Home is Where the Heart is : What the Bible Says about Strong Women

Series: Home is Where the Heart Is

Sermon Title:What the Bible Says about Strong Women

Speaker: Sam Rainer

Date: May 11, 2025

 

 

Reflect

  1. If you could point to one life-skill or bit of wisdom you learned first at home, what would it be and who taught you? How has it shaped you?
  2. Which courageous woman—biblical, historical, or modern—comes to mind first for you, and why?

Encounter

  1. What details in Luke’s short description of Dorcas/Tabitha tell us about the kind of disciple she was? (Look especially at the words “always doing good works and acts of kindness.”
  2. Why do you think the widows showed Peter the garments Dorcas had made before he prayed? What does that scene reveal about gospel-shaped community?
  3. In Acts 9 : 42, what immediate effect did Tabitha’s resurrection have on the people of Joppa?

Transform

  1. Where might God be nudging you to “always be doing” (v. 36) rather than only planning or thinking? What is one concrete act of service you can pursue this week?
  2. Dorcas’ absence “left a hole” in her church family. What gaps would our group or congregation feel most keenly if someone were suddenly gone? How can we strengthen those ministries now so they continue to flourish?

Additional Discussion Questions

  1. Proverbs often personifies Wisdom as a noble woman (Prov 8–9). How does that imagery deepen our appreciation for the women highlighted in the message?
  2. Sam talked about, “You don’t add Jesus to your life; He becomes your life.” What practices help move Jesus from an addition to the center?
  3. Compare Mary in Acts 1:14 with Dorcas in Acts 9:36-42. What common traits do you see in their post-resurrection devotion?

Interesting Facts and Tidbits

  • The Greek word mathētria appears only once in the NT—of Dorcas—highlighting her exemplary status among women followers of Jesus.
  • “Dorcas” (Greek) / “Tabitha” (Aramaic) both mean gazelle, fitting the picture of someone quick to leap into service.
  • Peter’s Aramaic command (“Tabitha, get up”) deliberately echoes Jesus’ “Talitha koum” to Jairus’ daughter (Mk 5:41)—one consonant different—linking the two resurrections.
  • Peter ends up in the unclean house of a leather tanner (Acts 9:43), where he receives the Acts 10 vision that propels the gospel to “all nations”—and he got there because the church summoned him for Dorcas.

Related Passages

  • Proverbs 1:8; 8:1-9:6 | Wisdom personified as a woman underscores the sermon’s theme that godly homes begin with God-centered instruction and maternal teaching.
  • Judges 4–5 (Deborah & Jael) | Illustrates courageous, Spirit-led women leading and delivering Israel—parallels Dorcas’ bold service.
  • Luke 1:38; 1:46-55 (Mary) | God’s loving discipline as a model for parental discipline that “produces a harvest of righteousness.”
  • Mark 5:21-43 (Jairus’ daughter) | The linguistic echo (“Talitha koum”) helps readers see Dorcas’ resurrection as part of the same life-giving power of Jesus at work through the apostles.
  • Romans 16:1-3; Acts 16:14-15 (Phoebe & Lydia) | Spotlights New-Testament women who used resources and influence for gospel advance—practical models for modern disciples.

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