1 Corinthian 15:1-26 | Resurrection Reality
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Petaluma Church of Christ with Pastor George Robertson
Missionary of the Week
Hector & Caitlyn Hernandez in Guatemala
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from fighting for their eternal hope.
3) Opening Discussion Question: Who do you know that is newest to Calvary and who do you know who is the longest attender.
4) Read: 1 Corinthian 15:1-26 encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation:
What first lead you to believe in Christ as a risen savior?
Do you find it helpful to hear the evidences for the resurrection? Which ones are most helpful to you?
What single fact or practice has led to the greatest transformation in your life as a Christian?
What area of your life do you need to surrender if the Resurrection is real?
6) Apply: How can you share what most impacted your life in Christ with someone else this week?
Cross References:
Romans 10:9
John 7:2–5
Acts 12:2
Acts 1:14
Matthew 28:12-13
1 Peter 1:3-9 | Living Hope
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Petaluma Christian Church & Pastor Ryan
Missionary of the Week
Solomon & Mabel Charwi in Kehancha, Kenya
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from taking a step of faith in response to last week's teaching.
3) Opening Discussion Question: When was the last time you couldn't sleep because of excitement or anticipation. What were you looking forward to?
4) Read: 1 Peter 1:3-9 encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation:
How would you define hope and is there a difference between regular hope and biblical hope?
If someone asks you a reason for the hope in you, what would you say?
What would have to change in your life today for people to see hope in your life enough for them to ask you a reason for the hope in you?
How can we fight for hope as Christians in our present circumstances?
6) Apply: Take time to share how you will fight for an eternal hope in Christ this week.
Cross References:
John 3:16
Rom 5:2
1 Peter 3:13-19
Eph 1:15-20
Titus 1:1-2
Hebrews 10:34
Hebrews 12:1-3
John 20 | Believe and Know
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Petaluma Christian Church & Pastor Ryan
Missionary of the Week
Local Ministry Harvest Christian School
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from asking God to use the painful things of their past for God's Glory last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: What are some ways you have seen non-religious people practice faith. What are the things they have their faith in?
4) Read: John 20:1-31 encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation:
Where do you need to surrender the desire for certainty to follow Jesus.
Where have you experienced the Holy Spirit pouring out the love of God in your life?
Have you taken the first step of faith in Jesus? What I the next step of faith God is calling you to?
How does the Holy Spirit help us with,
Personal Relationship with Christ?
Purpose for this life?
Power to do his work?
When was a time you were forced to total dependence upon God?
6) Apply: Take time to share the next step of faith you need to take to follow Jesus today?
Cross References:
John 17:3
Rom 10:17
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Romans 8:35-37 | More Than Conquerors
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Penngrove Community Church and Pastor Connor Anderson
Missionary of the Week
Solomon Charwi in Kehancha, Kenya
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share how they trusted God in the things didn't understand this last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: Has God ever changed your plans at the last moment? How did you respond?
4) Read: Romans 8:35-37 encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation
Have you ever felt a push from the Holy Spirit? What does that look like in your life?
How does death bring victory in the Christian life and serve the believer today?
What area of your past or even present do you need God's grace to turn it into a weapon of Joy and resurrection?
6) Apply: Take time this week to examine the painful and shameful things of the past and ask God to bathe them in His grace and make them weapons for His glory in your life today. Consider sharing them with your group or a trusted friend.
Cross References:
Romans 5:8
1 Corinthians 15:25-26
Hebrews 2:14-15
Romans 8:11
Philippians 4:4
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Acts 1:12-14 | Choosing the Resurrection Life
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Hillside Church and Pastor Doug Manson
Missionary of the Week
Hector & Caitlyn Hernandez in Guatemala
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from reflecting on your own resurrection story, and if you shared it last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: What is one thing you learned from your Mom that still sticks with you to this day?
4) Read: Acts 1:12-14 Encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Is there anything in Mary’s Story that you can relate to in your walk with God?
Mary treasured these things up in her heart - what can you treasure up in your heart about the work and words of Jesus?
Look at the example of Mary watching her Son go to the cross. How is God present in the hard parts of her life?
6) Apply: Take the things you don’t understand to the Lord and treasure up the ways He has met you in the past. Give Him praise in the good things and give him your heart in hard things.
Cross References:
Isaiah 66:13
Acts 1:12-14
John 2:1-5
Mark 6:3-4
Luke 8:19-21
John 19:25-2
Luke 24:36-43 | Sacred Scars
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Eastside Baptist Church and Pastor John Aranda
Missionary of the Week
Shalom Christian Center on Mfangano Island
2) Accountability: Share experiences from celebrating the resurrection this last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: How are you choosing to implement Easter and celebrate the resurrection for these forty days?
4) Read: Luke 24:36-43 encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation.
Talk about the fact that Jesus’ scars are still visible in His resurrected body. Why is that significant?
If scars are a part of our resurrected bodies, how does that point to the possibility that perfection is not necessary for a meaningful life of faith?
How did Jeannine’s testimony impact or encourage you?
What scars do you have that tell a story of God’s work in your life? (It doesn’t just have to be physical scars; sometimes we speak of emotional scars, etc.)
6) Apply: As a part of our 40-day mission to celebrate and implement Easter, reflect on your own story and be prepared and courageous to share it. This is a powerful way that we witness to the resurrection! (see Revelation 12:11)
Cross References:
Revelation 5:12
Revelation 13:8
Revelation 7:9-10
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Revelation 19:6-7 / Revelation 21:1-5 | Invincible Joy
1) Pray
Church of the Week
City Parish and the church Elders
Missionary of the Week
Solomon & Mabel Charwi in Kehancha, Kenya
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from praying for someone to encounter Christ. Are you still praying for them?
3) Opening Discussion Question: Think of an example of a time when you experienced joy despite difficult circumstances.
4) Read: The main scripture text from Sunday encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
Was there anything that you didn’t understand in Revelation 19:6-7 or Revelation 21:1-5
What stood out to you from the teaching?
Discuss the idea of “Inaugurated Eschatology” – How does it shape our understanding of joy in a painful world?
How can we celebrate Jesus's resurrection and the joy He brings without ignoring the pain in the world?
Do you agree that “Joyless Christians can be Dangerous”?
Why is it important to not wait for perfect conditions to feel joy in your life?
What are some practical steps you can take to incorporate more joy in your everyday life?
6) Apply: Pray about something simple you can do for the next 40 days to continue celebrating Easter and cultivating more joy in your life. What day of the week can you set aside to celebrate weekly? (Hint: Sunday is a great option)
Cross References:
Psalm 118:24
Ephesians 4:8-10
Mark 16:1-8 | All Things New
Mark 16:1-8 | All Things New
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Calvary Petaluma & Pastor Zach Vestnys
Missionary of the Week
Hector & Caitlyn Hernandez in Guatemala
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from their application step from last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: Did you invite anyone to come on Easter? What was their response? Take a few minutes to pray for them by name whether or not they came.
4) Read: Mark 16:1-8 Encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation:
The First Point in the Sermon was: Everyone is Invited Into New Life
Discuss what it would look like if we really believed that. How bold would we be in sharing the Gospel and believing that no one is outside God’s reach?
Do you still struggle to believe that you are invited into New Life?
What is new in your life since you started following Jesus?
The Second Point was: Every Day is An Invitation To Something New
“The resurrection is the ultimate reminder of the reality that we don’t know the whole story” – Where do you need to be encouraged by this in your life?
Discuss the significance of every 24 hours being a “new day” and bringing God’s “new mercies” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
How can you live as if that were more true than you’ve ever believed?
What do you tend to do in Joppa?
Run like Jonah?
Or receive the vision and walk in it like Peter?
The Third Point was: Everything is Being Made New
“What situation can the resurrection not touch with the power of new hope and the potential of new possibilities?” – Where do you need faith to believe this today?
If repentance is releasing the old, a change of mind that leads to a change of heart, and a new way of thinking – is there anything you need to repent of today?
6) Apply: Commit to pray for someone throughout this week who needs to encounter Jesus.
Cross References:
Lamentations 3:22-23
Revelation 21:1-5
2 Corinthians 5:15,1 7
Mark 11:1-11 | A Disappointing Palm Sunday
Mark 11:1-11 | A Disappointing Palm Sunday
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Adobe Christian Church & Pastor Sean O'Kelly
Missionary of the Week
Shalom Christian Center on Mfangano Island
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from taking a step of faith last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: Share a Sports Game or other contest that has given you the biggest disappointment?
4) Read: Mark 11:1-11 encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation.
How can we follow Jesus even when we don't know what He is going to do?
Are you comfortable mixing praise and requests together in your prayers?
Where do you need to practice more child-like faith in your life?
Who are you going to share with this week for accountability?
6) Apply: Share a specific step of faith your are planning to take this week in response to the message on Sunday.
