inside this issue :
SOURCE BIBLE STUDY
Healing from BROKEN TRUST
Why Do We Sin?
helping young adults engage god’s word
The Anatomy of a Lament
WHERE DO YOU NEED TO SET YOUR EYES ON JESUS RIGHT NOW?
Margaret Feinberg
Dear Women’s Ministry Leader,
We didn’t set out to make this issue feel so heavy. If we’re honest, though, life is often heavy. Fortunately, we know Jesus is our hope, regardless of our circumstances.
Yes, people will break our trust; But Jesus can heal our hearts, and our relationships. Nothing is beyond his ability to restore. Yes, we fall into sin, even though we don’t want to; But when we submit to God, he makes our paths straight. Yes, we lament and cry out for help; But the Psalmist reminds us that God is trustworthy. He fights for us.
In this issue, you’ll get a sneak peek into Bible studies brimming with hope from God’s Word, taught by women who have experienced God’s redemptive power:
• Relaxed: Letting Go of Self-Reliance and Trusting God (Megan Marshman)
• The Marvel and Miracle of Advent: Recapturing the Wonder of Jesus Living with Us (Christine Caine and Lisa Harper)
• The Promise and Power of Easter: Captivated by the Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus (Christine Caine and Lisa Harper)
• Beautiful Word: Revelation: Extravagant Hope (Margaret Feinberg)
• I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t: Moving Forward When You’re Skeptical of Others, Afraid of What God Will Allow, and Doubtful of Your Own Discernment (Lysa TerKeurst)
• The Epic of Eden: Psalms: Experience the Book That Speaks For Us (Sandra L. Richter, PhD)
Plus, we’ve included lots of ideas for book studies, next gen ministry, and 52week studies to take you through a whole year. Throughout these pages, we hope you’ll find helpful tools to equip you in your ministry, and discover new Bible studies from incredible Bible teachers…maybe even some new faces. We’re grateful for you and we’re cheering you on!
Your Partners in Ministry, Beth and Sara
Beth Murphy, Director, HarperChristian Resources
Sara Riemersma, Editor, HarperChristian Women
Why Do
BY MEGAN FATE MARSHMAN
TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; IN ALL YOUR WAYS SUBMIT TO HIM, AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Most of us really, really don’t want to sin. And we even know what sin is, and we believe that we’re not supposed to do it. But… we still sin. Why?
Many of us believe that we’re still sinning because we’re “not trying hard enough.” That’s not entirely it. We’re sinning because part of our hearts are hidden from us. We don’t know why we do what we do. One way we try to hide and cover is to try to cover up any part of our lives that doesn’t feel right with good behavior. It doesn’t really work. We need to get to the roots of the issue. Quick fi xes aren’t going to fi x our hidden hearts. We need to appeal to someone who understands what’s going on in there. We have to go to God.
God wants to transform your heart.
The term “heart” is used biblically to refer to the core person. Proverbs 27:19 (NIV) says, “As water refl ects the face, so one’s life refl ects the heart.”
• In Proverbs 23:7 (NIV), we’re warned against the begrudging host, “for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. ‘Eat and drink,’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”
• In Luke 16:15 (NIV), Jesus says, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows
We Sin?
your hearts.” The heart is what a person really thinks and does—not who she says she is or who he pretends to be.
• This is why Proverbs 3:5 instructs us to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts. We don’t trust Him by saying, “God I trust You.” We trust Him by opening our hearts to Him: “God, teach me what’s in there.”
When we skip over the importance of our hearts—and the reality that they can be hidden from us—we fi nd ourselves mired in spiritual moralism, or the attempt to direct our own spiritual growth. Spiritual moralism is us making an immense effort toward becoming more like Christ without Christ. Spelled out like that, it sounds ridiculous, but I see this all the time. I see it in our culture. I see it in the people I work with and speak with. I see it in our sermons. And I see it in me. This has been my struggle for decades.
I hear a good sermon on prayer. I decide right then and there that I’m going to get better at my prayer life. So what went wrong in this moment? I skipped a step. I skipped over the truth of what’s in my heart and went straight for “trying harder.” There’s another way to get better at prayer. And, not so surprisingly, it involves prayer. Let’s try again. I hear a good sermon on prayer. I decide I want to pray more but wonder why I haven’t in the past. I wonder whether I’ll get better at it after this moment. And, here’s the key, I take those thoughts about prayer to God in prayer. I confess, “God, I want to pray more. Help!” Or maybe I say, “Prayer takes a lot of time. Why don’t I dedicate more of my time to it? What don’t I believe about prayer? Help!”
The difference between the two ways of trying to grow is signifi cant—and it’s a difference that exists in the heart. The next time you feel that impulse to change, pause before you “start trying harder.” Go straight to God in prayer, offering your desire to change to Him.
RELAXED
Letting Go of Self-Reliance and Trusting God by Megan
Fate Marshman
WATCH
Watch the fi rst session of the Relaxed Bible study and learn more
Megan FATE MARSHMAN
MEGAN FATE MARSHMAN is a disciple, Mom, hope sharer, joy spreader, and proclaimer of Christ. Grab Megan’s newest Bible study Relaxed: Letting Go of Self-Reliance and Trusting God. Find out more by visiting meganfate.com or by following her on Instagram @meganfate
Two NEW Bible Studies from LISA HARPER and CHRISTINE CAINE for ADVENT and EASTER
Favorite Bible teachers (and real-life besties) Lisa and Christine team up to teach two Bible studies to refocus our hearts through the busy and often distracting seasons of Advent and Easter.
Your group will love this fresh look at what Advent and Easter truly mean, and understand anew the significance of the incarnation and resurrection.
THE MARVEL AND MIRACLE OF ADVENT
Recapturing the Wonder of Jesus Living with Us
THE PROMISE AND POWER OF EASTER
Remember when your eyes used to well up with tears whenever you sang, “Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king” that first Sunday after Thanksgiving? What happened to the starry eyes we used to have only for Jesus?
Captivated by the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus
In this four-week Bible study, we will together marvel at the truth: the supernatural scaffolding of our belief system isn't a human construct but is instead a divine love story wherein the King of all kings willingly sets aside His scepter in Glory, takes on our like form, and condescends to be born in a trough in order to capture our distracted human hearts.
The first person who officially acknowledged the deity of Jesus by referring to Him as the Son of God wasn’t one of the disciples or someone He healed, it was the Roman military officer who presided over His crucifixion. That centurion never got to watch our Redeemer heal a leper or walk on water. The only thing he watched Jesus do was die. And it changed the trajectory of his life because he realized only the King of all kings would choose to lay down His crown and be crushed on behalf of His people.
Watch the fi rst session of The Marvel and Miracle vent and learn more WATCH
In this four-week Bible study taught by Christine Caine and Lisa Harper, we will remember together what led up to the cross and join hands in awesome celebration of the restoration we received when Jesus rose again.
Where do you most need to set your eyes on Jesus right now?
by Margaret Feinberg
Ofall the books of the Bible, Revelation is the one that mystifies and unsettles people the most. From numerical signs to monsters, the book of apocalypse in the Bible can be difficult to wrap our minds around, but the message that Revelation really brings is hope.
Adapted from the Beautiful Word: Revelation Bible Study , session 1
This is the unveiling of Jesus Christ.
Revelation is a survival guide for the suffering, a book of promises for the persecuted, a banner of hope for the beaten down. Not just for John in his time and his age, but for every church in every age, including you and me.
The book of Revelation begins: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Revelation 1:1, NASB)
That word “Revelation” in Greek is, Apok-a-lup-sis. It’s where we get the word “apocalypse” from. It means “unveiling” or “uncovering.”
Continuing in verse 2: “…which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:1-3, NASB)
This is the only book of the Bible that promises a blessing to those who read it—and not just those who read, but those who see, hear, and obey. Rest assured, there’s a powerful blessing waiting for you through studying this book.
Now we get to lay our eyes on Christ. As we unpack the first chapter of Revelation, we’re going to see seven key elements.
Revelation is the only book of the Bible that promisesa blessing to those who read it.
Seven signifies a completeness, a wholeness, a fullness. And you’re going to see the number seven all over Revelation.
Each of these seven elements provides an unveiling of Christ and a word of extravagant hope to you, no matter what you’re wresting with.
The first element is clothing. (And all the fashionistas said, “Amen!”) Look at Verse 13: Jesus is “…dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.” (Revelation 1:13, NIV)
Just as a soldier’s uniform tells you something about that person’s role, so too, these garments reveal the role of Christ. These are the garments of a priest. Not just any priest, but one who Hebrews 4:14 (NIV) describes, is able to “empathize with our weaknesses.” He has been “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
This is a priest who is wholly with you and wholly for you
A few years ago, I went through a season when I lost my joy and was spiritually empty. In some ways, I was giving up on God, because it felt like he was giving up on me.
