• Lesson 13 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 7:1-23.

Jesus brought the issue of what makes one acceptable to God to the forefront. This was not a positive lesson from Jesus. He seemed a bit miffed at having to address the issue of hand washing. He was being criticized by some Pharisees and scribes for not teaching his disciples to follow religious tradition, specifically not washing their hands before supper.

The Pharisees were viewed as the gatekeepers of religious tradition of the day. They were self-appointed, goody-two-shoes when it came to Jewish practices and the law. They prided themselves on being the only ones in Israel to practice what they preached. They were especially good at pointing out when others failed to follow the rules. And in this text, they point out Jesus’ inability to teach his disciples according to the law, or at least their interpretation of the law.

It’s important to understand what “clean and unclean” meant in first-century Judaism. It isn’t a hygiene discussion. The issue of cleanness addressed in this Scripture is about morality, righteousness and the presence of sin. We shouldn’t feel bad not knowing this point, the author of the Gospel must explain what all the fuss is about to his own readers in verses 2–6.

The Gospel of Mark is likely, Peter’s story, written by John Mark to new believers in Rome around AD 60. These Christians did not come from a Jewish background as many of the traditions, like represented here in this text, had to be explained. So why then is this story important if it’s about a Jewish tradition that Jesus seemed to be against? How do we as the New Testament church deal with Old Testament law? Is it negated through Jesus? Or did Jesus, somehow, fulfill the law as he proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount? (Matthew 5:17–20).

Tension between religious practices was a common problem in the first-century church as it included Jewish and Gentile Christians. Jewish believers brought their traditions. And pagan worshipers certainly brought other traditions and rituals. We read about this tension in the New Testament letters written to Rome, Corinth, Ephesus and others. What about us? Do we have any traditions or rituals in the 21st century church? What about in the American church? What about as a Baptist church or another denomination?

For instance, what about the tradition of removing one’s hat to pray. Does God ignore our prayer if we wear a baseball cap? (It may depend on the team.) Does wearing a cap during a time of worship make one unclean or less holy? For some, it might seem so. But what about cultures that require wearing a hat or a head-covering as a sign of reverence to pray?

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 12 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 6:45-53.

As the disciples struggled to see and believe, shortly before dawn, a dark figure appeared amidst the tumultuous waves. That sleepless night they fought against the wind and waves. Heavy eyelids and aching backs must have convinced them they were hallucinating. They were out in the middle of the lake by this time. No one could have been out there alone, without a boat.

Jesus saw his disciples in their struggle and went out to them. It seems odd that Scripture tells us, “He was about to pass by them.” Why would Jesus have passed by them if he saw them struggling? Was he going out further to show them the way to shore? Was he going to calm the wind and waves ahead of them to end their struggle? Was he going to show them who he truly was, as if walking on water wasn’t enough?

Scripture doesn’t tell us why Jesus was going to pass by them. Only that in their struggle, Jesus saw his disciples. But they didn’t see him. They believed they saw a ghost. The appearance of Jesus that early morning on the lake, terrified his followers. They didn’t recognize their Teacher.

Fear can cause us to doubt certain things in our lives. Fear can be a powerfully destructive wave that causes us to struggle, even with our own faith. Seeing does not always lead us to believing. For these men, their lack of faith, their disbelief, prevented them from seeing Jesus for who he is. What they saw instead, terrified them.

When we truly see Jesus for who he is, not for what we have made him out to be, it can be terrifying. When we see Jesus for who he is, not according to the little box that we put him in to keep our faith safe, but when we see Jesus for who he truly is, it can scare us. Because to truly see Jesus comes with a cost.

Seeing Jesus for who he truly is, calls us to respond, and this is a struggle. Responding to who Jesus is has a cost. The cost of following Jesus could be to give up certain friends or even family. The cost of following Jesus could be our lifestyle, status or job. The cost of following Jesus could be to give up our preferences or traditions. The cost of discipleship could be to give up our home to be a missionary in a different country or city. For many, proclaiming Jesus as Lord will cost their very life.

