Following Jesus Through Mark

Ministries Stonecroft

Description

Many people want to be praised and recognized, but few imagine that the route to greatness lies in service. As readers acquaint themselves with the life of Jesus Christ as reported by Mark, their perspective will be radically and refreshingly altered. Jesus, the greatest, became the least, serving every man and woman so He could bring them back to God.This study guides readers through selected Bible passages, presents straightforward explanations and applications, and provides open-ended discussion questions. Participants will find themselves changed as they see how the greatest Servant now lives His life in us and through us.About This Series: Stonecroft Bible Studies encourage people to know God and grow in His love through exploration of His life-transforming Word, the Bible. Each book is designed for both seekers and new believers and includes easy-to-understand explanations and applications of Bible passages and study questions.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• New Testament

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 août 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736955720
• Langue: English

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
All Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Cover by Koechel Peterson Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cover photo Comstock / Thinkstock
FOLLOWING JESUS THROUGH MARK
Stonecroft Bible Studies
Copyright 2013 by Stonecroft Ministries, Inc.
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-5571-3 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5572-0 (eBook)
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a non-transferable, non-exclusive, and non-commercial right to access and view this electronic publication and agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Welcome to Stonecroft Bible Studies!
Introduction
1. God s Servant Introduced
Mark 1
2. God s Servant Working
Mark 2-3
3. God s Servant Conquering
Mark 4-5
4. Reaction to God s Servant
Mark 6
5. Miraculous Ministry of God s Servant
Mark 7:1-8:30
6. God s Servant Revealed
Mark 8:31-9:50
7. Profound Teaching of God s Servant
Mark 10
8. God s Servant Is Praised
Mark 11:1-12:27
9. God s Servant Prepares His Disciples
Mark 12:28-13:37
10. God s Servant Rejected
Mark 14
11. God s Suffering Servant
Mark 15
12. God s Triumphant Servant
Mark 16
Know God
Who is Stonecroft?
Books for Further Study
Stonecroft Resources
Contact Stonecroft
Abundant Life Bible
Notes
Acknowledgments
Stonecroft wishes to acknowledge and thank Janice Mayo Mathers for her dedication in serving the Lord through Stonecroft. Speaker, author, and member of the Board of Directors, Jan is the primary author of the revised Stonecroft Bible Studies. We appreciate her love for God s Word and her love for people who need Him. Special thanks goes to the team who prayed for Jan, and those who edited, designed, and offered their creative input to make these studies accessible to all. Stonecroft is also grateful to Lucille Sollenberger, who is now with the Lord she loved and served, for the original development of this study.
Welcome to Stonecroft Bible Studies!
I t doesn t matter where you ve been or what you ve done God wants to be in relationship with you. And one place He tells you about Himself is in His Word-the Bible. Whether the Bible is familiar or new to you, its contents will transform your life and bring answers to your biggest questions.
Gather with people in your communities-women, men, couples, young and old alike-and explore Mark s account of the life of Jesus. You ll see how Jesus, the greatest, became the least, serving every man and woman so He could bring them back to God. And you ll find yourself changed as you discover how the greatest Servant now lives His life in us and through us.
Each chapter of Following Jesus Through Mark includes discussion questions to stir up meaningful conversation, specific Scripture verses to investigate, and time for prayer to connect with God and each other.
Discover more of God and His ways through this small-group exploration of the Bible.
Tips for Using This Study
This book has several features that make it easy to use and helpful for your life:
The page number or numbers given after every Bible reference are keyed to the page numbers in the Abundant Life Bible . This paperback Bible uses the New Living Translation, a translation in straightforward, up-to-date language. We encourage you to obtain a copy through your group leader or at stonecroft.org .
Please make this book and study your own. We encourage you to use it and mark it in any way that helps you grow in your relationship with God!
If you find this study helpful, you may want to investigate other resources from Stonecroft. Please take a look at Stonecroft Resources in the back of the book or online at stonecroft.org/store .
stonecroft.org
Introduction
I n this study, we explore the second Gospel-the Gospel of Mark-which reveals Jesus as a servant. You will see Him serving others in one act of mercy after another. You will also find Mark to be a book of action-so much so that the word immediately or instantly, and other similar words, are found more than 40 times!
