Breaking Ground
What from this summer are you most grateful for? This could be a person, experience, circumstance, event, etc.
The Dig
This Sunday, we concluded our series Jesus’ Money, where we’ve been exploring Jesus’ teachings concerning how we should see, think about, & interact with money.
Begin by reading Mark 8:27-37. In this section, we witness several important firsts within Mark’s Gospel: Peter becomes the first disciple to identify Jesus as the Messiah (God’s promised King who’d restore all things); after which Jesus tells his disciples that, instead of defeating the Romans with worldly power, he’s actually come to sacrifice himself for all (upsetting Peter greatly); & then Jesus tells his disciples that following him will require that they adopt the Cross as the symbol for every part of their lives before warning them that the alternative to doing so is “gaining the world while forfeiting our souls.”
What stands out to you about these three stories & teachings? How do they build upon one another?
What competing worldviews are at play in the disagreement between Peter & Jesus? How does each character’s worldview shape their understanding of how God operates & how He aims to save His world?
Like the panelists from Sunday’s message, take time to apply these stories & the teaching from Jesus’ Money as a whole to the topic of money & generosity.
Why is money such a powerful barrier to giving Jesus our total allegiance & fully embracing his worldview & example? How can money uniquely lead us to embrace thoughts, attitudes, & actions that gain us the world while forfeiting our souls?
Where do you find it hardest to lay yourself down, carry your cross, & be radically generous with your money? What ideas, teachings, practices, or spiritual disciplines have helped you grow more like Jesus in this area of your life?
Where have you seen radical generosity produce healing, liberation, or redemption in your personal life, at E3, & within our broader world? What lessons can we take from those experiences & examples as we seek to faithfully follow Jesus as a community in this next season?
Getting Out of the Hole
Take time each week to reflect upon the Sunday sermon.
- Read Mark 8:27-37. Make note of any emotions that come up or internal responses you have to specific moments in these stories. Reflect on which characters you find it easiest & hardest to identify with.
- Why do you think Peter refuses to accept that Jesus came to sacrifice himself for others? What does this reveal about his understanding of God & His purposes?
- Why does Jesus rebuke Peter so harshly? What about Peter’s worldview does he seem to think needs immediate & direct correction?
- Where do you find it easiest & hardest to adopt Christ’s self-sacrificial example in how you think about & act with your money? How might these stories & teachings push you to embrace Jesus’ model generosity to greater degrees in this next season?
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
Centered Set Church by Mark D. Baker
Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, August 16th: Join us next week as we begin our Why series!
* Please see mye3.org for details.