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Hey, friends! It’s week four of the Verse Mapping: Acts Online Bible Study. Last week we talked about Jesus standing with us in the storms of life. So powerful! It’s easy to forget in the thick of it, but Jesus is here for us when we’re suffering. He’s right here!
It’s not easy to see through times of brokenness. Our sight can be stunted by pain, doubt, fears, and the outcome of our failures. ~ Kristy
If you lined up me and my girlfriends we each would say that we’re the poster girl for brokenness redeemed by Jesus. I’m betting that’s true for most of you as well. Jesus restores us from seriously hard stuff, doesn’t He? And, even those of us who have stories like brother Paul (religious, pious, zealous), we discover that pedigrees and those efforts are cotton candy in the rain. Nothing!
Zealous religiosity isn’t necessarily true faith!
It turns out that in the light of Jesus’ gift of salvation, piety and sinful recklessness pretty much equal out to broken still! But, that isn’t where He leaves us!
God will always seek us out if our heart is at all bendable toward Him.
Our failures, our brokenness, it isn’t where the story ends. It’s actually where our story begins. For our brokenness, past, present, and future, has already been marked for redemption in Christ. ~ Kristy
The question is will we walk with God or walk away?
In our pain, we can complain against God, or we can come under His authority trusting that He is doing good things that we cannot yet see and will bring redemption to the situation in His timing. (So hard!)
Suddenly, our prayers changed from “Please change our circumstances!” to “If these are our circumstances, no matter how long, then please change me so I’m content in them until my redemption comes.” ~ Kristy
Saul à Paul. Saul became a changed man as he proclaimed Jesus the Messiah. Imagine what God can do within us, too!
Failure + Fortitude = Restoration
We need to realize where our true strength rests. Our moments of failure and the strength and fortitude of God equal our restoration. He can grow our spiritual strength from the broken places. ~ Kristy
Choose the hard road. Choose Jesus. He will restore the most wobbly, broken places and restore you beyond your imagination!
This week in your study:
- Then, watch the video for session four of the Verse Mapping Acts on our study home page and take notes in your study guide on pages 74-84 and stick around to go through the questions afterward!
- Grab your Bible and enjoy your personal study this week on pages 85-91.
- Join the conversations about this week’s teaching and get to know our community in our private Facebook group.
Scriptures this Week
Acts 8:1-3
Acts 9:5-6
Acts 9:19-22
Acts 9:25-26
Acts 10-16
Prayer for the Week
Jesus, we love You! Just as Saul became Paul, You can change us from old identities to new ones. You can strip off our grievous pasts and restore us and redeem us and call us by new names by Your blood. Help us to make that kind of 180 from old ways. We want more of You! We welcome Your work in our lives, Holy Spirit! Restore us from our brokenness. Amen.
