Know Grow Show

Agent's of Change

The One Thing 
Agent's of change
The Passage
Acts 3:2-6, 4:2-10, 5:28-33, 40-42
 
Thanks to Kevin Gay for sharing with us this morning.  
What was inspiring the apostles?  They believed that the world was radically changed by the resurrection.
What Jesus called the apostles to ...He is calling us to as well!
Are we being agent's of change?  Or are we waiting for a miracle before we choose to see the change? 
Kevin challenged us to see the everyday victories as miracles ...the saved marriages, the sick returning to heath, relationships being restored, our foes receiving forgiveness from our Heavenly Father ... and the list goes on 
"Forgiveness of sins was and is a fact about the way the world was and is today.  Rooted in the accomplishments of the cross, reveled in His resurrection, and put to work through the spirit in the transformed lives of His followers" 
~Kevin Gay
In living the way we believe...we will see victories in Christ!
 
 
 

The Last Supper

Memory is Powerful!
Thanks to Miranda Valentini for bringing a message of remembrance this morning.
Luke 22:7-23 - The Last Supper
The scriptures remind us that if we look upon communion only as a time of mental reflection then we're missing the mark.  In observing communion we are meeting with the living Christ!  
But it's not about our action, its about God working in our lives as followers of Jesus which forms us more and more into Christ's likeness.  Taking communion is a vessel whereby we remember Jesus dying on the cross where we meet the living Christ. Jesus meet us exactly where we are and it is His action in us and for us. 
We celebrate communion to remember, to experience the mystery of Gods grace and we celebrate as community.  
  

God can save those we deem unredeemable

Thank you to Steve Prendergast for sharing his testimony with Cornerstone this morning.
Steve encouraged us all to Never Give Up! like the Widow from Luke 18: 1-8
            “So don’t you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry out Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly!” (Luke 18:7-8)
To persist in prayer and not give up does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Constant prayer means keeping our requests continually before God as we live for Him day by day, believing He will answer. When we live by faith, we are to Never Give Up. God may delay answering, but His delays always have good reasons. As we persistent prayer, we grow in faith, character, and hope. If we know He loves us, we can believe He will hear our cries for help.
The Lord says, ‘I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. Once again, you will have all the food you want, you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced’” (Joel 3:25-26)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Joel 29:11)
I am a man with a history (His story) delivering God's message of "hope" and "freedom" from addictions through our amazing Teen Challenge Ministry.
Stephen Prendergast
Teen Challenge Ottawa Valley
Teen Challenge Canada Inc.
 
email: Stephen.Prendergast@teenchallenge.ca
web: www.teenchallenge.ca
Story – www.teenchallenge.ca/stephens-story
100 Huntley St. – www.100Huntley.com : My Story/Steve Prendergast

The Servant King - Mark 15.42-16.8

The One Thing
Look up and see the stone has been rolled away.
Passage
Mark 15:42-16:8
Growgroup questions
Know
Take time to thank God today for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Servant King.
Look back through the sermon series on Mark. What has changed in the ways you view yourself, God or the world?
Grow
Which do you think is a better ending to the book of Mark: 16:8 or 16:20? Why do you think Mark ended with 16:8? What might we learn about God’s story from this type of ending? Why might later writers have ‘added on’ verses 9-20?
When you ponder your faith, or when you face doubts, what is the bottom line for you—what is your anchor? How do you give a brief answer to, Why are you a Christian?[i]
If you wanted to make up a story about a man being resurrected from the dead, how would it differ from Mark’s account of Jesus’ resurrection? Why is the difference actually evidence that Mark’s account is true?
How does the martyrdom of ten of the apostles provide evidence for the resurrection?
Toward the end of Jesus’ ministry, what were the disciples expecting of Him? When Jesus was crucified, what were they probably thinking? (See Luke 24:19-24.)
Consider Joseph’s and Nicodemus’ faith and friendship (John 19:39-40) in such a dangerous context like the Sanhedrin. How do you think they might have discovered each was a secret Jesus follower?
How does your own heart and personal experience give testimony to the resurrection of Christ?
Show
Start praying that God leads you to a Christian friend in your local context (home or work). Consider how you can start showing people (in an appropriate way) that you are a Christian.
 
