Missed Sunday October 22nd’s message? Listen here.
- OPENER: Have you ever had the misfortune of meeting someone ’important’ only to discover that they weren’t as great as you thought they were after spending some time with them? What was that like for you?
- Read Mark 12:38-40 and name the four things that Jesus warned his followers of as it relates to the teachers of the religious law. What’s so significant about these four things? In general, why do you think Jesus was so concerned about this stuff?
- Spend some time digging in to each of the four traps of “brand management” that Jesus warned his disciples of in this passage:
- Define each trap. What does it look like in our lives (share practical examples of each)? What makes it so dangerous? How can it prevent us from living the life of love (as Jesus told us is the greatest of all commandments, see Mark 12:29-31)
- Of these four traps of ‘brand management’, which trap are you most vulnerable to? Why?
- What is God calling you to do in response?
- As you conclude, read Psalm 51 together as a group. Contrast David’s faith in this Psalm with the faith of the religious leaders. What’s the difference? How can we live into a Psalm 51 faith instead of a ‘brand management’ Pharisaical kind of faith?
- Spend some time in prayer for one another as a group. Pray that God would make us honest, and would root out our tendencies towards a life and faith of ‘brand management’ and ‘imagine maintenance’!
