Prayer Point for the Week – Let us pray that our Fall outreaches would bear much fruit.
Questions for Reflection:
One of the reasons the teachers of the Law rejected the ministry of Jesus was due to their traditions and interpretations of the Law. How did Jesus deal with their unbelief? What hinders people in your life from receiving the Gospel?
Many of the world’s spiritual issues often spill over into the church. One such issue is skepticism. What are the signs that we are struggling with an ungodly skeptical spirit? What can be done if we fall into that type of thinking?
Another group of people who came to see Jesus in Mark 2 were apathetic to their fellow man. Read Luke 10:25-37. What did the men who ignored the victim have in common? What does that tell us about the believer’s susceptibility to apathy? What keeps the believer sensitive to the needs of others?
Scripture tells us that God is “near to the broken-hearted.” Did Jesus demonstrate this and if so, how? Other than his physical state, the only thing that we know about the man is that he, like the rest of mankind, was a sinner. Did this man’s sin diminish the love that Jesus had for this man? What does that tell us about God’s heart towards us when we fail? How should we treat both believers and unbelievers who are struggling with sin?
Jesus took note of the faith of the lame man’s friends. What did their faith move them to do? Is compassion and faith related? If so, how? How does faith deal with obstacles? How does it deal with negative public opinion?