[i] Questions taken from Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Mark 16:1…)

The Servant King - Mark 15: 21-41

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Church, North Gower, Ontario. 
 
www.knowgrowshow.ca
The One Thing
The Christian: Obedient Rebel. To obey Jesus is to rebel.
The Passage
Mark 15:21-41
growgroup / discussion questions
Know
What’s worse for you: to be overlooked or insulted? Why?
Grow
Can you think of any Christians who are Obedient Rebels, in the sense Dan preached about?
Dan quoted Hebrews 8:12: For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. However in Matthew 12:36 Jesus says But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. Which is it? Does God stop remembering or not? What, if anything, is the difference between forgetting and not remembering?
Mark 15:32 tells us that those crucified with Jesus insulted Him; however Luke 23:39-40 tells us that one insulted Him while the other defended Him. How can we account for this apparent conflict?
How does the fact that Jesus was forgotten, insulted and forsaken impact how we read Romans 5:3-4: And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Think of ways a Believer’s commitment to obeying God might make her a rebel in society's eyes.
In our culture is the average Christian perceived more as harmless or dangerous? Why is this? Which image should we be trying to cultivate?
Show
Read James 4:4. Consider your life... Are you a friend of the world and an enemy of God or an enemy of the world and a friend of God? Take time to talk honestly with God about your answer.

The Servant King - Mark 15.1-20

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
The One Thing
Your life for mine. My life is yours.
The Passage
Mark 15:1-20
discussion questions
Know
Have you ever been caught up in a moment of mob mentality? If not, what about negative gossip? Why are these so infectious and why are we often so slow to stop them?
Grow
If you were at church on Sunday, how was it to have communion served as a part of the sermon, rather than separately?
Do you think that there is any significance to the fact that Barabbas name means “A son of the father”. If so, what?
What reasons can we give for the crowd being so determined to crucify Jesus in Mark 15?
In Mark 14:62-63 Jesus was condemned by the Sanhedrin for admitting to being the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One. Yet in Mark 15:2, the charge brought by the Sanhedrin to Pilate is for being The King of the Jews. Why the change in charge?
15:10 seems to show us that Pilate knew it was a bogus charge being brought against Jesus. Why then did he go ahead with it?
Though scripture doesn’t say, do you think that Barabbas was changed by the events of that day? If so, how?
What did you think of the thought that the cross that Jesus ended up being crucified on may have been the exact cross that was prepared and set aside for Barabbas? How does this change how you read Mark 15?
In his book The Furious Longing of God Brennan Manning said this: “I came to the inescapable conclusion that the degree of Abba’s love for me is in direct proportion to his love for Jesus...God loves me as much as He loves Jesus”. Share with each other in what ways (emotional, physical, psychological) this should impact us.
Take turns to turn to the person to your right hand side and say to them "God loves you as much as He loves Jesus. Do you know this?”. Allow each person to respond before carrying on.
Show
This week say to someone in your life “God loves you as much as He loves Jesus. Do you know this?
Throughout the week carry around with you this week’s One Thing: “Your life for mine. My life is yours”. Say it to yourself often (in the shower, kitchen, office, on a walk). Let your soul hear you say it. Write it down, stick it on your bathroom mirror, put it in your pocket.

The Servant King - Mark 14:27-31, 66-72

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
The One Thing
Has regret made lunch meat of you? Make it your launch pad.
The Passage
Mark 14:27-31; 66-72
Discussion Questions
Know
What are some of your favourite sounds from childhood?
Grow
Have you ever known someone who has regret in their life that they cannot seem to move on from? What has been your advice to them?
Luke’s account says that when the rooster crowed, Jesus turned and looked straight at Peter (Luke 22:61). Why do you think Mark omits this detail from his account?
Was it two rooster crows (Mark 14:72) or one rooster crow (Luke 22:60, John 18:27)? Does this give us cause to doubt the reliability of scripture? Why or why not?
Peter fixated on the first statement of Mark 14:27 ([1] You will all fall away) and missed the other statements ([2] After I have risen [3] I will go ahead of you into Galilee). Why was it so vital that Peter listen to all three? How might things have gone differently if he had?
Do you more naturally focus on your sin (the Mess), the gospel (the Method) or the God’s purpose for your life (the Mission)? What is something you can do to embrace all three?
Read Luke 21:31-32. What did Dan mean when he said: “That regret that caused us such shame is now re-purposed for God’s glory. What Peter learned in that place of darkness is now part of his toolbox”?
Show
Take time this week to respond to God. Allow Him to reveal to you any unresolved regrets you have. If there’s a regret that you have kept quiet and hidden, but it’s eating you up inside, confess them fully to God (and to a trusted friend or even set up a time with Dan even) and receive His grace and trust Him for the gift of a new start in Him.

