#19 Mark:17-31 "Jesus vs. Money: Winner Takes All"

Gospel of Mark: Discipleship, Servanthood, and Following After Jesus

Mark 10:17-31 “Jesus vs. Money:”

Sunday, January 30th

Opening Questions for Community Groups

What was the best and worst part of your last week and how can we be praying for you?

At what age did you begin to ponder the ultimate questions of life?

What questions have you thought about the most?

Discussion/Study Questions for Mark 10:17-31

How does the context of Jesus welcoming the little child set the stage for this instruction?

Why is (1) coming to Jesus (2) with respect and (3) in humility necessary for salvation? Why are these things not sufficient for salvation?

How do churchgoing Christians sometimes make it look like our religion is based on what we do? how can we change this perception?

Is it possible for a person to keep the last six commandments? How do Matthew 5:22-28 and 22:36-40 raise the bar for perfection?

Why did Jesus make this particular demand of the rich young ruler? What demand might He make of you? (What is key to your core-identity? What is your functional savior?)

Is wealth an evidence of God's favor? How can it also be an impediment to salvation? What determines your opinion about money: your culture or the Bible?

Are there some people who have the gift of managing money for the kingdom and others who do not? What are the characteristics of this gift? Do you have this gift?

Is it wrong to seek a reward? How is the reward of discipleship better than anything the world has to offer?

How have you experienced the truth of Jesus' promises to those who would follow him?

Why did Jesus mention "persecutions" (v30) among the rewards of discipleship?

How can we pray for one another and support one another throughout the next week?

#8 Mark 6:1-6a "Jesus' Painful Homecoming"

The Gospel of Mark: Servanthood, Discipleship, and Following Jesus #8 Mark 6:1-6 "Jesus' Painful Homecoming!" Big Idea: Faith and Unbelief are the two most powerful realities in the world. Unbelief Blinds People to the Obvious (6:1-2), Unbelief Builds Up the Irrelevant (6:3-4) and Unbelief Blocks the Supernatural (6:5-6). Introduction Did any of your former classmates surprise you at your class reunion because of the incredible or unexpected things they had accomplished in their life? How did you feel about it? Were you happy, proud, jealous or skeptical? Discussion Questions Why might the people in Jesus' hometown have resented Him? Is the response of a person's hometown and family a reliable indicator of whether that the person is genuine and legitimate? List some of the things Jesus said and did that are astonishing. Do non-christian friends and family in your life acknowledge that He said and did those things? If so, how do they reconcile this with their unbelief? If not, what reasons do they give for rejecting Jesus' astonishing teachings, miracles, etc? How is it possible for a persona to see what Jesus did and yet deny that He is the Savior, the Son of God? What kind of credentials do you expect spiritual leaders to have? Are the most important credentials where they went to school, how well-spoken they are, who recommends them, or something else? Why was Jesus' community in Nazareth offended by him? Why might the people in our life be offended by Jesus? Jesus doesn't do any mighty miracles because of the unbelief of the people. Does Unbelief limit God's power in our lives? Are there examples in the scriptures of God doing miracles despite people's unbelief?

Prayer Time Take a moment to share what your next step of discipleship will be and how your family, friends or Community Group can be praying for you and supporting you.

#5 Mark 3:20-35 "Jesus: Liar, Lunatic or Lord"

The Gospel of Mark: Servanthood, Discipleship, and Following Jesus
#4 Mark 3:20-35 "Jesus: Liar, Lunatic or Lord"

Everyone believes something about Jesus. Gandhi believed Jesus was an innocent man who voluntarily sacrificed himself for the good of others. Martin Luther King Jr. described Jesus as “an extremist for love.” Muslims believe Jesus was the second most important prophet, after Muhammad, and Judaism labels Jesus as a false prophet. Buddhism teaches that Jesus was an enlightened man, and Hinduism suggests Jesus was a holy man akin to a saint. A very popular opinion widely held in our culture and almost universally believed in New Age spiritual movements is that Jesus was a wise moral teacher but would such a great teacher say the sorts of things Jesus did about himself?

Introduction
Did you have a nickname growing up and if so what was it and who gave it to you? If you could pick a nickname what would it be?
How does giving someone a nickname help us to understand them?

• The Crowds thought Jesus was Interested - Read Mark 3:20. Where is home for Jesus and why does Mark say that the crowds have gathered “again”? (See 2:1)

What does the presence of so many people permit Jesus and His disciples from doing? The crowds thought Jesus was interesting but as the author C.S. Lewis rightly comments, “…A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is , the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”
What would you say to a statement that says Jesus Christ was a great moral teacher and certainly a great leader, but nothing more (John 10:30-33)?
What other alternatives do we have to Jesus being either a liar, a lunatic or Lord?
Does it make any sense for Jesus to have been a liar or just someone who was sincerely wrong about who he was? Why or why not?
Why would someone not be able to accept Jesus as Lord if they clearly believe He was neither a liar or lunatic?

• The Family thought Jesus was Deluded - Read Mark 3:21. What does His family do when they hear what’s happening? What do they say in verse 21?

Why would his family say to others that “He is out of His mind”? What ways is Christianity seen as being crazy to your family and friends?

• The Leaders thought Jesus was Demonic - Read Mark 3:22-30. Who came from Jerusalem just to see Jesus? What did they claim in verse 22?

This was significant because according to the Mosaic Law false teachers should be punished by death (See Deuteronomy 13:15, 18:20). So how did Jesus respond to this charge in verses 23-29? What does He say to them? What does He accuse them of in verse 29?
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a serious charge. Blasphemy is defined as “defiant irreverence.” Here the scribes were claiming that Jesus’ power was from Satan. So how were they guilty of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Why would Jesus accuse them of this and describe this as an eternal sin?

• The Family Thought Jesus was Deluded -  Read Mark 3:31-35. Who calls for Jesus in verse 31? What does Jesus say in response?

What is the new identity that people who believe Jesus is Lord should walk in? How should viewing your church like your family change the way you interact with and care for others?

• Prayer Time

Take a moment to share what your next step of discipleship will be and how others can be praying for you and supporting you.

#4 Mark 3:7-19 "Jesus Prepares His Team"

The Gospel of Mark: Servanthood, Discipleship, and Following Jesus
#4 Mark 3:7-19 "Jesus Prepares His Team"

As we look at Mark 3:7-19, we see that Mark is specifically highlighting the difference between the crowd and the called, between fans of Jesus and those who will actually follow Jesus. Fans have knowledge but not intimacy (3:7-8), Fans want goodies but not God (3:9-10), and fans like convenience but don't really have conviction (3:11-12). There is a major difference between fans and followers. Followers are Called (7:13), Commissioned (7:14-15) and Changed (7:16-19) as walk with Jesus over a lifetime. Let's open our Bible, our hearts, and our minds and be challenged to take the next step of discipleship in our lives.

Introduction

How is everyone and what is one highlight from your week? Have you ever met a celebrity or childhood hero in real life? If so, what was the meeting like and was the person who you though they would be?  Which celebrity do you feel like you know really well even though you've never actually met them in real life? How is knowing about someone similar but different than actually knowing them? 

Fans have Knowledge but not Intimacy (3:7-8) 

The Crowds heard of Jesus, but they didn't follower after Jesus as his Disciples. What's the difference between knowing of Jesus and actually knowing Jesus?

Jesus said twice to believe in him and twenty times to follow him. What's the difference believing in Jesus or are you actually following Jesus?

Fans want Goodies but not God (3:9-10)

The Crowds are pushing in and practically crushing Jesus to get a healing or see a miracle. How do you know if you're coming to God merely for the goodies or for God himself? 

How is your discipleship going when you don’t get what you want from God? How has God refined you through times of spiritual dryness, physical suffering, or emotional uncertainty? 

Fans like Convenience but not Conviction (3:11-12) 

Despite hearing the demons cry out that Jesus is the Son of God, the crowds don't follow him as Lord but merely observe him as fans. 

How has Christianity become like a spiritual buffet where people take what they want and leave what they don't like? What areas in our own life do we act like Christianity is a Buffet? What aspect of Christianity would we want to put on our plate and which would we avoid? 

What has following after Jesus cost you? What areas are you tempted to give into convenience instead of living out of conviction?

Followers are Called (7:13), Commissioned (7:14-15) and Changed (7:16-19)

How have you experienced the call of Jesus to follow after him? Jesus has commissioned his followers to preach the Gospel and make disciples. How are you making Jesus' final orders your first priority? Jesus often changes the names of his disciples or gives nicknames to them. How has walking with Jesus changed you? 

Prayer Time

Take a moment to share what your next step of discipleship will be in the Month of October and how others can be praying for you and supporting you this coming month. 

https://youtu.be/UouYKJhfQhU

#3 Mark 2:1-3:6 "Jesus the Revolutionary"

The Gospel of Mark: Servanthood, Discipleship, and Following Jesus

#3 Mark 2:1-3:6 "Jesus the Revolutionary!"

