Posts with the tag “mark”

The Weight We Cannot CarryINTRODUCTIONThe 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.OPENING QUESTIONHave you ever been in a place that you strongly felt the presence of God or a deep sense of holi...  Read More

THE LOVE THAT OUTLIVES OUR FAILUREMark 14:47–50 (NLT) “Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.”There’s a moment in the Gospels that can feel almost too human to sit with: the disciples, every last one, run. Not just Judas with his kiss, not just Peter with his sword, but all of them. The whole community Jesus poured Himself into slinks away into the dark. If you’ve ever loved people who ...  Read More

THE KISS THAT BREAKS THE HEARTMark 14:43–46 (NLT) “As Jesus was speaking, Judas appeared… Judas had given them a prearranged signal: ‘You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.’”A kiss is never just a kiss, not in Scripture, not in the ancient world, and honestly not in ours. In the first century, a kiss could communicate deep loyalty. Disciples kissed rabbis as a sign of resp...  Read More

THE FAILURE JESUS DOESN’T HOLD AGAINST YOUMark 14:37–42 (NLT) “Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, ‘Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?’”There’s something painfully honest about this moment in Gethsemane. Jesus doesn’t ask His disciples to cast out demons or preach a sermon or perform some heroic act. He asks them to stay awake and be present with Him, but they...  Read More

THE PRAYER WE KNOW BUT RESISTMark 14:35–36 (NLT) “‘Abba, Father,’ he cried out, ‘everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’”This is the prayer most of us know by heart but struggle to pray with honesty: “Your will be done.” Sometimes praying can feel like gravel in the mouth, hard and uncomfortable. It’s easy to pray ...  Read More

THE WEIGHT OF SAYING YESMark 14:32–35 (NLT) “He took Peter, James, and John, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, ‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.’”Before Jesus ever carries the cross, He carries the weight of choice. Gethsemane is where the real surrender happens, not on Golgotha, but here, in a quiet garden, late at night, when no one is watching.I thi...  Read More

The Entrance We Didn’t See ComingINTRODUCTIONThe 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.OPENING QUESTIONHave you ever met someone famous? A musician, an athlete, an actor, an author? What was i...  Read More

THE ROOT WORK OF PRAYERMark 11:20–25 (NLT)“The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots.”If you sit with this passage long enough, one phrase rises to the surface: from the roots. Mark could have said the tree died. He could have said it withered. But he adds that small detail, roots first. Underground first. The hidden place f...  Read More

THE TREE WITH PROMISE BUT NO LIFEMark 11:12–14 (NLT) “He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off… but there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat your fruit again!’”I remember the night we landed in Rome—9:37 p.m., jet-lagged, starving, wandering the streets looking for anything open. We found a family-run rest...  Read More

THE DONKEY THAT CHANGES EVERYTHINGMark 11:1–6 (NLT) “Jesus sent two of them on ahead. ‘Go into the village over there,’ he told them… ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’ The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door.”There's a hotel in Monte Carlo where rooms cost more per night than most family vacations. When you arrive, your transportatio...  Read More

The Greatness We Can’t GraspINTRODUCTIONThe 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.OPENING QUESTIONShare with your group about a person in your life that showed you a picture of Jesus by how th...  Read More

THE TOWEL OVER THE CROWNMark 10:43–45 (NLT) “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant… For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”’When Jesus redefines greatness for His disciples, He doesn’t condemn the desire to lead, He simply redirects it. He turns leadership inside out, making servanthood the measure of true ...  Read More

CAN YOU DRINK THE CUP?Mark 10:38–40 (NLT) “But Jesus said to them, ‘You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?’ ‘Oh yes,’ they replied, ‘we are able!’”When James and John ask for the seats of honor, Jesus doesn’t shame them—He simply tells them they don’t yet understand what greatness costs. They imagine glory; Jesus is talking a...  Read More

THE REQUESTMark 10:35–37 (NLT) “Then James and John… said, ‘Teacher, we want you to do us a favor… When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you.’”A friend once told me a story about one of those moments where a person says something perfectly reasonable at a spectacularly unreasonable time. His extended family had gathered at the hospital after their grandmot...  Read More

WALKING TOWARD DEATHMark 10:32–34 (NLT) “They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him…”If you slow down long enough to picture this scene, one detail refuses ...  Read More

The Glory WE Can’t Hold OntoINTRODUCTIONThe 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.OPENING QUESTIONThink back to a spiritual experience you’ve had in your life that you would call a “mountain-t...  Read More

HELP MY UNBELIEF!Mark 9:20–24 (NLT) “The father instantly cried out, ‘I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!’”There may be no prayer more honest, or more relatable, in the entire Bible. The boy's father is exhausted. Years of watching his son suffer. Years of disappointment. Years of praying without answers. His faith isn't polished; it's patched together from hope and heartbreak. When Je...  Read More

THE VALLEY OF FAILUREMark 9:14–19 (NLT) “When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd… Some teachers of religious law were arguing… One man spoke up and said, ‘Teacher, I brought my son… but your disciples couldn’t cast out the evil spirit.’ Jesus said… ‘How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.’”The valley is where our faith feels thin...  Read More

THE MOUNTAIN OF GLORYMark 9:2–8 (NLT) “Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white… Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus… a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.’ Sudde...  Read More

THE MOUNTAIN OF GLORYMark 9:2–8 (NLT) “Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white… Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus… a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.’ Sudde...  Read More

The Confession We Don’t UnderstandINTRODUCTION The 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.OPENING QUESTION When did you first begin to believe that Jesus truly is your Lord? Was it at your bapt...  Read More

THE SILENCE THAT SPEAKSMark 8:30 (NLT) "Then Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him."This is one of the most puzzling verses in the Gospels. Peter just gave the right answer to the most important question ever asked, and Jesus tells him to keep quiet about it.Imagine you're in a classroom. You've been studying for weeks, flash cards, practice problems, late-night cramming. The teacher fina...  Read More

THE COST OF FOLLOWINGMark 8:34-38 (NLT) "Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole wor...  Read More

THE MESSIAH WE DIDN'T EXPECTMark 8:31-33 (NLT) "Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. But Jesus turned an...  Read More

We're starting in the middle of Mark's Gospel, which, I admit, seems a little odd, but it is intentional. By the time we reach Mark 8, Jesus has been teaching, healing, and confusing people for months. The crowds have been following Him, the religious leaders have been questioning Him, and His disciples have been trying to figure out who He really is.It’s at this point that Jesus stops being evasi...  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.OPENING QUESTIONHave you ever had the opportunity to serve on a mission trip, or some kind of mission experience? If so, what did you do, ...  Read More

Advocating:  Giving Voice  Mark 12:41-44, NLT 41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 4...  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.OPENING QUESTIONShare with the group a phrase someone younger than you uses that you don’t understand, or a song you don’t get, or a fashi...  Read More

Crosswalk will be relevant in living out the ways of Jesus in our time and place.WIth and Then Mark 3:13-15, ESV 13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons.I fully admit, I’m a doe...  Read More

Turning towards our forever home  Matthew 4:17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”Mark 1: 15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”Psalm 23: 6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I ...  Read More

A purpose, a battle, and a sacrifice  A Purpose - Why did Jesus come into our world in the first place?Matthew 1: 20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he w...  Read More

(Mark 4:38b-41 NLT) The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?” [39] When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. [40] Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" [41] The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they a...  Read More

(Mark 4:35-38a NLT) As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake." [36] So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). [37] But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. [38] Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a...  Read More

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