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First Corinthians - Women's Bible Study Participant Book: Living Love When We Disagree
Relationships are messy. Sometimes we struggle to get along, especially when there is disagreement. Often we find ourselves divided--even as Christians. How can we work out our differences and disagreements with humility and grace, always showing the love of Christ, while still remaining true to what we believe?
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians living in Corinth about this very thing. The cultural backdrop of Corinth was even more overtly sinful than our culture today, yet Paul boldly encouraged the Corinthian Christians not to ridicule one another or outsiders but to work together to show the love of Christ.
In this six-week study we will explore Paul's first letter to the Corinthians to learn how we as Christians are to deal with differences and divisions--whether in the workplace, neighborhood, school, home, social media community, or church. We'll discover that the answer is living and sharing the radical love of Jesus Christ, and we'll unpack what this means and how we can live it out day by day.
The Participant Book includes five days of lessons for each week, combining study of Scripture with personal reflection, application, and prayer.
Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Leader Guide, DVD with six 25-30 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit (an all-inclusive box containing one copy of each of the Bible study’s components).
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians living in Corinth about this very thing. The cultural backdrop of Corinth was even more overtly sinful than our culture today, yet Paul boldly encouraged the Corinthian Christians not to ridicule one another or outsiders but to work together to show the love of Christ.
In this six-week study we will explore Paul's first letter to the Corinthians to learn how we as Christians are to deal with differences and divisions--whether in the workplace, neighborhood, school, home, social media community, or church. We'll discover that the answer is living and sharing the radical love of Jesus Christ, and we'll unpack what this means and how we can live it out day by day.
The Participant Book includes five days of lessons for each week, combining study of Scripture with personal reflection, application, and prayer.
Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Leader Guide, DVD with six 25-30 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit (an all-inclusive box containing one copy of each of the Bible study’s components).
- GenresNonfiction
208 pages, Paperback
Published August 2, 2016
42 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Spoelstra
39 books113 followersMelissa Spoelstra is a popular women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher, and writer who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about helping women of all ages to seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bible Theology and enjoys teaching God's Word to diverse groups and churches within the body of Christ. She is the author of Joseph: The Journey to Forgiveness, Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World, and the forthcoming Total Family Makeover: 8 Steps to Making Disciples at Home. She lives in Dublin, Ohio, with her pastor husband and four kids.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 15, 2022
“I pray that if someone asks you what God taught you through this study, the idea of loving people will be at the forefront of your mind…Paul expressed his disappointment to the church in Corinth throughout this letter. He addressed sexual sin, legal disputes, favoritism, and inappropriate forms of worship. Yet he wasn’t ready to give up on the church he had planted. Instead, he wanted to visit them, help them, and love them.”
The question isn’t whether we will experience disagreements but how we will deal with our differences without compromising our convictions. Just because the world sues doesn’t mean we have to follow suit! We often judge the outside of someone’s life against the inside of ours. Rather than compare, we are called to care. We often damage others trying to pull out the weeds; instead, plant seeds. When the grass seems greener somewhere else, it’s time to water our own spiritual yards.
The true test of a servant is how she responds when she is treated like one. Each test is an opportunity to trust. Self-reliance is love’s antithesis. Knowledge makes us feel individually superior, but love strengthens us together. Individual rights are secondary to winning souls to Christ. Embracing the love that Jesus has for us empowers us to extend His love to those around us. Our role is to build bridges from our hearts to our neighbor’s and then let Jesus walk across.
First Corinthians is a reminder of the goodness of God in the midst of the morass of life. He is for us, He sees us, He is redeeming us. Resurrection is not reconstruction; it’s the bedrock of our belief, the foundation that makes all the difference between resilience and ruination. When Christ is our foundation, we have no condemnation! Sometimes God allows us to struggle to strengthen our souls to soar. God takes our mosaic of brokenness and makes a masterpiece of beauty in His gallery of grace!
The question isn’t whether we will experience disagreements but how we will deal with our differences without compromising our convictions. Just because the world sues doesn’t mean we have to follow suit! We often judge the outside of someone’s life against the inside of ours. Rather than compare, we are called to care. We often damage others trying to pull out the weeds; instead, plant seeds. When the grass seems greener somewhere else, it’s time to water our own spiritual yards.
The true test of a servant is how she responds when she is treated like one. Each test is an opportunity to trust. Self-reliance is love’s antithesis. Knowledge makes us feel individually superior, but love strengthens us together. Individual rights are secondary to winning souls to Christ. Embracing the love that Jesus has for us empowers us to extend His love to those around us. Our role is to build bridges from our hearts to our neighbor’s and then let Jesus walk across.
First Corinthians is a reminder of the goodness of God in the midst of the morass of life. He is for us, He sees us, He is redeeming us. Resurrection is not reconstruction; it’s the bedrock of our belief, the foundation that makes all the difference between resilience and ruination. When Christ is our foundation, we have no condemnation! Sometimes God allows us to struggle to strengthen our souls to soar. God takes our mosaic of brokenness and makes a masterpiece of beauty in His gallery of grace!
April 19, 2024
I'm really starting to like Spoelstra's studies. They're like Beth Moore with a slightly academic bent, but it doesn't take me hours to finish a lesson, so I'm down with that. I love studying the letters of Paul, so 1 Corinthians was a book I wanted to dive into.
On the other hand, I don't love the video sessions, mostly because I can tell that a millenial deep into wrestling with deconstruction is not the target audience, but the study itself is written in such a way that you can really get out of it what you put into it, and when I had time to focus on it, I got a lot out of it.
On the other hand, I don't love the video sessions, mostly because I can tell that a millenial deep into wrestling with deconstruction is not the target audience, but the study itself is written in such a way that you can really get out of it what you put into it, and when I had time to focus on it, I got a lot out of it.
May 18, 2021
This was a fabulous resource for my Bible study group, especially during a time when there is so much disagreement between political parties and personal beliefs around the pandemic and restrictions. It takes a bit of self-discipline to complete each week's study, but it's worth the learning experience!
November 28, 2023
This was an easy to understand and in-depth study of First Corinthians. Melissa Spoelstra is an excellent writer and and presents this famous book in the new testament in a down-to-earth and enlightening manner. Great for a group or just to read on your own.
June 3, 2017
Worthwhile Bible study. She has developed her message over several studies. I learned a lot about the Corinthians and how human issues continue through the ages.
May 4, 2019
Currenty studying in a Bible Study Group. Excellent. Was worried would be about couples but not so. Great study for singles too.
September 13, 2019
Read this for my Bible study group. Really good but very intense. You have to be willing to invest some time, but it is well worth it. The videos that go along with each week are great also.
June 13, 2019
"Learning To Live Love"
I was part of an online study group who used this study. In a world where we seem to disagree on many things, this study helps point us in the right direction. The author takes us through the book of First Corinthians. I am sure there are areas she could of went deeper than she did. The study gives one plenty of points to apply and meditate on, as well as leaving areas to dig deeper for ourselves. If you're searching how to live loved while disagreeing this study is a good place to start.
I was part of an online study group who used this study. In a world where we seem to disagree on many things, this study helps point us in the right direction. The author takes us through the book of First Corinthians. I am sure there are areas she could of went deeper than she did. The study gives one plenty of points to apply and meditate on, as well as leaving areas to dig deeper for ourselves. If you're searching how to live loved while disagreeing this study is a good place to start.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews