We’ve just finished our ten-week study of Jesus the One and Only by Beth Moore. During the past ten weeks together, we’ve examined the life of our Savior as we read through the chapters of Luke. Beth Moore left no stone unturned as she walked us through the pages of scripture. We glimpsed the life of Jesus from those who loved him and those who hated him; from the angels to the devil. We explored the hem of his garment, to the empty tomb and walked with our Prince as we followed His teachings. Our study ended with a proclamation: Jesus is the One and Only, as proven by fact.

Prayer Requests

We welcome any prayer needs from the group and ask that you will print a copy of the prayers, place them, in your workbook and pray for these women. If you have a prayer request for our prayer wall, please click here.

Beth Moore Quotes

• Those who believe have all the proof we need.
• With every pound of the hammer, God was nailing down redemption.
• The cross itself had no power, neither was it meant to be an idol.
• To bear the sin, Jesus also had to bear the separation.
• Trained in carpentry, Jesus rebuilt lives and raised the dead, then succumbed to a hammer and nails.
• If Christ has your heart, he will have your obedience.
• Serve God with contagious joy.
• Jesus Christ walked the way of humanity so humanity could walk the way of God.

This Week’s Scripture Verse-NIV

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. John 14:21 NIV

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30 NIV

I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:16 NIV

For Next Week

• Go back and listen to the audio or video sessions for this study, as a review of each week’s lesson.
• Sign-up for our next study Stepping Up a six-week study beginning on Feb 28

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. How would you title and subtitle Luke 24:36-49? (page 233 )
2. What lesson or lessons did you enjoy most during our ten-week study?
3. Would you recommend Jesus the One and Only to a friend? Why?

We’ve just finished week nine of Jesus the One and Only, with one week left in this Beth Moore bible study. We’ve placed many miles on our sandals as we followed Jesus from his birth to his Last Supper and I’m excited to see how Beth Moore wraps up this next week. This study has been rich with content and discovery, and many times I found myself stopping the study to just sit and reflect on the words.

Using the words from 1 Peter 5:6-11 NIV insert your name in the blanks and read aloud:

Humble ________, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift ________ up in due time. Cast all ________’s anxiety on him because he cares for ________. Be alert and of sober mind. ________’s enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because ________ knows that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called ________ to his eternal glory in Christ, after ________ have suffered a little while, will himself restore ________ and make ________ strong, firm and steadfast.

Prayer Requests

We welcome any prayer needs from the group and ask that you will print a copy of the prayers, place them, in your workbook and pray for these women. If you have a prayer request for our prayer wall, please click here.

Beth Moore Quotes

• Gods favor was about to be demonstrated through the offering of His perfect Son.
• Satan’s methodological planning counterfeits the awesome work of God.
• Anything that betrays Christ in our lives is Satan’s idea.
• Satan capitalizes on our lusts-whether for greed, power, control or sensual pleasure.
• Christ’s ultimate goal in any work He assigns to us is to reveal Himself, whether through us or to us.
• Nothing displays our self-love like a crisis.

This Week’s Scripture Verse-NIV

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. John 1:11  NIV

If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 1 Cor 10:12  NIV

God is within her, she will not fall. Psalm 46:5 NIV

For Next Week

• Read Week Ten in the workbook
• Listen to the Session Ten Audio (optional)
• OR…Listen to the Session Ten Video (optional)

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. How has Satan methodically sought to work in your life lately? (page 196)
2. Jesus said “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.” Luke 22:31 NIV. What do you think this figure of speech means? (page 203)
3. Have you experienced a sifting? (page 204)
4. Share something you enjoyed from this week’s study.
   

Congratulations on finishing eight weeks of Jesus the One and Only- we have just two weeks remaining in our study. This has been one of my favorite Beth Moore studies, as we explore the life of Jesus and the pages of Luke. It has also been one of the most difficult to complete, because of the length of the study and the interruptions of a busy holiday season. I am thankful for the effort and commitment you are all making, because the study is rich with knowledge and spiritual growth. I have not wanted to miss one morsel of Luke, so I’ve been reading the chapters that Beth Moore is skipping.

This week we studied the ten lepers and the significance if their cleansing by Jesus. Beth gives this historical event a fresh perspective, when she explains the religious customs of the time period. How powerful the story becomes when we view it with historical lenses.  We saw Zacchaeus climb a tree and entertain the Lord in his home, and we ended the week with a look at the return of Jesus. Be sure to share your favorite lesson from the week during the group discussion and post a comment below.

