Romans - Women's Bible Study Leader Guide: Good News that Changes Everything

By Melissa Spoelstra

Find the good news that brings hope and spiritual renewal.

We live in a world full of bad news. The media recounts stories of natural disasters, violence, and conflict. In the midst of all this heartbreak, we can’t lose sight of the fact that God has given us good news. We call it the gospel. It reminds us that God loves us and longs to redeem our suffering. He stepped out of eternity and into time to send us His one and only Son. The gospel truths shared with the early church at Rome echo into our day, reminding us that we still have good news to embrace personally and to share with others.

In this six-week study of the Book of Romans, we will be highlighting significant concepts regarding the good news about faith, grace, daily life, God’s plan, relationships, and eternity. Whatever bad news we may receive, in Romans we will find good news to encourage and transform us.

Join Melissa in taking a posture of listening and learning as we approach this powerful book packed with good news. Let’s ask God to do a mighty work in and through us as we study so that we might be inspired with a spiritual renewal that spreads to those around us!

Bible Study Features:

A six-week study of the Book of Romans.
Encourages women with the good news of the gospel, regardless of what bad news they are facing.
Women will be inspired with a spiritual renewal that spreads to those around them.
Study offers different levels of commitment for women in every season of life.
Strong, solid Scripture study from popular Bible teacher Melissa Spoelstra.

The Leader Guide contains session plan outlines, complete with discussion points and questions, activities, prayers, and more—plus leader helps for facilitating a group.

"All too often, God's Word can seem intimidating and hard to understand even, especially with books like Romans. In this study Melissa helps us take in the truths of Romans in a way that makes a difference in our lives today. Getting beyond the surface of reading God’s Word for feel-good feelings, Melissa helps us read to know God better and, as a result, build godly confidence that will stand no matter what may come in our lives." —Lynn Cowell, Author of Make Your Move and Brave Beauty, and Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and writer

In a bad-news world, how deeply we need to bathe our hearts afresh in the good news of the Gospel! Melissa’s beautiful study on Romans makes room for an invigorating encounter. Her teaching and insight caused the words to leap off the page, leaving me more deeply enthralled with this important book of God’s great narrative.
—Allison Allen, Speaker and Author of Shine and Thirsty for More: Discovering God’s Unexpected Blessings in a Desert Season

Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Participant Workbook, DVD, and boxed Leader Kit (an all-inclusive box containing one copy of each of the Bible study’s components).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Aug 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9781501839009

Melissa Spoelstra

Melissa Spoelstra is a popular women’s conference speaker (including the Aspire Women’s Events), Bible teacher, and author who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about helping others to seek Christ and know Him more intimately. 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 a contributor to Girlfriends in God online devotional as well as Proverbs 31 ministries First Five app. She is the author of eight Bible studies (Acts, The Names of God, Romans, Elijah, Numbers, First Corinthians, Joseph, and Jeremiah) and four books (Total Family Makeover, Total Christmas Makeover, 30 Days of Prayer for Spiritual Stamina, and Dare to Hope). Melissa makes her home in Waxahachie, Texas, with her pastor husband and four kids.

Book preview

LEADER GUIDE

A Bible Study by

MELISSA SPOELSTRA

Romans

Good News that Changes Everything

Leader Guide

Copyright © 2019 Abingdon Press

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission can be addressed to Permissions, The United Methodist Publishing House, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37228-1306, or emailed to [e-mail].

ISBN 978-1-5018-3899-6

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.™

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MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Contents

About the Author

Introduction

Getting Started

Tips for Tackling Five Common Challenges

Basic Leader Helps

Introductory Session

Session 1: Good News About Faith (Romans 1–3)

Session 2: Good News About Hope (Romans 4–5)

Session 3: Good News About Daily Life (Romans 6–8)

Session 4: Good News About God’s Plan (Romans 9–11)

Session 5: Good News About Relationships (Romans 12–14)

Session 6: Good News About Eternity (Romans 15–16)

Digging Deeper Week 1 Preview: The Saints

Video Viewer Guide Answers

About the Author

Melissa Spoelstra is a popular women’s conference speaker (including the Aspire Tour), Bible teacher, and author who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about studying God’s 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 God’s Word to the body of Christ, traveling to diverse groups and churches across the United States and also to Nairobi, Kenya, for a women’s 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, Women’s 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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Introduction

While bad news surrounds us, the Letter to the Romans reminds us of good news. Although we were separated from God when sin entered the world, we can find a restored relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus sacrificed His life as the payment for sin and rose again from the dead. When we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts the message about Christ, we are saved from the penalty, power, and eventually the very presence of sin. This is good news that has the power to change everything in our lives.

The apostle Paul penned this letter to the church at Rome. Early church fathers and leaders of movements of spiritual revival often