The cost of seeing Jesus as the one who has power and authority over the wind and the waves, as the Messiah, the Son of God, has a tremendous cost. If we see him, will we proclaim him as Lord of our lives? Or will we go on struggling with our faith, against the rising waves of fear and doubt?

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 11 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 6:30-44.

Jesus knew the importance of rest and time spent with the Father, but as the crowd grew, the Lord saw the need of people yearning to know more about the things of God. Jesus had compassion on them, for “they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

As important as it was to help the apostles rest, Jesus was overcome with compassion for the crowd. And in that remote place, Jesus taught them all the things of God. Jesus hosted a banquet, not in a regal dining hall but on a grassy hillside beside the Sea of Galilee. Yet to host a banquet, resources are required. Jesus invited his disciples to join in this ministry of compassion.

Notice in verse 35, that the one-time “apostles” are now simply referred to as “his disciples,” who grumbled about the impossible circumstances of ministering to the needs of others. Here in the remote wilderness, Jesus tested them.

Just a few days earlier, they had witnessed God do impossible things through their ministry. They had healed the sick and cast out demons. They were not worried about what they would eat or where they would sleep. They relied completely upon God’s provision. For Jesus had sent them out with the instructions, “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts” (6:8).

How quickly one can move from a ministry leader to a grumbling follower. We all get tired. Everyone who serves and minsters to the needs of others gets tired. Thankfully, Jesus is there to disciple us. He is there to teach us how to have compassion and how to serve with compassion, not depending on our own abilities but on the Father’s provision.

The disciples rightly saw a need and compassionately wanted to care for the need, but they couldn’t see a way to do it. Their own meager resources and abilities weren’t enough. “Send the people away so that they can…buy themselves something to eat” (6:36). The disciples wanted Jesus to send them to find their own provisions. Jesus not only has the compassion to care for others, but he also trusts in God’s provision to meet the need. And the Lord invites his disciples to join him in this opportunity.

Often, God creates a need in our life or in our circle of influence to demonstrate that he can meet that need. But we must rely on God and his provision. For where God guides, God provides. He provides abundantly.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 10 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 6:14-29.

When you do the work of the Father, the world takes notice. Sometimes you will encounter people, even loved ones, who will reject you. Other times you will travel with very little, the Father’s providence will provide, and you will be received by total strangers. Still, other times, people will be intrigued by your word, seem to understand that it is of divine origin, and then attempt to silence you.

The reality is that God’s word is sharp, and it cuts. Even when the message is understood, people can be so caught up in their worldliness that they will do whatever is necessary to maintain the “status quo.”

Herod began to hear a new name: Jesus. This Jesus was preaching a message that was familiar, and Jesus also was performing miracles. This new commotion brought a new realization into the life of “King” Herod: a guilty conscience is a cruel companion.

Reading through the verses tells us that Herod struggled to align the message with the man. While people were wondering if this Jesus was a prophet from long ago, or even the great prophet Elijah, Herod was convinced God had somehow raised John the Baptizer from the dead— the same John whom Herod had beheaded.

A man reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7). John spent his life urgently sowing the message given to him by the Father. He did this, not seeking to die for the Lord, but to live his life in service to the Lord. He understood his message was one of urgency, because he was preparing the way for the Messiah. This is the same life we should strive to live, a life living for God spreading his message with urgency. Why urgency? Because we do not know the hour when Jesus will return, but we know the message that we must spread.

When you make the decision to serve the true King and spread his message, the kings of this world may raise their hands against you. John stood for the truth of his faith, and, as a result, he ended up dying for his faith. We must echo the words of John the Baptizer: “He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).

This is a message repeated throughout the Word of God. Luke 7:28 tells us we are not to think highly of ourselves, but to care more about the kingdom of God. When our mindset is right, there is no desire for any glory. When we reach that point of selfless service to our Lord, then, by Jesus’ own words: “yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (John the Baptist).

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 9 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 6:7-13.

We live in a culture that always is moving to the bigger and better. Advertisements are designed to drive us to always desire something better than we have, which in turn means we should work more, make more and spend more. That is not what Jesus teaches.

