DEEPER Questions

Go through these questions in your LifeGroup or on your own to Dig Deeper into
Sunday's message

1. The story of Jesus calling his first disciples starts out with a pretty big question: Am I following? This question goes deeper than just church attendance or memorizing Bible verses. Why do you think Jesus starts out with this big question, and how would you answer it for yourself? 

2. We're going through the book of Mark, but using the other gospels to fill in the gaps of Mark's storyline. What did you think Luke's account of this same event—Jesus calling the first disciples—added to your understanding of what was actually going on? 

3. Following Jesus means doing things his way. Peter experienced this firsthand as Jesus asked for his fishing boat and told him to unravel his nets and go fishing again. Have there been times in your own life, or in the lives of people close to you, when following Jesus didn't look like doing things their way and instead looked like doing things his way? What did you learn from these times? 

4. Rodney talked about how Peter was living with training wheels on before he became a disciple: fish, clean up, sell, sleep, repeat. Once he started following Jesus a whole new world opened up to him, and like a kid without training wheels, he experienced things he never had before. Have you ever experienced this kind of transformation in your own life? What did it look like to go from living with training wheels on to living life with Jesus's perspective? If you haven't experienced this, what do you think it would look like? 

5. When we look at the basics of this story, it seems like the disciples had to give a lot up to follow Jesus. But Jesus never even mentions the word "sacrifice," it's not the focal point. Instead the relationship he invites the disciples into is the focal point. Have you ever gone through circumstances that may have looked like sacrifice to some, but to you it was simply for the sake of love/relationship? Think back to Rodney's story about meeting his wife. 

6. Relationship is so different from religion. Where religion adds just one more hoop to jump through, relationship doesn't care about the consequences—it will give up everything to make it work. What has been your experience with religion versus a relationship with Jesus? What emotions, actions, or memories do you associate with both of these words? 

DIG INTO Scripture

Read and meditate on Sunday's Scripture to find deeper meaning and connection to God

Mark 1:16-20

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”[a] 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Luke 5:1-10

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

5 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”[a]

LEAVE THE BUILDING 

Take what you learned on Sunday and apply it to your life 

• Following Jesus means doing things his way. Are there things you're doing right now that are more your way than Jesus's way? What can you do this week to change that? 
• Oftentimes we're in a funk not because things are going so bad for us, but because we're not really doing what Jesus called us to do: live on mission and go make disciples. If you're currently in a funk, think about why you're there. If it's not circumstances, what can you change this week to more intentionally be on mission for Jesus? 
• Is Jesus simply a religious figure that you're trying to add to your life, or is he in charge of your life? Examine your heart and actions this week using this question. How can you make Jesus more than just a religious figure, but a Savior who fully directs your life and heart? 

PICK UP A BOOK

Looking for another way to Dig Deeper into the Mark sermon series?
Read more about being a disciple of Jesus in Jeff Vanderstelt's awesome book, Saturate!

PURCHASE SATURATE

Back