Gardens Part 18-JESUS
Mark 8:14-21, Mark 8:34-38
Reading Mark 8:14-21 and 8:34-38 we see that Christian discipleship is…
…about PROXIMITY to Jesus.
…about getting PERSONAL with Jesus.
…about gaining PERSPECTIVE with Jesus.
…about PURGING our selfishness with Jesus’ love.
Each area of the Spiritual Growth Plan (www.stillnaz.com/growthplan) is an area to BE WITH and BECOME LIKE Jesus.
The Growth Plan invites us to ask ourselves…
Do I pray with and like Jesus?
Do I work with and like Jesus?
Do I handle my relationships with and like Jesus?
Do I rest with and like Jesus?
And as we follow Him, Jesus warns against the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod. Watch out for 1) hypocrisy, 2) love of power, and 3) hatred.
We can counter these with Jesus’ instructions in Mark 8:34-38.
Be Jesus’ disciple
Deny my selfish impulses
Carry my cross
Follow Jesus
What do you want? Do you want to be Jesus’ disciple more than anything?
Message Reflection Questions
Begin with silence.
What did God say to you through the message?
How has God challenged you or taught you this summer?
How does a spiritual growth plan help us be with and become like Jesus?
Read Mark 8:14-21. What is Jesus warning his disciples against? Compare Jesus’ life with the Pharisees and Herod (see Mark 3:6, 6:14-28, 7:5-8, 8:11-12 for further insight).
Read Mark 8:34-38. What does this teach us about being a disciple?
How do these passages help us as we develop our relationship with Jesus through a spiritual growth plan?
As we turn towards the fall, what are 1-4 practices you sense God inviting you to do (start, continue or stop) in your own spiritual growth plan?
Close in prayer. Include prayers for the rest and restoration in our homes, workplaces and world.
DAILY READINGS
To conclude our Gardens Series, we’re reading a chapter out of Mark that invites us to witness the power of Jesus, warns us against siding against him and invites us to a life of discipleship through self-denial.
Monday: Mark 8:1-10
Tuesday: Mark 8:11-21
Wednesday: Mark 8:22-26
Thursday: Mark 8:27-33
Friday: Mark 8:34-38
Helpful Instructions for reading
Start with silence. Relax in God’s presence. Imagine resting with Jesus.
Thank God for something that happened in the last 24 hours.
Read the verses slowly. Ask: What is God calling me to be and do?
Finish in prayer for yourself, your family, your neighbors, your co-workers, your church. Pray through the nations at www.prayercast.com/nations.html.