Welcome to Session 3 of Advent Bible study! We can’t wait to hear what you learned about peace from your personal study this week, and we’re looking forward to previewing our study of joy next week.
As a reminder, here’s how this will work:
- Each Friday, we’ll post a bonus video here on the blog, and we’ll have questions for you to answer in your group or in the comments section of the post. We hope these interactions will be both challenging and encouraging! This week, we’ll ask a few questions about your personal study from the Bible study book as well as our new video.
- We’ll also have a fun printable or activity for you each week along with a phone wallpaper of that week’s key verse.
- At the end of the post, we will let you know the personal study assignment to do for the next week in your Advent Bible study book. That’s it!
A note about the Bible study videos: We are excited to offer bonus video content for the Advent Bible study for a limited time. We will leave all the videos up until January 15, 2020, allowing some breathing room for those who join in late or miss a couple of weeks.
Have more questions? Check out our Online Bible Study FAQs.
Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s jump in to Session 3!
- What from last week’s personal study about peace was particularly impactful for you?
- What’s the difference between having peace with God and feeling peaceful? Are they always present together?
- In the upside-down way of the kingdom, joy is a result of our suffering and our service. Can you describe a time when your suffering or service brought you joy?
- Is there one thought or sentence that stuck out to you in this week’s video? What stood out and why?
Once you’ve answered the questions above in your small group or in the comments section, here’s a fun printable for you to use this week! If you’ve looked ahead to Week 3’s activities in the Advent study book, you may have noticed the activity for learning calligraphy. This week, we’re providing a printable for practicing your calligraphy skills and a printable of some gift tags! 
And, here’s a fun wallpaper of this week’s key verse: Luke 2:17-18. We hope it serves as a reminder of the joy we have in Christ.
Before next week, complete Week 3: Joy (pages 75-95) in your Bible study book. We’ll see you next time!
1. Do not be afraid! The reminder that as believers we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us so we should not fear.
2. Peace with God is knowing He is with us and that we are awaiting His return. However, we will not always be peaceful. Being peaceful is more of a feeling and life is chaotic at times but even in the chaos we can have Peace with God.
3. I lost my job and was without one for 3 years. During this time of struggle I had joy that only comes from God, I drew closer to Him because I spent more time with Him and I was able to serve Him more and in different ways during that time.
4. What stood out to me in the video was “we know we will have suffering, but we have the Holy Spirit in us so we are never walking alone.”
My ah-ha moment was how the familiar phrase, “Peace on earth,” is Jesus! He is Peace and He came to earth. So therefore, this phrase is actually “Jesus on earth!” I have shared that so many times this week and others had the same revelation! It’s life-changing!!
I love this study. I also love the crafts and exercises at the end of each week. I have jumped in with several with some of my besties, and it really provided a time of community and engagement. Things that are often overlooked in the business of the season!
Thank you so much!!
1. The whole study on Peace for me this week was a great reminder for me. God gives us our peace and staying close to Him is one of the greatest reminders of where are peace comes from.
2. Our peace that comes from God and is not dependent upon emotions or our circumstances. Where feeling peaceful is largely dependent on emotions.
3. This is a hard question to answer because of what I am going through right now. However, I have great joy even though I am going through cancer treatments because I know that cancer can’t do anything to me. Cancer cannot take away the joy, peace, and love I have with Jesus. In Christ, I gain.
4. I think the comment about how our emotions can make us feel peaceful.
This is such a great study!
This weeks study on peace came at a time when there was a lot of uproar in my life with family. I had to completely turn this over to the Lord asking for peace for those needing to feel God’s presence while I experience the peace that God has given me, knowing my prayers will be answered.
Maybe that long waiting word echoes in my mind from last week’s topic. You know i have been waiting for someone to marry me.
PEACE is GOD and that is always stick in my mind if ever i feel anxious or anything negative happened in my midst and to the world.