Since I never learned the Zacchaeus Wee Little Man song, I found a version on YouTube and included it here for you to see!

Prayer Requests

We welcome any prayer needs from the group and ask that you will print a copy of the prayers, place them, in your workbook and pray for these women. If you have a prayer request for our prayer wall, please click here.

Beth Moore Quotes

• God never confronts to condemn. He confronts to complete what is lacking.
• An important part of maturing as a Christian is knowing how to receive a rebuke.
• With Christ we are so much, but we often act far less than who we are.
• They feel excluded from the body of Christ when their shame is displayed for all to see.
• Better to look and hurt than to ignore and grow hard.
• Healing makes us think of the Healer, not just ourselves.
• God honors the pure hearted-pursuit of His will.
• God honors obedience even when we’re kicking and screaming.
• Our society is presently being  sexually assaulted by the devil.

This Week’s Scripture Verse-NIV

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 NIV

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

For Next Week

• Read Week Nine in the workbook
• Listen to the Session Nine Audio or the Session Nine Video (optional)

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. How does unforgiveness cause further sin? (page 174 )
2. Why do you think it is so hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God? (page 180 )
3. What is the most noticeable difference Christ has made in your life? (page 187 )
4. Share something you enjoyed from this week’s lesson.

It’s hard to believe we’ve finished seven weeks of Jesus the One and Only, a bible study we started just before Christmas. I’m going to miss this study when it ends, because it has been so rich with biblical knowledge regarding the life of our Savior. Each time I read a lesson, my heart opens to His Word, His Life, and His Way. Who wants that to end! Not me. I notice some of you are falling behind in the reading and may feel discouraged. Don’t give up, keep walking step-by-step through the pages of Luke. Resist the temptation to quit, rebuke the enemy of distraction standing in your path. I remember in my church small group I would avoid the group meetings because Satan shamed me into feeling unworthy for my incomplete work. Or I would drop out of the small group study entirely- because pride spoke into my heart that I was not good enough to belong to the study, I couldn’t even keep it with it. Today I realize that’s nonsense and the pawprint of Satan. I encourage you, if you are behind move forward. If you are embarrassed, take a stand in Jesus name and say “I will finish the race.” Let the rest of the group cheer you on! We are not competitors, we are Christ-followers united by His love. Beth Moore writes “the intense study of God’s Word has mammoth affects.” Claim it as yours and never let go of His Word.

On day three with Beth asks “Give a few examples of what you think might be spiritual abuse” I began to struggle in my study. As a witness to this in my Catholic high school, I became very uncomfortable as I continued to read the lesson. My school and my friends made the national news, resulting in a ten-million dollar judgment against the church. My face was getting hot, my heart started to race and I was writing down all the “events” so I could share them with you. Then I paused (Psalm 37:7) and prayed over my emotions.  I realized if I write about the details of the past spiritual abuse, I will distract my readers from the focus and intent of the study. I prayed over this and heard the Spirit speak into my heart “I showed you the devastating aspects of spiritual abuse so you could be a watchman for my church.” I’m not sure what a watchman actually does, so I will spend more time in prayer. I know when God calls me, He equips me. It would be foolish to run and point fingers or make accusations without the full knowledge and direction of God. So I’ll wait and continue to be groomed by my Lord.

Prayer Requests

We welcome any prayer needs from the group and ask that you will print a copy of the prayers, place them, in your workbook and pray for these women. If you have a prayer request for our prayer wall, please click here.

Beth Moore Quotes

• Love keeps us afloat and self control keeps us anchored.
• The prescription for worry is trust.
• We can have heads full of knowledge and souls full of death.
• Christ is never the author of spiritual abuse.
• Obedience to our Father’s commands is the key to immunity from the enemy.
• Under God’s umbrella we are free to sing in the rain.
• We can quench the Spirit but we cannot disable him.
• Few things force us to look up like being all the way down.

This Week’s Scripture Verse-NIV

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Luke 11:23 NIV

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 12:15 NIV

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 19:10 NIV

For Next Week

• Read Week Eight in the workbook
• Listen to the Session Eight Audio or Listen to the Session Eight Video (optional)

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. When was the last time you were reminded how influential the devil is? (page 149 )
2. Describe a time when you were uncomfortable with an opportunity to publicly acknowledge Jesus. (page 154 )
3. Why do you think worry is so difficult to control? (page 155 )
4. Share something you enjoyed from this week’s study.