The first Iphone was released in 2007 and utterly revolutionized how we find information, travel around, take pictures, and surf the web. Revolutions transform the world and change the way we understand everything. As we open the scriptures to Mark 2:1-3:6 we'll see that Jesus is a revolutionary. Love Jesus or Hate Him, everyone took him seriously. Jesus was revolutionary by forgiving, befriending, and healing sinners like you and me. Let's learn about what made Jesus so incredible!

Introduction

How is everyone and what is one highlight from your week? Pastor Kyle opened his message talking about Jesus being revolutionary. What revolutions have you lived through and how have the changed technology, culture, and your life? What makes a revolution so powerfully transformative?

Let's open our bibles to Luke 2:1-3:6 and study how Jesus

Jesus Forgives Sinners (2:1-12) 

The four men carried their paralytic friend to Jesus despite the difficulties and challenges. Which friends are you trying to get to Jesus and what challenges are you facing?

Jesus forgives the paralytic instead of healing him and everyone is shocked and horrified, why is this action so revolutionary?

Why is sin the most important problem in the universe to Jesus?

How are we doing at living in the freedom that God has given us through the forgiveness of Jesus?

Jesus Befriends Sinners (2:13-22)

What's the difference between a crowd and a community, between a decision or a disciple? Why is Jesus calling Matthew the Tax Collector to be his disciple such a revolutionary action? How does Jesus demonstrate his friendship to Matthew? Why is Jesus eating with sinners so revolutionary? Unpack this statement: Sanctification isn't separation but imitation. How can we imitate our Rabbi Jesus as he eats with Tax Collectors and Sinners?

Jesus Heals Sinners (2:29-3:6)

Why is Jesus calling himself the Son of Man and the Lord of the Sabbath such a revolutionary statement? How is the Sabbath a healing gift of God? How do you practice the Sabbath? In what ways have you seen and experienced the healing of Jesus in your life or the lives of those you know?

Prayer Time

How can we be praying for one another? What bold moves do we need to make to get people to Jesus? Let's take some time to pray together.

(You can go popcorn prayer, have everyone pray over the person to their right or whatever works best for your group)

#1 Mark 1:1-15 The Center of the Story - Good News!

The Gospel of Mark: Servanthood, Discipleship, and Following Jesus

#1 Mark 1:1-15 "The Center of the Story - Good News!"

Big Idea: Following Jesus Changes Everything About Us!

What is the advantage of having four Gospels, all telling essentially the same story? How might Mark's consciousness of having a Roman audience affect his selection and presentation of the facts of the Gospel story? How did Mark's missionary work with Paul and Barnabas and his work with Peter prepare him to write his Gospel account?

Jesus Reveals the Truth -

We Can Follow Him (1:1)
What are the implications of of Jesus' title "Christ" in the lives of His followers? What are the implications of Jesus being called the "Son of God" in the introduction of the Gospel of Mark? How does Mark revealing who Jesus is create a ironic tension as you read through the Gospel being the only one, beside the demons, who truly knows who Jesus actually is?

Jesus Fulfills the Scriptures -

We Can Trust Him (1:2-3)
How does the Gospel of Mark connect the Prophet Isaiah with John the Baptist? How does the Prophet Isaiah, writing hundreds of years before Jesus, predicting the events that were to unfold show us God's sovereignty? How does God's sovereignty help foster confidence in the times of difficulty and uncertainty?

Jesus Brings the Spirit -

We Can Be Changed (1:4-11)
How does John the Baptist function as a transitional figure from the Old Testament to the new covenant? How do John and his preaching style compare with current notions of how to gain a following and grow a church? Why do you think John gained a large following? What was his message? How did that message contribute to his popularity and to his death? How is John's humble message about Christ similar to what we should tell others about Christ? How is our message different? God fulfilled His promises to send a messenger and send a Savior. What are some of the other promises of God that have not yet been fulfilled? Why does Jesus choice to be baptized and what is the purpose of the sinless savior entering into the waters of baptism? How does Jesus' baptism show the nature of the Trinity?

Jesus Overcomes the Enemy -

We Can Have Victory (1:12-13)
Why do you think God chooses for us to walk through wilderness seasons in our life? What do wilderness seasons accomplish in our lives? How have you been tested since you gave your life to Christ and what was it like? How can we learn from Jesus' victory over Satan in the wilderness?

Jesus Builds the Kingdom -

We Can Have Purpose (1:14-15)
In what way is the Kingdom of God already here? In what way is it yet to come in the future? How is repentance related to confession and obedience? Compare and contrast the words belief, faith, and trust. Why are these words used in connection with the Kingdom of God?