Featured Teaching:
3-Part Series on Hope from Romans 5:1-11
Humans are hardwired for hope. We’re able to weather the greatest storms of life as long as we have a confident expectation that sunny skies are on the horizon. But when we’re pounded by one life-altering wave after another it’s easy to grow hopeless and despondent. And nothing is more soul-crushing and joy-depleting than feelings of hopelessness. That’s why we need to go to God’s Word and be reminded of the unshakable hope we have through faith in Jesus. Romans 5:1-11 will breathe energy, peace, and joy into your soul leading to a more resilient, rooted hope ready to withstand any storm.
FRESH HOPE FOR A BROKEN WORLD
I was scheduled to teach a three-part series on “Hope” from Romans 5:1-11 at a women’s retreat before COVID-19 swept across the globe. Although the retreat got cancelled we decided to proceed with the content in a digital format because women need the assurance of hope, perhaps now more than ever before.
Below are the three expositions on Romans 5:1-11 with handouts for notes and small group discussions or personal journaling. With so many women’s events cancelled I wanted to give away this content to be used in your life or women’s ministry however you see fit. I’ve included helpful information on how you might use this content for an online conference/retreat, weekly Bible study, or personal devotional time after the videos. Use and pass along freely.
If you have any questions please email me directly. I pray you will be richly blessed by God’s Word during this difficult time.
SESSION CONTENT:
SESSION 1. JOYFUL HOPE
SESSION 2. RESILIENT HOPE
SESSION 3. ROOTED HOPE
HOW TO USE THE CONTENT:
You are free to use this content anyway you like. However, here are some ways churches have already used it:
Online Conference/Retreat: Schedule three times to meet to watch the teaching and then discuss the questions via zoom (e.g., the next three Saturday mornings or one full Saturday morning). One leader sends out the zoom call link, welcomes everyone, shares her screen (with the YouTube teaching), and then watch the teaching together and do breakout groups for discussion and prayer (groups are a zoom feature). This is what the original church did and it worked great!
Small Groups/Bible Study/One-to-One Meetings: The leader sends out this blog post and everyone watches the first session on their own and then comes together at a convenient time to process and discuss the questions. Continue with session two and then three. Another group used it this way and it also worked great. It gives you more flexibility and the replay option for the avid notetakers;)
Personal Devotions: Focus on Romans 5:1-11 in your daily reading - this is a great passage for meditation and memorization. Listen to the teaching at some point in your day and then use your quiet time to focus on the section taught, journal through the questions, and pray.
Please Note: These sessions are meant to be watched as a series. A question that may be raised at the end of one teaching is answered in the next. So, I’d encourage you to watch them in order.
THE HANDOUTS:
The handouts give you space to take notes during the teaching and then guide you through questions for discussion or journaling. The “Getting Started” section is intended for personal contemplation before jumping into the group questions, unless members want to share more intimately. Please know that these handouts are just a tool. Don’t feel tied to the questions. The most important thing is meditation on Romans 5:1-11 and prayer. If you only met to pray that would be awesome!