We’ve just finished week six of Jesus the One and Only with Beth Moore. As we followed the steps of Jesus through the eyes of Luke this week, we saw he was interacting and teaching everyone he met: the leaders of the Law, 72 more disciples, the father of a special needs son, and even his friends. Two of my favorite scenes were in this week’s lesson- the Good Samaritan, and the Martha vs Mary experience. Did you enjoy this week as much as I did?

One of my favorite books is called Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life by Joanna Weaver. This book was published after Beth Moore wrote Jesus the One and Only, so it was not mentioned in our study. The focus of the book is slowing down and taking time to listen for God’s voice. When we’re too busy making preparations- we miss the opportunity to rest in His Presence. The book opens with these words “She is the original Martha Stewart, the New Testament Proverbs 31 woman and Israel’s answer to Betty Crocker. She is the queen of the kitchen and the rest of the house as well. When faced with a choice to work or worship, Mary has chosen to worship.” If this sounds like your life at times, you’ll want to read this book. I’ve given many copies of the book as gifts to my friends.

Joanna Weaver is releasing a new book next month called Lazarus Awakening, Finding Your Place in the Heart of God and I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing this book for you.

This week we thought you’d like to listen to some music, so enjoy this song by Francesca Battistelli Free to Be Me

Prayer Requests

With more than 1,000 people receiving updates from this blog, we are now using the Prayer Wall to post prayer requests. We welcome any prayer needs from the group and ask that you will print a copy of the Prayer wall, place it in your workbook and pray daily. If you have a praise report or prayer request for our prayer wall, please click here.

Beth Moore Quotes

• We are often empowered to do far more than we exercise.
• God’s strength is unaffected by His audience.
• Without prayer, we return to our own ability rather than to God.
• Only one thing stands between us and the lost: a blood-stained cross.

This Week’s Scripture Verse

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:10 NIV

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.” Luke 9:50 NIV

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matt 16:24-25 NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV

For Next Week

• Read Week Seven in the workbook
• Listen to the Session Seven Audio (optional)
• OR…Listen to the Session Seven Video (optional)

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. Do you remember a time in your life when you tried to exercise faith without prayer? (page 127 )
2. Name a spiritual failure and how it can be connected to a lack of faith in God. (page 127 )
3. When has the least expected person come to your rescue like a Good Samaritan? (page 141 )
4. Share something from this week that you enjoyed.

What a perfect title for this week’s lesson in Jesus the One and Only by Beth Moore! All week long as we kept our eyes in our bibles and followed the workbook of chapter five, we became observers of the Christ of God.  Our week started when Jesus was calm in the storm- even sleeping- while the disciples experienced fear. Jesus had full knowledge of the coming storm, and he slept. Author Max Lucado writes in his book Fearless “Christ followers contract malaria, bury children, and battle addictions, and as a result, face fears. It’s not the absence of storms that set us apart. It’s whom we discover in the storm: an unstirred Christ.” We discover the storm was a prelude to a demonic encounter, possibly even a warning of spiritual warfare. If you studied Spiritual Warfare with us, then you may recall that a spiritual attack is usually sparked by one of five events:

1. Spiritual Growth
2. Invading Enemy Territory
3. Exposing the Enemy
4. Breaking the World
5. Blessings to Come

He knew, the Christ of God, and He demonstrates faith in the path of the enemy. Like us, the disciples were learning and Jesus was teaching them that fear is a perceived loss of control. “Take courage, I am here” Jesus replies in Matthew 14:27 NLT. Max Lucado writes “Look over your shoulder, that’s God following you. Look into the storm, that’s Christ coming toward you.” Take courage, He is always near. When the thief comes to steal your identity or your dignity, Jesus is near.  When you are hiding in a tomb of self-destruction, Jesus is near. All you need to do is call upon His name. Jesus. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21 NIV

We are not unnoticed to God, as we read in our study. When we acknowledge our faith, He acknowledges us. Christ extended His authority and power to the 12 disciples, then sent them out to spread the Good News of the Kingdom and heal people. They returned to the Teacher, and his compassion overflows as he demonstrates His love by offering them rest and a miracle of food. This entire week of study was so moving and loving, as we see the Son teaching his disciples, and us. As we learned on Day five, Christ’s church is built on this immovable testimony. As a member of His church, own it and claim it as yours. Stand with Him on the Kingdom ground which he built for His children.

Prayer Requests

We welcome any prayer needs from the group and ask that you will print a copy of the prayers, place them, in your workbook and pray for these women. If you have a prayer request for our prayer wall, please click here.

