Praying thro Mark 1-3 (May 19)

Be God Seeking People of Faith

Mark begins his gospel without
genealogy, birth narrative or any
prologue. He begins with ministry
of John the Baptist, the forerunner
who would prepare the way for
Jesus’ ministry of Servanthood.
Mark’s emphasis throughout
is on Christ’s works rather than
His words, as befitting a Servant.
Numerous miracles of healing
and exorcism precede the calls
of five disciples – Andrew, Peter,
James, John and Matthew – and
His choosing of the other seven.

Lord Jesus, You did not come
as a conquering king but as a
Servant. May Your example cause
us be willing to serve God & others.
Lord, we note worthy examples
in Mark 1-3 to be God Seeking &
grant us grace to learn from them.
Help us to Seek the Father’s Will;
Help us to Be People of Faith and
Help us to Prioritise Time with You.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, help us Seek Father’s Will:
After sunset the whole town
gathered at the door and Jesus
healed many of various diseases.
He also drive out many demons.
Very early in the morning, while
it was still dark, Jesus went
off to a solitary place to pray.
Simon and his companions went
to look for him and when they
found him they said: Everyone
is looking for you! Jesus replied:
Let us go to the next towns that
I may preach there also(M1:32-38)
Lord, we note You know exactly
what to do after a very successful
ministry time. Help us to follow
your example to seek the Father’s
Will and do it rather than rely
purely on common sense. Amen.

Lord, help us Be People of Faith:
When He had come home, many
gathered that there was No Room
left, not even outside the door.
Some men bringing a paralytic
could not get him to Jesus due to
the crowd, they made an opening
in the roof above Jesus & lowered
the mat the paralysed man was
lying. When Jesus saw their Faith,
He said to the paralytic: Son your
sins are Forgiven… Take up your
mat and go home. Immediately he
arose & went out… so that all were
amazed & glorified God (Mk 2:1-12)
Lord, we are really inspired by
the act of the four faithful friends.
They were determined to get their
friend to You the Healer despite
the difficulty they were facing.
Help us Lord to be compassionate
and Trust You enough to help
others the way they do. Amen.

Lord, help us Prioritise Time with U:
And He went up on the mountain
& called to Him those He Himself
wanted. And they came to Him.
Then He appointed twelve,
that they might Be With Him and
that He might send them out
to preach, and to have power
to heal sickness and to cast
out demons (Mark 3:13-15).
Lord, we note that the twelve
were chosen not because of
their abilities but their willingness
to follow Jesus and obey You.
We also note the twelve were
chosen to Be With You which
is priority and all good things
are built upon this foundation.
Thank You Lord Jesus that You
have chosen me to Be With You.
Help me to stay close to You. Amen

Preview On Mark Gospel (May 19)

Preview On Mark Gospel (May 19)

Whilst the Bible is arranged by
types of writings, we meditate it
chronologically to get better flow.
We start with Genesis on God’s
Plan for creation, then meditated
Job on the Sovereignty of God;
Exodus on Deliverance from Egypt;
Leviticus on the way of Holy Living;
Numbers on training in Obedience.
And the last 3 weekends on Deut
stresses Holiness as a way of life
and reminds the people of the
necessity of Obedience to God.

Having concluded OT bks of laws,
for variety we go to NT on Mark,
which is first gospel to be written.
Mark’s gospel captures the twofold
purpose of Christ’s coming to
earth to minister and to give his
life a ransom for many (10:45).
Mark describes Jesus as the
Perfect Servant, emphasising
more the actions of Jesus & gives
brief treatment to his teachings.
Jewish customs are explained
as the story moves briskly to the
completion of Jesus’ ministry.

We’ll cover Mark gospel over three
weekends in following 5 divisions:
Mk 1-3: Coming of the Servant
Mk 4-7: Mission of the Servant
M8-10: Magnificence of Servant
M11-13: Final Week of the Servant
M14-16: Finished Work of Servant
Let’s meditate thro Mark gospel,
be touched by Obedience of Christ
and be strengthened in Faith. Amen