Women Helping Women Study Guide

STUDY GUIDE TO ACCOMPANY VIDEO LESSONS Written by Eliza Huie

ABOUT PAUL DAVID TRIPP Paul David Tripp is a pastor, author, and speaker. He wrote the bestselling daily devotional, New Morning Mercies , along with many other titles such as Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn't Make Sense . In 2006, he launched a not-for-profit organization, Paul Tripp Ministries, to produce and distribute free Bible teaching around the world that connects the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life. Paul and his wife, Luella, have been married since 1971 and have four adult children.

PaulTripp.com /PDTripp @PaulTrippQuotes @PaulTripp /PaulDavidTripp

You are permitted to print and/or electronically distribute this Study Guide provided that you do not charge for the material or alter the content in any way. You may download the video lessons for offline use, but please do not distribute the video in any way and rather link back to and use Paul Tripp Ministries' online video player. If you require exceptions, please email Teaching@PaulTripp.com. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Contents

How to Use This Series

SESSION 1 What Is God Doing?

SESSION 2 Will He Remove the Difficulty?

SESSION 3 What Gospel Are You Telling Yourself?

SESSION 4 Your One Desire SESSION 5 Your Calling for Life

SESSION 6 Living as an Ambassador

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Outline

Transcript

How to Use This Series Thank you for choosing this video series by Paul Tripp Ministries! Our prayer is that this resource will be used by God to transform and strengthen you. If you have any questions, please contact our team: Teaching@PaulTripp.com. This series can be used by individuals, couples, and groups. We recommend a minimum of 60 minutes for each session so you have enough time to watch the video teaching together and spend time discussing. Of course, there is flexibility based on your circumstances, but this curriculum has been written for you to simply follow the "order of service" outlined in the Study Guide. Each session would begin with Group Participation: • Begin with How Did It Go Last Week? (Which you can skip the first gathering). This is an opportunity to share successes and trial with the group, based on what was learned and applied from the previous session. • Then, someone (or all together) would read aloud the Bible verses found in And God Said... • Likewise, someone would then read aloud What is the Point? , identifying the main points in the video session about to come so participants are prepared for what Paul Tripp will be teaching. • Together, everyone would pray the Petition , preparing hearts to receive the Word. • You then would watch the video session, Hear the Word . Each video is approximately 25 minutes. • After watching the video, spend the remaining time in your gathering using Let's Talk About That . An abundance of discussion questions have been provided, knowing that not all of them might be touched due to time restraints (or, if one or two particular questions take up the majority of the discussion!). • After the gathering concludes and before the next group session, For Personal Application material has been provided for individuals or couples to use as "homework" or for devotional and confessional life. Why Transcripts? You will notice that full transcripts of Paul's video lessons have been included at the end of this Study Guide. This is to allow for a quick keyword search or a full reading of the sessions for those who desire it. If you plan to print off a hard copy of this Study Guide to distribute to your group, you may want to only print off the sessions and exclude the transcripts!

WOMEN HELPING WOMEN

Session 1 What Is God Doing?

FOR GROUP PARTICIPATION These elements of the study are best used with others in a group setting.

And God Said… Read aloud Mark 6:45–50 .

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” What is the Point? Read these statements aloud and keep them in mind during the video. • What is God doing in my life right now? • How am I supposed to respond to it? • Is there anything that is making me doubt there is grace in my current situation or has anything caused me to doubt God’s faithfulness? Petition Pray this together aloud. Father, help us to see your grace toward us even while we are enduring trials. Give us hearts to trust that you are working for our good when circumstances are difficult. Strengthen our faith and help us respond with trust and obedience believing that you will meet us with grace in all that we face. As you do this in our hearts, help us to be an encouragement to one another as we share your transforming grace during our trials. In Jesus' name, Amen. Hear the Word

Watch the video. (18 minutes) Let's Talk About That Discuss these questions. (30 minutes)

1. Sometimes God calls us to walk difficult and unexpected paths. Are there places in your life where God is leading you that feel difficult or unclear? How does his presence build your faith and trust, even when you don’t fully understand the journey ahead? 2. Consider Paul Tripp’s statement: “Grace often comes in uncomfortable forms.” How does that