But Jesus was so patient and gentle with me. Through refocusing my daily patterns, changing my thought patterns, and getting spiritual counsel, Jesus ever-so-gently put me back together and restored my joy in him. That’s the kind of priest he is!
it up, I noticed for the first time white wool is mentioned, too!
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, NIV)
Here is Jesus, the high priest, the sinless one, the ultimate sacrifice for sin. The white wool and white snow declare that there is nothing you have done or left undone that through the power of Christ cannot be forgiven.
The third element: “…and his eyes were like blazing fire.” (Revelation 1:14, NIV)
I don’t know about you, but I need this so bad! Jesus doesn’t just look at us, He looks into us.
If we’re honest, isn’t that something we all long for? To know and to be known. To be vulnerable without shame. To be loved in our deepest and darkest places. To know beyond a shadow of a doubt, the one who sees us is committed to completing the good work he started in us.
The fourth element: “His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace…” (Revelation 1:15, NIV)
Continuing in verse 14, we begin to scan Jesus from head to toe. It describes, “The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow…” (Revelation 1:14, NIV)
This reminded me of a verse in Isaiah that compares the forgiveness of sin to being as white a snow. But when I looked
I had to do some research on this. It turns out that this imagery is a callback to King Nebuchadnezzar, who dreamed of an enormous statue. In this dream, the feet were made of a mixture of clay and iron. As powerful as the statue appeared, all you had to do was throw a rock at the feet, and it would crumble from the bottom up.
continued on next page…
Feet of glowing bronze reveal that in Christ, there is no weak spot. Jesus is flawless. We can trust him—to be our rock, our fortress, the firm foundation of our faith—even when everything feels shaky.
The fifth element is in verse 15: “…and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.” (Revelation 1:15, NIV)
His voice, oh, that voice! Psalm 42:7 (NIV) says, “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls.”
I need that voice so bad. I bet you do, too. I need that voice to lead me, guide me, comfort me, and fill me with extravagant hope. I think we all do.
The sixth element: “In his right hand he held seven stars…” (Revelation 1:16, NIV)
These are the angels of the seven churches. Here we’re reminded, never give up on the church, because God has never given up on her.
Verse 16 continues, “…and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword.” (Revelation 1:16, NIV) This sword is God's Word, the Bible.
And now, the final element: “His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” (Revelation 1:16, NIV)
The one who declared, “Let there be light”; He is the light of the world. Jesus illuminates the cosmos, and he illuminates our lives. When you find yourself lost in the dark, Jesus makes a way where there is no way.
He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the Bright and Morning Star. He is the Lamb, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.
You can trust him with whatever you’re facing!
He will give you the strength you need to rebuild and the grace you need to be renewed.
Friends, this is just Revelation chapter 1; the launching pad of the great unveiling of Jesus Christ, where we’re going to see, encounter, and be empowered by him like never before!
This Jesus has come for you, right the middle of whatever you’re wrestling with today, and he is holy and faithful and true. “What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” (Revelation 3:7, NIV)
He will give you the power you need to overcome and the presence that will carry you through.
He will give you the hope that rises above and the joy that shoves darkness down.
I don’t know what you’re wrestling with today. I don’t know what your pain, your prison, your island of Patmos looks like, or how rugged, how isolated, or how lonely you feel today.
But the extravagant hope through the great unveiling of Jesus Christ is he will meet you there.
The question is simply: Where do you most need to set your eyes on Jesus right now?
Perhaps today, you need to center on the garments of Christ, remembering he is your priest, and he is praying specific, wondrous prayers on your behalf.
Or maybe you need to zero in on that white hair and snow, that affirms as far as the East is from the West, God has removed your sin. It’s time to stop playing those old tapes of the past.
Or maybe, like me, it’s those blazing eyes. They remind us God doesn’t just see us, he sees in us. No matter what we’re facing, we are not alone.
Or perhaps, right now, your life has become so shaky, so uncertain. The one with bronze feet invites you to rediscover solid ground with him.
Or maybe it’s that deep, rushing voice. You need God to speak into your situation, your circumstance. Because one word from God changes everything.
