Melissa Spoelstra - Romans--Womens Bible Study Participant Workbook: Good News that Changes Everything

Romans

A Bible Study by
MELISSA SPOELSTRA

Romans

Good News that Changes Everything

Copyright 2019 Abingdon Press

All rights reserved.

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ISBN 978-1-5018-3897-2

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations noted AMPC are taken from the Amplified Bible (AMPC), Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted KJV are from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crowns patentee, Cambridge University Press.

Scripture quotations noted NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

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MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Special thanks to the gals who piloted this study with me. They received very rough chapters and gave critical feedback to sharpen the content. I appreciate the way they engaged their minds and hearts in studying Romans with discernment and shared their ideas within the group. Thank you so much, Becky Bess, Chrissy, Deb, Denise, Jean, Marybeth, Melissa, Nori, Rindy, and Tanya.

Im grateful for each one of you and treasure you as my sharpening irons. Many will benefit from your insights, corrections, and creativity.

Melissa Spoelstra is a popular womens conference speaker (including the Aspire Womens Events), Bible teacher, and author who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about studying Gods Word and helping women of all ages seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study. Having a degree in Bible theology, she enjoys teaching Gods Word to the body of Christ, traveling to diverse groups and churches across the United States and also to Nairobi, Kenya, for a womens prayer conference. Melissa is the author of the Bible studies Elijah: Spiritual Stamina in Every Season, Numbers: Learning Contentment in a Culture of More, First Corinthians: Living Love When We Disagree, Joseph: The Journey to Forgiveness, and Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World and the books Dare to Hope: Living Intentionally in an Unstable World, Total Family Makeover: 8 Practical Steps to Making Disciples at Home, and Total Christmas Makeover: 31 Devotions to Celebrate with Purpose. She is a regular contributor to the Proverbs 31 First Five App and the Girlfriends in God online daily devotional. She has published articles in ParentLife, Womens Spectrum, and Just Between Us and writes her own regular blog in which she shares her musings about what God is teaching her on any given day. Melissa lives in Pickerington, Ohio, with her pastor husband, Sean, and their four kids: Zach, Abby, Sara, and Rachel.

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Bad news surrounds us. It comes through our computer and television screens with reports of natural disasters, violence, and tragedy. We encounter it in doctors offices, strained relationships, and home or car repairs. And when those we love receive bad news, it compounds our personal pile of woes.

All of this bad news can overwhelm us and cause us to plead with Jesus to return... like today! In the midst of our complicated lives, we can drift toward cynicism, fear, or despair. As followers of Jesus, we need constant reminders that through all of our trials, we carry treasured good news for a broken planet.

Sin separates us from God, but Jesus came and laid down His life to reconcile us with God (2 Corinthians 5:18). Through Him we can have a relationship with the Creator of the universe. This is the gospel, which literally means good news. As we study Romans over the next six weeks, we will mine the richness of this good news. The truths we will explore wont necessarily provide a quick fix for all the bad news in our lives, but they will give us perspective to reframe the bad news and remind us of our hope for the future.

This letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome has been a source of spiritual transformation and renewal throughout church history, impacting the lives of important leaders such as Saint Augustine, John Chrysostom, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Karl Barth, and many others. In fact, Luther acknowledged its power for all of us when he said, We can never read it or ponder over it too much, for the more we deal with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes. When we read and study this timeless letter, we cannot help being affected personally.

So, I invite you to join me in rediscovering the good news in your life through Pauls Letter to the Romans. Whether this is your first time through its pages or youve been a student of its truths for decades, get ready for transformation in your thinking, attitudes, and actions. Warren Wiersbe has said, If you are tired of all the wrong things in your life, in the lives of others, and in this world, then Pauls epistle to the Romans is the book for you.