My life story is a lot of sufferings. When Papa dies and i have to go search my future. I have to stop college and Mama is left with the huge responsibility Papa left. The huge land and the squatters in it plus the lawyers fees. I have so many hardships i encountered when i started to go find my future. I finished a 2 course in health care for 6 mos anyway. When i started to browse the net and there is a Christian station in my area. I felt joy on the sound and music whom God has a part of each song from the different artists. Now that i have a phone i installed a Christian station based in the US namely WAY FM, Air 1 Radio and K-Love. I just switched to listen between those 3 Christian stations on my phone. Plus i listened to many different personalities in the Christian industry. That boost to my continuing way of living everyday despite of the suffering of waiting a lot for a true guy who will love me and accept me who i am. And unemployment too. I wish and pray when i reach 40 next year of May. I do not have to worry all of these life struggle.
Suffering is the word that strike me on today’s topic. Well there are many forms of sufferings. My way of get even on my suffering is to TRUST fully on GOD. I have beautiful plans but only GOD will know if he will allow it to happen and bless me. I am STILL hoping though there are times I questioned GOD if he really cares of me.
What was particularly impactful for me, from last week’s personal study was the fact that Jesus is the prince of peace. Isaiah 9:6. I can have and experience peace all the time in my life because I have the Holy Spirit in my life. The difference between having peace with God and feeling peaceful, one is temporary and the other permanent. Having peace with God is a permanent state, it is grounded internally and it comes from the Holy Spirit. Peace based on feelings or emotions is temporary, because it depends on our external circumstances. I can describe a time where I was sick and my work for the Lord Jesus continue. This brought joy to me, even though I was feeling very ill, I felt the Holy Spirit give me the strength I needed. As a result I felt joy because I knew that I was doing what God had called me to do. Philippines 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Only in Christ Jesus we have this never ending peace, thank You Jesus of Nazareth!
1. Philippians 4:6 & 7 God’s peace will guard our hearts & your minds. And not only does he guard them, but He is the only one who can change our hearts of stone to hearts of flesh.
2. All people experience moments of peaceful feelings, but God’s peace is permanent for believers. God has given us so many Scriptures assuring us of His peace.
3. I love the way this study has steered me from Peace to Joy. During a very difficult time in my life God led me to study the book of James and this verse became my go to verse. James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, ….
4.”I have come to fulfill all you couldn’t fulfill.” This statement made me think of all I can’t do that Jesus has done for me and through me.
Why do I not have to sign in to get to these videos? This format is not like any others I have done. please advise. Thank you.
Hi Ruthe! We decided to host this on our blog instead of the online Bible study website (where you have to sign in) in order to include the free downloads and printables each week. We hope this helps clarify!
1. What from last week’s personal study about peace was particularly impactful for you? The reminder that God’s Peace isn’t the same as the world’s view on peace. The world views peace as being happy or having time alone with one’s thoughts while God’s Peace is the security of knowing that everything (good or bad) will work out for His Glory, even if we can’t see how in our present circumstance. And sometimes, we may NEVER see how a bad spot in our life worked out for His Glory this side of Heaven.
2. What’s the difference between having peace with God and feeling peaceful? Are they always present together? As stated above, having Peace with God is the security of knowing that everything in our life will work out for His Glory, while feeling peaceful is being happy and at ease about something. No, they’re not ALWAYS present together, but they CAN overlap.
3. In the upside-down way of the kingdom, joy is a result of our suffering and our service. Can you describe a time when your suffering or service brought you joy? When two of my aunts died, I was devastated because I loved them, but I was rejoicing that they were in Heaven and pain-free. I know I’ll see them both again one day I love envisioning them learning at God’s feet.
4.Is there one thought or sentence that stuck out to you in this week’s video? What stood out and why? That we can have Joy and Peace in sorrow as I STILL sometimes struggle with that.
I am in love with this study and format! Thank you for doing this. I look forward to your videos. Love the study book also.
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you, Carol!