New Testament Bible Study by John Stanko

Mark Study 14

Dear Student of the Word,

I apologize that it's been two weeks since my last update. Life on the road can be busy. Without further ado, however, I present the 14th study in our Mark series. I learned a lot from this week's edition and have used what I learned on almost a daily basis. That is our goal--to find some way to apply every verse of these studies to our daily lives and walk with the Lord.

This week I wrote:

10:16 -- Jesus sought to touch the children and bless them. He imparted a blessing through physical touch. I have heard that babies need touching. If they don't get it, they don't develop emotionally, even physically. If we are to be like children in the Kingdom, then we need touch as well. Do you touch (appropriately of course) your brothers and sisters in the Kingdom? Do you allow Jesus to touch you and impart a blessing? Why or why not?

I have to work on this, for my tendency is to stay within my private space, not venturing out or inviting anyone else in. What can you do to touch and impart a blessing to more people? What can you do to receive your blessing by the same means?

Feel free to add your insight or comments to this study on the site where it is posted at www.stankobiblestudy.com.

Download this week's study: Mark Study 14.doc

Mark Study 13

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time once again for your weekly dose of the Word from my computer, once again from the gospel of Mark. This week's study made me work, for there were some tough verses to interpret. Let me know how you think I did.

This week, I wrote:

9:38 -- First, the disciples argued about who among them was the greatest. Next, they took exception to someone who was doing good by driving out demons but was not part of their group. The disciples were less concerned with the fact that someone was getting help and more concerned with the helper's "credentials.' I have seen that dynamic in some church groups and denominations. They would prefer to use someone they can trust in their organization than someone outside the organization, even if the outsider is more qualified or anointed!

I have to admit that I am surprised myself that someone outside of Jesus' immediate group was ministering to others in Jesus' name.

vs 39&40 -- Jesus' command was not to stop that person outside their group. Jesus was philosophical about the issue, reasoning that anyone who is for you can't be against you. So he urged the disciples to leave that man alone. This is good advice for the body of Christ today. How many are jealous or resentful that someone who doesn't share their theology or in their group has some measure of success. Do you have that attitude toward anyone? If so, you must repent. God doesn't need your permission to use someone else. It is also arrogant to think that you know enough about God to determine who He can use and who He can't I am not saying you have to agree with everyone or water down your beliefs. I am saying you need to be more tolerant.

Feel free to add your comments to this week's study on the site where it is posted at www.stankobiblestudy.com.

Download this week's study: Mark Study 13-1.doc

Mark Study 12

Dear Student of the Word,

I am in a Starbuck's in Bexleyheath, outside London. It has been a challenge to get online this week, but it has been no challenge to be into this study of Mark. I learned a lot this week and hope you do, too. We are past the halfway point for our Mark study and the action is moving quickly toward Jesus' death and resurrection. Mark's style has so much energy and he created such urgency as he wrote. I am caught up in the flow of the story and I can't wait to end. We have a ways to go before that happens, however.

This week I wrote:

8:34 -- Jesus told his followers that, not only was He (Jesus) to have a cross, but all of them would have crosses, too! The cross wasn't just for the Master; it was also for the followers. Notice the active role the disciples had to take in this process. The disciple had to come after Jesus, deny himself, take up the cross willingly and follow Jesus. That is four separate acts of the will: 1) come after; 2) deny; 3) take up; and 4) follow. Those four steps weren't just one-time events; they were to comprise a lifestyle. How are you doing with this four-step lifestyle?

No one can make you take up your cross; only you can agree to pick it up and go where God is leading you with it on your back. For me, that's church work. I've begged God to send me to the corporate world, and I have done some work in that field. Most of my work, however, is in the Church world, and that isn't my favorite place to function. Yet as I follow Jesus, that's where He leads me. So I willingly, not grudgingly, obey and do the best work I can do for Him, while being true to who I am and my purpose.

Feel free to add your comments to this week's study on the site where this entry is posted. You can also send a gift subscription to this Mark study on that site.

Download this week's study: Mark Study 12.doc

Mark Study 11

Dear Student of the Word,

I am in the Newark Airport heading to England for the week. Before I do, I am in the airline lounge preparing this study to send to you. I'm busy, but making every effort to stay in the word of God. How about you?

This week I wrote:

8:18 -- Jesus asked good questions and His questions are still relevant today. I won't pose my own questions here; I will simply use His. Do you fail to hear, see and remember? The answers back then were of course "yes, yes and yes." What about you? The question about remembering is reason why you should record or journal what the Lord says and does for you. It's so easy to forget. We have short-term spiritual memories where God's goodness is concerned, and long-term memories where offenses with others are concerned.

Feel free to write any comments on the site where this entry is posted. You can also send a gift subscription to this Mark study on that site.