Cross References:
John 12:20-36
Romans 8:28
Matthew 21:14-17
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Mark 15:40-47 | Level Ground and Straight Paths
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Trinity Presbyterian Church and Pastor Reid Hankins
Missionary of the Week
Solomon & Mabel Charwi in Kehancha, Kenya
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from looking to Christ's example of dying to self and living the cross life.
3) Opening Discussion Question: Have you or someone close to you changed drastically in their social status? What was the effect on their life?
4) Read: Mark 15:40-47 Encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation.
What would it look like for you to be a public follower of Jesus like the women from Mark 15?
Where in your life do you need more of the humility and courage demonstrated by Joseph of Arimathea in following Jesus?
How does the cross of Christ level the playing field for all those who come to God?
Who is God calling you to welcome into the family of God and what is the next step you need to take to invite them?
6) Apply: Share a specific step of faith your are planning to take this week in response to the message on Sunday.
Cross References:
Isaiah 40:1-5
John 3:1-16
Mark 1:1-3
Mark 15:33-39 | The Greatest Story Ever Told
1) Pray
Church of the Week
St. John's Anglican & Pastor David Miller
Missionary of the Week
Hector & Caitlyn Hernandez in Guatemala
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from noticing your weakness and inviting Jesus to be your strength.
3) Opening Discussion Question: When did the message of the cross first get through to you?
4) Read: Mark 15:33-39 encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
Was there anything that you didn’t understand in the text?
What stood out to you in the text?
How does the physical suffering of the cross impact you when you think about it?
In your own words, describe the spiritual suffering of Jesus on the cross.
What was the darkness?
What is the significance of the curtain being torn top to bottom and the connection of Centurion being first to profess Jesus as the Son of God?
6) Apply: Set aside time each day to thank God for the cross. Meditate on different aspects of it and give praise to God. Then pray that God would help you to follow the pattern of the crucified life. Look for ways and ask for strength, believing that as we die to ourselves, we have powerful opportunities to bring the life of Christ to others around us.
Cross References:
2 Corinthians 5:21
Galatians 3:1
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Mark 15:16-32 | All or Nothing
1) Pray
Church of the Week
St James’ & St Vincent’s
Missionary of the Week
Shalom Christian Center on Mfangano Island
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from practicing sacrificial service last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: Why do you think Mark's Gospel focuses so little on the physical pain of the cross?
4) Read: Mark 15:16-32 encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
Was there anything that you didn’t understand in the text?
What stood out to you in the text?
Where do you struggle with the strength of Jesus’ claim to absolute authority?
Where do you struggle with Jesus’ Way of Weakness?
Read 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 and share a time when you’ve experienced God’s power being perfected in your weakness
6) Apply: Throughout this week take note of the times when you feel weak.
Maybe it will be physical weakness.
Maybe a situation where you feel disrespected.
It could be a time when you feel inadequate for the task in front of you.
Pay special attention to the times you feel weak, then purpose to invite God’s power rather than relying on your own strength.
Cross References:
Psalm 2:1-6
2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Revelation 2:17
1 Peter 2:23-25
Mark 15:1-15 | Which Jesus Will We Choose?
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Salvation Army & Major Laura Wycott
Missionary of the Week
Harvest Christian School
2) Accountability: Share an experience of Christ's faithfulness this week.
Was it linked to a weakness within yourself?
3) Opening Discussion Question: What is one of the most meaningful ways someone has served you recently?
4) Read: Mark 15:1-15 open your Bibles, and have your group read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion Questions:
Was there anything that you didn’t understand in the text?
Was there a particular verse that stood out to you in the text?
In your own words, describe Substitutionary Atonement
How do the description of early Christians and their care (for children, women, widows, the poor, and the sick) challenge us today?
With Jesus giving us as an example of life to patterned after his. What is something He is calling you to do in order for your life to be an example like His? Can you think of a story from Jesus’ life that is an example for you of that present circumstance? *If not, maybe someone in your group can think of one.
Application: Practice sacrificial service for someone in need this week. Each day pray and let the Holy Spirit bring someone to mind who has a need and initiate a caring gesture. It could be as simple as a text that lets them know you’re thinking about them and praying for them. It could be an invitation to share a meal or coffee together. The goal is to practice serving in a way that is not just an activity we check off our to-do list, but it becomes our identity as people who are following the pattern of Jesus our King.
