THE SERVANT PREPARES HIS FOLLOWERS

Mark 9:33-35 • Lesson Seven

Due to the time restraint some huddles have for bible study, here is an abridged study that you can print out along with a more complete bible study that you can download at the end of this lesson.

Read and discuss:

Mark 9:33-35

And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Discuss this statement on servanthood by Pastor John MacArthur.

“The cost of true greatness is humble, selfless, sacrificial service. The Christian who desires to be great and first in the kingdom is the one who is willing to serve in the hard place, the uncomfortable place, the lonely place, the demanding place, the place where he is not appreciated and may even be persecuted. Knowing that time is short and eternity long, he is willing to spend and be spent. He is willing to work for excellence without becoming proud, to withstand criticism without becoming bitter, to be misjudged without becoming defensive, and to withstand suffering without succumbing to self-pity.” — John MacArthur

Why do you think Christ’s teaching of the “first shall be last; last shall be first” is so hard to swallow for most athletes and coaches?

You can download the entire lesson here which includes chapter 9 and 10 of the Book of Mark.

Tiger Woods’ Buddhist Confession

As part of his public confession last Friday, Tiger Woods discussed his religious background. He said, "I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught."

This week's lesson shows the difference between Buddhism and Christianity. You can download the lesson here.

Sacrifice before Reward

China’s Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo became the first Chinese figure skaters to win gold in the 2010 Olympics. In their fourth Olympics, Shen and Zhao, two-time bronze medalists, finally won their first gold. Skating together for the past 18 years and married three years ago after winning the 2007 world title, Shen, 31, and Zhao, 36, were the oldest skaters. Few Olympic athletes have made such great sacrifices. How does this example relate to the topic of sacrificial discipleship?

The New testament makes it clear that there must be a cross before the crown, suffering before glory, sacrifice before reward.
The heart of Christian discipleship is giving before gaining, losing before winning. For today's Sports In Focus lesson click here.

Man of God

Tim Tebow is a messenger. His name is "Timothy" because 23 years ago Bob Tebow was out preaching in some hot and dusty part of the Philippines, and he asked God to give him a preacher son. (Timothy is the name of a biblical preacher.) "Timmy has it built into him that he is on a mission from God to affect people's lives," Bob has said. And to do that, Bob Tebow's son needs an audience.

Check out this ESPN report on Tim titled "Tim Tebow Man of God here. Man of God is a term used in 2 Timothy 3:17. It is a technical term, a man of God is someone uniquely called to proclaim the Word of God. In this case, it is Timothy. In the broader sense, it is any man of God who is equipped for this by all Scripture, and that, of course, 2 Timothy 3, as I read, "All Scripture is provided so that the man of God can be adequate to his work." How can you speak for God unless you know the message of God? You cannot know the message of God apart from the Scripture. All Scripture then is given to us as men of God that we may be perfected or made adequate to the proclamation of the Word of God which is what it means to be a man of God.

For more on Tim Tebow and being a missionary download this week's Sports In Focus lesson here.

Tim Tebow Goes for the Conversion

“Grind on me, test me,” Tim Tebow recently told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King. “I feel I’ve prepared my whole life for this.” He was talking about the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., where Tebow’s been huffing his way through brutal workouts before an audience of NFL scouts. The University of Florida quarterback could have just as easily been talking about his upcoming Super Bowl commercial. At a press conference last week, Tebow said that he’s “always been very convicted” about the wrongness of abortion “because that’s the reason I’m here.” Jason Fagone reported this week on Tebow's ultimate goal. "What is the end? It's not just stopping abortions. Tebow wants to convert people, like his father does in Muslim areas of the Philippines. Until now, he's been subtle in his outreach, pushing his message gently, painting "PHIL 4:13" and "JOHN 3:16" and "MARK 8:36" in his eye black—an ingenious touch that prods even the most degenerate couch potato into Googling Bible verses out of curiosity."

Do you think Tebow understands there is no fear in Christ? Why or why not? For more on this topic, check out this week's Sports In Focus study here. Also, for more discussion on Tim Tebow's Super Bowl ad, click here and here for articles written about his Super Bowl ad.