Beth Moore Quotes

• The one place Christ will not force His presence is the human heart.
• The pure basics of human dignity are often the targets of demonic assault.
• Stealing dignity is Satan’s agenda, not God’s.
• Violence is one of the most obvious fingerprints of Satan.
• Not all supernatural power comes from God.
• Bad news usually gathers a bigger audience than good news.
• God commands us to help take care of needs, not greeds.
• One minute a rock- the next minute a stumbling block.

This Week’s Scripture Verse-NIV

Freely you have received; freely give. Matt 10:8 NIV

But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ John 15:25 NIV

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Cor 11:3 NIV

For Next Week

• Read Week Six in the workbook
• Listen to the Session Six Audio (optional)
• OR…Listen to the Session Six Video (optional)

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. How do we know if our times of isolation are being used by God or by the enemy? ( page 105 )
2. What analogy would you use to describe how Jesus felt when the bleeding woman touched His robe? ( page 106 )
3. Why do you think Christ may have been testing His disciples? ( page 116)
4. When we’re struggling, how can we stir in our thinking the things of God rather than the things of man? ( page 121 )
5. Share something you enjoyed from this week’s lesson.

What a wonderful Christmas we had, reading Jesus the One and Only by Beth Moore and finding ourselves fully immersed in the life of Jesus. We’ve just finished reading week four as Beth brings the scripture to life. We imagine ourselves walking town-by-town with Jesus as he encounters various caliber of men and women. We studied what Jesus marvels over and what He chooses to ignore. Beth reminds us we are precious to Jesus, even in our frailties and our imperfection of this lifetime. each one of you matter to Him.  We need to be prepared and readily obedient to His calling.  The closer Christ comes to us, the more humble we become. Don’t let the enemy steal that joy from you! At the feet of the Savior is where I want to be. Jesus made Himself approachable to you- come to Him with your prayers and petitions- and let His love overflow into you.

As we saw in this week’s lesson, God is both sovereign and sweet. Through scripture, He demonstrates self-control, compassion, love, humility, grace, mercy and much more. My heart breaks for those who choose to ignore scripture. Reading scripture is a key to overcoming heart-doubt. We need to be in His presence daily, not just for an hour on Sunday at church.

As we read the story of the woman who poured perfume over Jesus (Luke 7:36-50)Christ never minimized her sin, He liberated her with His love.  I want to draw your attention to this one verse from Mark.

She did what she could. Mark 14:8

This year I read a book with the same title She Did What She Could and met author Elisa Morgan at a women’s conference. She spoke of this story and emphasized that each of us can do something, no matter how small it appears in the view of others. In this one action, this woman was ridiculed by the Pharisee and praised by God. Her simple offering from over 2,000 years ago is recorded in scripture. One small act. She did what she could. What if you did what you could….no matter how small?

If you were an eyewitness to these biblical events, what would you see, feel, and write? When you study scripture, are you sharing your experience with others, or keeping your thoughts and knowledge to yourself. As you fill your heart and mind with the Word, the Holy Spirit will entice you to share your understanding when called to do so. She Did What She Could. Please visit the website She Did What She Could for more information.

A reminder from Beth: As you study next week, ask God to involve you emotionally, mentally and spiritually in every single scripture, to help you picture each scene with the spiritual sight of an eyewitness.

Prayer Requests

Pray: “As we grow in grace, may we each develop His taste and marvel over the things He considers marvelous.” Beth Moore

Each Wednesday we send out a prayer request via email, to the women participating in this study. We welcome any prayer needs from the group and ask you to print a copy of the prayers, place them, in your workbook and pray daily. If you have a prayer request for our prayer email, please click here.

Beth Moore Quotes

• We confuse attitudes of respect with feelings of inferiority.
• Christ’s encounters on earth show our moral minds the stuff of heaven by transplanting them into the soil of earth.
• Christ doesn’t just display Godly character. He is Godly character.
• Sometimes one sentence of scripture speaks scrolls to the soul.
• Christ viewed death from a heavenly perspective: earthly life is but a breath.
• Eternity holds incomparable riches for the trusting.
• Christ did not come to be popular. He came to be Savior.
• Christ is void of all prejudice.
• Anything that holds us back from pouring our lives and our hearts out upon Jesus is a bond.
• Christ holds us responsible for the things we say to ourselves.
• My heart and mind are of greater importance to Him than my words and deeds.
• When God’s word is deliberately internalized, it will be authentically externalized.

