 Mark 1 - 8 Questions and Answers |
| Q. What subject is emphasized a lot in the Book of Mark? |
A. (From Mark notes, NLT Praise and Worship Bible) Jesus' royalty, strength and energy. |
| Q. How do demons sometimes manifest? | A. Mark 1:23–25 = A demon may possess an unbeliever. |
| Q. Do unsaved people attend worship services? | A. Mark 1:23 = Yes. |
| Q. Did the demons know Jesus' identity? | A. Mark 1:23–24 = Yes, but they didn't know Jesus' mission. One demon asked Jesus why He came. |
| Q. What did the demon think Jesus' reason for coming was? | A. Mark 1:24 = To destroy demons. |
| Q. Who is Jesus? | A. Mark 1:24 = The Holy One sent from God. |
| Q. Do evil spirits scream? | A. Mark 1:26 = Yes. |
| Q. What should we remember about evil spirits? | A. Mark 1:23–27 = Evil spirits may taunt us, mock us, show us nothing but contempt, but they absolutely have to obey us when we tell them to leave in Jesus' name. |
| Q. Why didn't the demons reveal to the world who Jesus was? | A. Mark 1:34 = Because Jesus refused to allow them to. |
| Q. What did Jesus do when he woke up long before daybreak? |
A. Mark 1:35 = He prayed. Note: Does God wake you in the wee hours? Pray! Pray for everything and anything, or whatever specific thing comes to mind. |
| Q. Why did Jesus come? | A. Mark 1:38 = To preach to all His people, the Israelites. |
| Q. Where did Jesus preach? | A. Mark 1:39 = In synagogues at first, then all over Galilee. |
| Q. If you want something bad enough and you seek God's healing touch, even to extremes, will God answer you? | A. Mark 2:1–5 = Ys. To seek God intensely shows great faith. God loves that! |
| Q. What was a major sin of the religious leaders in Jesus' time? | A. Mark 2:27 = Manipulating people to benefit the Temple. Yet the Temple's purpose was to benefit people. The Temple, after all, was where God was. |
| Q. How does Jesus view a single day? | A. Mark 3:4 = As a day to save a life and do good deeds. |
| Q. What didJesus nickname James and John, the sons of Zebedee? | A. Mark 3:17 = Sons of Thunder. |
| Q. What is a basic rule of family? |
A. Mark 3:25 = A home divided against itself is doomed. Note: Are all members of your household on the same team? At the very least, husbands and wives need to back one another up so that when adversity hits, they know they have an ally under their roof. It is easier said than done, as Satan sometimes brings adversity at times of exhaustion and the weaker spouse ends up picking on the stronger one. Betrayal! Don't be divided! |
| Q. What happens in a divided house? | A. Mark 3:26 = It cannot stand adversity. If there is no agreement in morality or how to handle intruders or attackers of all sorts, the crack in the foundation lets adversity seep into it and like quicksand, it falls. If, however, there is unity, the members of the family are one and will kick out the problem together, avoiding the damage. All families are tested. Will your house stand? |
| Q. What did Jesus' family think of Him when He was about His ministry? | A. Mark 3:21 = They thought He was nuts. |
| Q. Jesus was healing and saving lives and his own family concluded He was nuts? | A. Mark 3:21 = Yes, and wanted to take Him home in the middle of the Kingdom work! |
| Q. How did the religious leaders blaspheme the Holy Spirit? |
A. Mark 3:29–30 = They said Jesus had an evil spirit, calling His deeds evil as a result. Note: Sometimes well–meaning, concerned, conservative preachers say that miraculous healing is actually from Hell. They ar dead wrong, as Satan cannot heal; he can only destroy. Jesus calls this assumption blasphemy against the Holy Spirit! Are you 2/3 of a believer, Father and Son only? The Holy Spirit wants to know you, help you to mature, and release you of your fears. God is 3/3. The Holy Spirit is a separate Person than Father and Son. Ask Him to reveal Himself and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. |
| Q. How does Jesus see us? | A. Mark 3:33–35 = As mothers, brothers and sisters, if we do God's will. |