The Servant King - Mark 14.43-65

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
The One Thing
The truth that finished Jesus is the same truth that frees you
The Passage
Mark 14:43-65
Know
“You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” Have you ever been told an uncomfortable truth about yourself? How did you respond?
Grow
In Mark’s account Judas is never heard from again after 14:45. What are your thoughts / feelings towards Judas?
Who do you think the young man was in 14:51? Why do you think Mark includes him in his account?
Peter abandoned Jesus (14:50) but he also attacked the high priests’ servant (14:47) and at great risk entered the High Priests’ courtyard (14:54). Remembering that Mark is based on Peter’s eye-witness account, how do you think Peter felt about how he behaved this night?
Do you see any of yourself in Peter? How so?
From chapter 14:63, was Jesus condemned because of the truth He told about Himself or the lies that others told about Him? How does this help us understand the Cross?
In 14:62 why did Jesus not just keep quiet? What would have been the outcome if He had?
List the various ways we see the corruptness of the Chief Priest and the Sanhedrin. Why did they act so corruptly?
What feelings / emotions does this passage create in you towards Jesus? Ask God to help you not just know the truth in your head, but respond to it in your heart.
The truth that finished Jesus is the same truth that frees you. Share your heart response to this statement?
Show
Make this Easter be the start of something new for you. Is God moving you towards baptism this Easter? Or who in your life do you need to invite to the Easter Sunday service to hear the message of the God’s saving grace? Go round the circle and each share your response.

The Servant King - Mark 14.32-42

The One Thing
To win the day, watch and pray
The passage
Mark 14:32-42
Know
Can you remember an embarrassing time when you feel asleep?
Grow
What accounts for all the disciples all falling asleep when Jesus needed them most?
Think of ways that we can ‘fall asleep’ when others are in need of our help.
What are the signs in Mark 14:32-42 that Jesus was under incredible stress?
14:38 – Why is “watching and praying” the remedy to the danger of falling into temptation?
Jesus’ crucifixion was His idea (read John 10:18). So how do we account for his prayer in Mark 14:35-36 that He could somehow avoid it?
Imagine finding out that in 24 hours you would die violently and painfully. How would you handle that knowledge? How would you spend those hours? What did Jesus do?*
How would you explain to a non-Christian what caused Jesus such agony as He prayed in the garden?*
Show
During this week pray the I.C.A.N. prayer over a situation that is hanging over you / causing you distress.
Start with intimacy: “Abba”
Call to mind God’s character: “Everything is possible for you”
Aim for authenticity and honesty: “Take this cup from me”
Rest in non-resistance to God’s will: “Yet not what I will, but what you will”

The Servant King - Mark 14.12-26

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
Passage
Mark 14:12-26
The One Thing
Good news: God breaks bread with those who break His heart. 
Know
How would you like people to remember you after you die?
Grow
How does the way Jesus sent the disciples to find the upper room give evidence that Jesus was in charge of the whole situation?
How does Jesus’ control of events surrounding His passion encourage you when you face difficulties?
What might the disciples have thought when Jesus said that one of them would betray Him?
Do you think you would have suspected your own heart if you had been there?
How does this passage express the tension between free will and the sovereignty of God?
In what way did all the disciples betray Jesus?
Why might the Last Supper also be called the First Supper? What did Jesus inaugurate?
Has the Lord’s Supper sometimes become so familiar for you that it is no longer amazing?
What did Jesus mean by saying, “This is My body” and “This is My blood”?
Could Judas have chosen not to betray Jesus? Consider John 13:18
Show
In what way has every person betrayed Him and put Him on the cross? How can that betrayal be forgiven? [i]
 
[i] Questions taken from “Christ Centered Exposition Commentary”