Or maybe it’s the gift of a double-edged sword. It’s been so long since you’ve read the Bible, or more importantly allowed the Bible to read you. Christ wants to take your hand and lead you into deeper places of healing and repentance than you’ve ever been before.
Or maybe you’ve been plunged into so much darkness, you need the light of Christ to break through and break out.
I don’t know your place of pain. I don’t know what you’re wrestling with today.
But what I do know is Jesus is giving you a golden invitation, to a fresh revelation, a great unveiling of who he is and how he’s going to see you through!
BEAUTIFUL WORD: REVELATION
Extravagant Hope
by Margaret Feinberg
Watch the fi rst session of Beautiful Word: Revelation and learn more
Margaret FEINBERG
MARGARET FEINBERG speaks at churches and leading conferences around the world. She’s host of the popular podcast The Joycast, and her books and Bible studies, including Taste and See, James, and Revelation, have sold more than one million copies.
WeTrust Check-In
by Lysa TerKeurst
all have various forms of trust issues because we’ve spent our lives interacting with other humans, and humans are prone to making hurtful, selfish choices.
I want you to know that whether you were hurt years ago, or you are walking through a confusing and hurtful situation right now, I understand.
I’ve dealt with broken trust in the past, and just when I think I’ve made progress in moving forward, a word or memory can trigger the pain, and the wounds feel raw.
But I also know that healing is possible with God’s help. Ultimately, my hope for you is that you’ll regain the confidence that God is completely trustworthy.
Take a look at the three arenas of trust on the next page. As you think about these arenas, in which one have you experienced trust issues more than the others? Take a few minutes to journal and summarize what you are thinking and feeling about trust in this area.
I WANT TO TRUST YOU, BUT I DON’T Moving Forward When You're Skeptical of Others, Afraid of What God Will Allow, and Doubtful of Your Own Discernment
Watch the fi rst session and learn more
Lysa TERKEURST
LYSA TERKEURST is president and chief visionary officer of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the author of seven New York Times bestsellers, including Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, Forgiving What You Can’t Forget, and It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way. She enjoys life with her husband, Chaz, and her kids and grandkids. Connect with her at LysaTerKeurst.com or on social media @LysaTerKeurst.
Bible Studies for Young Adults
Looking for Bible studies for your Next Gen ministry that don’t shy away from tough questions? Do your students want to dig in and engage Scripture at a deeper level?
This collection of studies is for you!
“THOUGHTFUL. THEOLOGICAL. TRANSFORMATIVE. THE JESUS BIBLE STUDY SERIES HELPS US IMMERSE OURSELVES IN THE FULLNESS AND RICHNESS OF GOD’S STORY OF EXTRAVAGANT GRACE—THE STORY OF JESUS. THIS STUDY SERIES MAKES ALL OF SCRIPTURE COME ALIVE IN A NEW WAY, SHOWING THE THREAD OF JESUS IN EVERY PASSAGE.” —LOUIE GIGLIO, PASTOR OF PASSION CITY CHURCH, ATLANTA
Learn more about The Jesus Bible Study Series and see more in this collection
SHOP NOW!
DRAW CLOSER TO GOD THROUGH HIS WORD
These 52-week Bible study workbooks are an affordable, accessible way to help your women establish a habit of spending time with God in his Word.
Read a sample of each workbook and shop the collection
READ & SHOP
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
PROVERBS 3:3 (NIV)
InScribed is a collection of Bible studies by women inspired by Proverbs 3:3, leading women not just to survive, but thrive, encouraging them to immerse themselves in the person of Jesus Christ. Each study has common elements including personal reflections, biblical illustrations and principles, study helps, reflective questions with suggested tasks, additional studies, and discussion.
The Anatomy of a Lament
by Sandra L. Richter, PhD
The great 4th century Church Father, Athanasius once said: “The Psalms have a unique place in the Bible because [whereas] most of Scripture speaks to us, the Psalms speak for us.” No truer words have been spoken. When we open up the book of Psalms, we fi nd 150 of the most compelling, captivating, and heart wrenching prayers ever uttered. And a full third of these can be categorized as “laments.” What is a lament? It is a psalm of complaint that names, often in graphic detail, the agonies and injustices of life. As Martin Luther once said, in a lament “you look into the hearts of the saints” and what you see there is a potent mixture of pain … and hope. In my study The Epic of Eden: Psalms I say that to read a lament is to watch an ancient believer as they stand against the storm. For a modern believer to pray a lament is to allow the ancients to join you in the midst of your storm.
