Every story has a first line that tells you what kind of story it is.
Mark gives Jesus one sentence before anything else happens.
Read it slowly. There are four short statements in it. The first two are news, and the last two are what you do about news like that.
Mark 1:15
Tap a tool, then tap words. Highlight what gets your attention · underline what God is doing or saying · circle a repeated or unfamiliar word.
Read it aloud, then give everyone two minutes to mark it in silence.
Read it slowly, more than once.
NET Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. netbible.com
What stood out?
Go around the room. Each person reads one thing they marked. If you know why it stood out, say so. If you don’t, “it just stood out” is a complete answer. Nobody explains, nobody corrects.
Your markings are saved on this device and will be here when you come back.
The time has come
Jesus begins His ministry by announcing that God has come near. He wants us to rethink how we see God and to recognize that in Him, the Kingdom is already breaking into our world. When we look at Jesus, we see the God who comes close, the God who speaks truth and identity, and the God who invites us to discover who we are in Him.
This study is an invitation to look again, to see differently, and to open ourselves to the God revealed in Christ.
Read this one out loud.
Discussion questions
- Where do you need to see God more clearly right now?
- What old idea about God do you sense Jesus inviting you to let go of?
- How might looking at Jesus reshape the way you see yourself this week?
Write it out.
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Let’s pray together
Read Mark 1:15 aloud again, slowly.
Pray together: “Come, Holy Spirit. Bring the Kingdom near where we are.”
In pairs or small clusters, pray for one another:
- Eyes to see God as He actually is
- Freedom from an old picture of God that no longer fits
- Courage to believe good news that sounds too good
Leave space for silence, listening, and Spirit-led prayer. If someone senses a word, a Scripture, or a picture for another, offer it gently and pray into it.
Let’s pray
Breakthrough is when God’s Kingdom breaks into your reality: His healing where there is pain, His freedom where there is bondage, His presence where there is loneliness. Jesus is King; His freedom, peace and purpose are available now. Pray from that Kingdom, not toward it.
Be still for a moment. Open your hands and simply pray: “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Ask: “Father, what have I been assuming about you that I have never actually checked?” Then: “What were you highlighting when I marked the passage?” Stay open to a word, a Scripture, a picture, or a prompting.
Pray boldly into what He shows you. Ask to see one thing clearly rather than everything at once.
You can pray more than once. Stay present, and trust that God is at work. Take your time; there is no hurry.
Choose one. Say it out loud so someone else hears it.
Next time you gather, share what you practiced and how God used it, not for pressure but for encouragement.
The reminder downloads as a calendar event. Open it and it lands on your calendar for tomorrow morning.
Done.
When we look at Jesus, we see the God who comes close, the God who speaks truth and identity, and the God who invites us to discover who we are in Him.