Mark 3:1–19 (NLT)

¹ Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. ² Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.

³ Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” ⁴ Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.

⁵ He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! ⁶ At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.

⁷ Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea, ⁸ Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.

⁹ Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him. ¹⁰ He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him. ¹¹ And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was.

¹³ Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. ¹⁴ Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, ¹⁵ giving them authority to cast out demons. ¹⁶ These are the twelve he chose:

Simon (whom he named Peter),

¹⁷ James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”),

¹⁸ Andrew,

Philip,

Bartholomew,

Matthew,

Thomas,

James (son of Alphaeus),

Thaddaeus,

Simon (the zealot),

¹⁹ Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

1. Jesus attracting the eager crowds.

so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him

2. Jesus gathering disciples to go with him.

the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him.

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 (NLT)

◾ Named  ◾ Known

3. Jesus sending apostles to demonstrate the kingdom in word and deed.

They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach… cast out demons.

Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. ⁷ And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. ⁸ He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money. ⁹ He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes. ¹⁰ “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. ¹¹ But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” ¹² So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. ¹³ And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil. Mark 6:6-13 (NLT)

◾ Travel light, together  ◾ Stay awhile  ◾ Do what Jesus did

A missional church is a community of God’s people who live into the imagination that they are, by their very nature, God’s missionary people living as a demonstration of what God plans to do in and for all creation in Jesus Christ… Leadership is about cultivating an environment that innovates and releases the missional imagination present among a community of God’s people. Alan Roxburgh, The Missional Leader

Establishing and nurturing a relationship with God through Jesus.

God, thank you for showing yourself to me. Jesus, I turn to you, admit I need you, and ask you to enter my heart by faith. By your Spirit, restore my heart with your forgiveness; help me to hear your voice and know your love. Gather me with others to worship and serve you; to nurture our faith and shine your light in the world. Thank you for calling me your child. Amen.

For next week: Read and journal on Mark 4:1-20. Follow the format of Observation, Reflection and Prayer as outlined on the Come With Me card and using your Mark journal. Download the Filament App for Mark as you study the passage in your time alone with God each day.

REFLECT TOGETHER ON SUNDAY’S MESSAGE 

• Review the main points from the sermon outline.
• Share with one another as a whole group or in smaller groups, using these prompts only as suggestion: 
• What are your observations, questions, or take-aways from the message?
• What connections and themes have you noticed from week to week? 
• Respond to and reflect on the quote in the sermon outline from Alan Roxburgh. 

CONNECT WITH GOD (Select one of the below practices or choose the practice from the previous week.) 

• Practicing Gratitude 

The practice of gratitude helps us to recognize and respond to the goodness of God in our lives, trusting in God’s faithful presence in the business of our days and despite the temptation to ignore the gifts of God before us. When we cultivate a posture of gratitude, we become people who trust in the God who loves us. 

• Spend 5 minutes cultivating a list of gratitude. Identify three categories for gratitude from this list and focus on those three areas today: myself, my family/friends, my church, and my work, my country, the world. Once you choose three areas for gratitude, then spend time journaling with the below questions as your guide for gratitude: 

What gifts of God do I notice?

Where do I notice the love, mercy, beauty, grace, or faithfulness of God in this? 

How is God at work actively in this? 

• Practicing The Holy Pause (Ignatian Practice of “Statio”): 

Statio is a monastic practice of making space between activities. It is the discipline of stopping one thing before beginning another…when we do this, we become conscious of our patterns, rhythms, bodies, and emotions before moving onto the next thing. The practice allows us to be attentive to the God who is present with us. 

• Spend a few minutes in this practice of “statio.” Stop whatever you were doing or thinking and practice letting it go through a series of deep breaths. As you inhale and exhale, let go of any thoughts or worry about what’s next or what just happened. Be attentive to your body’s sensations. 
• When you are ready, notice what you are feeling in the pause. Allow for the present. Welcome all of it. 
• Say a simple prayer of gratitude for the holy pause of this moment. Gratitude for the gift of the present. Commit to “holy pauses” throughout the next week.

CONNECT WITH SCRIPTURE (As a reminder: this is the Bible passage for the message on February 11th) 

• Read: Mark 4:1-20
• Use the “Come with Me” card, along with your Mark Bible Journal to engage with the Scripture passage for the coming week. 
• Observe: Dig into the scripture through doodling, highlighting, note-taking. Pay attention to words or phrases that seem important or raise questions for you. 
• Meditate: Slow down. Read Mark 3:1-19 again and engage your imagination and senses to connect to the passage. Reflect on your experience in your journal. 
• Pray: What prayer of praise, gratitude, or confession arises from your heart and mind as you meditate on this passage? 

• Reflect together (in pairs): Spend time in intentional conversation about your reflections in Mark 4:1-20. 
• How might this parable be relevant to your life today and to the church’s life today?

DIG DEEPER (Select the best questions or customize the questions for your group.)

• Why do you think Jesus re-teaches the parable to his disciples in a more private setting? 
• What’s compelling about this parable with what you’ve read so far in Mark chapters 1-4?
• How do the various elements of the parable (seeds, sower, soil…) reflect the unexpectedness of Jesus’ ministry and the kingdom coming? 
• How might you re-tell this story for our context?

NEXT STEPS 

• Read Mark 4 before February 11th and Observe. Meditate. Pray.  

PRAYER 

Spend time sharing your joys and concerns with one another. Remain in prayer for one another with compassion and boldness. End your prayer with the Lord’s Prayer. 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.