Referenced Scriptures:
Mark 12:13-17
Acts 5:29,38
Matthew 27:16-17 (NIV)
John 13:15
1 Peter 2:20-21
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Mark 14:29, 53, 66-72 | Failure and Faithfulness
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Petaluma Valley Baptist Church with Pastor Alan Cross
Missionary of the Week
Pastor Solomon & Mabel Charwi in Kehancha, Kenya
2) Accountability: Share your successes and failures from surrendering your judgements to God this last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: Recall a time you overestimated yourself and failed dramatically.
4) Read: Mark 14:29, 53, 66-72 encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation.
Was there anything you didn't understand in the text?
Take Turns sharing your story of how you came to Christ.
What made the difference for Peter to go from failure to faithful witness?
Read John 21:15-19 and share a failure in your life that you have seen God use as a testimony of His grace and power.
Share what God has done in your life recently.
Stop and pray for opportunities to share your weakness and Christ’s faithfulness in your life.
6) Apply: How can you receive the invitation of 1 John 1:9 of Christ's forgiveness and respond, not with promises, but with a testimony of Christ's faithfulness in your everyday weakness?
Cross References:
Rom 8:33-34
1 John 1:9
Luke 22:31
Romans 8:37-39
John 21::15-19
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Mark 14:53-65 | The Judge is Judged
Mark 14:53-65 | The Judge is Judged
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Petaluma Church of Christ with Pastor George Robertson
Missionary of the Week
Hector & Caitlyn Hernandez in Guatemala
2) Accountability from last week: What did God reveal in your heart while reading Psalm 139 last week?
Read Psalm 139:23-24. Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
3) Opening Discussion Question:
Pick One:
Have you ever been falsely accused? How did you respond?
Have you ever had any experience in a real trial?
4) Read: Mark 14:53-65 Encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur conversation.
Was there anything you didn't understand in Sunday's text?
How does Jesus claim to have authority to Judge as Christ? Read the following passages.
Daniel 7:13-14
Psalm 110:1-2
How do you struggle with judging yourself or others?
How do you put God on trial in your life?
Why is it significant that Jesus didn’t just suffer for us, but He suffers with us? Are there any verses that come to mind?
6) Apply:
What would it look like this week to surrender your Judgments to God, towards yourself and others?
Cross References:
Daniel 7:13-14
Psalm 110:1-2
Exodus 17
1 Corinthians 10:4
1 Corinthians 4:3-5
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Mark 4:1-20 | Well Tended Hearts
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Petaluma Christian Church & Pastor Ryan
Missionary of the Week
Shalom Christian Center on Mfangano Island, Kenya
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from valuing those in poverty, suffering, weeping, and rejection this week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: What’s one practical area of your life, right now, that is easy for you to neglect maintenance of? Why?
4) Read: Mark 4:1-20 Encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage aloud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation.
Which of the four soils (path, rocky, thorns, good) do you see in your heart right now? What are the contributing factors to that condition?
What are some signs that your heart might need some maintenance spiritually? How can you tell when your faith isn’t bearing fruit?
What can you do to let your roots grow deeper in faith? How can you keep your response to Jesus from only being an emotional one?
What are some of the “thorns” in your lives that can keep you from being fruitful? How can you start clearing those out?
6) Apply: Memorize Psalm 139:23-24.
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Personalize it as your own prayer to God.
Cross References:
Ezekiel 36:26-28 — God gives us a new heart and His Spirit.
Hebrews 3:13 — Encouragement in community keeps us from hardening our hearts.
Psalm 1:3 — The fruitful tree is planted by streams of water.
Psalm 139:23-24 — God, show me what’s in my heart.
Galatians 6:7-9 — We reap what we sow in time. Be patient and keep going.
Proverbs 4:23 — Guard your heart, for everything flows from it.
1 Corinthians 3:6 — God brings the growth.
Ephesians 3:20 — the Holy Spirit is bringing fruit.
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Mark 14:43-52 | Jesus Stands Alone
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Penngrove Community Church and Pastor Connor Anderson
Missionary of the Week
Pastor Solomon and Mabel Charwi in Kehancha, Kenya
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from preaching the gospel to yourself and others from last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: Share about a time that you were alone. Was it a good thing or bad thing?
4) Read: Mark 14:43-52 encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation.
What do you think about Jesus’ view of the sword and the kingdoms of this world?
Which of the values of the kingdom of God do you struggle with most?
Poverty, Suffering, Weeping, Rejection
Where are you most tempted to live for the kingdoms of this world?
Money, Power, Success, Recognition
Talk about the difference of Jesus being our example vs. being our substitute and what it means to you.
