Maplewood United Methodist Church

Renew Study – Lent 2020

• Begin your session with prayer. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Scripture to you, to give the text meaning, and to have a spirit of learning. Pray for God to be present and open. Write down anything revealed in your prayer time.

• Read Acts 9: 1-31 (read slowly and pray that God will reveal the main points and right them down. Read through more than once if necessary and go back through the main points. Feel free to read before and after the selected text to gain insight.

• Saul had an unusual hatred for Christianity. Why was it so important to him to extinguish the Christian believers?

• Damascus is so far away from Jerusalem. Why would the Jews want to make sure that they went all the way there to destroy the Christian movement?

• Why was Paul’s interaction with Jesus so dramatic as compared to others that we have looked at?

• What made Saul’s conversion story so important, and what role did Ananias play in that conversion?

• In verses 20-21 Paul immediately begins spending time with other believers and then preaching about Jesus in the synagogues. Why is this important?

• In verses 26-28 Saul finds it difficult to change his reputation. How can we relate ourselves to Saul’s situation of having to prove himself to the other believers?

• In verse 31, how does God use the story of Saul (his past and his present) to make a difference for the kingdom of God?

• Who does your story look like Saul’s story? How can we change our name the way Saul went to Paul in order to show the world that we are a new creation in Christ?

• Close your time in prayer. Pray for each other. Take prayer requests and make sure to pray for each other every day until you meet again!

• Have a great week! Keep your personal study habits. Read more. Pray More. Be Blessed!

• Begin your session with prayer. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Scripture to you, to give the text meaning, and to have a spirit of learning. Pray for God to be present and open. Write down anything revealed in your prayer time.

• Read John 11: 1-45 (read slowly and pray that God will reveal the main points and right them down. Read through more than once if necessary and go back through the main points. Feel free to read before and after the selected text to gain insight.

• The distance is important. Jesus and the disciples are on the other side of the Jordan. Why are the disciples worried about going to Bethany?

• As Lazarus grew sick, why did Mary and Martha reach out to Jesus who was nowhere around?

• Why was Jesus so confident that Lazarus would not die outside of his divine power being an influence?

• Why was it important that Jesus was not with Lazarus when he initially got sick? What did this impact have upon the end result?

• In verse 16 Thomas, the doubter, does not doubt but has great zeal to go to Bethany and “die with Jesus”. Why?

• In verses 21-27 Jesus has an interaction with a grieving Martha. What is the nature of this interaction and what hope is Jesus giving?

• In verses 29-37 Jesus has an interaction with Mary. How is this different than his interaction with Martha? How does Jesus response to Lazarus’ death make you feel?

• Who do you relate with most in the story? Lazarus? Mary? Martha? Thomas? The other disciples?

• Close your time in prayer. Pray for each other. Take prayer requests and make sure to pray for each other every day until you meet again!

• Have a great week! Keep your personal study habits. Read more. Pray More. Be Blessed!

• Begin your session with prayer. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Scripture to you, to give the text meaning, and to have a spirit of learning. Pray for God to be present and open. Write down anything revealed in your prayer time.

• Read John 9: 1-41. Read slowly and pray that God will reveal the main points and right them down. Read through more than once if necessary and go back through the main points. Feel free to read before and after the selected text to gain insight.

• What is the importance of the man being “born blind”?

• How does the man’s interaction with Jesus begin? Is there something that he was doing to get to Jesus?

• Why did Jesus have to use his saliva mixed with dirt in order to put this strange paste on his eyes?

• Why do you think that some people recognized him and some did not? What there a point to this being told in the story?

• In verses 13-34 the man has an interaction with the Pharisees. What was the purpose behind this, other than having proof of his blindness being healed?

• Blind is mentioned 58 times in the New Living Translation, take a look at these other interactions Jesus had with those who were blind. Matthew 12:22, 20:29; Mark 8:22, 10:46. You may want to read before and after these texts to get the full picture. How were they the same yet different?

• How does the transformation that the man experience, other than he can now see, change his life? How does this interaction with Jesus make his life better or worse?

• How does your story look like the blind man’s story?

• Close your time in prayer. Pray for each other. Take prayer requests and make sure to pray for each other every day until you meet again!

• Have a great week! Keep your personal study habits. Read more. Pray More. Be Blessed!

• Begin your session with prayer. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Scripture to you, to give the text meaning, and to have a spirit of learning. Pray for God to be present and open. Write down anything revealed in your prayer time.

