#20 Mark 10:32-52 "Jesus The Ultimate Servant"

Gospel of Mark: Discipleship, Servanthood, and Following After Jesus
Mark 10:32-52 “Jesus The Ultimate Servant”
Sunday, February 6thOpening Questions
What was the best and worst part of your last week and how can we be praying for you?
This week we're going to talk about the topic of serving. Why is serving an important aspect of the Christian life?
As you think about your life, what are some of the biggest ways you've personally been served by others?Discussion Questions on Mark 10:32-52
Big Idea: Serving isn’t just something WE DO but it's an aspect of Who WE ARE 

• Prediction - You Must Consider The Cost of Being a Servant (Mark 10:32-34)

Jesus boldly, heroically, and courageously moved towards Jerusalem and towards his own death. The Disciples were both terrified and amazed at Jesus' resolve to go towards his enemies and towards the conflict. How might fear hinder our walk with Jesus? What would are Christian life look like if fear wasn't a constant enemy? What would you do if you weren't afraid?
The Christian life is both privilege and responsibility, blessing and suffering, joy and sorrow. What aspect of the Christian life do you find yourself fearful of or avoiding because of the potential pain? What does it look like for you to be courageous like Jesus in the face of difficulty?  How can we encourage one another to do hard, yet worthy things for Jesus?

• Ambition - You Must Consider The Challenge of Being A Servant (Mark 10:35-40)

James and John respond to Jesus' prophecy about his own death by asking for positions of power in Jesus' Kingdom. This is the third time that Jesus has predicted his death and the third time that the disciples didn't get it and approached Jesus with selective hearing and preconceived ideas.
How can we be careful to pick-up on what God is doing in our lives instead of simply bringing him our own agenda?
How can we model Jesus' patience with those who are consistently difficult in our lives?
Jesus warns the disciples that they will drink of the cup of His suffering and persecutions. How have you had to drink of this cup in your own life?
How can we prepare one another to drink of the cup and have right expectations about the blessings and the difficulties of the Christian life?
Jesus taught his disciples a third time that true greatness is in serving others. How does Jesus contrast the Gentiles with his Followers? What the difference in the way we are to lead others?
How have you seen servant leadership demonstrated in your life? What opportunities do you have to embody and practice servant leadership in your life?

• Submission - You Must Consider The Opportunity for Being A Servant (10:45-52)

Blind Bartimaeus was overlooked and cast aside by the crowds but Jesus heard and responded to him. What sort of opportunities do you have to serve those who are in need around you?
Bartimaeus' cry was that Jesus would have mercy on him. Mercy recognizes that we need God to treat us better than we deserve. What ways do you need God's mercy and in what ways do you need to extend God's mercy to others (Forgiveness, Resentment, Bitterness, Generosity, etc)  Bartimaeus keeps calling for Jesus despite the crowds telling him to shut up. How can we cultivate a holy stubbornness to keep seeking after God in our own lives and what factors distract or embarrass us out of this holy pursuit?
How can we be praying for one another and serving one another this coming week?

#6 Mark 4:1-34 "Jesus and Kingdom Stories"

The Gospel of Mark: Servanthood, Discipleship, and Following Jesus #5 Mark 4:1-34 "Jesus and Kingdom Stories" Which story is driving your life? Jesus calls his followers to hear, respond to and share the Gospel while sin, the cares of the world, and opposition hinder Kingdom growth but the promise of the Kingdom is guaranteed to grow until it encompasses people from every nation. The stories we believe matter. The stories that we listen to, that we share, and the we believe shape everything about us. Which story will we believe? Which story will we share? Which story will we reject? Which story will shape our lives? Discussion Questions When have you found telling stories (parables) to be an effective way to communicate? What made them effective? Why do some call this the parable of the sower and other call it the parable of the soils? Which do you prefer, and why? How did Jesus' parables give His disciples more understanding without giving any benefit to those who rejected Him? Give current examples of cases where those who already understand the gospel gain more understanding while those who have rejected Jesus remain in the dark. Was it unfair of Jesus to obscure His teaching from those who rejected Him by using parables? Whose fault was it ultimately that they did not understand? why is this parable foundational to comprehending other parables? Is one kind of soil that Jesus mentions more prevalent in our culture right now? Is there a particular way we should present the Word of God that might make people more receptive? How can we change the presentation without changing the message? What part do we play in being good soil for God's Word? What can we do to grow in holiness and to produce fruit by making disciples? The Hardened Hearted - How is actively listening and learning to Biblical teaching an act of spiritual warfare against Satan? The hardened heart can manifest as apathy, annoyance, and antagonism. How have you seen people harden their hearts against Biblical teaching? The Shallow Heart - We need to be careful to avoid a firecracker faith that has a short-term excitement but no long-term roots. How can we grow our roots deep so that we don't change when the environment around us changes? How can we shepherd people going through the honeymoon stage of faith to have realistic expectations about the challenges they will face? Does your spiritual life require constant mountain top experiences and what happens to your faith when you experience suffering, persecution or difficulty. The Profane Heart - How can we guard our hearts to carefully avoid the temptations to get caught up in the cares of the world? What ways can riches be deceitful? How does worldliness choke out godly fruitfulness in your life? The Faithful Heart - What does a receptive, humble, teachable, listening, receiving and learning heart look like? The Gospel of Mark says "Hear/Listen" 14 times in Mark 4:1-34! Questions about Listening to Jesus and Growing Do I Delight or Dread Reading the Bible Throughout the Week? Do I Prepare my Heart to Receive God’s Word or do I Just Show up on Sundays? Do I Lean in to Consider, Take Notes and Actively Listen or Do I Just Passively Watch? Am I Being Shaped to See Jesus as Increasingly More Precious or More Forgetful? Do I Take an Active Role in My Spiritual Development or Do I Expect Others to Do Everything? Would Others Say that I’m Becoming More Humble and Teachable or More Proud and Unwilling to be Corrected? Am I Growing in My Obedience or am I More Careless in Obedience? Does God’s Word Linger in My Life or is it Immediately Disregarded?