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challenge your idea of grace? How might this help you to see trials as opportunities to grow closer to God and grow in maturity? 3. In this session you learned that Jesus would introduce his followers to difficulty and then reveal himself to them to increase their faith. What do you think about him not removing the difficulty, but instead, meeting us in the middle of the difficulty? Share your thoughts. In what ways does it feel like you have been called into a sea of trouble? Is your gaze fixed on the troubles around you or on your Savior? 4. How does this “theology of uncomfortable grace” translate into the ways you help others? How can you walk alongside others in their struggles, not with easy answers, but with grace that challenges them toward faith and maturity? 5. Suffering is often seen as something to avoid, yet Scripture teaches us that it can refine us and bring us closer to God. How might this approach shift how you view suffering? Is this perspective challenging for you? How might it help you consider your trials as opportunities to deepen your relationship with God? CONVERSATION PROMPTS FOR YOUNG WOMEN 1. What do you think the word “grace” means? How can grace be a good thing if it’s so uncomfortable at times? What might be happening in your life right now that makes you doubt the plans of God, goodness of God, and/or grace of God? How do those doubts make you feel? 2. In the past, what have you done that was both difficult and worth it? How did the difficulty highlight the feelings of joy you experienced after going through it? In what ways have you learned from the difficulties you went through in a way that you would’ve never learned if the experience had been easy instead? 3. Why do you think it’s always important to walk with God and live the Christian life in a community of other people who follow Jesus too? How do you think God’s grace can be experienced more deeply amongst other Christians than it would if you were alone and isolated from others? 4. Do you think suffering is always a bad thing? Why or why not? Can you think of an example of going through suffering that resulted in something good coming out of it? How can suffering grab your attention in ways that comfort and ease cannot? What might God be trying to teach us right now in our sufferings? 5. Explain this sentence in your own words: It’s better to be with God and suffer than to be comfortable without him. Why do you think it’s so hard to believe that? How are you personally struggling to believe that?

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FOR PERSONAL APPLICATION These aspects of the study can be used in between group sessions on your own, either with your spouse or individually as part of your devotional and confession life.

Do Something During the week ahead, turn your learning into doing.

1. Take a moment right now to identify one area of your life where you are currently facing difficulty. Write one or two lines about the situation. Next, consider how you can begin to view this difficulty as a way in which God is revealing his grace to you to refine your faith. 2. Take some time to think about how you can ask others for help. What ways might you also practice what you are learning to encourage a friend or family member? Based on what you have learned in this session, what might you say about the reality of God's redemptive grace to help them as they face suffering? Search Me, O God For introspection during the coming week. • Ask God to reveal any areas where you may be misunderstanding or resisting his work in your life, particularly regarding the challenges and hardships you find yourself in. What emotions or thoughts come up when you face difficulty? Give those to God in confession or in surrender. • Pray for the courage to trust God’s redemptive purposes in your life, even when you cannot fully see the outcome. Write out that prayer in a sentence or two.

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Session 2 Will He Remove the Difficulty?

FOR GROUP PARTICIPATION These elements of the study are best used with others in a group setting.

How Did It Go Last Week? Share your successes and trials with the group. (10 minutes)

Reflecting on the idea of trusting God through difficulty, what specific steps did you take to reframe how you view suffering considering God’s purpose? Did you have any opportunity to consider your struggles as opportunities for growth, perseverance, and hope? Did you have the opportunity to approach someone with vulnerability and share your weakness or reach out for prayer? How did that affect your interactions with others? And God Said… Read aloud Mark 6:49–50 . But when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart it is I. Do not be afraid." What is the Point? Read these statements aloud and keep them in mind during the video. • What happens inside you when you face unexpected trials or storms? • Are you ever tempted to bring God into the court of your judgement and question his faithfulness and love? Petition Pray this together aloud. Father, we need your help to see our trials correctly. We need your help to see your grace correctly. We need your help to hold on to the truth that you are with us in everything we face. Transform us by the truth that no matter what we face, we are never alone. Let that be the very thing that settles our hearts and calms our fears. In Jesus' name, Amen. Hear the Word

Watch the video. (25 minutes) Let's Talk About That Discuss these questions. (30 minutes)

1. When nothing changes in your circumstances, how might the knowledge that Jesus is with you in what you face change your perspective of your circumstances? Does it give you hope? Does it feel insufficient? Be honest as you consider these questions.

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2. In this session you learned that Jesus introduced his followers to difficulty in order to reveal himself to them so that their faith would increase. What thoughts or feelings come up when you consider that the purpose of the Lord is often not to remove difficulty rather it is to meet us in the difficulty? 3. If something is "enough," you do not need anything more. What does it mean to you for God’s grace to be "enough" for you as you face trials? Are you resting in God’s sufficient (or “enough”) grace, or do you feel like you need God’s grace plus something else? Remember that his “divine power plus his divine compassion equals everything you need” (DP+DC=EYN). How does this impact the ways you seek to help and encourage others as they face difficulty? 4. Can you think of a time when you felt God’s presence more specifically during a difficult season? How did his nearness change your perspective of your suffering? How did it impact your faith? 5. It can be hard to differentiate whether we should be asking God to remove suffering or ask him to reveal his presence in the midst of it. This is an honest struggle that we all face and it is natural and even good to want suffering to stop. However, when it does not, we need wisdom and perspective. What is one area of your life that you need wisdom in right now? CONVERSATION PROMPTS FOR YOUNG WOMEN 1. Why do you think it’s comforting to have someone with you when you’re going through something difficult? Why does it help to have a friend or family member close by in scary times? In what ways is it worse to go through difficult times all by yourself? 2. Why do you think it’s so easy to be self-focused when we’re going through suffering of some kind? Even though it feels “natural” to be self-focused during those times, why is it unhelpful to be self-obsessed in our suffering and trials? 3. What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom? Why do you think the Bible encourages us to ask God for wisdom? How can wisdom help us when we’re going through confusing and difficult times? 4. If your life was always going great, do you think you’d ever feel the need to reach out to God to meet you and be close to you? Why or why not?

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FOR PERSONAL APPLICATION These aspects of the study can be used in between group sessions on your own, either with your spouse or individually as part of your devotional and confession life.

Do Something During the week ahead, turn your learning into doing.

1. What storms are you in now? How can what was shared in the video session help you to see that sometimes you need the storm to bring the glory of Jesus in full view? Ask God to help you see the storm as grace as it reveals to you more of Jesus. 2. What is keeping you from seeing your difficulty as a sign of his transforming love rather than a sign of his unfaithfulness, inattention, or failure to fulfil his promises? How can you reframe the difficulties you face in light of the teaching you have received so far in these sessions? Search Me, O God For introspection during the coming week. • Ask God to reveal where you, like the disciples in the boat, are resistant toward the sometimes- uncomfortable grace of God in your life. • Confess to the Lord where you’ve become too satisfied with “the box” (biblical literacy, theological knowledge, or a slight improvement in your marriage or parenting, etc.). Be honest with him about how this is keeping you from having a hunger for “the gift” that leads to deeper faith and grace.

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Session 3 What Gospel Are You Telling Yourself?

FOR GROUP PARTICIPATION These elements of the study are best used with others in a group setting.

How Did It Go Last Week? Share your successes and trials with the group. (10 minutes)

Reflect on what you learned last week by considering these questions: When your circumstances didn’t change, how did remembering that Jesus is with you impact your perspective? Did it bring hope, or did it sometimes feel insufficient? And God Said… Read aloud Psalm 27 . And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. What is the Point? Read these statements aloud and keep them in mind during the video: • Are you aware of the constant conversation you are in with yourself every day? • Have you considered that you are a theologian and a philosopher looking to make sense of your life? • What gospel do you preach to yourself in the hardest moments of life? Petition Pray this together aloud. Lord God, we confess that the negative things in this life preoccupy our hearts and consume our thoughts. Make us aware of the thoughts we entertain and the stories we are telling ourselves. We try to make sense of things, and we constantly search for meaning, but our understanding falls short. In our hardest moments, would you help us preach your gospel to ourselves. Help us to focus on your truth, grace, and unwavering presence. Guide our hearts and minds, remind us of your love, and let us rest in the truth that you are in control of all things. In Jesus' name, Amen. Hear the Word

Watch the video. (26 minutes) Let's Talk About That Discuss these questions. (30 minutes)

1. The Bible never asks us to deny the reality of suffering. In fact, it is “shockingly honest” about the darkness of this world, but it is also “gloriously hopeful.” How do you reconcile these two aspects of faith? When it comes to your own story, do you present an honest portrayal of suffering alongside the abundant grace of God? Is there one that gets more of your attention?

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2. We’re often tempted to hide the true reality of our lives, whether to protect our image or defend God’s reputation. But God doesn’t need us to defend him. It is far too easy to fall into self- deception, convincing ourselves that things are better than they really are. Paul Tripp describes this as being “self-swindlers.” In what ways do you find yourself falling into this trap? How does it affect your spiritual walk and your relationship with others? 3. Psalm 27 begins not with trouble, but with a declaration of God’s strength and goodness. In our own struggles, it’s crucial that we start with a solid foundation of theology. We must understand who God is and what he has promised in the truth of his Word. How does understanding God's character in Scripture provide peace to you in times of trouble? Do you feel firmly anchored in this reality? 4. Followers of Jesus are theologians, which means embracing the rich theology of Scripture and letting it shape every part of your life. Too often we let our circumstances shape our life. How can you embrace the role of a theologian in what you are facing in life right now? What practices can help you build a stronger foundation of this theology to anchor you in troubled times? CONVERSATION PROMPTS FOR YOUNG WOMEN 1. What does it mean to be genuine or authentic? Have you ever felt like you couldn’t be genuine with God? If you were angry with how your life was going, how would you feel about freely communicating your anger at God? What do you think gets in the way of you honestly communicating your emotions to God and others? 2. Why do you think it’s important to have a correct understanding of who God is as we go through hard times in our lives? Why should it matter that much? 3. Now, think about your everyday life. Why shouldn’t we allow our circumstances to be the main thing that gives instruction on how we live our lives? What should really give us instruction on how to live our lives each day instead? 4. What do you think the word “theology” means? Why is it so important to have good theology? Where does good theology come from? Where does bad theology come from? How can good theology help us when we’re suffering and going through difficult times? How can you help others who are going through a tough time right now and what does your theology do to help you help others?