6) Apply: How do you need to value the people in poverty, suffering, weeping, and rejection this week?
Cross References:
Romans 13:1-4
Luke 6:20-22
1 Peter 1:6-7
John 8:36
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Mark 9:1-10 | See Christ in His Glory
1) Pray
Church of the Week
New Life Christian Church and Pastor Shan Woodlief
Missionary of the Week
Hector and Caitlyn Hernandez in Guatemala
2) Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from following Jesus' example in the garden from last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: What is the most glorious thing you have ever seen?
4) Read: Mark 9:1-10 Encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation.
Where do you need to believe in the transforming work of Christ in your own life?
How can you invite others to be transformed by Jesus this week?
Where are you tempted to make an idol out of past experiences with God?
What area of your life are you most in danger of inviting Jesus into your thing instead of following Him as Lord?
How can we avoid getting burnt out by Christian practice? How does beholding Jesus’ glory safeguard us against burnout?
6) Apply: Practice telling someone who knows Jesus about the Gospel and then tell someone who doesn't know Jesus why to follow Him.
Cross References:
Philippians 2:5–11
Mark 8:29
Mark 8:31
Romans 12:1–2
Hebrews 1:1–2a
Mark 16:15
Mark 14:32-42 | On The Other Side Of Unanswered Prayer
Mark 14:32-42 | On The Other Side Of Unanswered Prayer
1) Pray
Church of the Week
Hillside Church and Pastor Doug Manson
Missionary of the Week
Shalom Christian Center on Mfangano Island, Kenya
2) Accountability Invite your group to share their successes and failures of being able to love and serve someone who has let you down over the last week.
3) Opening Discussion Question: Have something that you’ve prayed about that God did not answer the way you wanted?
4) Read: Mark 14:32-42 Encourage your group to open their Bibles and follow along while one or two people read the passage out loud.
5) Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the message this week?
Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation.
How do you react to seeing Jesus struggle like this in the passage about Gethsemane?
Try to describe, in your own words, what Jesus was facing that caused Him to stagger like this?
Discuss how the wrath of God is connected to the love of God.
Go over the list of six things Jesus did in the Garden and share a story about one that was significant for you in a time of suffering. Encourage each other with testimonies of God’s faithful help.
Chose close friends to be with Him
He opened His soul to His friends
He asked them to pray
He poured out His heart in prayer
He rested His soul in the sovereign wisdom of God
He fixed His eyes on the glorious future – for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2)
Take some time to pray for each other.
6) Apply: Practice the things Jesus did in the garden this week. Share the most important step you will take this week to begin your practice.
Cross References:
Psalm 75:8
Jeremiah 25:15-16, 27-29
Hebrews 12:2
Quotes:
“I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us and we change things”
- Mother Teresa
“God brought him to the mouth of the furnace, to his raging flame, to see where he was going so he could voluntarily enter into it and bear it for us, knowing what it was, so when he took the cup on the cross, knowing fully what it was, so was his love to us infinitely the more wonderful and his obedience to God infinitely the more perfect.”
- Jonathan Edwards
Find the latest discussion guide online at www.calvarypetaluma.org/discussionguide
Mark 14:10-30 | Amen Amen
Pray
Church of the Week
Eastside Baptist Church and Pastor John Aranda
Missionary of the Week
Pastor Solomon and Mabel Charwi in Kehancha, Kenya
Accountability: Invite your group to share their successes and failures from the invitation to worship from last week’s message.
Opening Discussion Question: Share a story about a commitment you made that cost you significantly.
Read: Mark 14:10–31
Discussion: What stuck out to you from the message this week? Use the discussion questions to spur on conversation.
Apply: Take time to share how each of you will apply these passages of scripture to your lives.
Scripture Text
Mark 14:10–31 (ESV)
10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.
12 And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13 And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16 And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
17 And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20 He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.
Discussion Questions:
Is there a time that you struggled to believe Jesus’ commitment to you?
If God instituted the feast of Passover and said that it would be forever (Exodus 12:14), what does that say about Jesus if He claims authority to change it?
Do you have a testimony of falling away where Jesus was faithful? Share your story to grow closer as a group and to encourage each other in God’s faithfulness.
Who is someone who has let you down that Jesus is calling you to love and forgive? Pray for each other and for the people God is calling you to love!
Apply the Scripture to your Life:
Who am I being called to love and serve who has utterly let me down? Share with your group how you plan to love and serve that person over the next week.
Cross References:
Acts 23
Matthew 26:39
Mark 9:23-25