• Read John 4: 1-42 (read slowly and pray that God will reveal the main points and right them down. Read through more than once if necessary and go back through the main points. Feel free to read before and after the selected text to gain insight.

• What is the importance behind the woman being at the well during the noon time hours?

• How did the woman’s past lead to the way in which she reacted to Jesus in his initial contact?

• What is the “water” that Jesus is referring to that no one will be thirsty from?

• Why did Jesus point out the woman’s past in an attempt to save her? Did this have a condemnation effect, or did it bring her in to a deeper conversation?

• In verses 21-26 Jesus speaks of worshiping in “spirit and truth”, what does this do to the conversation? Do you believe that she understood that he was the Messiah?

• What can we learn from the disciples in this story and the way that they interact with the situation?

• What is the transformation that takes place not only in the woman but the people from the village as they ask to see more of Jesus?

• How does your story look like the woman at the well’s story?

• Close your time in prayer. Pray for each other. Take prayer requests and make sure to pray for each other every day until you meet again!

• Begin your session with prayer. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Scripture to you, to give the text meaning, and to have a spirit of learning. Pray for God to be present and open. Write down anything revealed in your prayer time.

• Read John 3: 1-21 / 7:50 / 19: 38-39 (read slowly and pray that God will reveal the main points and right them down. Read through more than once if necessary and go back through the main points. Feel free to read before and after the selected text to gain insight.

• What was the reason that Nicodemus came to Jesus during the night?

• Why did Nicodemus have trouble believing what Jesus was attempting to tell him?

• What did Jesus mean by, “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up”?

• Time had passed between John 3:21 and John 7:50. How had Nicodemus been changed during that time?

• How was Jesus death make an impact on Nicodemus? (Reference John 19: 38-39)

• What can we learn from Nicodemus about believing without seeing? How can our lives be changed when we allow what we “think we know” to be changed by God?

• Read 1 Peter 1: 3-6. What is the hope in being born again that Peter is trying to tell Christians who feel exiled or excluded?

• How does your story look like Nicodemus’ story?

• Close your time in prayer. Pray for each other. Take prayer requests and make sure to pray for each other every day until you meet again!

Have a great week! Keep your personal study habits. Read more. Pray More. Be Blessed!

Throughout Scripture we find people who have encountered the Spirit of God and ended up changed. They were not able to comprehend the great love and care that God had for them. When they allowed themselves to be transformed in this relationship, their lives were changed forever.

   RENEW

In Ephesians 3:14-19 where the Apostle Paul prays that we may know (by experience) the fullness of God’s love. Our desire in these messages is to consider together the love of God. We have seen together that God’s love is a pursuing love and a compelling love. Over the next few weeks we will focus our thoughts on the transforming love of God.

God has a desire for us to know him more and through the journey of practicing better disciplines we find him walking closer with us on that journey.

People who have been transformed in Scripture

• Joseph – Left to die by his brothers, Joseph continued to stay active in his relationship with God, and was able to save and reunite with his family. Genesis 37: 3-28 – March 4^th

• Nicodemus  – John 3:1-21 ; 7:50 ; 19:38-39 – March 11^th

• The Samaritan woman at the well – John 4:1-42 – March 18^th

• Jesus heals the blind man – John 9 : 1-41 – March 25^th

• Jesus raises Lazarus – John 11 : 1–45 – April 1^st

• Saul of Tarsus – Acts 9:1-31 – April 8th

Week 1 – Joseph

Genesis 37: 3-28

• Begin your session with prayer. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Scripture to you, to give the text meaning, and to have a spirit of learning. Pray for God to be present and open. Write down anything revealed in your prayer time.

• Read Genesis 37: 3-28 (read slowly and pray that God will reveal the main points and right them down. Read through more than once if necessary and go back through the main points. Feel free to read before and after the selected text to gain insight.

• What were the key things that Joseph had to go through in order to get to where God was leading?

• How did Joseph’s trouble lead to any changes in his relationship with God?

• How was Joseph using his God given gift to be a servant to other people? How did that help or hurt him?

• In what ways did Joseph have to persevere and keep his faith in God active?

• What can we learn about perseverance, keeping our hope, and standing firm when tempted through Joseph’s story?

• Read Colossians 1: 11-13. What is Paul communicating to the Colossians about patience and perseverance?

• How does your story look like Joseph’s story?

• Close your time in prayer. Pray for each other. Take prayer requests and make sure to pray for each other every day until you meet again!

Have a great week! Keep your personal study habits. Read more. Pray More. Be Blessed!