Jesus told the disciples to enter a town, and the first place that welcomed them was where they were to stay until they left the town. This is a lesson on contentment. Learning to be happy where you are placed and being content with what God has granted you is not an easy lesson for everyone to learn. This lesson becomes easier when we have our minds focused on what is important.

The mission was the focus, not comforts. When an inviting door was extended, there was also a blessing extended. The disciple was blessed with a welcoming home, and the homeowner was blessed with a desired guest. We would be wise to remember we can steal someone’s blessing if we reject an invitation because something does not live up to a set standard.

This time spent with the families also provided an opportunity for the family to see authenticity. An act can be kept up while someone is well rested, but with exhaustion comes truth. Masks come off, guards come down, and the real connection can occur.

People today long for authentic connection that only comes from doing life with the people we serve. When we are willing to be around the people we are serving, it allows them to see into our lives, and that we have nothing to hide. For new believers, it is an opportunity to experience Jesus through the life of a believer, which in turn allows them to have someone they can imitate as you imitate Jesus.

Jesus’ approach to ministry was simple. Go tell the Good News, pack light, and shake off the dust after experiencing failures. We need to remember we do not need to complicate what we are called to do by focusing on the things that do not matter. Keep the main thing the main thing: people need to hear about Jesus. Don’t let the little things like supplies and finances be a distraction. God will provide all that is needed.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 8 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 6:1-6.

Have you ever thought you knew someone and later find out that you only knew about someone? There is that old saying: You think you know someone. It means you think you know a person, but there was more than you knew. Sometimes, our familiarity with a person or situation can blind us.

The people were amazed by Jesus, but there was a problem. The problem of perceived familiarity. The people thought they knew Jesus. After all, this was Jesus’ hometown.

These are the people that watched Jesus grow up. They knew Jesus as the carpenter’s son. They knew Mary, his mother. They watched Jesus grow up with his brothers James, Jospeh, Judas and Simon. They knew Jesus’ sisters, who were apparently sitting in the synagogue. Since they knew all these things, then surely, they knew Jesus, and they could not get past what they thought they knew.

The result of their inability to get past what they thought they knew: they were offended by him. This is often the case when we cannot process new information that does not agree with the old information. This inability can cause our minds to harden and rejection to occur. Rejection is exactly what happened.

The people of Nazareth were offended, and ultimately they rejected Jesus. Why? Because they grew up with Jesus. They were from where Jesus was from. They knew his family. They knew what they knew, which ultimately blinded them to the truth.

Upon first reading that Jesus could do no miracles, it can seem confusing. Is it saying Jesus physically or spiritually was unable to do any miracles, because of their lack of faith? Is it similar to how Tinkerbell says she cannot do magic without Peter Pan believing? Absolutely not. We must be careful not to let our minds confuse fairy tales with the truth of the gospel.

Jesus did do miracles in Nazareth, just not to the extent he performed miracles in other places. Jesus did “lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them,” which is a miracle. So, what are we learning? Jesus did not do many miracles there “because of their lack of faith” (Matthew 13:58). The word of God teaches us without faith, there will be no reward (Hebrews 11:6). This means that without faith, there will be no blessings, no miracles.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 7 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 5:21-34.

The desperate woman faced her impending death, with no other options for treatment and no money to pay for more medical care. But everything changed for her when she “heard about Jesus” (Mark 5:27). Literally, she heard “the things about Jesus”—the reports concerning his miracles. Just from hearing what Jesus had done for others, she believed he could do the same for her.

However, she had a problem: Jesus was a holy man of God, and she would transmit her uncleanness to him if He touched her. So, she initiated her surreptitious approach from behind to touch his cloak (Mark 5:28). Likely, her idea was inspired by the ancient superstition that someone’s power transferred to their clothes (cf. Acts 19:11–12). The crowds certainly circulated this idea about Jesus’ clothes in their reports of his healings (Mark 3:10; 6:56).

The wording of verse 28 could mean that the woman thought, “If I just touch his clothes,” or “If I touch just his clothes.” Was her scheme about getting through the crowd merely to touch him, or was it about touching only the small part she could reach? Either way, the woman reckoned that she would be healed (Mark 5:28b).