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FOR PERSONAL APPLICATION These aspects of the study can be used in between group sessions on your own, either with your spouse or individually as part of your devotional and confession life.

Do Something During the week ahead, turn your learning into doing.

1. Take some time to journal about a difficult season in your life where you felt the weight of suffering but also experienced God’s grace. Write down both the hard realities you faced, and the ways God’s grace showed up in your life. Be honest about how you handled both aspects. Did you focus more on the pain or the hope? 2. Think about the conversations you have with others, especially when they share their struggles. Do you tend to dismiss their pain by offering hope too quickly? Or maybe you try and relate rather than listen and learn. This week, when someone opens up about their hardship, practice listening with compassion and allow them to fully express their feelings. Then reflect on how easy or difficult that was that for you. Search Me, O God For introspection during the coming week. Pray and ask the Lord to show you areas in your life where you may be denying the reality of your suffering, or you are trying to minimize it. Pray for the courage to be honest about your pain while also allowing space for his grace to be seen. Repent of any tendency to dwell on the hard and painful realities, or of your tendency to avoid bringing those hardships to the Lord. Consider what else is true even as you struggle. Turn your mind in prayer to the kindness of Christ toward you.

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SESSION 4 Your One Desire

FOR GROUP PARTICIPATION These elements of the study are best used with others in a group setting.

How Did It Go Last Week? Share your successes and trials with the group. (10 minutes)

Were you able to take some time to journal or think about how you naturally go through hard seasons? Where do you tend to lean: toward focusing on the pain or focusing on hope despite the pain? How does your tendencies toward one or the other impact what you tell yourself? Did you have any opportunity to try and listen deeply to others without trying to offer a fix? How was that for you? How did it impact the conversation? How did others respond? And God Said… Read aloud Psalm 27:4 . One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. What is the Point? Read these statements aloud and keep them in mind during the video: • Where do you run in times of trouble?

• What is the one desire you have when you face difficult times? • What gospel do you preach to others in the hardest times of life? Petition Pray this together aloud.

Heavenly Father, the one thing we need more than anything else is you! But when we face difficult times, we can get off course. In the midst of the storm, may your presence be our stillness. We ask that you would be our light and our stronghold in times of trouble. When fear threatens, help us to choose to believe in your goodness and rest in your unfailing love. Increase our faith, trusting in your promises even when circumstances seem uncertain. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Hear the Word

Watch the video. (21 minutes) Let's Talk About That Discuss these questions. (30 minutes)

1. When trouble hits, we all instinctively run to something. Maybe it’s slipping into fix-it mode, scrambling to solve the problem ourselves, turning to screens, sleep, or anything that helps us numb out. Sometimes it’s clinging to a solution that might make a person change or turn our situation around. Whatever it is, that thing becomes our “one thing,” the place we look for rescue. What is your "one thing?"

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2. Recall the path through trouble that was presented: Gaze on the beauty of the Lord, Remember that he is for you, Rest in his wisdom, and then Act in worshipful trust. • Gaze: When you’re overwhelmed, what do you tend to fix your eyes? • Remember: How can you hold onto the truth that God is your light and your salvation, even when He feels far away? • Rest: What do you usually do when your thoughts spiral? Do you try to figure everything out, or do you turn to the one who already understands it all? • Act: What does it look like to worship God in the middle of hardship, not just after it’s over? 3. Which of these four actions do you find the hardest to practice when trouble comes? What makes that particular one hard for you? How might you move toward deeper trust and confidence in God and his word? CONVERSATION PROMPTS FOR YOUNG WOMEN 1. What do you find that you want the most when something goes wrong in your life? What do you want to comfort yourself with when you’re hurting? Do you ever have a desire to run to God when life gets hard? If not, why not? If so, what does “running to God” usually look like for you? 2. What do you think about the most when life gets hard? Where does your mind go when difficult events happen? What emotion(s) would you say are the loudest in your head when hard times come? Why do you think it feels so easy to think about what bothers us but so hard to stay focused on the truth of God that brings peacefulness into our lives? 3. In what ways can you hold on to God’s truth and goodness when things are scary and God feels far away? What does it look like to worship God in the middle of hard things, not just after the hard things are over? 4. Why does being in community with other people matter so much when we’re going through difficult times in our lives?

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FOR PERSONAL APPLICATION These aspects of the study can be used in between group sessions on your own, either with your spouse or individually as part of your devotional and confession life.

Do Something During the week ahead, turn your learning into doing.

