John 5:7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”This man is speaking directly to his need for community. He doesn’t have anyone who can help him get into the water when the bubbles come up. His inability to get help means that he has no chance of being healed. Interestingly, this is probab...  Read More

John 5:5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”What an obvious question Jesus was asking this man. Would you like to get well? Of course, this man would like to get well; who wouldn’t? What comes along with getting well? We know that this man would be brought back in...  Read More

John 5:1 Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. You have probably heard this story, and if you have a bit of imagination, you have created what this structure might look like in your head. I have seen artis...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPEN QUESTIONSWhen you and your closest friends or family get together, what is an activity you enjoy doing together and why?HEADRead Mark...  Read More

Mark 2:10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”I love the end of this s...  Read More

Mark 2:8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? I love how Jesus knows what they are thinking and how he gets a little aggressive with them. That in itself must have been a little bit of a surprise. Whether this was div...  Read More