Investing in People
Mark: 3
How do you feel when someone is watching you and hoping you’ll mess up?
What is the normal reaction to entrapment?
Let’s see how Jesus deals with it.
How can we better model our response to evil after His?
In verse 5, Jesus says to the man with the shriveled hand: “‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.”
Has God ever told you to do something which seemed impossible, but as you made an effort to be obedient, he made the impossible possible?
When we are opposed or rejected by those who are closest to us, what comfort can we receive from Christ’s words in verses 33-35? (Jesus is our God and we have a vast spiritual family which loves us.)
As we pray, let’s ask for Christ’s strength to focus on investing in people despite any opposition we might face.
THE STORM
(MARK 4:35-41)
The calm before the storm
In life, storms come even when we are doing God’s will.
We can still find peace in a storm as we find rest in God.
When in a storm, it is of utmost importance to seek God for help and wait patiently upon Him for deliverance.
God often uses the storms of life to draw us closer to Him!
Don’t be anxious – Phi 4:6
God created everything – 1 Tim 4:4
God is good to all – Ps 145:9
God is love – Ps 100:5
God give good gifts –
Jam 1:17
God is true – 2 Sam 7:28
Fruit of the Spirit – Gal 5:22
God is our Helper – Heb 13:6
God gave us His Son – John 6:69
We can trust God – Pro 3:5.
Jesus said to the storm “ Peace! Be still !” and the storm was stilled.
What is an area of your life that you need Jesus to speak life and peace into? Share with your cell members and pray for each other.
Lessons on Faith
Mark 5:21-43
Life isn’t easy. Things happen. Look at Jairus. Mark tells us, he was “one of the rulers of the synagogue.” He was a community leader. Everyone knew him. He was well-off. He probably didn’t need a lot from others. Then his daughter got sick.
And as time went on, she grew worse and worse until she was at the point of death. As he looks out his window, he sees a crowd. He sees Jesus has come to town.
He looks back at his dying twelve-year-old daughter and decides to run to Jesus for help. He falls at his feet and says, “My little daughter is at the point of death.” It was an urgent plea. She was at death’s door.
Hospice wasn’t just called in; they were preparing for the final moments. He needs Jesus’ help right now. “Jesus, will you help me?”
Then there is this poor, suffering woman. For twelve years, she suffered a constant flow of blood. It’s made her ceremonially unclean, preventing her from worshiping in the temple. She’s a social outcast. Even if she was once well-to-do, she’s now destitute. She’s flat-broke from doctor bills and no better for it. She’s tried all medicine has to offer and suffered not only from the disease but also from the cures. She’s at the end of her rope. And as she sits in the street, she sees the crowd coming her way, and the one whom she’s heard about is among them. She thinks, “He can help me.”
In both cases, their circumstances were beyond their control. Both reached at a breaking point. Both desperate for help beyond what this world could offer. Their circumstances crashing on top of them summoned something from within, something that, no doubt, surprised each, something that led them running toward Another whom they believed had what they needed. Their circumstances summoned a faith that even they probably were previously unaware of. When Jesus came walking by, they came to him, trusting him for something everyone else was powerless to do.
Simply looking at Jesus as One who can help and coming to Jesus for that help. But often it takes overwhelming circumstances before we’re ready to come.
FAITH, AND INSTRUCTIONS
MARK 6:1-13
But why the unusual instructions?
Some people think those instructions should still be followed today.
Not many people, thank God, but there are some who prey on unsuspecting generous people, citing this passage as their badge of authority to move in and leech off somebody by masquerading as a “servant of God.”
Don’t listen to such people—they’re con artists, not evangelists or prophets or whatever else they might call themselves.
The Bible is full of instructions that we should follow, but it is also full of stories about instructions that were given to particular people for particular reasons in their particular times.
✍️🍂Mrs. Kalaiselvi Balakrishnan in Jesus Christ 🍂✍️
Mark.3:13.
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Jesus went up to a mountain and called people.
Here was sovereignty.
Impatient spirits, may fret and fume because they are not called to the highest places.
Jesus calls who He wills.
If we are a doorkeeper in His house, we can cheerfully bless Him for His grace in permitting us to do anything in His service.
The call of Christ’s servants comes from above.
Jesus stands on the mountain, evermore above the world in holiness, earnestness, love and power.
We should live in constant communication with Him.
Jesus went apart to hold high fellowship with the Father.
We must enter into the same divine companionship if we would bless our fellow men.
Let us not see the face of man in the morning till we have seen Jesus.
It is of no use going to the Lord’s battle till we armed with heavenly weapons.
We must see Jesus, this is essential.
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Maby Sundar India group no.7070
270 Days Bible Study Insights Mark 3-6
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From the hundreds of people who followed him from place to place, Jesus chose 12 to be his apostles. Apostle means messenger or authorised representative. He did not choose 12 to be his associates and companions because of their faith, their faith often faltered. He didn’t choose them because of their talent and ability; no one stood out with unusual Ability. The disciples represented a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences, but. Apparently they had no more leadership potential than those who were not chosen. The one characteristic that they all shared was their willingness to obey Jesus. After Jesus’ ascension they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to carry out special roles in the growth of the early church. We should not disqualify ourselves from service to Christ because we do not have the expected credentials. Being a good disciple is simply a matter of following Jesus with a willing heart.
3:28,29 – Christians sometimes wonder if they have committed this sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Christians need not worry about this sin because this sin is attributing to the devil what is the work of the Holy Spirit. It reveals a heart-attitude of unbelief and Unrepentance. Deliberate, ongoing rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit is blasphemy becAuse it is rejecting God himself. The religious leaders accused Jesus of Blasphemy, but ironically they were the guilty ones when they looked Jesus in the face and accused him of being possessed by Satan.
4:9. We hear with our ears, but there is a deeper kind of listening with the mind and heart that is necessary in order to gain spiritual understanding from Jesus’ words. Some people in the crowd were looking for evidence to use against Jesus, others truly wanted to learn and grow. Jesus’ words were for the honest seekers.
4:14-20. The four souls represent four different ways people respond to God’s message. Usually we think that Jesus was talking about four different kinds of people. But he may also have been talking about(1). Different times or phases in a person’s life, or (2) how we willingly receive God’s message in some areas of our lives and resist it in others. For example, you may be open to God about your future, but closed concerning how you spend your money. You may respond like good soil to God’s demand for worship, but like rocky soil to his demand to give to people in need. We must strive to be like good soil in every area of our lives at all times.
5:10. Mark often highlights the supernatural struggle between Jesus and Satan, The demons’ they inhabited. Jesus’ goal was to give people freedom from sin and Satan’s control. The demons knew they had no power over Jesus, so when they saw, Jesus they begged not to be sent out of the area. Jesus granted their request to enter into the herd of pigs but ended their destructive force. He could have sent them to hell but he did not, because the time for judgement had not yet come. In the end, the devil and all his angels will be sent into eternal fire(Matt 25:41).
5:41,42 – Jesus not only demonstrated great power, he also showed tremendous compassion. Jesus ‘ power over nature, evil spirits, and death was motivated by compassion —for a demon possessed man who lived among tombs, for a diseased woman, and for the family of a dead girl. The rabbis of the day considered such people unclean. Polite society avoided them. But Jesus reached out and helped anyone in need.
6:7. The disciples were sent out in pairs. Individually they could have reached more areas of the country, but this was not Christ’s plan. One advantage in going out in twos was that they could strengthen and encourage each other, especially when they faced rejection. Our strength comes from God, but he meets many of our needs through our teamwork with others. As your serve Christ, don’t try to go it alone.
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Clara Radhakrishna