Sunday, February 8th, 2019
Mark 4:1-20, 4:21-34, 12:1-12
The Book of Mark
If you want to boil the Gospel according to Mark into a couple of themes, you would have to include the Kingdom of God and Discipleship. Mark bypasses much of the discourse found in the other three Gospels, and tracks Jesus and his disciples as they do life together proclaiming and experiencing the life of Jesus and His Kingdom. As we track through this gospel together, you will want to use your favorite commentary to help highlight the deeper context in each scene. In reading this Gospel, you cannot miss the invitation of Jesus to submit your life to Him in every way which results in the true life within the Kingdom of God you were created for.
Best Practices for Missional Community Bible Study Facilitation
-As you begin each study, pray that God will speak to you through his Word.
-Listen attentively to other members. Encourage only Bible reading from phones during the study.
-Work to include everyone’s voice by asking follow-up questions, restating what you heard someone say, and asking for more details to thoughts given by group members.
-It is often helpful for someone to take notes of the discussion and send them out afterwards to reinforce key learnings from the study.
-Pray for one another and be accountable to applying the word of God to your lives.
General Questions:
- What does this scripture communicate about the heart of God?
- What does it teach us about ourselves?
- Does it challenge our thinking/beliefs in a new way?
Sermon Specific Question:
- The Kingdom of God has a King (Jesus), Constitution (God’s Word), and we are the citizens, or the subjects. In that context consider the following:
- What does it mean to be citizens in the kingdom of God?
- What does it mean to dwell in God’s Kingdom?
- A parable is a figure of speech in which a moral or spiritual truth is illustrated by an analogy drawn from everyday experiences.
- Why did Jesus speak in parables to describe the kingdom of God? (Mark 4:10-12)
- How does the parable of the mustard seed describe the kingdom of God? (Mark 4:30-34)
- How does the parable of the mustard seed apply to your personal life?