Like Jairus’ faith in Jesus’ healing, the woman believed Jesus would both physically restore and spiritually deliver her. Considering the extent of her religious exclusion, salvation was equally as appealing as healing for the desperate woman.

Immediately after touching his cloak, her bleeding stopped. In one moment, 12 years of agony ceased. Her body felt sound, so she knew she had been freed from her suffering (Mark 5:29). While that freedom took place in one moment, it would have continuing effects on her state of being in the future.

The word for suffering used here (mastix) signified great torment. In other contexts, it referred to a scourge or plague sent from God. While this sense was not necessarily intended in this case, the word choice does remind us that this woman’s suffering caused separation from God. The figurative effect of her disease was like a scourge. Becoming free from this suffering then involved repairing the breach that contamination had wrought and making her clean once more.

The story of the desperate woman flies in the face of what some call armchair Christianity. It was not enough for her simply to hear about what Jesus had done. She sought him out to experience his healing for herself. She knew her life was not sustainable the way it was. So, she desperately reached for the new life only Jesus could supply.

For us today, casual contact with Jesus will never satisfy the earnest desires of our hearts, and it will never relieve the heavy weight of suffering. Only when we are desperate enough to grasp for deliverance will we see God’s power truly at work in our lives.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 6 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 5:21-23, 35-43.

While on the way to Jairus’ home, Jairus received word his daughter had died. These people urged Jairus not to bother Jesus any longer (Mark 5:35), presumably because they assumed Jesus could not do anything now that she was dead. Having overheard what was not addressed to him, Jesus told Jairus two things: “Don’t be afraid; just believe” (Mark 5:36).

We can empathize with Jairus—a father who has just heard about the death of his daughter. He no doubt feared the many “what-ifs” of his new situation—most immediately, how could he go home to face a household in mourning. In the face of grief, we have many unknowns to fear without someone we love.

Jesus’ first exhortation to Jairus is in the negative: “Don’t be afraid.” Jesus often repeats this phrase throughout his teaching and interaction with the disciples (Matthew 10:31; 14:27; 17:7; Luke 5:10; 12:7), not to mention all the times God urged his people not to fear in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 31:6; Isaiah 41:10; Haggai 2:5). This imperative command carries the sense of “Stop being afraid.” He commanded Jairus not to focus on the fear, but instead, to focus on his faith.

Jesus then gave Jairus a positive exhortation: “Just believe.” He offered Jairus an alternative to his fear—hold onto your faith. Although Jesus accepted the reality of this girl’s death, he did not accept its finality. He urged Jairus to keep believing, to maintain his certainty Jesus could still save his daughter.

This admonition evokes Jesus’ conversation with Martha after the death of her brother Lazarus. Martha accused Jesus that if he had been there, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus proclaimed Lazarus would live again because Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. Then Jesus challenged Martha to believe him capable of this power over life and death (John 11:23–27). Similarly, Jesus asked the same faith of Jairus, and Jairus rose to the challenge. He does not try to talk Jesus out of coming to his house as the messengers had suggested.

The miracle Jesus performed in the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter should have a profound impact on our relationship to God today. Do we respond to suffering, disappointment and even death with the faith that Jairus displayed? Certainly, Jairus’ faith opened the door for Jesus to display his glory. Likewise, anytime we respond to hardship with faith, humbly pleading with God for his healing, we are opening the door for God to intervene for his glory in our suffering. Even if we do not see that healing in this life, we honor God with our faith in his power.

Jesus’ counsel to Jairus in the face of death also reminds us to replace fear with faith. Death is not the end of all hope and so is not an outcome to dread or despair. Knowing Jesus’ power over life and death, we can face even our own death with confidence and courage. If we live, we live for him; if we die, we gain an eternity with him. Because of Jesus, we always have hope whenever there is death.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 5 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 5:1-20.

In response to the suffering of the man before him, Jesus conversed with the demon and met the demoniac where he was. In the ancient world, the prevailing cultural belief was that knowing a spirit’s name gave one power over it.

