Serendipity House

A friend did this as a Bible study with a group at some point in the past. She passed the book on to me when she was done with it. I can't remember if I read through it in the past and decided at that time that it had enough information that I wanted to keep it as a reference or whether this is the first time I've read it. I did this on my own so there was not any discussion. A discussion group may have helped with refining some of the answers to the questions. I appreciated the Notes show more section which discussed the text and gave interpretation(s) of it. I also appreciated that the authors admitted when there was not consensus on an interpretation and provided the options that are most commonly put forth.

I started this around the time the COVID19 pandemic shut everything down. There are some parallels to that event that also occur in the Biblical book of Revelations.

Revelations is the Apostle John's divinely-inspired visions of the fulfillment of God's promises. I hadn't connected the tree of life from Genesis returning in the New Jerusalem (city where those whose names are inscribed in God's Book of Life will live eternally in the presence of God and Jesus). That makes an interesting story arc. And as the author of this study points out "look at all the things that happened in between to make reviving the Tree of Life possible"--most of them bad.

Overall, I thought it was a well-researched and well-presented study. show less

A good Bible study to do with small group, probing questions geared more towards believers then unbelievers.

Part 1: The God Who Speaks
God speaks. And this is grace. He doesn't have to, and we would never be able to know Him otherwise. Yet God reveals Himself to His creation both through His creation and through His Word. These testify to who He is and they point us to the Living Word - Jesus, the full revelation of God to man.

Part 2: Our Fallen Response to God's Word
God has graciously spoken. He has given us His clear expectations. But like our first parents, we view God's word with suspicion and show more doubt. Even though it is perfectly true, trustworthy and authoritative - just like it's Author. We question, belittle and disobey the Word of the very One who created us. Dead in our sin, we cannot fix ourselves: we have fallen and we need God's grace to lift us up.

Part 3: Christ Perfect Response to God's Word
Fallen as we are, dead in our sin, we can never fix ourselves; we can never stand before the holy God - that is, aparat from God's grace in Jesus Christ. According to God's will, Jesus became like us to take our place so we could share in His. Where we failed, He obeyed; where we confused; He clarified; where we defied, He submitted. Christ's response to God's word was perfect, and He gives the benefits of that response to us in faith.

Part 4: Our Redeemed Response to God's Word
By God's grace through faith, Christ perfect response enables us to respond rightly to God's Word. No longer do we consider "What must I do?, now we say, "Look at what Christ has done." He obeyed God's Word, and how we have a heart of obey out of love and gratitude. We've been redeemed, lifted up, saved in Jesus. Like Him, we now trust, listen to, and submit to God's Word, commune with those who do the same, and proclaim it boldly. show less

Live with Mystery...Embrace Your God
God has many contrasting aspects of who He is. He is far more complex than we could ever hope to understand fully. He is holy and mysterious, and yet as near and personal as our dearest friend. He is everywhere, and yet we can encounter Him in specific places. Explore with your students the puzzle of these contrasts as you deepen your relationship with God together.

The Embraceable Mystery...God a 13-week study, is loaded with ways to navigate the show more fascinating aspects of a life lives on adventure with God. Students will come to appreciate the awe inherent in worship, revelation, discipline and relationship as each applies to the lives of believers.

The Embraceable Mystery...God includes fun, interactive experiences like "Random Question of the Week", "Common Denominators", and "Divine the Great Escape. Great discussions will dive into questions students need answers now while "Now What?" extra activities encourage them to continue the journey.

This Leader Book is easy to use and gives you everything you and your small-group facilitators need to lead a life-transforming group experience. It's loaded with great teaching content and creative ideas. show less