Know Grow Show

The Servant King - Mark 7.24-30

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
 
 
The One Thing
Jesus relishes bold prayers. Don't be polite: allow your faith to thump on Jesus’ door.
Know
Have you ever met anyone famous? Did you get a signature / photo?
Grow
Last week Dan preached on “trading tradition for truth” (Mark 7:9-23), about how nothing can defile us from the outside in. This week Jesus spent time with a Syrophoenician (i.e. non-Jewish) woman. What connects the two passages?
Read Matthew 15:23 – how do you explain the disciples’ response to this woman in Matthew’s account? Look at the surrounding verses for context.
Mark 7:25 – take some time to imagine what this woman’s life might have been like. What were her struggles on a daily / weekly basis? What emotional state do you think she was in before she knew Jesus was in town?
Read Mark 7:26-28 What do you make of the “verbal sparring” that Jesus gets into with her? Why didn’t he just heal the girl as soon as she asked?
This was an ‘at distance’ healing. Why do you think Jesus didn’t go with her to the place and do the healing on site, like He did at other times?
Dan said that the word used for “dog” is “little dog” (“pet dog” or “puppy”) – how might this change our reading of the seemingly offensive words that Jesus says in verse 27?
Read verse 28 and 29: why did Jesus interpret the woman’s words as an act of faith?
Can you think of any other verses that encourage us to be bold in our prayers?
Show
What can you apply from the Syrophoenician woman to your own prayer life?
 

The Servant King - Mark 7.1-23

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
 
 
The Big Idea: Trading tradition for truth.
The Passage: Mark 7.1-23
Know
Have you ever been in a foreign context where you accidentally offended someone without realizing it? Share you story.
Grow
Dan didn't watch TV on Sundays. People in Canada take their hats off to pray. What are some invisible cultural rules that you experienced when you were growing up? How would you explain the value or purpose of that rule to someone from outside your culture?
How did the Pharisees end up with 613 rules, when there were only 10 Commandments?
Name some invisible rules we have in church that exist "just because that's the way it is". Consider whether we should keep them or get rid of them (but you need to give a good reason from scripture for your answer!)
If a cultural tradition cannot be proved from the Bible, does that mean it’s automatically wrong? Explain why.
Are you someone who lives life enjoying the continent of freedom God has created for you, or are you someone who is primarily concerned with not falling off the edge? Why is this?
How might the Pharisees have reached the place where they thought that ignoring the need of their parents was OK, and to do it in Jesus’ name? What does this show us about their heart?
7:8 Can we hold onto the commands of God and to human traditions, or is it always one or the other? Explain your answer.
Take a look at Exodus 20 and choose a couple of commandments and see what they reveal about God’s heart.
We often think about the 10 Commandments as rules. What would change if we view them as primarily revealing the heart and character of God?
Dan said If you do everything for God’s glory, the edge is never an issue. Read 1 Corinthians 10:31 – how does this verse prevent us from sinning (falling off the edge)?
Show
1 Corinthians 10:31 – decide this week to do everything for the glory of God. Before doing anything, ask “Is this going to magnify or diminish God’s glory?” Commit to making your decisions based on that question.

The Servant King - Mark 6.35-44, 8.1-21

The One Thing
Jesus meets our needs. Sometimes precisely. Sometimes plentifully. Always perfectly. 
Know
Was there anything from Sunday’s sermon that you felt God specifically underlining to you?
Grow
Why do you think Mark included two miracles that were so similar in His gospel account?
Were you surprised to hear that the baskets in Alfresco 5000 (Mark 6) were lunchbox-sized, whereas the baskets in Alfresco 4000 (Mark 8) were laundry basket-sized (able to fit a man in them)? How does this information change how you view the separate accounts?
Share about a time when you have experienced the God of the lunchbox – giving you exactly what you need with nothing left over?
Share about a time when you experienced the God of the laundry basket – giving you an overabundance that blows your mind? (your response may be something physical, but may just as easily be something intangible or spiritual)
In both passages (Mark 6:41 and Mark 8:6), we learn that Jesus simply ‘gives thanks’ for the food. Who do you think did the multiplication of the bread – God the Father or Jesus the Son? Do you think it’s important to distinguish the two or not? Explain your answer.
After Jesus prayed, there is nothing in either account that says: “and suddenly there was a mountain of bread”. Using your imagination, how do you think the miracle took place – was there a visible pile of bread and fish or did the baskets just keep getting replenished as the food was handed out? (Or something else?)
Mark 8:4 – the disciples had just witnessed Jesus feed a crowd of 10-15,000 people (5,000 men). What do we make of their confusion regarding how they were going to feed this new multitude?
Read the questions Jesus asks His disciples in Mark 8:17. Imagine if Jesus was sitting across the table from you. Are there any parts of your life that He would say the similar things to you? Have a conversation with Him about these things.
Show
Dan said that the main point of today’s passage was “Whenever we are in need may we always remember that Jesus will meet our needs – sometimes precisely; sometimes in plentifully, but always perfectly”. Take some time as a group to pray for things that you need to know God’s provision in.
Think of a specific way that you can bring your meagre offerings to God and trust Him to multiply them for His glory. Perhaps it is the step of faith of starting to tithe your income. Perhaps it’s a step of faith to go beyond the tithe. Perhaps it’s using a skill or talent you have for His glory. Perhaps it’s inviting a friend to church or growgroup?