1. Make time this week to take a walk or find a quiet spot to sit and spend some time in prayer. Ask the Lord to help you trust him even when you are struggling. Take your worries, fears, struggles, and heartache to God in an act of trust as you pray. 2. Write or type out a Scripture that can help to recenter your heart to focus on the Lord as your one true hope. Put that passage somewhere you’ll see it when fear or overwhelm hits. Consider putting it in your car, on your bathroom mirror, or make it your phone wallpaper. 3. Ask a trusted friend to check in with you this week about what you are turning to in trouble. Do the same for them. Search Me, O God For introspection during the coming week. Take a moment to quietly pray a personal prayer of honest reflection before the Lord. Consider these things below as you pray. You can also use these as a starting place for the first "Do Something" item above: • Lord, what “one thing” am I seeking most right now? • What am I turning to for relief that might be pulling my heart away from trusting you? • Remind me of truths from your Word I’ve heard but haven’t truly believed. Help me to turn to you in trouble.

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SESSION 5 Your Calling for Life

FOR GROUP PARTICIPATION These elements of the study are best used with others in a group setting.

How Did It Go Last Week? Share your successes and trials with the group. (10 minutes) Where did you turn when things were hard? What were you hoping for most? And what message of hope did you offer to others in their struggle? And God Said… Read aloud Colossians 3:12 . Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. What is the Point? Read these statements aloud and keep them in mind during the video: • Are you living like a “grace graduate,” or do you recognize your daily need for grace? • Do you see ministry as a part of your whole life, or just something you do occasionally? • When was the last time your sense of calling drove you to the throne of grace in desperation and dependence? Petition Pray this together aloud. Heavenly Father, thank you for calling us to be ambassadors of your grace. We confess that we often live as if we own our lives, offering you moments instead of giving you everything. Help us to live all of life as ministry. Make us women who reflect your compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We cannot show people Jesus without depending fully on him. Remind us of that daily. Draw us again and again to the throne of grace. In Jesus’ name, amen. Hear the Word

Watch the video. (21 minutes) Let's Talk About That Discuss these questions. (30 minutes)

1. What does it mean to you to reflect the look, tone, and touch of Jesus in someone’s life? Whether you're comforting a friend, encouraging a neighbor, or just showing up for someone in need, your presence says something. The question is—does it reflect Jesus? 2. When are you tempted to live like an “owner” of your life instead of an ambassador? It’s easy to think of ministry as something we step into when we have time or margin. How are you viewing

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your time, your home, and your relationships? 3. What makes it difficult for you to bring someone to Jesus when they are struggling? Sometimes we hesitate to step into someone’s pain because we feel unqualified, unsure, or afraid we’ll say the wrong thing. Sometimes we feel like we have to have the solution to fix it. But showing up with kindness, not answers, is often the very thing someone needs. What do you need to grow in being a grace-giver, not a fixer?

CONVERSATION PROMPTS FOR YOUNG WOMEN 1. What might it look like for you to represent Jesus to someone else? What are some examples of things you can say and do to be a “Jesus model” for other people? What might stop you from representing Jesus to someone else? 2. Most of the time, do you live as if your life is yours or Christ’s? Why does that even matter? 3. What makes it hard for you to bring someone to Jesus when they are struggling? Do you feel shy? Embarrassed? Scared? Afraid to say the wrong thing? Why do people need our kindness more than our “right” answers? In what ways can you grow in kindness this year? In what ways do you think I can grow in kindness this year? Let’s help each other in this area. 4. If you’re able to recognize that you’ve received God’s kindness and grace, how can that make it easier to extend kindness and grace to others? Name a few specific ways that God has extended his kindness and grace to you. Now think of specific ways you can extend kindness and grace to others in your life.

FOR PERSONAL APPLICATION These aspects of the study can be used in between group sessions on your own, either with your spouse or individually as part of your devotional and confession life.

Do Something During the week ahead, turn your learning into doing.

1. This week don’t overcomplicate what it means to help someone. Ministry isn’t just a program or an appointment, it’s presence. Look around your ordinary life and ask, “Where can I reflect the look, tone, and touch of Jesus today?” 2. Contact one woman who’s been on your heart, someone you know is struggling. Don’t solve or send solutions, just encourage. Pray before stepping into any moment of care: "Jesus, help me to be a reflection of your grace in this space."

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3. Make space for a slow conversation with someone who may be in a hard season. 4. Reflect on your own “ambassador moments”: Where might you be living like an owner instead of representing Christ in your home, work, or relationships? Search Me, O God For introspection during the coming week. Lord, I cannot see own blind spots. I confess that I often reflect myself more than I reflect you. Forgive me for the ways I’ve operated like the owner of my life rather than your ambassador. Help me today to move with humility and kindness. As I reach out to other women, let it be from a heart that knows its own need for grace. And in every small act may my presence point to hope. Help me to live in your grace and reflect Jesus. It is in his name I pray, amen.

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SESSION 6 Living as an Ambassador

FOR GROUP PARTICIPATION These elements of the study are best used with others in a group setting.

How Did It Go Last Week? Share your successes and trials with the group. (10 minutes)

Where, this week, did you speak into another person’s life as an ambassador of God’s truth and grace? Were there situations where fear or insecurity made you hold back? Share how that went with the group. Did anything help you remember who you are in Christ this week, or did you find yourself slipping

into “gospel amnesia?” And God Said… Read aloud Colossians 3:15–16 .