While the demon might have been trying to use Jesus’ name against him, Jesus turned the tables on him and asked the demon his name (Mark 5:9). The demon replied, “I am Legion, for we are many.” A legion was a military regiment in the Roman army that included about 6,000 men. While the number of demons probably was not 6,000 exactly, this name certainly illustrated the magnitude of the force these impure spirits amassed against Jesus. Mark seemed to treat this explanation as factual rather than a boast by the demon, because he continued the narrative with plural references to demons.

Again, the demons begged not to be sent out of the area (Mark 5:10), which would presumably restrain their power among these people. The parallel passage in Luke has them begging not to be sent into the abyss where they would await eternal judgment (Luke 8:31). Either way, the demons were bargaining to gain a compromise from Jesus, which culminated in their request to enter the herd of pigs (Mark 5:12). In an ultimate act of authority, Jesus allowed this concession.

As Lord over the forces of evil, which is more awesome: to cast out thousands of demons or to send them to possess a herd of 2,000 pigs? Mark added to the drama of the scene with his visual of thousands of pigs stampeding down a steep hill and drowning in the lake (Mark 5:13). Some scholars have questioned why Jesus would allow this destruction of property and the livelihood of these pig herders. However, Jesus considered this man’s soul to be worth the material loss.

In response to this miracle, the pig-herders displayed the first instance in this narrative of the power of testimony. The biblical pattern of testimony normally has an agent (someone who gives testimony), a subject (what their testimony is), a recipient (someone who receives an effect from the testimony), and a result (how the testimony affects the recipient).

In this first case, the pig-herders are the agents, the subject of their testimony covers “what had happened” with the demoniac and the pigs, and their testimony affected everyone in the town and countryside. When the recipients came to see the evidence of this testimony for themselves, the result is that they were afraid (Mark 5:15). They were so afraid, in fact, that they pleaded with Jesus to leave.

A man whom they knew to be walking around naked and generally acting crazy instead was sitting with Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. Jesus’ great power over the demons was singularly terrifying to this superstitious people.

The demoniac presented a picture of true conversion. He was completely changed—the exact opposite of what he had been— totally transformed by his encounter with Jesus’ power.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 4 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 4:35-41.

The major point in this miracle is that Jesus, by speaking two simple commands, transformed ferociously violent winds and waves into a state of instant calm and stillness. The dramatic and instant change revealed the miracle. If the storm just coincidentally subsided, the wind would diminish slowly. The waves would not have become glassy smooth water in an instant.

Jesus spoke a command to the storm: “Hush!” (Silence!) and to the waves “Be still!” (Be muzzled!).

The change was instantaneous. It is kind of like the man in the TV advertisement for pain medicine, when he took it and said: “The pain is gone.” His wife said, “I am glad it helped.” He responded: “No you don’t understand. The pain is gone.” After Jesus commanded cessation and calm, the wind and sea became totally still, calm and quiet. “It became perfectly calm” (4:39).

Once Jesus dealt with the storm, he made a teaching point by asking the disciples two self-evaluation questions in Mark 4:40: “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They had faith to believe Jesus could solve the problem, or they would not have awakened him.

They believed he was capable of doing more than they imagined, but they—like most of us—had a tough time trusting God that he would protect them. Their faith was informational but was not relational. They believed Jesus would know how to solve the dilemma. But they never dreamed that with two words the winds and the waves would instantly become peaceful and calm.

The disciples who feared a storm, became more fearful of standing in the presence of God, who alone can calm waves and storms (see Psalm 107:23–30). They grasped Jesus was not a mere rabbi or mere prophet. He was God, who has instant power over the forces and powers of nature. This revelation shook them to their core, and they were in awe of Jesus, realizing he was God himself (4:41). They looked at each other, saying: “Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• The Connect360 Christmas lesson focuses on Luke 2:1-20.

The shepherds, these rough and tumble characters, were caught off guard by God’s radiance as reflected in these divine beings. That ordinary night on the prairie was interrupted by God’s uninvited and unexpected grace.

