Welcome to Bible Study IRL
Hi, I'm Allison — I've been facilitating Bible studies for women for over 8 years, both online and in person, and I'm so glad you're here. How It Works This is a structured Bible study that meets weekly for 90 minutes. It is for women who want to strengthen their Christian faith and fellowship with other Christian women. Each week, you'll study God's Word on your own, then come together to share what He's revealed to you. Because our time together is focused, we encourage you to arrive early and stay after for fellowship. No purchase is necessary, nor is there any cost or fee. What to Expect on This Site
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The Book
The current study book is listed on this page, and can be purchased at any bookstore or online. Books typically cost around $10 and are highly recommended for personal use — following along with your own copy makes the experience much richer. I'll have a few copies available at each session for in-study use or purchase. All discussion questions are found in the book; I'll preview a few here on the website each week so you know what to expect.
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Share this information with a woman who wants to grow stronger in her relationship with Jesus.
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Chapter Discussion Questions
Chapter 1:
Now or Later
• Has your life ever resembled, or does it now resemble, Israel’s pattern of idolatry, judgment, pleading for help, deliverance and another fall into idolatry? Draw a representation of that pattern. Place words or symbols along the way to show what was happening in your life at each point. If the pattern has been broken, write a prayer of thanks to the Lord. If the pattern is persisting, write a prayer asking the Lord to break this pattern and put you on a new path of obedience and commitment to him.
• Scan the book of Judges, taking note of each deliverer and how he or she delivered Israel. Which deliverers strike you as especially interesting? Unlikely? Admirable? And why?
Chapter 2:
Now or Later
• Do you know someone who has made a radical life change to follow Christ? If possible, ask that person what went into the decision, what the costs have been, and what has made the decision worth the costs.
• Read a biography of someone who gave up financial success, status, worldly power or perhaps even physical life to follow Christ. Pay particular attention to the person’s reasons and what made the sacrifices worth it.
Chapter 3:
Now or Later
• Naomi identifies Boaz as a guardian-redeemer (Ruth 2:20). Study the roles of the guardian-redeemer in the law of Moses in these passages:
Deuteronomy 25:5-10
Leviticus 25:25-28, 47-49
• Journal about times when you realized that a seeming coincidence was actually the Lord at work.
*Tara Edelschick, “A Grief Transformed,” Christianity Today, July/August 2014, pp. 95-96.
Chapter 4:
Now or Later
• Divide a piece of paper into three columns headed “Boaz,” “Ruth” and “Naomi.” Under each name, list the values that were important to each of these three people based on what we have read so far in Ruth. Circle the values that seem most prominent. Draw a square around the values that you also hold important.
• Study the following incidents in which women boldly approached Jesus:
Mark 5:24-34: woman with the flow of blood
Mark 7:24-30: Gentile woman whose daughter was demon-possessed
Luke 7:36-50: woman of bad reputation at Pharisee’s home
Mark 14:3-9: woman who anointed Jesus at Bethany (revealed to be Mary in John 11:1-2)
For each case, respond to these questions:
1. Why and how did the woman approach Jesus?
2. What obstacles did she overcome in order to approach him?
3. What was the outcome?
Chapter 5:
Now or Later
• Study any of these New Testament references of Jesus Christ as Redeemer or Ransomer (the list is not exhaustive):
Matthew 20:26-28; Mark 10:43-45
Romans 3:22-24; 8:22-23
1 Corinthians 1:30
Ephesians 1:7-8; 4:30
1 Timothy 2:5-6
Titus 2:11-14
Hebrews 9:11-12, 15
1 Peter 1:18-19
• Journal about how Jesus has acted as Guardian-Redeemer for you. Write a prayer, song or poem of thanks to him.
• Choose some object as a symbol of a particular difficulty that you have consciously committed to God. Place the object where you will see it often, as a reminder that you have entrusted this problem to the Lord.
Chapter 6:
Now or Later
Journal, and then discuss with one or more other believers, how you can reflect the redemptive life of Christ in whatever areas of life you find yourselves: business, education, home, family, community, volunteer work, missions close to home, missions in distant areas.
Now or Later
• Has your life ever resembled, or does it now resemble, Israel’s pattern of idolatry, judgment, pleading for help, deliverance and another fall into idolatry? Draw a representation of that pattern. Place words or symbols along the way to show what was happening in your life at each point. If the pattern has been broken, write a prayer of thanks to the Lord. If the pattern is persisting, write a prayer asking the Lord to break this pattern and put you on a new path of obedience and commitment to him.
• Scan the book of Judges, taking note of each deliverer and how he or she delivered Israel. Which deliverers strike you as especially interesting? Unlikely? Admirable? And why?
Chapter 2:
Now or Later
• Do you know someone who has made a radical life change to follow Christ? If possible, ask that person what went into the decision, what the costs have been, and what has made the decision worth the costs.
• Read a biography of someone who gave up financial success, status, worldly power or perhaps even physical life to follow Christ. Pay particular attention to the person’s reasons and what made the sacrifices worth it.
Chapter 3:
Now or Later
• Naomi identifies Boaz as a guardian-redeemer (Ruth 2:20). Study the roles of the guardian-redeemer in the law of Moses in these passages:
Deuteronomy 25:5-10
Leviticus 25:25-28, 47-49
• Journal about times when you realized that a seeming coincidence was actually the Lord at work.
*Tara Edelschick, “A Grief Transformed,” Christianity Today, July/August 2014, pp. 95-96.
Chapter 4:
Now or Later
• Divide a piece of paper into three columns headed “Boaz,” “Ruth” and “Naomi.” Under each name, list the values that were important to each of these three people based on what we have read so far in Ruth. Circle the values that seem most prominent. Draw a square around the values that you also hold important.
• Study the following incidents in which women boldly approached Jesus:
Mark 5:24-34: woman with the flow of blood
Mark 7:24-30: Gentile woman whose daughter was demon-possessed
Luke 7:36-50: woman of bad reputation at Pharisee’s home
Mark 14:3-9: woman who anointed Jesus at Bethany (revealed to be Mary in John 11:1-2)
For each case, respond to these questions:
1. Why and how did the woman approach Jesus?
2. What obstacles did she overcome in order to approach him?
3. What was the outcome?
Chapter 5:
Now or Later
• Study any of these New Testament references of Jesus Christ as Redeemer or Ransomer (the list is not exhaustive):
Matthew 20:26-28; Mark 10:43-45
Romans 3:22-24; 8:22-23
1 Corinthians 1:30
Ephesians 1:7-8; 4:30
1 Timothy 2:5-6
Titus 2:11-14
Hebrews 9:11-12, 15
1 Peter 1:18-19
• Journal about how Jesus has acted as Guardian-Redeemer for you. Write a prayer, song or poem of thanks to him.
• Choose some object as a symbol of a particular difficulty that you have consciously committed to God. Place the object where you will see it often, as a reminder that you have entrusted this problem to the Lord.
Chapter 6:
Now or Later
Journal, and then discuss with one or more other believers, how you can reflect the redemptive life of Christ in whatever areas of life you find yourselves: business, education, home, family, community, volunteer work, missions close to home, missions in distant areas.