Download this week's study: Mark Study 11.doc

Mark Study 10

Dear Student of the Word,

Greetings and may the blessing of this Easter resurrection season be with you!  I know it's a holiday weekend, but I still thought I would send along the latest installment from Mark's gospel.  We are steadily moving through this study and I also took steps this week to publish my first study, The Faith Files, in ebook format.  Eventually, every one of my studies will be published, a copy of which will be found in many libraries all over the world!  How's that for a goal!

At any rate, this week I wrote:

7:11-13 -- The tradition of the elders concerning care for parents conveniently circumvented the Law that Moses had decreed.  All one had to do was devote what he had to God and then that possession could not be used to help a needy parent.  For example, "Mom and Dad, I would like to help you, but I dedicated and devoted my savings account to God and I can't use it to help you.  Sorry!"  This must have been commonplace for Jesus to use it as an example of the tradition of man trumpint the word of God.

It is a priority with God for families to help their members and for children to honor their parents, with practical financial help if necessary.  It is important that we stay aligned with God's priorities.  For instance, God puts a high priority on helping the poor.  The Western church puts a high priority on facilities.  We will pay the utility company whatever they say we owe them for air conditioning, but we won't always help the poor.  That is an example of  man's traditions overriding God's priorities.  Am I against buildings?  Absolutely not!  I just don't think they should be built or maintained at the expense of God's clearly-stated priorities.

Jesus said there were many such inconsistencies like the example He gave. Can you think of any other examples from modern church life or society?  How about missions work?  We collectively spend millions of dollars on pizza for youth gatherings to babysit young people, but don't spend nearly that much on missions work.  If you can't think of any other examples, then you may be so much a part of your culture that you aren't aware of where it has dulled your senses and lulled you to sleep.

Feel free to add your insight or comments to this study on the site where these studies are posted every week.  You can also give a gift subscription by going to the same site or unsubscribe by clicking on the link below.

Download this week's study:  Download mark_study_10.doc

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Mark Study 9

Dear Student of the Word,

It's that time again and the next installment of our study of Mark's gospel is attached to this email.  I know you are busy and these studies require a commitment of time and effort.  Any effort that you put into the word of God, however, is time well invested and the returns are fantastic.  I know you realize that, but it can still be difficult to find the time.  It is the same for me as I write, but I have made a promise to myself to work on four verses every day.  I have been able to do that since 2001 and I have completed studies like this for 16 books in the New Testament.  It's amazing what you can do if you do just a little every day consistently.

This week I wrote:

6:52 -- Their hearts were hard!  That's it!  Jesus was confronting their hard hearts!  They had actually been out on their own to teach and heal.  They had already seen Jesus do great and magnificent things. What's more, they knew that Jesus had taken five loaves and two fish and fed thousands.  They were the ones who had counted the raw materials and then inventoried the leftovers in twelve baskets. Yet their hearts were hard!  Jesus was trying to get them out of their ordinary thinking, which was spiritually subnormal, to some level of faith for more and the unexpected. 

As I write this, we will soon celebrate Easter Sunday, which is the day when more people go to church than any other Sunday of the year.  Millions will attend church service, some for the only time of the year, and declare that Jesus is alive, that He was raised from the dead.  Yet they will go right back to their lives and that belief will have absolutely no impact on their daily existence.  Why?  Because their hearts are hard.  They will believe that God raised the dead Jesus, but they won't believe that the same power can be part of their walk.

if God raises the dead, He can do anything!  Yet do you act like He can do anything?  Do you say that Jesus is alive, and don't believe you can go on a missions trip because it costs $2,000?  Do you get a report from the doctor of a potential problem and go into depression?  Do you say we can't do this or that because we can't afford it, don't have the time, or the know-how, or education?  If you do, then you are in the same boat the disciples were in.  Jesus has shown you His power and you think it was a "ghost" -- some freak of nature or unusual work of God.  Don't judge the disciples too harshly until you examine whether or not you are in the same boat with them.

Feel free to add your insight or comments to this study on the site where these studies are posted every week.  You can also give a gift subscription by going to the same site or unsubscribe by clicking on the link below.

Download this week's study:  Download mark_study_9.doc

Mark Study 8

Dear Student of the Word,

It's that time again, time for another installment of our Mark study.  The word of God is magnificent--I know you realize that.  I am always amazed at how readable and relevant the Bible is to our human condition.  The Bible would be good reading even if it wasn't the inspired Word, which of course it is. 

At any rate, this week I wrote: 

v. 14 -- As I stated earlier, Jesus was a celebrity and here His notoriety was caused by what His disciples were doing. Even King Herod received a report about Jesus' work and that of His followers.  Yet there was confusion about who Jesus was and where He had come from.  Since Herod had John beheaded, Herod would have paid particular attention to the rumor that Jesus was John the Baptist back from the dead. 

