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A Beautiful Design - Bible Study Book
God created us to function according to His perfect design, and for all of human history, our world has been male and female. But our ever-changing culture faces challenges due to sin. More than ever the church needs to be a safe refuge for the gender confused, the sexually broken, the single, the married, and the divorced. In this 9-session study, pastor Matt Chandler gives evidence that God’s plan for man and woman is the ultimate design. And life lived within this beautiful and unchanging design leads to our greatest joy.
Features:
· Leader material with guides to questions and discussion within small groups
· Personal study segments in Bible Study Book to complete between group sessions
· Opportunity for 9 group sessions with 8 weeks of personal study and homework
Benefits:
· Discover how you were created with a purpose in God’s unchanging plan
· Opportunity for multiple leaders for both experienced and new Bible students
· Exchange your broken and weary perspective on life for His beautiful design
· Shape and influence your church into a safe place for everyone
· Understand the cleansing power of the gospel, erasing all past, present, and future failures
Session Outline:
Session 1 — In the Beginning
Session 2 — In His image
Session 3 — Man’s Purpose
Session 4 — Man’s Hurdles
Session 5 — Man’s Redemption
Session 6 — Woman’s Purpose
Session 7 — Woman’s Hurdles
Session 8 — Woman’s Redemption
Session 9 — Together for the Gospel
Features:
· Leader material with guides to questions and discussion within small groups
· Personal study segments in Bible Study Book to complete between group sessions
· Opportunity for 9 group sessions with 8 weeks of personal study and homework
Benefits:
· Discover how you were created with a purpose in God’s unchanging plan
· Opportunity for multiple leaders for both experienced and new Bible students
· Exchange your broken and weary perspective on life for His beautiful design
· Shape and influence your church into a safe place for everyone
· Understand the cleansing power of the gospel, erasing all past, present, and future failures
Session Outline:
Session 1 — In the Beginning
Session 2 — In His image
Session 3 — Man’s Purpose
Session 4 — Man’s Hurdles
Session 5 — Man’s Redemption
Session 6 — Woman’s Purpose
Session 7 — Woman’s Hurdles
Session 8 — Woman’s Redemption
Session 9 — Together for the Gospel
144 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2016
2 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Matt Chandler
138 books760 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Matt Chandler is the lead pastor of The Village Church, a multi-campus church in the Dallas metroplex of over 10,000 people. His sermons are among the topselling (free) podcasts on itunes and he speaks at conferences worldwide. Prior to accepting the pastorate at The Village, Matt had a vibrant itinerant ministry for over ten years where he spoke to hundreds of thousands of people in America and abroad about the glory of God and beauty of Jesus. He lives in Texas with his wife, Lauren, and their three children: Audrey, Reid and Norah.
Matt Chandler is the lead pastor of The Village Church, a multi-campus church in the Dallas metroplex of over 10,000 people. His sermons are among the topselling (free) podcasts on itunes and he speaks at conferences worldwide. Prior to accepting the pastorate at The Village, Matt had a vibrant itinerant ministry for over ten years where he spoke to hundreds of thousands of people in America and abroad about the glory of God and beauty of Jesus. He lives in Texas with his wife, Lauren, and their three children: Audrey, Reid and Norah.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Want to read
July 30, 2016friend recommendation
January 27, 2025
As a follower of Christ this book is phenomenal in relation to biblical marriage and purpose together. I would go as far as stating that every christian should read this book and watch the sermons alongside it. I cannot recommend it enough. God's design is intentional, both men and women have purpose, both men and women have struggles, and we are created to grow together in marriage closer to Jesus.
May 6, 2016
A Beautiful Design is a Bible study book published by LifeWay in conjunction with The Village Church in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. This book is designed to be a discussion guide for small groups and coincide with a video series that you can find at LifeWay . The stated purpose of the study is to provide evidence that God’s plan for gender is revealed in scripture and is not only the ultimate design but also a part of a “greater purpose for humanity and leads to our greatest joy”.
A Beautiful Design is divided into nine sessions beginning with God’s creation and image within gender roles followed by three sessions on man’s purpose, hurdles, and redemption and then three chapters on women’s purpose, hurdles, and redemption. The book concludes with a session called Together for the Gospel in which the author pleads for a coming together of the genders in order to better proclaim the glory of God.
"Men and women have been created in the image of God. By their very nature they share a fundamental identity as equal participants in imaging God, equal responsibility to spread the glory of God, and equal recipients of grace. Men and women have been created in distinct ways and entrusted with complementary purposes that come together in a beautiful way for the going forth of the gospel."
