-------
Questions in this GPS marked with Ø are particularly recommended for group discussion. Group leaders may add other discussion questions, or substitute other questions for the marked ones, at their discretion.
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“Even if everyone else stumbles, I won’t”
Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Mark 14:27 Yeshua said to them, “You will all lose faith in me, for the Tanakh says,
‘I will strike the shepherd dead,
and the sheep will be scattered.’[Mark 14:27 Zechariah 13:7]
28 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into the Galil.” 29 Kefa said to him, “Even if everyone else loses faith in you, I won’t.” 30 Yeshua replied, “Yes! I tell you that this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will disown me three times!” 31 But Kefa kept insisting, “Even if I must die with you, I will never disown you!” And they all said the same thing.
-------
Luke reported that the argument among the disciples about which of them should be the greatest invaded even their Passover Supper with Jesus (cf. Luke 22:24-27). That may have been one trigger for Jesus to tell them they would all falter in their faithfulness. Peter offered no ringing endorsement of his fellow disciples—if anything, he “threw them under the bus” as far more likely to fail than he was.
• John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, encouraged his followers to ask themselves a set of searching questions. One was, “Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?” How did Peter’s words (“Even if everyone else stumbles, I won’t”) illustrate the workings of that “I’m better than others” dynamic? When are you most tempted to compare yourself favorably with others?
• With a time of emotional crisis just ahead, would you expect Jesus to give his disciples a “pep talk,” boosting their spirits and telling them how much confidence he had in their ability to handle what lay ahead? Do you believe they would have handled things any better if he had given them a pep talk rather than this somber warning? Spiritually, which is more important for you—to believe you’ve got the strength to handle anything, or to be aware that you need to rely on God’s power, which is greater than yours?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you know me better than I know myself. Guide me today and every day, nudging and challenging me to become more fully the person you call me to be. Amen.
-------
Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at Vibe, West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
When I went away to college, I was very serious about my faith. My on-campus Christian group had two small group Bible studies; I attended both. In the second week’s meeting, I announced to the group that we all needed to find accountability partners tomorrow. Nobody was more serious about their faith than I was, and I made sure everyone knew how serious I was about my faith.
But something funny happened. It’s a little harder to build close friendships than I thought, so months went by and I had no accountability partner. I started struggling with depression and soon had trouble finishing all of my schoolwork, let alone attending two Bible studies on top of that. I never lost my faith or got into too much trouble. But all of those good intentions and bragging earlier in the year didn’t actually make me progress any faster than anyone else. College came with its own set of problems for me, and I had foolishly assumed I could just power through them without even knowing what they were.
There’s a brain chemical called dopamine, and it’s what gives us that sense of accomplishment after we do something great. When you expertly wrap up that big project and get a warm positive feeling--that’s dopamine. It’s God’s way of giving our brains a little reward when we do something good. But there are other things that can release dopamine. You know that feeling when you’re listening to a really good song and you get the chills? That’s a little shot of dopamine too. And it feels good, so we naturally seek out experiences that trigger dopamine releases.
Why am I mentioning this? Because, just like accomplishing something releases dopamine, telling people you’re going to accomplish something also releases dopamine. Have you ever bragged about your new exercise routine to all your friends and felt good about yourself, and then fizzled out and lost the motivation to stick with it? It’s because your brain got its fill of dopamine from all the bragging you did to your friends, so it wasn’t as motivated to actually accomplish something and get the dopamine that way. There are studies that have concluded that telling a bunch of people about your plans actually makes you less likely to follow through on them, and dopamine is the reason why.
We as human beings are hardwired to enjoy talking about our intentions almost as much as actually carrying through with them. This can lead to what I did in college: let everyone know how spiritual I am and then fizzle out because I didn’t seriously consider the challenges I would face. (Admittedly, the depression also played a big part in that, but the boasting didn’t help.) It can also lead to what Peter did in Mark 14: brag that you’ll never let God down, and then do exactly that when things get hard. If you actually want to carry through with something, it’s a better strategy to humbly consider the challenges than to proudly announce your intentions. Don’t let dopamine tell you that your intentions are just as good as your accomplishments.
-------
“I have prayed for you, Peter”
Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Luke 22:31-34
-------
Where Mark recorded a generalized warning to all the disciples, Luke’s research (cf. Luke 1:1-3) led him to write that Jesus addressed a personal warning to Peter. In a touching moment, he told Peter that he had prayed for him. But the Lord responded to Peter’s “I’m ready to go with you” boast with the same somber pessimism that Mark recorded as part of Jesus' talk with the disciples.
Ø Another of the self-examination questions John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, encouraged people to regularly ask (and answer) was, “Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am?” Do you believe Peter was, in some measure, trying to convince Jesus (and maybe himself) that he was better than he really was? When do you find the same tug at work in your own life?
• Jesus told Peter, “I have prayed for you that your faith won’t fail.” Now (spoiler alert), most of us already know that at the end of this story, Peter’s faith did buckle, moving him to deny even knowing Jesus. Did that mean that God did not answer Jesus’ prayer? What is the point of praying for someone else when we realize that God will not take away their moral freedom, and force them to do the (good) thing we’d like to see them do?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you value me enough that, through the Bible and sometimes through your Spirit’s presence in me, you warn me about dangers on my spiritual journey. Teach me how to be attentive to what you want to teach me. Amen.
-------
-------
“He found them sleeping”
Thursday, 14 September 2017
Mark 14:32-38
-------
Jesus had a profound and powerful sense of mission guiding his steps toward the cross. But that did not make the prospect of a humiliating, violent execution any easier to face. Mark wrote that “he began to feel despair and was anxious.” He took his three closest disciples with him, including Peter, and asked them to “stay alert and pray.” But, any prior boasting notwithstanding, they couldn’t do it.
• One element of this story is simple irony. Peter, the disciple who confidently said, “Even if everyone else stumbles, I won’t,” couldn’t even stay awake for Jesus! Jesus’ response about the eager spirit and weak flesh recalled the psalm that said God shows compassion “because God knows how we’re made, God remembers we’re just dust” (Psalm 103:149). When have you meant well, but just not been up to living out what God wanted you to do?
Ø The story also shows us an important truth. If any human ever had a direct connection to God, it was Jesus. Yet he asked his three closest friends to be with him, stay alert and pray. Do you try to hide your hurts and your needs from your friends, to handle them on your own? Or are you, like Jesus, open to asking people you trust for the friendship and support you need?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I’m so tempted to say, “Well, I’d have stayed awake with you.” Then I realize I sound like Peter. Keep me humble, putting my confidence in you more than in my own spiritual strength. Amen.
-------
-------
"Peter drew his sword"
Friday, 15 September 2017
Luke 22:49-51, John 18:3-12
-------
Led by Judas, what seems an absurdly large force arrived to arrest Jesus. Peter, who said, “I’ll give up my life for you” (John 13:37), bravely drew his sword to defend Jesus. Had he kept fighting, he’d likely have died. (Living for Jesus proved the harder task.) Luke, probably showing his physician’s heart (cf. Colossians 4:14), recorded that even amid all that turmoil, Jesus paused to heal the ear that Peter’s slightly misaimed blow had cut off.
Ø Later Jesus told the Roman procurator Pilate, ““My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight…. My kingdom isn’t from here.” Peter tried to fight, and Jesus stopped him. We still live in a world where violence often feels like the only viable response to evil. Is it? To what extent do you believe Jesus was right, and to what extent was his situation different from “real life”?
• Think about the man Malchus. “A personal servant of the high priest could wield much authority, including over the temple police.” * The text didn’t follow him further. Do you imagine that, with his ear restored by Jesus’ healing touch, he stayed busy the next day arranging Jesus’ execution? Might that experience have so altered his outlook that, if not immediately, perhaps by the day of Pentecost he was part of the group who responded to Peter’s preaching by joining the Jesus movement (cf. Acts 2:36-41)?
Prayer: King Jesus, when I see things that seem wrong, I so readily use words like “destroy,” “smash” or even “nuke.” But even as you faced the cross, you tried to stop the cycle of violence, not feed it. Teach me more about your ways, your kingdom. Amen.
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 241308-241309). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
-------
-------
“Peter went out and cried uncontrollably”
Saturday, 16 September 2017
John 18:15-18, 25-27, Luke 22:59-62
-------
Let’s review: of all the disciples, only Peter walked on water (Matthew 14:28-29). He was the first to say flat out that Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 8:27-29). On this fateful evening, Luke wrote, “Lord,” Peter said, “I’m ready to go with you, both to prison and to death!” (Luke 22:33) Yet, when the crunch came, he wasn’t, in fact, “ready.” He discovered that Jesus knew him better than he knew himself. He was no coward—but he was a human being facing kinds of pressure he’d never faced, and didn’t anticipate.
• Pastor Adam Hamilton wrote, “The incident [Peter’s denial] is one of the few that is mentioned in all Four Gospels…. It was not included to embarrass Peter…. The gospel writers knew the story because Peter must have regularly told the awful truth of that episode himself.” * Has pressure ever led you to be ashamed of and to hide your allegiance to Jesus? What do you think Peter saw in Jesus’ eyes when Jesus looked straight at him that broke his heart (and may have preserved his eternal life)? When have you grown through a failure that God’s grace enabled you to embrace and learn from?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, like Peter, I need to keep learning things about myself, finding room to grow even in areas I thought I had mastered. Thank you for your ongoing grace, for nudging me to grow even in places where I may think I’m done growing. Amen.
* Adam Hamilton, 24 Hours that Changed the World. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009, p. 58. Family Activity: Jesus often shows us the power of forgiveness. Blow up one balloon for each family member. Place them in the center of the room. Invite each family member to choose one balloon and a marker. Ask each person to draw a picture or write words representing something they have done wrong. Read I John 1:9 aloud. Explain that this means that no matter what we do, we can tell God we are sorry and God forgives us. Pray together, asking God to forgive what is written on your balloons. After you pray, have each person pop his or her balloon, representing God forgiving and forgetting your sin. Continue until each person has popped their balloon. Thank God for forgiving our sins.
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-------
Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Christy Bradley and family on the death of her mother Carolyn McDonald, 9/6
• Julie Allison and family on the death of her mother Barbara Jean Allison, 9/5
•Clay Patterson and family on the death of his step-mother Jeanne Lillig-Patterson, 9/4
•Karl Neybert and Anne Marie Wells and families on the death of their father Gregory Neybert, 9/2
•Cathy AuBuchon and family on the death of her husband Jim AuBuchon, 9/1
•Nancy Kilpatrick and family on the death of her father Jim Merritt, 8/30
• Marcy Henderson and family on the death of her mother Margery “Midge” White, 8/30
•Bonnie Gleason and family on the death of her brother Bobby Ray Thomason, 8/11
“Even if everyone else stumbles, I won’t”
Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Mark 14:27 Yeshua said to them, “You will all lose faith in me, for the Tanakh says,
‘I will strike the shepherd dead,
and the sheep will be scattered.’[Mark 14:27 Zechariah 13:7]
28 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into the Galil.” 29 Kefa said to him, “Even if everyone else loses faith in you, I won’t.” 30 Yeshua replied, “Yes! I tell you that this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will disown me three times!” 31 But Kefa kept insisting, “Even if I must die with you, I will never disown you!” And they all said the same thing.
-------
Luke reported that the argument among the disciples about which of them should be the greatest invaded even their Passover Supper with Jesus (cf. Luke 22:24-27). That may have been one trigger for Jesus to tell them they would all falter in their faithfulness. Peter offered no ringing endorsement of his fellow disciples—if anything, he “threw them under the bus” as far more likely to fail than he was.
• John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, encouraged his followers to ask themselves a set of searching questions. One was, “Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?” How did Peter’s words (“Even if everyone else stumbles, I won’t”) illustrate the workings of that “I’m better than others” dynamic? When are you most tempted to compare yourself favorably with others?
• With a time of emotional crisis just ahead, would you expect Jesus to give his disciples a “pep talk,” boosting their spirits and telling them how much confidence he had in their ability to handle what lay ahead? Do you believe they would have handled things any better if he had given them a pep talk rather than this somber warning? Spiritually, which is more important for you—to believe you’ve got the strength to handle anything, or to be aware that you need to rely on God’s power, which is greater than yours?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you know me better than I know myself. Guide me today and every day, nudging and challenging me to become more fully the person you call me to be. Amen.
-------
Brandon GregoryBrandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at Vibe, West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
When I went away to college, I was very serious about my faith. My on-campus Christian group had two small group Bible studies; I attended both. In the second week’s meeting, I announced to the group that we all needed to find accountability partners tomorrow. Nobody was more serious about their faith than I was, and I made sure everyone knew how serious I was about my faith.
But something funny happened. It’s a little harder to build close friendships than I thought, so months went by and I had no accountability partner. I started struggling with depression and soon had trouble finishing all of my schoolwork, let alone attending two Bible studies on top of that. I never lost my faith or got into too much trouble. But all of those good intentions and bragging earlier in the year didn’t actually make me progress any faster than anyone else. College came with its own set of problems for me, and I had foolishly assumed I could just power through them without even knowing what they were.
There’s a brain chemical called dopamine, and it’s what gives us that sense of accomplishment after we do something great. When you expertly wrap up that big project and get a warm positive feeling--that’s dopamine. It’s God’s way of giving our brains a little reward when we do something good. But there are other things that can release dopamine. You know that feeling when you’re listening to a really good song and you get the chills? That’s a little shot of dopamine too. And it feels good, so we naturally seek out experiences that trigger dopamine releases.
Why am I mentioning this? Because, just like accomplishing something releases dopamine, telling people you’re going to accomplish something also releases dopamine. Have you ever bragged about your new exercise routine to all your friends and felt good about yourself, and then fizzled out and lost the motivation to stick with it? It’s because your brain got its fill of dopamine from all the bragging you did to your friends, so it wasn’t as motivated to actually accomplish something and get the dopamine that way. There are studies that have concluded that telling a bunch of people about your plans actually makes you less likely to follow through on them, and dopamine is the reason why.
We as human beings are hardwired to enjoy talking about our intentions almost as much as actually carrying through with them. This can lead to what I did in college: let everyone know how spiritual I am and then fizzle out because I didn’t seriously consider the challenges I would face. (Admittedly, the depression also played a big part in that, but the boasting didn’t help.) It can also lead to what Peter did in Mark 14: brag that you’ll never let God down, and then do exactly that when things get hard. If you actually want to carry through with something, it’s a better strategy to humbly consider the challenges than to proudly announce your intentions. Don’t let dopamine tell you that your intentions are just as good as your accomplishments.
-------
“I have prayed for you, Peter”
Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Luke 22:31-34
-------
Where Mark recorded a generalized warning to all the disciples, Luke’s research (cf. Luke 1:1-3) led him to write that Jesus addressed a personal warning to Peter. In a touching moment, he told Peter that he had prayed for him. But the Lord responded to Peter’s “I’m ready to go with you” boast with the same somber pessimism that Mark recorded as part of Jesus' talk with the disciples.
Ø Another of the self-examination questions John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, encouraged people to regularly ask (and answer) was, “Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am?” Do you believe Peter was, in some measure, trying to convince Jesus (and maybe himself) that he was better than he really was? When do you find the same tug at work in your own life?
• Jesus told Peter, “I have prayed for you that your faith won’t fail.” Now (spoiler alert), most of us already know that at the end of this story, Peter’s faith did buckle, moving him to deny even knowing Jesus. Did that mean that God did not answer Jesus’ prayer? What is the point of praying for someone else when we realize that God will not take away their moral freedom, and force them to do the (good) thing we’d like to see them do?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you value me enough that, through the Bible and sometimes through your Spirit’s presence in me, you warn me about dangers on my spiritual journey. Teach me how to be attentive to what you want to teach me. Amen.
-------
-------
“He found them sleeping”
Thursday, 14 September 2017
Mark 14:32-38
-------
Jesus had a profound and powerful sense of mission guiding his steps toward the cross. But that did not make the prospect of a humiliating, violent execution any easier to face. Mark wrote that “he began to feel despair and was anxious.” He took his three closest disciples with him, including Peter, and asked them to “stay alert and pray.” But, any prior boasting notwithstanding, they couldn’t do it.
• One element of this story is simple irony. Peter, the disciple who confidently said, “Even if everyone else stumbles, I won’t,” couldn’t even stay awake for Jesus! Jesus’ response about the eager spirit and weak flesh recalled the psalm that said God shows compassion “because God knows how we’re made, God remembers we’re just dust” (Psalm 103:149). When have you meant well, but just not been up to living out what God wanted you to do?
Ø The story also shows us an important truth. If any human ever had a direct connection to God, it was Jesus. Yet he asked his three closest friends to be with him, stay alert and pray. Do you try to hide your hurts and your needs from your friends, to handle them on your own? Or are you, like Jesus, open to asking people you trust for the friendship and support you need?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I’m so tempted to say, “Well, I’d have stayed awake with you.” Then I realize I sound like Peter. Keep me humble, putting my confidence in you more than in my own spiritual strength. Amen.
-------
-------
"Peter drew his sword"
Friday, 15 September 2017
Luke 22:49-51, John 18:3-12
-------
Led by Judas, what seems an absurdly large force arrived to arrest Jesus. Peter, who said, “I’ll give up my life for you” (John 13:37), bravely drew his sword to defend Jesus. Had he kept fighting, he’d likely have died. (Living for Jesus proved the harder task.) Luke, probably showing his physician’s heart (cf. Colossians 4:14), recorded that even amid all that turmoil, Jesus paused to heal the ear that Peter’s slightly misaimed blow had cut off.
Ø Later Jesus told the Roman procurator Pilate, ““My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight…. My kingdom isn’t from here.” Peter tried to fight, and Jesus stopped him. We still live in a world where violence often feels like the only viable response to evil. Is it? To what extent do you believe Jesus was right, and to what extent was his situation different from “real life”?
• Think about the man Malchus. “A personal servant of the high priest could wield much authority, including over the temple police.” * The text didn’t follow him further. Do you imagine that, with his ear restored by Jesus’ healing touch, he stayed busy the next day arranging Jesus’ execution? Might that experience have so altered his outlook that, if not immediately, perhaps by the day of Pentecost he was part of the group who responded to Peter’s preaching by joining the Jesus movement (cf. Acts 2:36-41)?
Prayer: King Jesus, when I see things that seem wrong, I so readily use words like “destroy,” “smash” or even “nuke.” But even as you faced the cross, you tried to stop the cycle of violence, not feed it. Teach me more about your ways, your kingdom. Amen.
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 241308-241309). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
-------
-------
“Peter went out and cried uncontrollably”
Saturday, 16 September 2017
John 18:15-18, 25-27, Luke 22:59-62
-------
Let’s review: of all the disciples, only Peter walked on water (Matthew 14:28-29). He was the first to say flat out that Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 8:27-29). On this fateful evening, Luke wrote, “Lord,” Peter said, “I’m ready to go with you, both to prison and to death!” (Luke 22:33) Yet, when the crunch came, he wasn’t, in fact, “ready.” He discovered that Jesus knew him better than he knew himself. He was no coward—but he was a human being facing kinds of pressure he’d never faced, and didn’t anticipate.
• Pastor Adam Hamilton wrote, “The incident [Peter’s denial] is one of the few that is mentioned in all Four Gospels…. It was not included to embarrass Peter…. The gospel writers knew the story because Peter must have regularly told the awful truth of that episode himself.” * Has pressure ever led you to be ashamed of and to hide your allegiance to Jesus? What do you think Peter saw in Jesus’ eyes when Jesus looked straight at him that broke his heart (and may have preserved his eternal life)? When have you grown through a failure that God’s grace enabled you to embrace and learn from?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, like Peter, I need to keep learning things about myself, finding room to grow even in areas I thought I had mastered. Thank you for your ongoing grace, for nudging me to grow even in places where I may think I’m done growing. Amen.
* Adam Hamilton, 24 Hours that Changed the World. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009, p. 58. Family Activity: Jesus often shows us the power of forgiveness. Blow up one balloon for each family member. Place them in the center of the room. Invite each family member to choose one balloon and a marker. Ask each person to draw a picture or write words representing something they have done wrong. Read I John 1:9 aloud. Explain that this means that no matter what we do, we can tell God we are sorry and God forgives us. Pray together, asking God to forgive what is written on your balloons. After you pray, have each person pop his or her balloon, representing God forgiving and forgetting your sin. Continue until each person has popped their balloon. Thank God for forgiving our sins.
-------
-------
Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Christy Bradley and family on the death of her mother Carolyn McDonald, 9/6
• Julie Allison and family on the death of her mother Barbara Jean Allison, 9/5
•Clay Patterson and family on the death of his step-mother Jeanne Lillig-Patterson, 9/4
•Karl Neybert and Anne Marie Wells and families on the death of their father Gregory Neybert, 9/2
•Cathy AuBuchon and family on the death of her husband Jim AuBuchon, 9/1
•Nancy Kilpatrick and family on the death of her father Jim Merritt, 8/30
• Marcy Henderson and family on the death of her mother Margery “Midge” White, 8/30
•Bonnie Gleason and family on the death of her brother Bobby Ray Thomason, 8/11
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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