Most of the laments in our Bibles are written in response to one of two crises: (1) social persecution, and (2) illness. I fi nd it so interesting that these are the blows that can knock the strongest to their knees—then and now. To fi nd oneself isolated from what had been your community; or to have your body fail you, these are the darkest of days. This is the isolation of a pain that no one else can feel. When there is either no hand to help, or no hand that can help. Equally interesting to me is the fact that whereas we are allowed to ask for help with the second (illness)— announce it as a prayer request, post details on social media, have hands laid upon us at the altar—the former is something we hide. You will likely not be sharing about your husband’s pornography addiction that is decimating your young marriage. Or that your boss has passed you
over for a promotion you deserve because of the deceit of a colleague. And you for sure will not be posting that you’re in need of prayer because you’re being investigated at work for potentially discriminatory behavior, or that your daughter is struggling with suicidal thoughts because of an abortion. That kind of “knock the wind out of you” betrayal, bias, slander, and injury … we don’t share those with the community. And it is expressly in this hour where the power of lament tips the scales.
Every psalm of lament in your Bible has fi ve elements. (1) An address of praise to God for his mighty acts in the past; (2) a complaint of distress; (3) a protest of innocence; (4) a petition for deliverance; and always (5) a declaration of confi dence in God’s faithfulness and a vow to praise him … regardless. These literary features may be mixed and matched as the psalmist wishes, but each one is in there.
So let’s take a look at Psalm 70 (NIV), a brief but powerful lament which embodies the pain and fear of a person who’s gotten the wind knocked out of them.
1 Hasten, O God, to save me; Come quickly, LORD, to help me.
2 May those who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
continued on next page…
4 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The LORD is great!”
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; LORD, do not delay.
I hope you can hear that the person who wrote this prayer was scared. They had enemies. And as they looked out on the playing fi eld, the chances that those enemies were going to prevail looked pretty good. “Please hurry, God,” she cries, “I can’t hang on much longer!”
How about Psalm 62 (NIV)?
3 How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down—this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
with that new woman who just started coming? I hear he’s already recruited her for his personal discipleship group?” But the psalmist, who knows all about what havoc slander can wreak in an honest man’s life, reminds himself:
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
This person has been falsely accused. In fact, there are folks who are actively plotting to destroy this man with slander. Have you been there? Perhaps you’re a pastor and there is a faction in your church that wants you out. You’ve challenged the status quo, you’re gaining a following, complacency is retreating, and folks are actually starting to talk about outreach and diverting more money to the missions budget. So the old guard has started spreading rumors. “Have you seen that new car pastor got last year, wonder where that money came from?” “Hey have you seen how much time he spends
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
How many of us have experienced that 4:00 am wake up, drenched in sweat, overcome with fear at the crisis bearing down on us? If it hasn’t happened, you probably just haven’t lived long enough yet. But this Psalmist knows, so he coaches his soul. He recites the mighty acts of God, he reminds himself of the truth … even in the darkness. And better yet, this Psalmist reminds us of the same.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge …
11 One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: “Power belongs to you, God, and with you, LORD, is unfailing love.
12 and with you, LORD, is unfailing love"; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.”
Athanasius was right. “The Psalms have a unique place in the Bible because [whereas] most of Scripture speaks to us, the Psalms speak for us.” Join me in my study, The Epic of Eden: Psalms and let’s learn together how the prayers of the ancients can speak into our lives today.
THE EPIC OF EDEN: PSALMS
Experience the Book That Speaks FOR Us
by Sandra L. Richter, PhD
Sandra L. RICHTER, P h D
Internationally known scholar SANDRA L. RICHTER, PhD brings the Old Testament to life by exploring the real people and real places from which it comes. A sought-after speaker in both academic and lay settings, Dr. Richter is a graduate of Valley Forge University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and earned her doctorate from the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department of Harvard University in Hebrew Bible. A veteran of many years of leading student groups in archaeological excavation and historical geography classes in Israel, she has taught at Asbury Theological Seminary, Wesley Biblical Seminary, and Wheaton College.
Watch the first session of The Epic of Eden: Psalms and learn more WATCH SESSION 1
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Jennie Allen
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