The Servant King - Mark 6.30-34

Engage in His power. Retreat in His presence.
Growgroup questions
Know
Be honest, in your opinion, are you at more risk of burning out (through over activity) or rusting out (through not enough activity)? What makes you think this?
Grow
Matthew 11:28 says this: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”. If you don’t know what a yoke is, google it. Why does Jesus use the example of a tool of work to help us understand what Kingdom rest is?
In what ways is Kingdom Rest different to vegging out?
How would your life change if you decided to start doing everything for Jesus? Is there anything you would need to (a) start doing (b) stop doing or (c) change?
Show
This week say this to yourself regularly: Today I’m going to do life with Jesus right next to me. And then do it.
Book yourself at least 3 hours this month where you can come away with Jesus by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest.

The Servant King - Mark 6.14-29

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
 
 
 
growgroups will be starting up soon, but until then, here are some questions for personal study, or for discussion around your meal table at home.
Herod assumed that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead - perhaps he heard about Jairus' daughter being raised from the dead. What does this tell you about how word spread around the region of Galilee? 
Foreshadowing refers to the author hinting at something coming in the future (we see it a lot in movies). How does Mark 6:14-29 foreshadow or help us understand events later in the book of Mark (specifically Jesus' death)?
Nathan explained the messy history of Herod's family - how does hearing about the sin and brokenness in his history help us understand why Herod did what he did in this chapter?
6:20 - Herod was puzzled by John, but liked to listen to him. Have you ever appreciated listening to a Christian speaker who at the same time troubled you? Why do you think this is?
In what ways does our passage today show us that John had principles?
In what ways does our passage today show us that Herod lacked principles?
"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything" What do you stand for? How can you be assured that these are godly principles?
What is the difference between having principles and being legalistic?

The Servant King - Mark 6.1-13

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
 
 
 
growgroups are taking a break for the summer, but here are some questions for personal study, or for discussion around your meal table at home. 
 
"The person who lives a life of unbelief will never know what they’re missing. 
The person who lives a life of faith knows exactly what they have. And they wouldn’t change it for the world!"
Know
6:1Jesus went home to Nazareth. What do you think were his expectations for his arrival?
Grow
6:3 – Why did knowing Jesus’ family cause the people in Nazareth to take offense at Him?
Dan says that the life of unbelief is a self-fulfilling prophecy: if we expect nothing from God, we receive nothing. How have you seen this principle at work in your own life?
How do we draw the line between faith (trusting God to do something amazing) and presumption (insisting that He must do something)? Think of examples of presumptive prayer you’ve seen. How did this strike you?
6:7 The bible doesn’t say, but when Jesus gave the disciples the authority to cast out demons, do you think they felt different afterwards? If so how?
Does the phrase “familiarity breeds contempt” reflect your relationship with Jesus at all? In what way? Take some time to talk to Him about it.
The person who lives a life of unbelief will never know what they’re missing.
The person who lives a life of faith knows exactly what they have. And they wouldn’t change it for the world!
Which describes you?
How can someone move from a life of unbelief to a life of faith? How do you even go about it?
Why do you think we don’t see more miracles today? Are we in danger of being a ‘Nazareth’? If so, how?
Do you believe that someone can be a Christian and miss the reason that God created them for? Why or why not?
Show
What is holding you back from ‘traveling light’ and living out God’s purpose for you here on earth?