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. What is the Point? Read these statements aloud and keep them in mind during the video: • What fear holds you back from stepping into the life God has called you to? • Where are you tempted to forget your gospel identity and shop for it elsewhere? • What would it look like to let the story of Jesus (not just the rules) dwell richly in you this week? Petition Pray this together aloud. Jesus, I confess that I often try to do life with others in my own strength and then wonder why I feel tired, afraid, or disqualified. Remind me today that you live in me. You’ve given me your Spirit to help, your peace to guard, and your gospel to proclaim. Forgive me for trying to be what only you can be. Replace fear with confidence in your sufficiency, and heal my forgetfulness with deep, soul-satisfying truth. Let your Word live in me so fully that it spills out in my words, my presence, and my relationships. Give me grace and wisdom to point others to you. In Jesus' name, amen. Hear the Word Watch the video. (23 minutes) Let's Talk About That Discuss these questions. (30 minutes) 1. When has fear kept you from stepping into someone’s pain or being honest about your own? What was the fear behind the fear?

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2. How does forgetting your identity in Christ show up in your daily life? Do you find yourself looking for value through your performance, relationships, or image? In what ways do you step away from your calling as an ambassador when this happens? 3. When we offer people advice rooted only in principles and rules and disconnected from the person of Christ, we risk shifting their focus from a redeemer to a rule book. But the gospel is not just a set of moral instructions, it’s the living story of rescue, redemption, and restoration through Jesus. Discuss what it would look like to let the story of Jesus, not just his rules or principles, shape the way you support, counsel, or encourage others.

CONVERSATION PROMPTS FOR YOUNG WOMEN 1. What would you say you are most afraid of in life? How does that fear stop you from living a life of joyful obedience to God? Would you say that you are willing to be used by God? If so, in what ways would you like to see him use you in this world? 2. Why do you think the Bible says that God loves humble people? Why do you think it says that God shows his power through the weakness of human beings? What does that even mean? 3. How has being a Christian felt like a list of rules to follow instead of a relationship to care deeply about? Is it easier for you to tell people what to do instead of encouraging their hearts to change? How can our words and actions represent Jesus to other people? 4. Let’s think about a few ways that we can represent Jesus to others in our words and actions, and write them down as an action plan to start doing each week. Let’s also pray that God would use us to show others his love for them.

FOR PERSONAL APPLICATION These aspects of the study can be used in between group sessions on your own, either with your spouse or individually as part of your devotional and confession life.

Do Something During the week ahead, turn your learning into doing.

1. Being a woman who reflects Christ in everyday life isn’t about having all the right answers, it’s about showing up with a heart anchored in grace. The small moments matter. Whether you're responding to a friend’s pain, reminding someone of truth, or simply letting the gospel speak louder than your inner critic, God uses these ordinary moments to do extraordinary work. This week, continue the work you've been doing and take another step into gospel-shaped ministry: • When someone shares something hard with you, take a breath and silently pray: “Jesus, help

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me bring you (not rules and principles) into this moment. Help me step out of fixing and step into being and ambassador of grace.” • Choose one woman in your life and ask, “How can I encourage you this week?” Then follow through. It doesn’t have to be a big action, it can be just a short prayer, a Scripture, or a quiet reminder that she is not alone. • Identify one area in your own life where you've been trying to "measure up" or prove your worth. Find a passage of Scripture that speaks gospel truth to you (maybe one from this lesson) and write it down. Let that be your anchor when you are tempted to define your worth elsewhere. • Think of a recent conversation with a friend. If you could go back and view it through the lens of gospel ministry, what might you say or do differently? Share this with the group. Search Me, O God For introspection during the coming week. Lord, I confess that I often live like I’ve forgotten the gospel. I forget who I am in you, and I try to be enough on my own. I fear being exposed. I chase affirmation from others. I look for life in places that will never save me. But Jesus, you are my peace, my worth, my rescue, and my hope. Search my heart. Show me where fear and forgetfulness are ruling me and help me replace them with gospel truth. Help me live today as your ambassador, not out of pressure, but out of the peace that comes from resting in the identity you have given me.

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Outline

SESSION 1 I. Introduction A. If you could ask God one question, what would it be? B. Maybe the two most important questions we can ask between the already of our salvation and the not yet of our final resurrection is these two questions. 1. What in the world is God doing? 2. How in the world should I respond to it? II. Mark 6:45–52 A. How did the disciples get themselves in this mess? B. This mess was Jesus' mess. God will take them where they haven't chosen to go in order to produce in them what they could not achieve them on their own. C. We better become committed to encouraging one another, teaching one another, and preaching to one another, the theology of uncomfortable grace because, very often this side of eternity, the grace of God comes to me in uncomfortable forms. D. Verse 47—the moment where Jesus rises and begins to walk out on the sea toward the disciples—is the epicenter of this passage. There are two things you need to observe. 1. This is the Lord 2. He’s after the people in the middle of the difficulty SESSION 2 I. Mark 6:45–52 continued A. What happens inside of you when you face unexpected trial? B. Jesus is taking one of the names of God to transform the disciples with a sturdiness of faith.

