Introduction

The Gospel of Mark presents a Jesus who moves fast, speaks with authority, and demands a response. Every encounter reveals who He is and calls us to give our lives more fully to the Kingdom of God. Following Jesus means living resurrection-shaped lives before we die, not just after. Too many people die full of what God placed inside them, full of resources, full of dreams, full of untapped potential. Not us. We will give it all. We will waste nothing. Too often the gravesite becomes the most expensive place in the world… Let’s bankrupt the grave.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Here’s how to use this guide each week: start with the Weekly Reading Plan so we keep moving through the entire Gospel of Mark together in 10 weeks. Then focus on the Big Idea, which connects directly to what we’re hearing on Sunday. Your group can go deeper with the Study Focus, use the Discussion Questions to talk it out honestly, and finish with the Kingdom Practice—a simple way to put what you’re learning into action in real life that week.

GET READY!

Mark isn’t trying to give us a slow, detailed biography of Jesus—he’s grabbing us by the shoulders and saying, “Look at Him. Decide.” This Gospel moves fast, hits hard, and keeps the spotlight on one defining question: “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29). From the first chapter, Mark shows us a Jesus who isn’t just teaching ideas—He’s confronting darkness, healing what’s broken, calling ordinary people, and demanding a response.

As you jump into this study, expect to be challenged. Mark will expose performance-based religion and invite you into something deeper: real discipleship. It will confront the things that quietly run our lives—fear, shame, scarcity, control, and the hunger for power—and replace them with a new way to live: a cross-shaped life marked by surrender, courage, and trust. This isn’t just a study to learn more. It’s a journey to follow Jesus for real.