The Servant King - Mark 5.21-54

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
 
 
 
growgroups are taking a break for the summer, but here are some questions for personal study, or for discussion around your meal table at home. 
"We find exactly what we need at Jesus' feet. 
Mark 5:21-43
The woman touched Jesus' robe in the crowd and was healed in secret. Why didn't Jesus just let her go? Why did He chase her down and expose her before the crowd? How would her story have been less impactful if He'd just let her go in quiet?
Conversely, when Jairus came to Jesus in public, why did he heal his daughter in private, in secret? What was He trying to achieve, when He was so public about the woman's healing?
If Jesus had asked the woman with the 12 year menstrual bleed to wait for a few moments, Jesus could have healed Jairus' daughter before she died. Why do you think Jesus chose to spend this time with this woman allowing Jairus' daughter to die?
Can you think of some Bible verses that define faith for us? What are they?
Michael Card said that all the people in Mark 5 found exactly what they needed at Jesus' feet. How does this apply to people who ask for healing or an answer to prayer but don't receive it in the way they think they should?
Dan said that you cannot tell Jairus' daughter's story without the story of the woman who was bleeding for 12 years, and vice versa. Why is it so important to tell these stories together? (Think about contrasts, similarities between the two accounts). 
Has God healed you or answered your prayer in a clear, amazing way? Have you shared this with anyone? If not, start sharing your story and allow God to get the glory. 
What do you need? Spend some time this week at the feet of Jesus - trust that you will find exactly what you need there.
 
 To read more about the definitions of faith at the end of the sermon, check out Dale Fincher's book "Coffee Shop Conversations: Making the Most of Spiritual Small Talk (pp. 101-102)"
 
 

The Servant King - Mark 5.1-20

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
 
 
growgroups are taking a break for the summer, but here are some questions for personal study, or for discussion around your meal table at home. 
Try to imagine the life story that might have led to the demon-possessed man (Dave) living the life he did before he met Jesus.
It appears that the Legion of Demons possessing this guy gave him super human strength (to break shackles etc). How does this strike you?
Do you agree or disagree that some forms of deviant behaviour are influenced by demons?
Why did Jesus simply not send the Legion of demons into the abyss? Why did He capitulate to their demands to go into the pigs?
What does the reaction of the pigs in verse 13 teach us about the demons?
Do you think horror movies help or hinder our understanding of the supernatural? Why do you think this?
5:15 When the townsfolk saw the man in his right mind, we are told immediately that “they were afraid”. Why this response? Why not gratitude or awe? Try to place yourself in their shoes.
5:19-20 Why did Jesus tell the man to go home to his own people and tell them what had happened? Wasn’t it enough that they’d seen? Look at their response. What does this tell us about the power of our own Jesus story?

The Servant King - Mark 4.35-41, 45-56

Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.knowgrowshow.ca
 
 
 
growgroups are taking a break for the summer, but here are some questions for personal study, or for discussion around your meal table at home. 
Have you ever been "stuck in a moment that you can't get out of?
Dan said "but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how easy or hard life is. What matters is the truth of what we are building our lives around." How would you describe the central truth that your life is built around? 
Dan said "The question is not how comfortable is your life? The question is how prepared are you for the inevitable bad weather that is coming your way". Are you prepared for the furious squalls that life will bring you?
In Mark 4:38 Jesus is asleep in the storm. In Mark 6:48 Jesus is praying on the hillside while the disciples struggle below. Has Jesus ever felt far away from you? Have you ever wondered if He is concerned about you in the midst of your struggle?
Mark 4:38 "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" Is this a prayer of faith or a prayer of doubt? Why do you think this?
Jesus said "Take courage. It is I (I am). Don't be afraid" (Mark 6:50) Take some time with Jesus and listen to Him as He says this to you. In what circumstance do you need to hear this truth today?
Dan said that "Often the chaos of our life is the path that Jesus walks on to get to us". Do you believe this? How have you experienced this?
Is Jesus the skipper of your boat in the midst of your storms?
 
 
 

Jeff's Transformation Story

Jeff is a local business man from North Gower, Ontario. He's also a skeptic who has been transformed by an encounter with Jesus. 
In his words: "I have not relinquished my skepticism of easy answers to complex questions. And that’s OK.  God gave me a stubborn brain. But no matter the question I take on, in Christ, I always seem to find a magnificent answer that makes perfect sense."
Listen to his story, shared at North Gower's Church In The Park 2018.