Week 3

 

Bible Reading

Daily readings from the last week:
Mark 8-14

Reflect

  • What stood out to you from your daily readings over the last week? Any questions?

  • How did you go with what you said you’d do last week?

Discuss

Mark 1:14-15

Have someone read the passage and use the SOAP method to explore the text:

  • S - Scripture (read scripture together)

  • O - Observe (what do we see? What does it make us think?)

  • A - Apply (what does this mean for my life?)

  • P - Pray (pray together)

Repentance: Jesus begins his preaching ministry with a clear and simple message: the kingdom of God has come near, so repent and believe! We will cover what is meant by “the kingdom of God” at a later date, but the focus here is “repentance”. What does it mean to repent? In the most basic terms it means to do a 180 degree turn - to stop walking in one direction and walk in another. In Jesus, something and someone so great has arrived, it’s worth turning to him above everything else in our lives!

Learn

  • Today we continue to learn about four different aspects of prayer based on the acronym ACTS.

  • The second letter of ACTS is C which stands for Confession.

When we believe in Jesus, all of our sin—past, present and future—is washed away. However, as we live in relationship with Him, it’s important to regularly consider the ways we continue to sin and harm our relationship with God and others. Confession allows us to acknowledge that before God and put that right with Him.

A simple way to do this is to read Psalm 139:23-24. Then take a few moments to sit in silence and ask God to show us where we have sinned against Him. When we notice this we say sorry and we ask for His help to lead us to live in a new way. You can do this by yourself or with others you trust.

Pray

  • If appropriate, spend some time confessing to the Lord in prayer together what he has just highlighted to you.

  • Pray about the other things that have stood out to you today.

Next Steps

  • What will a habit of ongoing repentance/confession look like for you?

  • Who are you going to tell about what you’ve been learning?

  • Readings for the coming week: Mark 15-Luke 5

 
Andrea MullerFoundations