One of the things that I really appreciated in A Beautiful Design was the way in which Matt Chandler included a page called Family Discipleship at the beginning of each session. The family discipleship pages start off with a statement about God’s purpose for the family in discipling the next generation and then include ideas for family discussion under the categories of Time, Moments, and Milestones. I thought this was an important inclusion because the most important small group we can participate in are our very own families and any discussion on God’s design for gender would be incomplete without the inclusion of family. In addition to the family discipleship page each session also begins with a short introduction to the session theme and a scripture passage on which to meditate. The session chapters include questions to answer while watching the videos and discussion questions to guide the small group into discovering Biblical truths about the general topic. The questions included in each session are intended to apply the teaching (and sometimes include self assessments) and to challenge the participant to think seriously about how they are conforming to the Biblical pattern. Chandler also includes prayers fort he participants throughout the book which reveal his sincere desire to recapture the design for men and women.
After reading through this study I would recommend it for use in small groups rather than as individuals. Although it can certainly be used on an individual basis the questions are intended to produce a certain amount of accountability within a small group. Ideally this would be used within the context of a family gathering, perhaps as a supplement for a daily family worship/discipleship. Homeschool students will benefit from the intimate discussions that this fosters and will help to infuse a practical teaching for those whose focus is perhaps more academic than character centric. It is best suited for older children, perhaps 12 and up although younger children can certainly benefit from hearing the truths and setting a foundation for their later years.
CLICK HERE TO SEARCH AMAZON FOR THE LOWEST PRICE ON A BEAUTIFUL DESIGN
This review first appeared on my blog at http://www.teleiaphilia.com
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from LifeWay Press in exchange for an online review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
A Beautiful Design is divided into nine sessions beginning with God’s creation and image within gender roles followed by three sessions on man’s purpose, hurdles, and redemption and then three chapters on women’s purpose, hurdles, and redemption. The book concludes with a session called Together for the Gospel in which the author pleads for a coming together of the genders in order to better proclaim the glory of God.
"Men and women have been created in the image of God. By their very nature they share a fundamental identity as equal participants in imaging God, equal responsibility to spread the glory of God, and equal recipients of grace. Men and women have been created in distinct ways and entrusted with complementary purposes that come together in a beautiful way for the going forth of the gospel."
One of the things that I really appreciated in A Beautiful Design was the way in which Matt Chandler included a page called Family Discipleship at the beginning of each session. The family discipleship pages start off with a statement about God’s purpose for the family in discipling the next generation and then include ideas for family discussion under the categories of Time, Moments, and Milestones. I thought this was an important inclusion because the most important small group we can participate in are our very own families and any discussion on God’s design for gender would be incomplete without the inclusion of family. In addition to the family discipleship page each session also begins with a short introduction to the session theme and a scripture passage on which to meditate. The session chapters include questions to answer while watching the videos and discussion questions to guide the small group into discovering Biblical truths about the general topic. The questions included in each session are intended to apply the teaching (and sometimes include self assessments) and to challenge the participant to think seriously about how they are conforming to the Biblical pattern. Chandler also includes prayers fort he participants throughout the book which reveal his sincere desire to recapture the design for men and women.
After reading through this study I would recommend it for use in small groups rather than as individuals. Although it can certainly be used on an individual basis the questions are intended to produce a certain amount of accountability within a small group. Ideally this would be used within the context of a family gathering, perhaps as a supplement for a daily family worship/discipleship. Homeschool students will benefit from the intimate discussions that this fosters and will help to infuse a practical teaching for those whose focus is perhaps more academic than character centric. It is best suited for older children, perhaps 12 and up although younger children can certainly benefit from hearing the truths and setting a foundation for their later years.
CLICK HERE TO SEARCH AMAZON FOR THE LOWEST PRICE ON A BEAUTIFUL DESIGN
This review first appeared on my blog at http://www.teleiaphilia.com
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from LifeWay Press in exchange for an online review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
July 8, 2016
Every person should participate in A Beautiful Design. The study was an excellent companion to Matt Chandler's sermon series that gently but firmly affirms and fleshes out what biblical manhood and womanhood really means, and what that looks like today.
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October 24, 2016First Bible Study book with my ladies group at church for this fall semester. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the previous Matt Chandler study we did, but still good. I enjoy his videos immensely!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews