The One Thing:
Don't wait to fully believe before you start fully praying.
The Scripture
Mark 9:14-29
Know
- If you have access to the internet, search “Glass bridge China” and watch a couple of minutes of one of the videos. Note the reactions of people. If you were on one of these bridges, how confidently do you think you would walk across?
Grow
- Is our generation more or less of a faithless generation than the one Jesus confronted (9:19)? In general, what causes people to change over generations?
- How would you describe prayer to one of your unchurched friends?
- Why do so many people struggle with prayer?
- How would you respond to someone who said that the child’s behaviour represented epilepsy or some other natural disease rather than demonic forces?
- Have you ever prayed even though you didn’t feel like it –because you knew it was the right thing to do? What is the different between this and simply heartlessly ‘going through the motions’ of prayer?
- According to our passage in Mark 9, what level of faith is needed to enable Jesus to work in our lives?
- The disciples failed in verse 18. What did they do after their failure? How can failure be made profitable?
- In what situation or area of life do you need to know the freedom of praying to Jesus “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief”? Take time to pray in your group for this issue. If you group is larger, split into smaller groups.
Show
- Take some time to brainstorm as a group about a “Show” project you can do this Christmas – something that will allow you to show the love of Jesus to others.
- Also decide if you want to have a fun Christmas get-together / party as a group.