| Q. What happens to the Word of God when it gets out there? |
A. Mark 4:3–8; 14–20 = There are four kinds of responses to God's Word: 1) A person hears it, but Satan steals it right away 2) A person recveives it with joy, but the Word isn't important to him; he decides it is not worth being persecuted for 3) A person receives it and hears it and accepts it, but he suffers from hurry sickness and wastes his time in worldly pursuits, making no time for ministry 4) A person hears it, accepts it and produces a huge harvest. Note: The first 3 kinds of people produce nothing at all. They are those who take the message lightly, like it was a weather forecast. The second counts the cost and flees. The third makes excuses and doesn't enter into his Kingdom role. The 4th does the opposite of the last 3: 1) He sees the Word as from the mouth of God (like Abraham) 2) He devotes his life to ministry. |
| Q. Why should I devote myself to God's Word? | A. Mark 4:24 = The more I listen to it, the more I will understand it. |
| Q. Will it stop at that? |
A. Mark 4:24 = No! The more I understand it, the more will be revealed. Note: Every time I read a verse, God reveals something new in that verse. God's Word is eternal and its understanding continues forever. Even if I look at one verse only my whole life, God will continue to reveal its understanding differently each time and a new light shines on it each time. God's Word is eternal. This is what being eternal means. Eternal understanding gets deeper with every gaze, to no end. And God doesn't contradict Himself. All light shone on God's Word on my behalf enhances itself and brings to me more of the big picture, God's plan and work on earth. |
| Q. What is God's Word? |
A. John 1:1 = Jesus is the Word. Note: Go back tothe former verse and put Jesus in place lf all references to God's Word. Better yet, let's write it out here: Mark 4:24–25 = "And be sure to pay attention to Jesus. The more you do this, the more you will understand [Him] — and even more besides. To those who are open to Me, more understanding [of Me] will be given. But to those who are not listening [to Me], even what they have [understanding of Jesus] will be taken away from them." |
| Q. What is the Kingdom of God like? |
A. Mark 4:26–29 = God is the farmer who plants seeds in a field. A crop comes out of it without further help. God reaps the harvest. Note 1: The Law of cause and effect. In context, Jesus has been speaking of the Word, of Himself, which He is now planting on earth. Stay in context with the chapter! The Word [Jesus] is the seed. Replace the seed with Jesus. Now look: Mark 4:26–29 = A farmer [Jesus] plants His church in a field and went on with His other activities. As days went by, the church grew and sprouted without Jesus' help because the earth produces the church on its own. As soon as the church is ready, Jesus comes and harvests it with a sickle." Note 2: The church has changed and matured over the years. We are all gathering, united more and more as Jesus' miracles draw us together to Himself. |
| Q. What is the Kingdom of God like? | A. Mark 4:31–32 = Growing from the tiniest seed to one of the largest plants with many long branches to be a shelter for many. |
| Q. What did Jesus do for a living? | A. Mark 6:3 = Jesus was a carpenter by trade. |
| Q. Do we know who Jesus' siblings were? |
A. Mark 6:3 = Yes. Jesus had four brothers: James Joseph Judas Simon. Jesus also had sisters. |
| Q. Why couldn't Jesus do a lot of miracles in his home town? | A. Mark 6:3 = No one believed in Him there as Messiah. They saw Jesus as a carpenter and were deeply offended and refused to believe Him. |
| Q. Where is a prophet honored? | A. Mark 6:4 = Everywhere except home and around relatives. |
| Q. What hinders miracle performing? |
A. Mark 6:5 = Unbelief. Note: Miracles require participation. Belief is powerful participation! |
| Q. How did Jesus commission His disciples? |
A. Mark 6:7 = 1) He sent themout two by two 2) With authority to cast out evil spirits 3) they wouldn't carry luggage; only a walking stick (to remind them to keep going forward?) 4) They wouldn't carry provisions 5) They would wear the clothes on their backs 6) To be a guest only in home home per village 7) to leave any village that rejects their message to turn from their sins 8) to cast out demons and heal the sick, anointing them with olive oil. |
| Q. What happened to John the Baptist? | A. Mark 6:17–29 = Herod's illegal–betrothed wife, Herodias, had him imprisoned for rebuking Herod for their marriage. Herodias later tricked Herod into beheading John. |
| Q. How do some people handle God's Word when it is spoken to them? |
A. Mark 6:20 = 1) They can accept that the preacher is good and holy 2) even protecting the preacher 3) They may be disturbed at the truth of God's Word 4) and continue to listen with enthusiasm, yet still not change. |
| Q. What results when a person doesn't accept God's Word? |
A. Mark 6:26–28 = 1) God's Word remains second–best to his own word 2) He withdraws his support of the truth under fire 3) He betrays God's Word 4) He becomes God's Word's enemy unto death. |
| Q. What happened to John the Baptist's body? | A. Mark 6:29 = The disciples buried it in a tomb. |
| Q. When the apostles returned from their ministry tours, did they report to someone? | A. Mark 6:30 = Yes. They reported all the events and also what they taught. |
| Q. Is this tiring work? |
A. Mark 6:31 = Yes. Jesus took the disciples away from the crowds for a rest after a tour. He rested too! Note: Make time for rest from everything you do. |
| Q. Did people allow the disciples to rest? |
A. Mark 6:31–34 = No. Note: I don't think I would have wanted to let Jesus rest either, but I will allow my pastor to rest. Like Jesus, pastor should be training ministers to share the work load, and enjoy down time with or without them. |
| Q. Did Jesus rebuke the people for bothering them in their resting time? | A. Mark 6:34 = No. The people were so lost that exhausted as Jesus was, He had compassion on them. |
| Q. How lost were the people in Jesus' day? |
A. Mark 6:34 = Like a sheep without a shepherd. Note: They knew they were missing something in thier lives. |
| Q. What is the remedy for being lost? |
A. Mark 6:34 = The Word of God. Note: Don't ever forget that even Jesus' remedy for lost and confused people is God's Word. He knows the solution for being lost is the same for everybody! Sick, blind, lame, mentality ill, it is all the same. All answers to complex problems is the Word of God, which transforms people. |
| Q. How can this be true? |
A. Isaiah says that the Word of God is a river, flowing from the throne of God. God's love, His healing, His life, His power, flows through His Word via the Bible. When we read this special book, 1) the very Word of God, this river with all its attributes, flows through us, keeping us, sustaining us, quenching our thirst, and continues flowing through us onto others. Ministry is born of this river flowing through us to others. Where sin is present, river flows over it, washing the sin away. This is the river of the love of God, which literally covers a multitude of sins! When we understand this awesome truth, those we minister to will not see us as the ministers to them, but they'll feel like they have been ministered to by God Himself, and will be blessed by it. On the downside, a minister who does not have a daily dose of God's Word in him, well, his river is a dry and cracked riverbed. He picks up a Bible and bashes the sheep with it! The sheep are stunned and run away. This minister is a stumbling block and our world is filled with hurting people, scourged and whipped by dried out ministers. The good news is that all these ministers need to do to be effective again is get back in the Word. God will bring conviction if they are willing to do what is right. Today is brand new. Begin again! If you have been mistreated by some dried out minister, know that there are far more obedient men and women out there ministering God's way. Seek and you will find. Never let weak humans influence the direction of your path to God. God tests everyone's loyalty. This is just one more test for you! |
| Q. What do people need when they are lost? | A. Mark 6:34 = The Word of God; Jesus to teach His Word to them. |
| Q. When are are ministering to people and I can see that they need basic things like food, what should I do? |
A. Mark 6:41 = Ask God to bless what I have so that I will be able to share it with them. Note: God provides — in His way. We should always ask Him to provide on behalf of those in need. Better yet, a poor brother who witnesses a believer praying for him and then gets his prayers answered will learn to ask God to be His provider too, and you will have set him on his feet. We are all, adopted or not, sons of a rich Father. Won't you let your brothers and sisters of the human family know of our shared inheritance? Sometimes fortunate, prolific Christians think that prosperity is a heavenly promotion to a higher level above their poorer brethren. No so. Remember the prodigal's story? The other son worked faithfully without reward his whole life. God has no favorites, does not vary in His infinite love for us, and rewards according to His choice — apart from our behavior. The law of cause and effect is relative to what God wants to do with us. Only He knows the whys of any situation. Allow God to take care of His own — He is able to make the most of His sheep! |
| Q. If I need God to help me in some area, what should I do? |
A. Mark 6:37–44 = 1) Go right to God, knowing that He has given you the task 2) Tell Him specifically what you need and the problems you are facing 3) Write down your own resources to deal with the problem 4) Present the problem to God 5) God will put a strategy together for you 6) God will bless what you have and make it Himself sufficient to solve the problem 7) You'll notice that your own resources were not even affected. Note: In whatever crisis you face, God will provide the perfect answer. What may seem an imperfect solution to our limited perspective is always the perfect answer, so trust God. He can't give anything less than one hundred percent. Receive His answers with open arms. You were included in the situation in order to learn to give it to God. The best things produced out of an impossible situation are fruits of the Spirit in us. |
| Q. Why don't some Christians believe in miracles? |
A. Matthew 6:52 = Their hearts are hard, even when witnessing a miracle take place. Note: Theyusually decide the miracle wasn't necessary because there was never a problem in the first place. What other excuses have you heard for unbelief? 1) The doctos misdiagnosed (though x–rays document the prblem) 2) The body suddenly decided to heal itself 3) Don't pray for a miracle. God wants him to die! All transformation of believers happens because we believe that all of God's Word is true. In whatever area we hold back in unbelief, we ramain infants; immature. May God bless you with a melted heart and make you able to receive all He has for you! |
| Q. Is it possible to be very religious with a hard heart? |
A. Mark 6:7 = Yes. To honor God in word but not in action is just plain bad religion. Note: People know instinctly that God is Creator and worthy of worship. God made us that way! It's how they go about acknowledging Him that's the problem. There is only one way to honor God; with a whole heart. The only way to have a whole heart is for God to make it that way upon our request, and to ask Him to make it new every day thereafter, and until we are done with this earth! |
| Q. What is the problem with adding to the Scriptures? | A. Mark 6:7 = It's like mixing water with oil. They don't mix. If we try to honor both water and oil, we'll end up replacing God's Word. |
| Q. Why? | A. Our sin nature favors man's ways over God's. |
| Q. So I need to commit to God's Word and none else? | A. Yes. |
| Q. What happens when I add to God's Word? | A. Mark 6:8 = I begin to subtlely ignore specific words of God. |
| Q. And I don't mature? | A. No. I substitute my own thoughts for God's Word. |
| Q. What is the logic behind this action? | A. Mark 6:9 = Since I cannot obey God's Word at the same time as my own, I choose my own words. |
|
Q. Example? |
A. See below: |
| Right Action | Wrong Action |
|
1. Support parents in their old age. 2. Hold parents in high regard 3. Keep God's Word 4. Reject tradition 5. Obey God |
1. Tithe your money and be poor for your folks 2. Disregard needy parents 3. Break God's Word 4. Protect Tradition 5. Disobey God |
| Q. Does food defile me? | A. Mark 6:15 = No. It can't touch my heart. |
| Q. Do my wrong actions defile me? | A. Mark 6:15 = Yes. Wrong actions touch my heart. |
| Q. What are wrong actions? | A. Mark 6:23 = Those things we do and say that make us unacceptable to God. |
| Q. Like what? | A. Mark 6:21–23 = Jesus listed all forms of the Ten Commandments of Moses in these verses in Mark. See below: |
| Sin in Question | Commandment Broken |
|
1. Evil thoughts 2. Sexual immorality 3. Theft 4. Murder 5. Adultery 6. Greed 7. Wickedness 8. Deceit 9. Eagerness for lustful pleasures 10. Envy 11. Slander 12. Pride 13. Foolishness |
10 7 8 6 7 8 and 4 1, 2, 3 and 9 9 2, 7, 10 10 9 5 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8 |
| Q. So Jesus' teaching is a reminder to obey the Ten Commandments? | A. Mark 6:21–23 = Yes. Sometimes He mentions the sin and sometimes he mentions the commandment broken. See below: |
|
Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:3–17) 1. Worship only God 2. No idols 3. God's name kept holy 4. Keep the Sabbath 5. Honor parents 6. Don't murder 7. No adultery 8. No stealing 9. No false witness 10. No coveting |
repeated in Mark 6:21–23 1. mentioned twice 2. mentioned three times 3. mentioned once 4. mentioned once 5. mentioned once 6. mentioned twice 7. mentioned four times 8. mentioned three times 9. mentioned three times 10. mentioned three times |
| Note: When breaking one commandment, it entails breaking all of them, really. For instance, committing adultery also breaks others in this way: |
| Adultery |
| Evil | Good |
| 1. Worship of self | 1. Worship of God |
| 2. Idolatry of opposite or same sex | 2. Rejection of all idols |
| 3. Disregard of God's name | 3. Keeps God's name pure |
| 4. Don't feel up to churchgoing | 4. Enthusiastic about churchgoing |
| 5. Disobeys parents' teaching to stay pure | 5. Honore parents teaching to stay pure |
| 6. Death of conscience | 6. Conscience is alive and well |
| 7. Indulges in sexual sin | 7. Keeps away from sexual sin |
| 8. Steals another's purity | 8. Keeps another's purity |
| 9. Makes excuses against oneself for it | 9. Has integrity; nothing to hide. |
| 10. Covets the pleasure of it | 10. Is content with purity |
| Q. How does this way of seeing it work for the rest of the Ten Commandments? | A. See below: |
| 1st and 2nd Commandments: No Idol Worship |
| Evil | Good |
| 1. Chooses another false god | 1. Worships God only |
| 2. Creates what fals god will look like | 2. Has only God's Word about Himself |
| 3. Brings shame to the only God | 3. Keeps God's name holy |
| 4. Brings filth to the Sabbath | 4. Keeps Sabbath holy |
| 5. Distances parents | 5. Honors parents |
| 6. Makes the true God die to the world | A. Keeps God's name alive in the world |
| 7. Idol worship is adultery against God | 7. Keeps himself for God |
| 8. Idol worship steals your life away from God | 8. God has my individual worship time |
| 9. Is a false witness for a false god | 9. Is a true witness for God |
| 10. Covets a god who can be seen | 10. Is content with God as invisible |
| 3rd Commandment: Keep God's Name Holy |
| Evil | Good |
| 1. Swearing at God is the opposite of worship | 1. Worships God only |
| 2. Makes idols, which brings God shame | 2. Has only God's Word about God |
| 3. Swears using God's name | 3. Would never swear using God's name |
| 4. Defiles the Sabbath | 4. Keeps Sabbath holy in not swearing |
| 5. Dishonors parents | 5. Honors parents |
| 6. Dishonors God before unbelievers | 6. Keeps God's name pure |
| 7. Gives God the dishonor of an adulterer | 7. No compromise; pure for God |
| 8. Steals honor of God's name | 8. Maintains honor to God's name |
| 9. Makes people thinks God is something He is not | 9. Is a true witness of God |
| 10. Covets sin | 10. Is content with God. |
| 4th Commandment: Keeping the Sabbath Holy |
| Evil | Good |
| 1. Dishonors God not showing up | 1. Worships God only |
| 2. Substitutes an idol for church | 2. Relies on God's Word for God's character |
| 3. Swearing is easy when you don't attend church | 3. Honors God's name |
| 4. Breaks Sabbath | 4. Keeps Sabbath |
| 5. Dishonors parents | 5. Honors parents |
| 6. Murders the conscience | 6. Keeps a good conscience |
| 7. Replaces God in his life with a hobby | 7. Keeps God alive to newcomers who come to church |
| 8. Steals God's Sundays | 8. Gives God His required time |
| 9. Slanders people who attend church | 9. Is a good witness |
| 10. Wants God's Sabbath for himself | 10. Is content with this Commandment |
| 5th Commandment: Honor Parents |
| Evil | Good |
| 1. Replaces God with self | 1. Honors God by honoring parents |
| 2. Finds a lame substitute for parents | 2. Would never look to replace his parents |
| 3. Swears at parents and God | 3. Talks respectfully with God and parents |
| 4. Church attendance seems only an option | 4. Knows church attendance is important |
| 5. Dishonors parents | 5. Honors parents |
| 6. Parents feel like they are being killed by your disobedence to them | 6. Protects life of parents |
| 7. Honors a substitute; adultery with substitutes | 7. Wholeness with parents |
| 8. Steals parents' honor | 8. Maintains parents' honor |
| 9. Speaks lies about parents to exonerate himself | 9. Speaks truth about parents; speaks well of them |
| 10. Covets other people's parents | 10. Is content with his own parents |
| 6th Commandment: Do Not Murder |
| Evil | Good |
| 1. Dishonors God | 1. Honors God |
| 2. Murder happens because of idolatry | 2. Knows God's Word is right about idolatry |
| 3. Brings shame to God's name | 3. Brings honor to God's name |
| 4. Breaks the Sabbath | 4. Keeps the Sabbath |
| 5. Brings dishonor to parents | 5. Honors parents |
| 6. Ruins your life and brings death | 6. Preserves life |
| 7. Substitutes God for murder | 7. Keeps pure |
| 8. Steals life | 8. Protects life |
| 9. Accuses, which leads to murder | 9. Protects reputations |
| 10. Covets the lust to kill | 10. Gives his life to save another |
| 7th Commandment: Do not Commit Adultery |
| Evil | Good |
| 1. Sexual sin replaces God | 1. Loves God too much to dishonor Him for sinful sexual pleasure |
| 2. Adultery is idol worship | 2. Knows acting on it replaces God |
| 3. Is a terrible stumbing block to God's name | 3. Purity keeps God's name holy |
| 4. Makes people not want to attend church | 4. Makes you want to confess and worship God |
| 5. Dishonors parents | 5. Honors parents |
| 6. Kills purity | 6. Preserves purity |
| 7. Commits adultery | 7. When tempted, doesn't act on it |
| 8. Steals purity | 8. Keeps purity |
| 9. Pretends love: a false witness | 9. Has nothing to hide |
| 10. Covets what is not his | 10. Is content with what he has |
| 8th Commandment: Do not steal |
| Evil | Good |
| 1. Steals the place of God's honor | 1. Knows God provides everything he needs |
| 2. Someone else's possession becomes an idol | 2. Doesn't obsess about what he doesn't have |
| 3. Brings shame to God's name | 3. Knows God will provide and the actually of it in his life becomes part of his testimony |
| 4. Makes you not want to attend church | 4. Encourages others to trust God to provide |
| 5. Dishonors parents | 5. Honors parents by not stealing |
| 6. Can lead to murder | 6. Knows stealing kills testimony |
| 7. Adultery is stealing from another | 7. Tells opposite sex to stay pure |
| 8. Steals | 8. Is content |
| 9. Lies about it | 9. Is transparent |
| 10. Coveting leads to stealing | 10. Is content |
| 9th Commandment: Do not bear false witness |
| Evil | Good |
| 1. Thinks God is far away and won't act | 1. Is real about who God is |
| 2. Lies grow into idolatry | 2. Avoids lying |
| 3. Shames God's name | 3. Keeps testimony for God pure |
| 4. Makes you unpopular at church and you begin to think that no one wants you around so you stop attending | 4. Transparent before God and man – no guilt |
| 5. Lies about parents | 5. Honors parents |
| 6. Can lead to murder | 6. Has no catalyst stewing inside him to want to lie about anything |
| 7. Lies about adultery | 7. Stays pure |
| 8. Steals the truth and hides it | 8. Is content |
| 9. Lies about people | 9. Tells the truth in love |
| 10. Covets ill–gotten gain | 10. Would never take a bribe |
| 10th Commandment: Do not covet |
| Evil | Good |
| 1. Replaces God with people or things | 1. Knows God provides perfectly for today |
| 2. Obsesses to a fault | 2. Is content with God's grace |
| 3. Brings dishonor to God's name | 3. Preserves God's name |
| 4. Makes you see church–goers as Haves and Havenots | 4. Is happy for others' prosperity |
| 5. Dishonors parents | 5. Is content with parents God has given him |
| 6. Leads to murder | 6. Preserves life, teaching others to be content by example |
| 7. Leads to idolatry with opposite sex | 7. Is content with relationships |
| 8. Leads to stealing | 8. Has no need to steal; knows how to manage money |
| 9. Leads to lying | 9. Helps people out of the habit of lying |
| 10. Covets | 10. Is content |
| Q. Okay, I get it now. But is there a shortcut to good behavior? | A. Yes. If you love God and man, you wouldn't think to break a single command. |
| Q. Did Jesus heal Gentiles? | A. Mark 7:26–29 = Yes. |
| Q. What reputation did Jesus have? | A. Mark 7:37 = Everything Jesus did was wonderful. No one could keep silent about His deeds. |
| Q. When I don't have enough, what should I do? | A. Mark 8:6–7 = Bless what I do have and ask God to multiply it. |
| Q. Why don't more people take up their callings as healers? | A. Mark 8:11–12 = People may ask them to perform a miracle at their request to prove they are really healers. God doesn't move that way. |
| Q. So what should they do? | A. Mark 8:12 = Refuse to perform, as Jesus did. The motivation of the heart is the problem. |
| Q. What lessons did the disciples fail to learn? | A. Mark 8:17–21 = They didn't grasp that they could ask God to provide as He provided for Jesus. |
| Q. Do miracles work the first time? |
A. Mark 8:22–25 = Sometimes they take a few times of anointing whatever is wrong. Sometimes they come, but slowly. Note: Do you recognize the answers to prayers in your life? One friend prayed for her eyes to heal. Years passed. She was disappointed. But she did get her healing. She had to learn first to trust God about her entire life. Tracking her prayer, this is the sequence of events: 1) Prayer for healed eyes 2) Retina detached (1) and couldn't even do corrective surgery 3) Prayers continued 4) Retina reattached, corrective surgery possible with a 20:70 chance of success. She declines surgery 5) Prayers continued 6) New tissue formed and strengthened retina to eye 7) Surgery now 98:2 chance of success 8) Surgery fixed vision to 25/20 9) Miracle: A) New tissue formed B) No reduction in sight since surgery two years ago Note: The second eye has a cataract. Because she waited to long, the eye may be ruined. We all live under cause and effect law. The point is to ask for a miracle when it is needed. Don't procrastinate! And I hope my friend will ask God to heal her second eye. Like the disciples, she saw a miracle once and quickly forgot how to ask again. We are all like this, God help us! |
| Q. When Jesus returns, will He come alone? | A. Mark 8:38 = No. The holy angels will accompany Him. |