C. Ministry is about bringing the "I AM" to people. D. When did Jesus start caring about the disciples?

E. There's a huge and significant difference between amazement and faith. God is not willing to leave you in divine amazement. He wants you to become a person of sturdy, assured, hopeful faith, so he will take you. F. You have been given the most awesome gift that could ever be given. It's a gift of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I am deeply persuaded that in the face of being given that gift, many of us are content too content with mundane things. II. Summary SESSION 3 I. Story about Nicole A. When you're in that place you never thought you'd be, you will preach some kind of gospel

Outline

WOMEN HELPING WOMEN

to yourself. What gospel do you preach yourself in those moments? What do you tell yourself about God, or about you? II. Psalm 27 A. Biblical faith never requires you to deny reality. B. This psalm of trouble doesn't begin with trouble. Peace in times of troubles begins with rich Scriptural theology.

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WOMEN HELPING WOMEN

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Transcript

SESSION 1 It is a great privilege to be with you.

Think with me. If you right now could ask God one question, what would it be? If you could just get His ear for one moment and ask Him one question that you would get immediate answer to, what would that be? For many people, if they could get away from their fear and get away from their formal theology for the moment and be in a moment where they're really honest about themselves and honest about life and honest about their struggles as a believer, they would say to God, "Do you really care? Do you really care? Oh, I don't mean as an item of theology. Do you care about my marriage that's gone places I never thought my marriage would go? God, where are you?" "Do you care about this child that I was so glad to receive that now wants nothing to do with you and nothing to do with me? God, where are you? Do you really care?" "Do you care that I lost my job 18 months ago because a man 1,000 miles away made some executive decision for the betterment of the company and we haven't had work for 18 months and we're sinking down into this hole of financial need and it seems like nothing will stop us? God, do you really care?" "Do you care about the fact that my body has been taken over by a disease that makes me feel weak, that haunts me every moment of my day? God, are you there? Do you care?" "Do you care about that betrayal in a friendship that has ripped my heart apart? Thought I'd never face this with this person, this person. God, do you care? Do you care about the fact that I'm dealing with the weaknesses of old age? And I feel so alone and so vulnerable. Are you there? Do you care?" If your gospel can't sit with people in those situations with confidence and encouragement, you will help no one. They don't need you to say, "This too will pass. I'm there for you. I understand." Baloney. It doesn't help. Doesn't work. Maybe the two most important questions we can ask between the already of our salvation and the not yet of our final resurrection is these two questions. First one, what in the world is God doing? If you're going to live a life of confident faith and if you're going to help others, you've got to be able to answer that question. You can't leave that question unanswered. What in the world is God doing? The corollary question is this. And how in the world should I respond to it? What in the world is God doing and how in the world should I respond to it? Why don't you take your Bibles and turn to Mark 6? We're going to look at verse 45 through 52. I love the Gospel of Mark. I love how fast-paced it is and how straightforward it is and hard-hitting. Mark sticks in your face that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and he gives you no room for neutrality. That's Mark. I love Mark. Mark is not like Luke. Luke makes all kinds of editorial comments. Mark is just history, history, history, history, just Jesus in your face. It's wonderful. That's where I need Jesus. And along with that, there's this other theme that goes through Mark, Jesus has collected disciples around Him. And His purpose is not that these men would just be recipients of the work of His kingdom, but that they would be instruments of the work of that kingdom as well. That's God's call to everyone. No one is meant to just be a recipient. Everyone is meant to be an instrument. Enough of consumeristic Christianity. Enough of ecclesiastical Macy's. This is not a department store. This is a kingdom. But these men were not men of faith. And so Jesus was working to craft faith in them. Faith that could root at