When you examine that rumor, it was utterly foolish!  How could Jesus be John, when they were cousins and contemporaries of one another?  Jesus was doing the work He did before John was beheaded, so how could He now suddenly be John?  There can certainly be a lot of superstitions even among spiritual people.  Do you have any superstitious beliefs?  Don't answer too quickly.

If you gave a special offering one time and God blessed you in some way right after that, you can easily think, "My offering brought that blessing, so the next time I have a need, I will give just like I did in that instance and God will bless me again."  God may, or He may not.  That belief in the cause and effect of your gift, however, is in some ways a superstition.  Does that make sense?  Do you agree or disagree?  Can you think of any other such beliefs in your life?

Feel free to add your insight or comments to this study on the site where these studies are posted every week.  You can also give a gift subscription by going to the same site or unsubscribe by clicking on the link below.

Download this week's study:  Download mark_study_8.doc

Mark Study 7

Dear Student of the Word,

I'm home in the States and it's nice to have a respite from my travels. There is no respite, however, from our study of God's word and I am glad to bring you this latest installment. We are making progress through Mark as we see Jesus ministering and meeting one need after another.

This week I wrote:

v. 37 – Jesus handpicked those who followed Him to the ruler’s home. I wonder why? Perhaps Jesus' own faith and ability were limited by those with fear. Remember what was said in Matthew:

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith (Matthew 13:58).

Not only did Jesus block out what some were saying, He wouldn’t let others follow Him to the man’s home. If you are serious about faith, you will have to choose your associates more carefully. You need those who will help your faith or at least not hinder it. Is there someone in your life right now who is an un-faith agent? Someone who engenders fear and not faith? What are you prepared to do about that relationship? I am not saying you need to break with that person. I am saying that you need to stop taking your faith cues from that person. You need to be careful what you say to them, what they say to you, and where you “take” them as you walk in faith.

Feel free to add your insight or comments to this study on the site where these studies are posted every week. You can also give a gift subscription by going to the same site or unsubscribe by clicking on the link below.

Download this week's study: Download mark_study_7.doc

Mark Study 6

Dear Student of the Word,

It's a pleasure to send you this study from England, home to so many past champions of missions and the Word. I feel more spiritual just being here (and I need all the help I can get).  I am enjoying working through Mark's gospel.  It always seems that one thought stays with me from the study throughout the day, helping me to stay in the Word a little longer than I ordinarily would. I hope these studies are having that same effect with you.

This week we read about the man who had a legion of demons that Jesus cast out of him and into a herd of pigs.  Here is what I jokingly wrote (it's all right to have some fun with the Word, isn't it?):

v. 14 -- I've heard the term "sheep herder" but not often the term "pig herder."  With 2,000 pigs scavenging for food,  however, I suppose someone had to try and keep them in line.  I wonder if there were pig dogs like there are sheep dogs?  At any rate, the hired help watched this incident happen and took off to tell the owners of their financial ruin.  I am sure that the herders were quite concerned, for it was their responsibility to tend the pigs, not to send them off swimming!  I doubt too if the owners had any kind of pig insurance. This caused quite a stir in the local villages, so everyone came to check things out.  Thank goodness there weren't any pig activists to protest this inhumane treatment of pigs!

Feel free to add your insight or comments to this study on the site where these studies are posted every week.  You can also give a gift subscription by going to the same site or unsubscribe by clicking on the link below.

Download this week's study: Download mark_study_6.doc   

Mark Study 5

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time for your dose of Mark's gospel.  Due to my schedule and slow connection speeds, I haven't been able to send something for two weeks.  I hope you continue to study, learn and grow in God's word, and I hope these studies help you to those ends.

This week I wrote concerning the parable of the sower:

vs. 18&19 -- I heard a message once that talked about soil preparation being the key to godly living, using this parable as an example.  The speaker used all kinds of agricultural examples in his message to describe what a farmer would do with rocky soil, soil with thorns and soil that was worn out with no life.  We spend our time on the delivery of the Word; but should we really be spending more time on soil preparation?

There is nothing wrong with the seed that we are sowing.  The problem is with the soil that will receive it.  In these verses, we see that it isn't trouble or persecution that is the problem.  The problems are wealth and the cares of this life.  The gospel has a lot of competition for the hearts of men and women and that competition has the potential to choke out the life of the Word.

In my thinking, this is the dilemma of modern life.  There are so many voices vying for our attention that the gospel has a hard time bearing fruit.  Could this be why the gospel always seems to have greater entrance into the life of the poor person?  They have less distractions than the rich.

Feel free to add your insight or comments to this study on the site where these studies are posted every week.  You can also give a gift subscription by going to the same site or unsubscribe by clicking on the link below.

Download this week's study:  Download mark_study_5.doc