem is already in motion?
3. In this passage it seems that Jesus was not sure it was time for him for word to "get out" so to speak. Do you feel that there is ever a time to "keep quiet" for awhile about a prayer that has been answered for us? If so, what would kind of situation would that be?

Next weeks reading....

I Samuel Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 vs. 1-11.

Have a great week!

CB

Fall Study: Living By Faith

What Does it mean to "Live By Faith"

I have spent some time trying to think of another study for this fall, but it seems like the words are flashing in neon lights in my mind. So, that is what we are going to study. This fall I would like to encourage everyone to figure out just what living by faith means in our day to day lives. Lets look at what actions and circumstances lead us to taking leaps of faith and what the Bible teaches of the blessings that can be bestowed on us when we do.

For next week, lets read Matthew 9:27-31

Discussion:

When I was a child in elementary school we lived in Denver Co. I distinctly remember a few times when I had been having a hard week with at school, that I prayed that it would snow so hard that schools would be closed. Now understand, that if you live in Colorado, it has to be a huge blizzard and snow at least a couple of feet before schools are closed. I learned at a very early age that if you truly believe it can happen...it can..and it did. There were a few times when after I prayed, I woke up the next morning to find my parents in front of the news checking to see if schools were closed. Looking back, it was possibly just coincidence, but in my young head God had heard my prayers and I felt so blessed and excited! The power of blind innocent faith and the prayers of children I think are so powerful and heard in God's eyes. Sometimes I wish my faith was as blindly strong as it was when I was little....

Anyway, there are many more stories I could share, but for me faith is something I am always working on...and forgetting that I am not having enough of.

This week I want to encourage you to please share with us and comment on a time in life that your faith carried you. I think this will be a great way to introduce the study before we get into our readings for next week!

The Summer Study is Coming to a Close!

Just thought I would post to let you know that the end of the summer has crept up on me! We have done quite a bit of studying on the subject, "Where do you Draw the Line?". I have exhausted my materials, but I hope this has been a reflecting study for you. It has really challenged me to take a deeper look into myself and my actions. I plan to start another study, hopefully after labor day! If you have any suggestions on materials that you might want to study, please let me know. Also, if you would like to be the host of the study for a month or so, I can arrange that by having you e-mail me the lesson weekly. Please let me know if you are interested. Thanks for logging on! We will see you back next month!!
In Him,
Carrie Brown