Posts with the tag “mark”

SolitudeLuke 5:15-16But despite Jesus' instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.Mark 1:35Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.John 12:36After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from th...  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 QUESTIONSWhat is one of your favorite things about the Christmas season?  What’s one of your least favorite things?HEADRead Luke 22:4...  Read More

What It Means to Belong to a Church CommunityBelonging to a church community is a vital part of the Christian life, offering a sense of connection, purpose, and mutual encouragement. The church, described in Scripture as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), is not merely a gathering of individuals but a unified spiritual family bound together by faith in Jesus. This belonging reflects both ou...  Read More

Belonging in the BibleThe theme of belonging is central throughout the Bible, reflecting humanity’s deep desire to be connected to God and one another. From the opening chapters of Genesis to the closing verses of Revelation, Scripture reveals God’s plan to draw people into a loving relationship with Himself and into community with others.In Genesis, we see the foundation of belonging in the creat...  Read More

John 18:13 First they took him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “It’s better that one man should die for the people.”15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s cou...  Read More

John 18:10 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”12 So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up.John 18:10-12 recounts a pivotal moment during Jesus’ arre...  Read More

Luke 22:49 When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” 50 And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.Luke 22:49–51 recounts a dramatic moment during Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, revealing His un...  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 QUESTIONSCan you remember back to a time when someone in your life stood up for you in a meaningful, maybe even transformative way, w...  Read More

The account of Jesus healing the centurion's servant, found in Matthew 8:5–13, is a powerful demonstration of faith, humility, and Jesus' divine authority. This narrative unfolds shortly after Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and serves as a profound lesson about the universality of God's kingdom and the importance of trust in Him.In the story, a Roman centurion, a man of significant authority in the oc...  Read More

Matthew 8:12 But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.Jesus was willing to heal the man’s servant because of the overwhelming faith that this man show...  Read More

Matthew 8:11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. What an amazing prophecy. And what a statement of belonging! What Jesus is saying is clear. The kingdom of Heaven is for everyone, not just for the Jews. Its gates are wide open to any who would believe, and the...  Read More

Mathew 8:10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! 11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. As the story continues, Jesus finds himself at a los...  Read More

Matthew 8:7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves...  Read More

5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”I have always loved this interchange. This is a man who has some clout and importance and is willing to break with protocol in order to take care of one of his servants. Jesus immediately shows his willingness to serve and heal, yet the man knows tha...  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 QUESTIONSOk, so have you ever experienced an encounter with what you considered was evil? What was it and what happened?HEADRead Mark...  Read More

13 So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.14 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. 15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they...  Read More

9 Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” 10 Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 12 “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”Names are important, as we have esta...  Read More

Matthew 8:4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. 7 Wit...  Read More

Matthew 8:1 So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smas...  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 QUESTIONSWhat is one of your favorite things about the Christmas season?  What’s one of your least favorite things?HEADRead John 5:1-...  Read More

John 5:13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. 14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” 15 Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.This is an interesting addendum to the story. The man didn’t know who had healed him until later, wh...  Read More

John 5:9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, This text feels like we are just cherry picking a little bit. And we should probably include the following text in today's devotional. However, I am not because I want to discuss something very specific today. The text begins with the man being healed as he stood up. H...  Read More

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

Mark 2:7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”And there it is. The criticism, the anger, and the righteous indignation. These men were not used to someone saying the things that Jesus was saying. And truthfully, Jesus was saying things that no normal person would dare to say. He is taking the prerogative of God and wielding it as if it was his right. Which of course, w...  Read More

Mark 2:3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.Yep, you know this story. Four men arrived carrying their friend. The fact that they are carrying their friend shows you how much they love him. They are willing t...  Read More

Mark 2:1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them,Jesus was clearly getting famous at this point. This is a particular situation is especially interesting when it comes to going bac...  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 QUESTIONSWhat is one of your favorite things about the Christmas season?  What’s one of your least favorite things?HEADRead Mark 5:24...  Read More

Mark 5:32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done.I wonder what Jesus's gaze was like. I wonder what it is like? We don’t know what color his eyes were, but judging by his ethnicity, they were probably brown or some dark col...  Read More

Mark 5:31His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”His disciples were relatively confused by what had just happened and vocalized their surprise. They didn’t really understand how Jesus could feel someone in particular when the crowd was so close to him. it seems there must have been quite a crush of people around him.Have you ever been ...  Read More

Mark 5:30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”Jesus recognized that something was happening around him. His ability to know when his power was tapped into must have been something to behold. He knew that someone had touched his robe and was healed from that slight touch. It seems that Jesus had a cogniza...  Read More

Mark 5:27-2927 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately, the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.This woman approaches Jesus from behind him. Most people approached Jesus from the front to...  Read More

Mark 5:24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. 25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse.Maybe this is a strange way to start a series about belonging. B...  Read More

Belonging is one of the three core values of Crosswalk Church. The three are experience, momentum, and belonging. But "belonging", we always say first. The reason why we do that is because it's important that Crosswalk always be a community of belonging. So what does that mean? What that means is that no matter where you're from, what you've done, no matter what you look like, you belong here. Per...  Read More

“Then He chose twelve of them to be His  apostles, so that they could be with Him.” Mark 3:14One of Jesus’ most common opening lines is,  “Follow me.” Not, “Act like me. Change your  behavior. Start by being perfect,” but, “Follow  me.” Listen to this invitation in basic terms.  He’s asking that we spend time with Him,  rearrange our lives so He fits, help Him create  a community. Jesus throws thi...  Read More

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27Jesus was a deconstructionist. He reorganized culture, reinterpreted scripture, and broke the rules. Nowhere is this more evident than in the stories of His behavior on the Sabbath. The Hebrews of Jesus' day had built their identity around rule-following. Under the direction of the Rabbis, the ten commandments slowly grew to 613, mo...  Read More