February 28th, 2021
Speaker: RJ Dugone
Text: Mark 1: 29-34. 29 And immediately after they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and they immediately spoke to Jesus about her. 31 And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she served them. 32 Now when evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city had gathered at the door. 34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

• One of the signs that marked Jesus' Ministry was physical healing.  Why was healing people an important part of Christ's Ministry?
• Sickness is a symptom or a natural result of sin, ultimately leading to death.  Jesus authority over sickness was a foreshadowing of His authority over death.  Why is it important for Jesus to have authority over sickness?  

Big Idea: Recent events have made everyone (worldwide) aware of how vulnerable we are to disease. Please note that before sin entered the world, there was no disease.  Part of the future hope for Believers is that there will be no sickness in heaven.  Jesus demonstrated His authority over sickness by healing people.  The ultimate completion of Christ's atoning work is that Believers will pass from this life into eternal life with a glorified body that is never tired, never sick and will never die.  

• The threat of disease effects people in different ways.  Some people are preoccupied with what disease might ail them.  Others are afraid of what they might "catch."  How do we go about giving our fear (concerning our vulnerability to sickness) over to God?
• Why are some people healed when "we" pray for them while other people remain sick?

Cross References: Isaiah 53:3-6 (NASB) 3  He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4  Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5  But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6  All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

• Notice that the atoning work of Christ addressed sickness.  Why is this important?

James 5:14-15 (NASB) 14  Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15  and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 

• The church is called to continue the ministry of Christ by praying for the sick.  How important is it for the church to continue to pray for the sick?

Apologetics/Theology: In addressing His disciples, Jesus declared that they would do the same works that He did and even greater works.  (John 14:12)  If you examine the "works" that Jesus did it is a pretty extraordinary thought to suppose that we would engage in the "same" works.  I do not believe that this gives the church of today, the permission to explain away the possibility of healing through the ministry of the saints.  It is difficult to maintain a cessationist view of healing and other spiritual gifts in light of Christ's declaration.  Why are "we" instructed to pray for the sick if we do not expect the sick to be healed?  Make no mistake, Jesus is the healer, but He uses us as His vessels that continue to administer His grace; and so, we lay hands upon the sick and pray with the expectation that the atoning work of Christ is still in force and that the sick will be restored to health.

• Is it always God's will to heal?  (There is always a possibility that God's will is to bring someone through the gate of death and usher them into His presence.  This is the ultimate healing experience)
• We know that God heals people, why doesn't He always heal people who are sick?

Note from RJ: As you can see, Roy Brewer is going to be with us in a Spiritual Emphasis Week, starting Sunday, February 21st.  That means that the Gospel of Mark Project will be on pause for the week leading up to our time with Roy.  However, I will be writing on the Discipleship Blog with subject matter that is somewhat related to the subject matter that Roy will be teaching. 

February 14th, 2021
Speaker: Travis Cunningham
Text: Mark 1:21-28. 21 They *went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and began to teach. 22 And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 saying, “What business do you have with us, Jesus [r]of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are: the Holy One of God!” 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 After throwing him into convulsions and crying out with a loud voice, the unclean spirit came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” 28 Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding region of Galilee.
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Big Idea: Jesus had come to Capernaum and entered the synagogue to teach on the Sabbath. This wasn't like any other Saturday though, Jesus was teaching in a way that was unrecognizable to the crowds in attendance. They were accustomed to listening to the scribes way of teaching which was a very rote and rehearsed teaching where reading from the scriptures and providing some commentary was normal. But when Jesus taught, the people said that He did so with 'authority.' Just then, an unclean spirit cries out in the middle of Jesus' teaching and interrupts the whole thing. The demons speaking through the man knows who Jesus is and even calls Him the 'Holy One of God.' Jesus deals with this unclean spirit and everyone is amazed. The teaching of Jesus was with authority, and His handling of the unclean spirit was with authority. Everyone knew, this Man was no ordinary man. 
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Cross References:
And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority. 33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34“Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 35But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm. 36And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.” 37And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district. Luke 4:31-37

“Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44“Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45“Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.” Matthew 12:43-45

