The Long Road to the Cross
“16 As he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen. 17 “Follow me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” 18 Immediately, they left their nets and followed him. 19 Going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat putting their nets in order. 20 Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.” Mark 1:16-20
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Come Follow Me
“Truly I tell you… no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age… and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Mark 10:29–30
“Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross daily and follow me.'”
Luke 9:23
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The Clash of Two Kingdoms
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The bow of war will be removed, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
Zechariah 9:9-10 CSB
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The Public Conflict & Choice
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 “How narrow is the gate and how difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. Matthew 7:13-14 CSB
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What road are you going to travel?
Community Life Group Questions:
- In Mark 1, the disciples left their nets “immediately.” What is the hardest “net” (source of security, habit, or identity) for you to drop when you feel Jesus calling you to something new?
- The presentation describes Jesus’ Kingdom as belonging to the “unruly” and the “outcasts.” If our Life Group is a microcosm of the Kingdom, who are the “outcasts” in our modern context that we might be overlooking?
- The crowd shouted “Hosanna” (Save us now!), but they wanted a military conqueror, not a suffering servant. Have you ever felt disappointed with God because He didn’t “save” you in the way you expected? How did you handle that tension?
- The same crowd that cheered on Sunday demanded blood on Friday. What causes our “spiritual enthusiasm” to evaporate when we face the “cold steel” of real-world trials or social pressure?
- The presentation mentions that we live in a culture of “The Chariot”—digital influence, status, and crushing those who disagree. Where do you feel the “exhaustion” of the broad road most acutely right now? How can you change that?