Develop a Discipleship System
Evangelistic Preaching Helps for January 29, 2006 ' The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year
Evangelism Preaching Helps is a monthly online resource designed as an aid to assist in the preparation of sermons with an evangelistic focus. Highly effective evangelistic churches include at least one evangelistic sermon per month.
Evangelistic Preaching Helps addresses three audiences: Christian, pre-Christian, and de-churched. Periodically, feature articles and sermon series aids will also appear in Evangelistic Preaching Helps. Thank you for your continued use of this resource.
- Lectionary Readings for January 29, 20065
- Scripture Notes for Mark 1:21-28
- Key Preaching/Teaching Points
- Sermon Starters
- Online Resources
- Helpful Print Resources
Lectionary Readings for January 29, 2006 — The Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany, Year B
- Deuteronomy 18:15-20
- Psalm 111 (UMH 832)
- 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
- Mark 1:21-28
Online texts are available at the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.For a brief summary of each text and help with selecting complementary liturgy, see
Overview:
Jesus and the disciples went to Capernaum.
On the Sabbath, Jesus went to the synagogue and taught with authority.
A man with an unclean spirit cried out to Jesus, asking if Jesus had come to destroy the spirits.
Jesus rebuked him and ordered the unclean spirit to come out.
The unclean spirit came out of the man, and the people were astonished by Jesus' display of power.
Jesus' fame spread throughout Galilee.
Key Terms:
Authority — Carries a dual meaning: the right and/or the power to do something. Jesus' teaching in Mark 1:21-28 stands in contrast to the teaching of the scribes. Jesus' teaching was self-authenticating as demonstrated by his casting out the unclean spirit (verses 25-26).
Unclean spirit — In Mark, unclean spirit, evil spirit, and demon are used synonymously. Each term has a different connotation, however. An unclean or evil spirit refers to ritual impurity. A demon refers to satanic power. Each of the three terms acknowledges the existence of an invisible spiritual being, neither human nor divine, alienated from and hostile to God.
Rebuke — A warning or prohibition. It is also an expression of the authority of Jesus.
New Teaching — The word new refers to something unprecedented or unexpected, a surprise. Teaching refers to the action Jesus took, not the words he spoke while teaching. Note: The passage does not mention what Jesus said while he was teaching, instead, it focuses on what Jesus did.
Son of God — Originally referred to the relationship between God and King David. The people alive during Jesus' earthly ministry did not recognize Jesus as the Son of God. Years later, when Mark's Gospel was written, Son of God was an established designation for Jesus Christ.
Key Preaching/Teaching Points:
Jesus was young, but powerful in ministry.
Mark chose to underscore the distinction between Jesus' teaching and the teaching of the scribes. Those who witnessed Jesus teaching in the synagogue were astonished by Jesus' power and authority. He spoke as an esteemed rabbi. Beyond words, Jesus backed his teaching with demonstrations of divine power. The religious culture in biblical times believed that wisdom and respected leadership resided within people much older than Jesus. Has religious culture changed much with regard to respecting young spiritual leaders? What opportunities does your local church create for the development of young leaders? What voice do youth and young people have in the ministries of your local church?
Driving out demons.
Driving out demons was not referred to frequently in the Old Testament. Marks Gospel includes separate occasions in which Jesus cast out demons (1:23-26; 5:1-20; 7:24-30; 9:14-29; and 9:38-41). The act of casting out demons highlights two things: First, it showed Jesus' ability to replace Satanic influence with healing and wholeness in people. Second, Jesus' victory over demons was a sign that God's reign was being established, and Satan's is crumbling. In what ways is Jesus' power over satanic influence evident in your life, church, and congregation? How does your local congregation participate in the expansion of God's reign on earth?
People Were Not Considered as "enemies."
Jesus used his superior power and authority to defeat Satan and evil spirits, but he never dealt with Satan's human victims harshly. Instead, Jesus showed compassion toward those whom Satan had abused. Paul later taught Christians that "the enemy" was not human when he said: "For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12, NRSV). What are the spiritual implications of labeling people as enemies? How do you fight against spiritual forces of evil today?
Key Questions:
- Jesus, in contrast to the scribes, taught with authority. Does our teaching communicate or avoid Jesus' authority?
- How can we be channels for the living, authoritative word of Jesus Christ today?
- Jesus' power and authority amazed the first-century disciples. What astonishes us about Jesus today?
- Jesus, at 30 years of age, was not considered old enough by the first-century church to dispense sage wisdom. How receptive is your local church to young adult and youth leaders?
- The first-century disciples were beginning to discover what the man with the unclean spirit already knew — that Jesus was the Son of God. What did or will it take to convince you that Jesus is the Son of God with extraordinary power and authority?
Have Times Changed?
