|
INSIGHTS FROM THEgospel of mark
Mark 3:13-19
-
What does it mean to be a disciple? Many times when we think of the word disciple we think of guys with long robes and sandals following Jesus around. A disciple can be anyone who follows another person. There are disciples of Laker's coach Phil Jackson to disciples of the band Phish. The people who follow these people try to emulate them by their lifestyle, their actions, and even their thinking. If you believe in Christ then we should be following Him. The disciples were a rough group of hard working men but God used their lives when they surrendered to Him. If you have surrendered your life then great if you not then what is holding you back?
Mark 2:23-28
-
It is time for a quiz. I know, I hate quizzes too, but I am not going to give you a grade for this quiz. Which one of the Ten Commandments is not repeated in the New Testament? If you are wondering what the commandments are then go to Exodus 20:3-17. I will wait until you are done. Okay, do you have any guesses? As you read through all the commandments you will see there are some pretty important ones in there, like you shall not murder, or honor your father and mother. But the one commandment not repeated is remembering the Sabbath. The Sabbath was the day the Jews rested; today the Christian Sabbath is Sunday. We use Sunday as the day because the early church met on the first day of the week, which was Sunday. Jesus' point was not to make sure you did nothing on the Sabbath but for people to remember the Lord, because He is the one we worship. Therefore, Sunday is a time for believers to come together in fellowship and worship the Lord of the Sabbath.
Mark 2:18-20
- Have you ever been to a wedding? Weddings are such cool experiences. They are a joyous occasion for all that come. When I am at a wedding I enjoy looking at the faces of the bride and groom. The religious leaders of Jesus' day were steeped in tradition and regulations and were missing out on what God was doing. Jesus had come to earth and the people who worshipped God had missed out on what God was doing. Ask yourself today if there is anything you are missing out on that God could do through you. God wants to use you, it is a matter of us being aware of what He is doing.
Ezekiel 22:30
-
It is that time. That time of the semester when projects and tests are starting to take their toll on students. Reread the Ezekiel passage, beginning in verse one. What does verse 30 mean to you? What is God saying? In Ezekiel's day there was no one who would stand up for God and live righteously. School can take its toll on us just like living for the Lord can. But if we will keep Ezekiel 22:30 before it can help us during those trying times. Let your prayer be that you would be the person to stand in the gap.
Mark 2:13-17
-
Excuses. Have you ever gotten an excuse from a friend? Or better yet, have you ever given an excuse to a teacher or parent? Did it work? Why do we give excuses? Maybe deep down we have some fear of the unknown or a fear of failing. In these few verses Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) to follow Him. Back in those days a tax collector was looked down upon because many of them would cheat people out of their money. Therefore, tax collectors had a horrible reputation. However, Levi did not object to Jesus' calling. He simply followed. It was the religious leaders who objected to Levi and others following Jesus. None of us are perfect and because of this fact there will always be a reason not to follow Jesus. However, I encourage you to push your past aside and stop letting it bring you down. Jesus came for sinners not for those who already think they are perfect. If you are struggling to walk with Christ, ask yourself what it is that is holding you back. Once you have figured out what it is, if anything, ask God to help you deal with it. Remember excuses do not bring you closer to God.
Mark 2:1-12
-
What does the word faith mean to you? In one word how would you describe faith? What does faith look like? Does it have to be an action? I realize these are many questions to answer but take some time to think through these questions. Now I want you to take out a piece of paper and a pencil and write down every character or person in the story. Once you have done that I want you to reread the story again and this time write what each person does in the story. Now go back to the questions at the beginning of the paragraph and re-ask those questions to yourself. Is there a difference from the way you first answered the questions? How was faith lived out? How do you think you could live out faith in your everyday life?