Transcript: Session 1

WOMEN HELPING WOMEN

the deepest moments of difficulty of everyday life. Faith that was sturdy and strong and assured and bold and courageous. That's not who these people were. And so Jesus would introduce His disciples to some kind of difficulty. And then in that difficulty, He would reveal His glory that was meant to craft faith in them. There's a bit of what I call a gospel equation that goes through Mark. It's divine power plus divine compassion equals everything you need. Divine power plus divine compassion equals everything you need. DP plus DC equals EYN for your mathematicians in the room. Now we're ready for Mark 6:45. "Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. And after He'd taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray. And when even He came, the boat was out on the sea and He was alone on the land, and He saw that they were making headway painfully for the wind was against them." "And about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke to them and said, 'Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid.'" "And He got into the boat with them and the wind ceased and they were utterly amazed or astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened." Now, here's the scene. The disciples find themselves in another moment of difficulty. They're trying to row their way across the Sea of Galilee. They're facing an impossible headwind. Angry seas. If you look at the larger time clues in the passage, they've probably been rowing now for eight hours. It's a situation that's exhausting and discouraging and potentially dangerous. Now, when you read the Bible, you should always have an interactive relationship with your Bible, you shouldn't read with a mental monotone, and you should ask yourself the question, how in the world did the disciples get themselves in this mess? Maybe they were just full of themselves. Maybe they just assigned to themselves much more strength and wisdom than they actually had. Maybe they had been disobedient to the commands of Christ. Maybe they had just made another foolish choice. Well, the answer to that is no, no, no, and no. If you look at verse 45, it says, "Immediately He, Christ, commanded them to get in this boat." You will understand nothing about this passage and nothing about the way God works in our lives if you don't understand this mess was Jesus' mess. He's got the disciples in this moment exactly where He wants them to be. Now you ought to say, "Why would a God of such grace, why would a God of such tender love, why would a God who proclaims again and again that He cares for us ever want His children to be in this kind of difficulty? Why? Why? Why?" Millions of Christians over the years have asked that question, "Why, God? Why?" Well, Jesus knows something about the boys in the boat. He knows how self-righteous they can be. He knows how full of a sense of their own strength and wisdom they can be. It's always amazing to me when you watch the disciples argue with Jesus. You want to say, "He's Jesus. Messiah." It's amazing. He knows how much they are committed more to their little kingdoms than to His kingdom. There's an amazing moment in Mark 9 where Jesus has just laid out the fact that He's going to suffer and die in the most specific way He's laid it out so far. You know what the next conversation is? It's not grief, it's not, "Oh, Jesus, they shouldn't do this to you." They're walking toward Capernaum and Jesus knows the disciples are arguing and He asks them what they're arguing about and they sort of, kind of embarrassed, don't want to answer the question, and finally someone answers the question and they're fighting about who's going to be greatest in the kingdom.

Transcript: Session 1

WOMEN HELPING WOMEN

Amazing. So Jesus knows the guys who are in the boat, and watch this. So He will take them where they haven't chosen to go in order to produce in them what they could not achieve on their own. God will take you where you haven't intended to go in order to produce in you what you could not achieve on your own. God will take you and you and you and you and me where we have not intended to go in order to produce in us what we could not achieve on our own. You know what the Bible calls that? Grace. I think for many of us, and I've been here many times in my life, there are moments where I'm crying out, "Where is the grace of God?" And I'm getting it. But it's not a cool drink, it's not a soft pillow. Oh, I want the grace of relief and the grace of release, and I get those in pieces, but largely those are to come. What I actually need is the transforming grace of refinement. It's grace. Sisters, we better become committed to encouraging one another and teaching one another and preaching to one another, get this terminology, the theology of uncomfortable grace. The theology of uncomfortable grace, because very often this side of eternity, the grace of God comes to me in uncomfortable forms. It's grace. It's grace. It's grace. God will take you where you haven't chosen to go in order to produce in you what you could not achieve on your own. That's glorious grace. Now back to your Bibles, the plot thickens. Verse 47, "And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea and He was alone on the land, and He saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them." Now, this moment, you need to understand this, this moment where Jesus rises and begins to walk out on the sea toward the disciples is the linchpin, the epicenter of this passage. If you don't understand what that action is about, you'll never understand the glory and grace that is meant to be communicated to you in the here and now through this little story that has been retained for your example and your instruction. There are two things that you need to observe here. Let me read again. "And about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea." Walking on the sea. Walking on the sea. Walking on the sea. You are way too passive. You ought to be saying hallelujah at this point. Don't try this at home. The minute Jesus steps His first foot on that water, you know this is Lord God Almighty, King Creation, King of Creation, He can do anything He wants with His Creation, this is the Lord. If what Mark wanted to do is demonstrate that Jesus is of Nazareth, is the Son of God, case closed, argument won, deal done, the average person doesn't walk on water. This is the Lord. But there's something else you must observe. The minute Jesus takes that walk, you are clued into what this whole event is about. The minute Jesus takes that walk, His intention for this moment is being revealed to you. Because think with me, if all Jesus wanted to do was remove the difficulty, He wouldn't have had to take the walk. All He would have to do is say, "Peace be still." The wind would have died, the waves would have come, and the guys in the boat happily would have rowed the rest of the way across the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida. The minute Jesus takes the walk, you know that He's not after the difficulty, He's after the people in the middle of the difficulty, that's what He's after. Now, when you're in difficulty, what do you want? Little more redemption? Send a little more difficult my way, Lord, I'm not redeemed enough yet? You're sitting in the moment of a life mass and you're singing << Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb >> I don't think so. I mean, there are moments where we're very tempted to attach our assent to the faithfulness of God to His willingness to remove the difficulty. That's the spiritual equation for us, "You remove this difficulty, I'll gladly praise you."

Transcript: Session 1

WOMEN HELPING WOMEN

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