A man troubled by an unclean spirit confronted Jesus in the synagogue. Jesus rebuked the spirit within the man, and the unclean spirit departed. Have times changed? People continue to be overcome by things that are beyond their control. Addictions, obsessions, and oppression can lead people into misery. It is not unusual to find people "under the influence" of something that is greater than their personal willpower and determination. During the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, people in distress looked to Jesus for help. When we are "under the influence" of something beyond our control, will we cry out like the man with the unclean spirit did? Or have times changed so much that calling on Jesus for help is passé? Whatever the cause of our misery — spiritual, physical or chemical — the power and authority of Jesus Christ can lead us to wholeness.
Isn't That So and So's Child?
The gospel of Matthew records people referring to Jesus as "the carpenter's son" or Mary's son (Matthew 13:55). How many of us are struggling to achieve an identity beyond the shadow cast by family relationships? Jesus' young age did not prevent him from carrying out his divine destiny. At 30 years of age, he was viewed as a young, untested person. But when he taught in the synagogue, people were astonished by his power and authority. Recent studies confirm that teenagers consider spirituality to be a major consideration in life. Church participation of teens is the highest that it has been in the past quarter of a century. (See "Teens Change Their Tune Regarding Self and Church".) The call to follow and serve Jesus is not reserved for middle-age adults. Christ continues to call young people to follow. Maybe God is asking "so and so's child" to follow him today.
Provide Opportunities for Response
- Provide a clear invitation to receive Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior.
- Invite people who believe that they need the power of Jesus Christ to overcome some ungodly influence in their lives to a special prayer. You may wish to have a small team of prayer counselors on hand to provide personal ministry at the altar.
- Invite the church to pray for college students who may be attempting to discern their divine destiny. Consider an outreach ministry to college students in your area, or create a caring ministry for members from your congregation who are now attending college. (Write, send personalized prayers, provide care packages around mid-term or final exams, and so on.)
Online Resources
We provide these links as a service to visitors and urge that you use discernment in checking the quality and adequacy of the content of each site. Please note that the Evangelism Ministries staff of the Discipleship Ministries do not necessarily endorse any of the links listed on the web pages.
Resources for Mark 1:21-28
- Global Youth Convocation
December 28, 2006—January 1, 2007
Johannesburg, South Africa - Mississippi youth take Christmas spirit to evacuees
- RelevantNetwork.com
Being part of the RELEVANT NETWORK means you'll get a bi-monthly resource kit filled with books, worship tools, magazines, music, a newsletter and other materials to keep you plugged in and effectively ministering to the one segment churches typically have the hardest time reaching: college students and twentysomethings. - Postsecret.com
A website that posts anonymous "confessional" submitted postcards - Access218.com
ACCESS218 is a ministry for college students and young adults. - Yasn.org
The United Methodist Young Adult Seminarians Network - Theooze.com
Website focusing on issues facing the church in our postmodern culture. - "Teens Change Their Tune Regarding Self and Church"
- Walter Wink's "Powers" series:
General Evangelism/Discipleship Resources
- Covenant Discipleship
www.umcdiscipleship.org/smallgroup/cd - Sermon-based small groups
www.northcoastchurch.com/resources.htm - The Foundation for Evangelism
www.evangelize.org - World Methodist Evangelism
www.worldmethodist.org - Free download in pdf: The Faith-Sharing Initiative Participant's Manual
For more information about training in Faith-Sharing, contact Royal Speidel, the Distinguished Evangelist in Residence at the Discipleship Ministries, [email protected].
Helpful Print Resources- Accountable Discipleshipby Steven W. Manskar
- Irresistible Evangelismby Steve Sjogren, et. al.
- Becoming a Contagious Christianby Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg
General Evangelism Resources
- Ancient Future Evangelismby Robert Webber
Webber explains Pentecost as the traditional time to declare one's Christian vocation. - Evangelism Emphasis Issue of The Upper Room Daily Devotional. The special May-June 2005 issue of The Upper Room focuses on the "Ten Days of Faith" and "That the world may know Jesus Christ!" — themes of the World Methodist Evangelism Emphasis. All sixty devotionals emphasize evangelistic outreach, and a majority are written by World Methodist Evangelism leaders from around the world.
- Witnessby Ronald K. Crandall
- The Faith Sharing Congregationby Roger Swanson and Shirley Clement
- Faith-Sharing: Dynamic Christian Witnessing by Invitationby H. Eddie Fox and George Morris
- The Faith-Sharing initiative Participants' Manual (Spanish Version) —El compromiso de compartir nuestra fe: Manual del Participante(pdf)
- The Faith Sharing New Testament
- That the World May Know Jesus Christ!by Brazilian Methodist Bishop Paulo Lockmann
- Personal F.R.A.N. Plan(sold in packs of 100)
- Igniting Ministry Resources
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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