Frequently, God shows up as an interruption to our own busy lives. These sudden interruptions bring good news that change and transform ordinary, mundane moments into divine experiences. These experiences can terrify even the most unspiritual, hardened people.

“Don’t be afraid!” An appropriate phrase of good news when facing terrifying moments. All throughout Scripture, do not fear is a wonderful reminder God is in control even when facing unexpected interruptions. Angels realized their presence would scare humans. But the good news of peace that has come through the birth of the Messiah quickly turns fear into celebration.

In this beautiful picture depicted in verses 13–14, the Gospel writer offered a striking parallel for us. He contrasted glory and peace, highest heaven and earth, God and humans. This “heavenly host,” better translated “a heavenly army,” appeared to the shepherds in the fields at night, praising God.

The Christmas story in Luke 2 began with Caesar counting the people as a way of keeping the peace, but here we find God’s army praising the true king who brings real peace to the earth in a way no other can. These heavenly warriors raise their voices, not their fists, to sing about a mediator who has brought all these contrasting things together. The Messiah overcame the separation, providing a way, that all people can now draw close to God. Finding peace, finding acceptance, finding a home came in the most unlikely place, through the most unlikely person.

The angels proclaimed to the shepherds that the one had come who would provide community, a home even for the outcast. A sign announced to these hardened, unspiritual souls they were not a statistic to be counted but persons of immense value, created for far more than they had ever imagined. Those far from home, those without a home, those who can’t go home, can find a home in the presence of the Christ-child.

The shepherds obediently hurried off to witness this sign situated in a lowly manger, in a lowly town. There they found the greatest gift this world has ever experienced. The Messiah’s coming had been promised throughout biblical history. The words of prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah of one to come and fill an empty throne finally had come true. But this fulfillment seemed impossible, even forgotten, until the carol of this celestial army rang over the fields that night, leading ordinary shepherds to drop everything and share the good news.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 3 in the Connect360 unit “The reMARKable Journey Continues: The Gospel of Urgency” focuses on Mark 4:26-32.

The kingdom of God starts small but becomes huge. We live in a culture that celebrates “bigness.” We assume popularity and large crowds equates with quality and greatness of product. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t.

In God’s kingdom, you need to grow where God has planted you, serving faithfully. The living God working through you and your church is what matters in kingdom terms.

In this parable, Jesus focused on giving a picture of the kingdom of God. The mustard seed is really small. William Lane noted the kingdom is not likened to a mustard seed, but rather likened to what happens to the mustard seed, to what comes out of it. The kingdom of God was beginning small, but one day (as in the 20th and 21st centuries) it would encompass the world.

So, this parable is an encouraging message. It is not how small you are now that matters; it’s the incredibly huge things God can make from your small beginnings. Jesus is contrasting small, seemingly unimpressive beginnings with surprising huge, unforeseen outcomes.

Don’t get discouraged over your current situation. You have no idea what a big impact your life, or your church’s life, might make on hundreds, or thousands, of people in eternity. With Jesus, small beginnings do not limit huge outcomes. Faithfulness in the seemingly insignificant small things, might be growing a forest of spiritual redwoods in eternity.

Jesus’ kingdom began as one person, as Jesus alone. Then Jesus called the 12 disciples and invested his life and teachings into them. After his crucifixion, there were only 120 believers (Acts 1:15), perhaps comparable to your church’s size. On the day of Pentecost 3,000 more were baptized and added to the church, people from many nations and languages (Acts 2:41, 47). And the Lord was daily adding more to their number. Soon, Christianity conquered the Roman Empire, not through violence, but through God’s many people serving God in small scenarios, embodying God’s love and redemption.

In 2020, the estimated number of Christians in the world was 2.38 billion (see Pew Research). That doesn’t include the countless millions of Christians over the last 2,000 years. The kingdom’s growth from 120 to billions of people in the kingdom of God today, all started from Jesus. From Jesus, one seemingly insignificant seed that was despised and crushed by the world—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, and who is now the King of kings and Lord of lords. This Jesus is now worshiped in nearly every country of the world.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.