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12


When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Matthew 7:28-29

Apologetics/Theology:
What does it mean that Jesus spoke “with authority”? The Greek word translated here as “authority” is ἐξουσίαν (exousian), which means “to (speak) out of one’s being or substance.” To speak with spiritual power or weightiness. Delegated empowerment ("authorization"), operating in a designated jurisdiction.
In the NT, eksousía ("delegated power") refers to the authority God gives to His saints – authorizing them to act to the extent they are guided by faith (His revealed word).
Where did the authority that Jesus have come from? 
The authority that Jesus had came from the Father. John 17:2
What else did Jesus have the authority to do when He was on earth?
Not only did Jesus have the authority to cast out demons; He also had authority to forgive sins. Mark 2:10, Matthew 9:6-8. This caused a major issue with the religious people of the day. "Only God can forgive sins" was what the people would claim. But as we saw earlier, the Father gave that authority to Jesus. 
How do we know when someone is speaking with authority on a given subject?
Matthew 21:23 The people witnessed how Jesus had authority over demons, the way He spoke and taught, the things He claimed about Himself and God; and they wondered who gave Him permission or authority to do these things. He seemed to be just another man, yet they could never deny the things they were seeing and hearing. 
How did the demons know who Jesus was but not the scribes and other religious rulers? 
Why didn't Jesus allow this demon to keep speaking and letting everyone know who Jesus was? The demons knew He was the Holy One of God and they declared it for all to hear. 
Why did this demon speak up and try and begin a conversation with Jesus? What prompted this exchange? 
The demons authority was being challenged. They had authority over this area and Jesus was threatening it which caused the demon to speak up. Luke 4:6 the devil tells Jesus that he has authority or domain over the kingdoms of the world.
Why didn't Jesus continue the conversation and answer the questions from this demon? 
The demon tries to get Jesus into a conversation of why He was there and if He was going to destroy them. Jesus does not entertain the questions from demons or the devil. To allow the conversation to continue would have shifted the authority from Jesus to the demons. Jesus was not there to entertain the curiosity of demons, He was there to set a man free. 
What authority do believers in Christ have? 
Mark 3:14-15, Mark 6:7
Mark 13:33-37- walking in our authority causes us to stay alert for the return of Christ.  

February 7th, 2021
Speaker: David Fritz
Text: Mark 1:16-20 16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
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Big Idea:
God's Calling vs. Vocation:  Our world can fixate greatly on our education/vocation for our lives and for the lives of those we love.  However, the embracing of God's calling on our lives may not always be our focus.  When we embrace God's calling on our lives our vocation, as well as all areas of our lives, falls into place.  But for areas of our lives to fall into place we need to first here from God 'Where are you calling me?'

Cross References:
Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

John 15:16-17 - 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Apologetics/Theology:
Jesus calls his disciples to be 'fishers of men,'  This is the call of God upon their lives, the beginning of their journey with Jesus.   We watch as the fulfillment of their assignment come as they fellowship with Jesus and carry out the mission that he gives them (John 3:14).  This is not the Simon and Andrew 'finding themselves' as much as it their first step towards a God given plan.  Their faith is an example to us as they 'immediately' are obedient to Jesus' call.  Several of Jesus’ first disciples were not poor but were self-employed fishermen or, as in this case (James and John), were part of a family business. Levi (Mark 2:14) was a fairly well-to-do tax collector.

• Are there times when we are not immediately obedient to God's voice?  What are some of the causes of a delayed reaction to God's call on our life?
• What does the world offer us that appears so much more attractive to us than giving our lives over completely to Christ and his call on our lives?  

Jesus’ words recall Jeremiah 16:15–17, where “fishers” and “hunters” of men will call people back from idols to God after judgment has occurred. This call happens in a context of purification (Jeremiah 16:17) and will include Gentiles (Jeremiah 16:19).  Therefore God's plan for saving the world includes an active part we play.  Here is Charles Spurgeon's commentary on this subject and scripture:
The gospel minister is like the fisherman with a net. I have sometimes heard the comparison drawn as though the gospel fisherman had a hook and a line, which he has not. His business is not to entice a fish to swallow his bait but to cast the net all round him, and lift him, by his grace, out of the element in which he lies in sin, into the boat where Christ still sits, as he sat, in the olden days, in the boat on the sea of Galilee. To shut the sinner up to faith in Jesus Christ, — that is the main work of the true gospel fisherman.