Read Mark 1:40-45
- Have you ever felt like you do the same things everyday? Do you feel as though there is nothing new? The day probably started out as normal for the man with leprosy. He got up and resumed his life of begging. All the while, he was dying a slow and painful death with his leprosy. In the Old Testament leprosy was sign of sin. If you had leprosy it was because there was some sin that you committed that caused it. King Uzziah of Judah had leprosy because of his sin of pride. However, we do not know why the man in this story had leprosy; we just know that he does. That day something different happened to the man. The man saw Jesus. Jesus had compassion on him. Jesus did not have to heal this man, but He did. Proverbs 3:27 says "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it. When it is in your power to act." Jesus had the power and He acted. Think for a second about the abilities and resources that you have. We needs can we meet for those who are in need? Today when you see someone in need, get out of your comfort zone and meet that need. For the man with leprosy, Jesus gave him his life back. What can we do if we reach out?
Read Mark 1:35-39
-
How busy are you? Think about it for a minute, what are some of the things that consume your day? Get a piece of paper and a pen out and write down what things consume your day. Now keep in mind that you must list everything you do. Do not just list the things you love doing but everything that you do. Take a few minutes right now and do that. I will still be here. Great, now that you have finished that ask yourself how much time you spent doing things really important. Jesus took time out of his busy days to spend with His Father. Many times Jesus gave up sleep to meet with God. But Jesus knew that in order for Him to be able to do what needed to be done, He needed God's help. How much time are you giving to God? What can you cut out of your schedule in order to spend time with God?
Read Matthew 4:19
-
What? Matthew? We are still in Mark and going through that book. However, I wanted to take a break and look at the purpose of this youth group. Our name is Pier 419. You might be thinking, "What does that mean?" That is a great question. Jesus said "Follow me and I will make you fisher's of men." Many of the disciples had been fishermen but now Jesus was going to teach them to be fishing for men instead of fish. We have to values in the youth group that lead the way for everything we do. Those values are "connecting" and "growing," we want to be these values in everything we do. We want to connect with people, with God, and His word. Also we want to grow in our relationship with God and relationally with those around us. If we accomplish these two values then we can be a mature Christian. The theme for the youth group is "Have you been fishing?" In other words, have you been growing or connecting? Just as a fisherman will not catch fish unless he sticks his net or pole in the water, we will not be able to reach others and grow if we refuse to put ourselves out there. Therefore, have you been fishing lately?
Read Mark 1:16-20
-
Have you ever played follow the leader when you were younger? Did you like it? What I am always amazed by when I read about the Peter and Andrew's call to follow Jesus is that they immediately did it. They did not stop to think about the day's work they had to do. Or would dropping their nets cause harm to their boss. Why do you think the Peter and Andrew left their nets so quickly? My guess would be there was something about Jesus and the words He used to call them. Jesus' voice commanded the dead to rise and He took part in the creation of the world. What Peter and Andrew were doing was important, but what Jesus had for them was more important and they sensed that. What do you think God has for you? Ask Him to reveal that to you and He will.
Read Mark 1:8
-
Who is your best friend? Or rather who would you consider a close friend? What makes them a close friend? In Mark the Holy Spirit is what is being promised and later in John 14:16 Jesus again promises the Holy Spirit, but He calls him the Helper or Counselor. Different translations give different titles to the Holy Spirit but they speak of what his ministry is, which is giving wisdom, comforting, and aiding believers. The Spirit is here to help us in our spiritual journey. The problem is we can grieve him, and prevent him from helping us do God's work. Today will you allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life? Let your prayer be that God would have complete access in your life today.
Read Mark 1:7
-
Have you ever met someone famous? Or seen someone famous? It is always interesting when I see someone famous because I get really excited. I want to point them out or yell. I know that the person is probably just trying to live their life. But it is a big deal. I was in a grocery store with my mom one year when I went down an isle and there he was, Jared from the Subway commercials. I was blown away that he would even consider shopping where I do. Yet there he was. I didn't ask him what he was shopping for. Or why would you come here? I just stared at him as I passed. I believe this is the way John the Baptist felt about Jesus. John knew his role and he knew who Jesus was. He was in awe of the greatness of God. The fact that God would send His Son to earth amazed John. The reality is; we should also be amazed by the greatness and goodness of God. God wanted a relationship with us so much that it cost His Son His life. Think about some ways that you can find the greatness of God here on earth? Let your heart and mind be mindful of the greatness of God.
|
|
 |
|