This Week’s Scripture Verse-NIV

I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:23

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little. Luke 7:47

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. John 6:63

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:21

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ Luke 8:10

For Next Week

• Read Week Five in the workbook
• Listen to the Session Five Audio (optional)
• OR…Listen to the Session Five Video (optional)

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. What do we mean when we say “don’t cry?” ( page 84 )
2. Have you ever found yourself waiting on Christ to come through on a certain matter while hearing wondrous works He was doing elsewhere? ( page 88 )
3. Has God ever taken you through your doubts to a place of greater faith? ( page 89 )
4. Share something meaningful from this week’s lesson.

We’ve just finished with week three of Jesus the One and Only by Beth Moore, looking at the early ministry of Christ. We walked right into the early ministry of Jesus as we read through Luke and John. When we saw Jesus healing the sick, we saw a healing of sins. As we observed Jesus interacting with the Pharisees and teachers, we saw he taught with authority. When he selected the 12 apostles from all disciples, we saw he prayed before important decisions. This was “the way and the life of Jesus the one and only.” Beth presented us with five insights into the life of Christ:

1. Jesus is in our homes
2. Jesus engages in our lives
3. Jesus rebukes the sin, not the person
4. Jesus encounters much desperation
5. Jesus is determined

While reading about the insights this week, we had the opportunity to come closer to the Son we love, just a few days before celebrating His birth on Christmas Day.

Study Break

We had a few more women join us this week and they are just starting the study- Welcome! We discussed having a one week break and based on the opinion poll, just over fifty percent asking not to take a break, we are NOT taking a break. When we started the study many knew that the week of Christmas would be a challenge. We normally have 150 or more women in the study and this time we have about half the amount, some of the regular participants decided to wait until after the busy holiday. To accommodate those who are falling behind, we will have a one week break between this study and the next. So Stepping Up Through Psalms by Beth Moore will begin February 15, 2011 and you’ll have a week between these two studies.

Prayer Requests

Heavenly Father, as I draw closer to you this week of Christmas, I seek the alone time to be wrapped in Your Presence. Reveal to me any specific areas in my life where I am not obedient to your will. If You, in Your wisdom and plan see a purpose I am not filling, reveal it to me so that I may do your will, not mine. In Jesus name, amen.

We welcome any prayer needs from the group and ask that you will print a copy of the prayers, place them, in your workbook and pray for these women. If you have a prayer request for our prayer wall, please click here.

Beth Moore Quotes

• Unchecked anger can easily lead to unchecked behavior regardless of how much we attend church.
• Meanness at church sometimes exceeds anything that occurs in secular surroundings.
• God lives in the hearts of those who trust Him and in the homes of those who provide room for Him.
• God can use the worst of circumstances to introduce us to the best of relationships.
• Few people are more compelled to serve than those who have experienced the healing power of Christ.
• His hands may be currently invisible but His prints appear in countless restored lives.
• Few things require more strength than submission.
• They were not prepared to receive their call until they confronted their sin.
• Bathe yourself in the river of God’s forgiveness.
• Christ was blameless yet blamed continuously.

This Week’s Scripture Verse-NIV

When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.” Mark 41-45 The Message

His teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to. Luke 4:43 The Message

I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent. Luke 4:43 NIV

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Col 3:23 NIV

You will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Col 3:24 NIV

The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. Luke 5:24 NIV

For Next Week

• Read Week Four in the workbook
• Listen to the Session Four Audio (optional)
• OR…Listen to the Session Four Video (optional)

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. Christ chose to minister His way and not the way of the teachers or Pharisees. What do you think their way would have been? (page 57)
2. What circumstances led to the invitation for Christ to come into your home? (page 61)
3. have you ever been paralyzed by sin? (page 71)
4. Share something you  enjoyed from this week’s study.

Welcome back to the Womens Bible Cafe, we’ve just finished reading week two of Jesus the One and Only by Beth Moore. Some women are just starting the study and a few are catching up and getting into the routine of reading scripture each day. I enjoyed reading your comments from last week’s group discussion- your individual comments add value to the group study. This week our reading started with a circumcision and ended with the birth of a ministry; we covered a 30-year time span in just five days. There are so many unanswered questions and details not available to us in this part of scripture. The most nagging question for me is why people left Jesus alone as he was growing up, and did not attach themselves to him like modern day paparazzi. Why weren’t crowds of people walking pilgrimages to see this boy who would be King? I found a tiny clue in two scripture verses from our study:

• But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19 ( Jesus was just born and the shepherds spread the word )

• Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. Luke 2:51 ( Jesus was 12 years old then )

It appears Mary did not tell people who her son really was. She did not gossip and she kept these treasures in her heart, knowing when the time was right, God would call His son to ministry. Mary was obedient to the Lord and she was filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. ( Galatians 5:22-23 ) Mary and Joseph raised their firstborn son under the Jewish law of the time. Beth Moore gives us a good visual description of the life Jesus lived while waiting for His calling.