In Mark we see Jesus set the example of how to walk in harmony with God and how to live in harmony with people. We will discover how His first concern was never for Himself; rather, it was always for others.
The Four Gospels
The first four books of the New Testament-Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John-are referred to as the Gospels. Each of the four authors of the Gospels wrote about the events of Jesus life on earth, selecting incidents from His life that portray His character and heart from different perspectives. Through their writings we see the motivation behind the remarkable things He did while living on earth. Each author emphasized different aspects of Jesus, and when combined we have a stunning portrait of the man by whom all time is measured.
Matthew, one of Jesus disciples, wrote to Jews and included many Old Testament Scripture references. He presented Jesus as the Messiah, the sovereign King, and frequently called Him the Son of David and the Son of God.
Luke, a physician, showed Jesus as our compassionate Savior and Teacher. Luke is the only Gentile (non-Jewish) author of a Gospel, and although he was not an eyewitness to the life of Jesus as Matthew was, he researched everything thoroughly and experienced the same spiritual transformation that Matthew experienced.
John, another disciple of Jesus, presented Jesus as the divine Son of God, who showed us the heart of God. John knew Jesus very well; in fact, he is described as the disciple Jesus loved.
Mark wrote his Gospel to the Romans around him and focused on showing Christ as God s servant sent from heaven to earth to complete God s perfect will.
Mark, the Author and Man
To get started, let s fill in some important background information. Mark was written some 2000 years ago by a man named-no surprise here-Mark. It is the shortest of the four Gospels, and Mark must have written it with busy people in mind because he plunges right into his account and never slows down.
We speak of Mark as the one who wrote this book, but let s see what the Bible says about the real author. Read the following passages and note what they say about the Bible s authors:
2 Peter 1:20-21 (page 938)
2 Timothy 3:16 (page 915)
Although it was Mark s hand that put the words on paper, it was God who inspired his writing. The Bible is God s Word in tangible form-an infallible, inexhaustible resource He makes accessible to us.
Interspersed in the New Testament are some references to Mark that give us some insight into the kind of man he was. The first possible reference is in the book of Mark itself, but as you will see, it leaves room for question. The described occurrence takes place late at night in the Garden of Gethsemane when soldiers come to arrest Jesus just prior to His crucifixion.
You can imagine the extreme emotions surrounding these tense moments-anguish, outrage, and disbelief mingle together as the disciples discover there is a traitor among them. Ultimately, fear overtakes them all, scattering them into the night, leaving Jesus alone with His captors. And that s when we come to the following passage.
Read Mark 14:51-52 (page 776).
Because Mark is the only Gospel writer who records this incident, some Bible scholars believe he was writing about himself as the one young man who found it easier to run than to stand up for a man he knew to be innocent. There is no way to know for sure who this young man was, but it is easy to understand his terror.
Have you ever found yourself in a position where you were afraid or hesitant to defend your beliefs? How did you respond?
Mark s Later Life
After Jesus death, burial, and resurrection, there is a brief mention of Mark joining Paul and Barnabas on a mission trip. Read Acts 12:25 (page 841).
As it turned out, things didn t go well for Mark on that trip and, just like the night of Jesus arrest, he again left. It seems as though Mark had a character flaw-an unwillingness or inability to see things through. But we can thank God that He amazingly uses our flaws to show His purity and strength. The things we can never do in our own strength, He can accomplish through us in spite of our weaknesses. After all, this flawed man was used by God to write this very important book.
In what areas of your life can you depend on God s strength instead of your own?
Write out your thoughts about your weakness and then give it to God. As you pray, tell God you are depending on His ability and not your own. Note the thoughts of hope God puts in your mind.
Just as we get discouraged by our inability to overcome areas of weakness, can t you imagine how disappointed Mark must have been with himself? This may have increased when the opportunity to go on another mission trip came along. Read about this in Acts 15:36-39 (page 844).
Paul and Barnabas had worked well together and shared the Good News about Jesus with many; however, now because of their differing opinions of Mark they were splitting up!
How would you feel if you were the cause of breaking up a successful partnership?
Certainly Paul s feelings were justified, but how wonderful for Mark