Our bible study started with the birth of the Savior, we see a glimpse of him at age 12, and then His story resumes in Luke 3:21-22 “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened  and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.””  Instead of a celebration and hymns of praise, Jesus begins His ministry in 40 days of isolation, with a few visits from Satan himself. I hope you saw the key verses listed for Christ’s defense against the enemy, and jotted these down for future use! If they worked for Jesus, they’ll work for you.

• Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone. Luke 4:4
• Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ Luke 4:8
• Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ Luke 4:1

Prayer Requests

We welcome any prayer needs from the group and ask that you will print a copy of the prayers, place them, in your workbook and pray for these women. If you have a prayer request for our prayer wall, please click here.

Beth Moore Quotes

• Christ buys us from our natural parentage, which is sinful flesh, in order to give us to His Father.
• Unfathomable wealth is hidden in Jesus.
• God shielded Jesus’ young life from the complications of divine acts.
• God allows circumstances to exist in our lives to drive us to dependency on Him.
• Faith is not the avoidance of questions. Our faith grows when we seek answers.
• Christ came to show us that the deeply spiritual is very practical.
• God never intended Himself to be viewed within church walls alone.
• If you leave God at church, your life will remain unchanged.
• Challenging God is not only void of faith; it is also foolish.
• Don’t fight Satan with your words, fight back with God’s!

This Week’s Scripture Verse-NIV

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. Colossians 2:9

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:18

No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. John 6:46

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Luke 4:18-19

For Next Week

• Read Week Three in the workbook
• Listen to the Session Three Audio (optional)
• OR…Listen to the Session Three Video (optional)

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. What are some of the characteristics of people who tend to capture your favor? (page 44)
2. What do you think “putting God to the test” means? (page 49)
3. Give Christ’s ministry a name that summarizes Luke 4:18-19 (page 51).
4. Share something from this week’s lesson that was meaningful for you.

Welcome back to the Womens Bible Cafe and our discussion of Jesus the One and Only. We just finished reading week one, as Beth Moore walked us through the prophecy of Zechariah to the birth of the Savior. As we studied scripture this week, we looked at the historical time line and compared it to the biblical time line, filling in the event chart on page 31 of the workbook. If you listened to the audio Introduction, we learned about a 400 year famine where God’s people did not hear His voice. During this time, His people fell under into the security of legalism and took their eyes and hearts off God. From the time of Malachi to Gabriel, God was silent 400 years. Can you just imagine the craving people had to see and hear God!

In our study this week, the angel Gabriel made two appearances. First to the priest and second to Mary. Scripture testifies two different reactions to the angelic visit, and also the reactions of those surrounding the recipient of the prophecy. We saw at the end of the week, the prophecy held true and God revealed Himself to His people in the form of a tiny baby.

Prayer Requests

We are updating prayer requests once a week on Wednesday. Please submit your request and it will be emailed to the group tomorrow. If you have a prayer request please click  here.

Beth Moore Quotes

• God used the withholding of His words to prepare for the revealing of The Word.
• God the Father allowed His Son to be “adopted” into a family on earth so that we could be adopted into His family in Heaven.
• Jesus has been the most consistent and most important Word in my life.
• He who knows no sin feels for us who do.
• Fulfilled prophecy demonstrates the incredible veracity (truthfulness) of the Word of God.
• The Son of God had come to earth, wrapped in a tiny cloak of human flesh.
• The untouchable hand of God reaches down to touch the fallen hand of man.

This Week’s Scripture Verse-NIV

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Hebrews 1:3

Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:17

For Next Week

• Read Week Two in the workbook
• Listen to the Session Two Audio (optional)
• OR…Listen to the Session Two Video (optional)

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. Compare the encounters Zechariah and Mary each had with the angel Gabriel. Why do you suppose the angel responded differently to their question? There is no wrong or right answer for this. (page 17 )
2. What would be the question you would want to ask Mary, if you ever get the chance in heaven? (page 17 )
3. What is your favorite part of The Christmas Story (page 27 )
4. Share your thoughts about this week’s lesson.