2026 Passage Outline

Part 1: The Gospel of Mark – The Disruptive King (18 Weeks)

Week 1 (Mark 1:1-45): The Arrival of the King

Big Idea: Jesus bursts onto the scene with supreme authority over sickness and the spiritual realm. His arrival demands active allegiance and immediate response, shattering the illusion that faith is just a passive, cultural label.

Week 2 (Mark 2:1-3:6): Heart Over Ritual

Big Idea: Jesus consistently offends the religious elite by prioritizing spiritual forgiveness and human compassion over rigid Sabbath rules. He warns us that comfortable religion often masks a hardened heart.

Week 3 (Mark 3:7-35): Redefining the Family

Big Idea: True belonging in God's family isn't based on cultural heritage or church attendance; it is defined by actively doing the will of God. The church is an everyday missional community, not a Sunday club.

Week 4 (Mark 4:1-34): The Unstoppable Seed

Big Idea: Through agricultural parables, Jesus teaches that the Kingdom grows mysteriously and patiently. This frees busy Christians from the anxiety of trying to force immediate, measurable results in their relational outreach.

Week 5 (Mark 4:35-5:20): Authority Over Chaos

Big Idea: Jesus calms the sea and commands a legion of demons. He invites us to trust His supreme authority when our own schedules, workplaces, and secular environments feel chaotic or spiritually oppressive.

Week 6 (Mark 5:21-43): The Mission of Interruptions

Big Idea: On His way to heal a dying girl, Jesus stops for a marginalized, bleeding woman. He teaches us that the "interruptions" in our packed schedules are actually divine appointments for incarnational ministry.

Week 7 (Mark 6:1-56): Provision in the Wilderness

Big Idea: Facing rejection and ministering amidst exhaustion, the disciples must rely on Jesus to feed the 5,000 and calm the waters. Authentic mission requires total dependence on His strength when our own resources run dry.

Week 8 (Mark 7:1-37): Inside-Out Purity

Big Idea: Jesus dismantles behavior-modification religion, declaring that true defilement comes from the heart. He then crosses geographic boundaries to extend grace to outsiders, challenging us to do the same.

Week 9 (Mark 8:1-38): The Cost of Discipleship

Big Idea: The narrative pivots. Jesus demands that true followers take up their crosses. We must examine if our daily busyness masks spiritual blindness, and reject the idol of a comfortable, consumer-driven faith.

Week 10 (Mark 9:1-50): Glory in the Valley

Big Idea: After the Transfiguration, the disciples must immediately minister in a messy, faithless valley. We cannot stay in the "holy huddle" of Sunday worship; we are called to bring Christ's healing into the brokenness of daily life.

Week 11 (Mark 10:1-52): The Upside-Down Kingdom

Big Idea: Jesus elevates the vulnerable (women, children, the blind) and challenges the affluent (the Rich Young Ruler). Missional living means rejecting the idol of upward mobility and embracing radical, sacrificial servanthood.

Week 12 (Mark 11:1-33): Clearing the Clutter

Big Idea: Jesus cleanses the temple, confronting barren religious practices that bear no missional fruit. We are challenged to clear out our own church traditions if they hinder authentic outreach to the nations.

Week 13 (Mark 12:1-44): Radical Devotion

Big Idea: Surrounded by hypocrisy and traps, Jesus highlights the widow’s offering. True allegiance means surrendering our lives, time, and resources wholly to God, not just giving Him our convenient leftovers.

Week 14 (Mark 13:1-37): Alertness in Exile

Big Idea: Jesus prepares His followers for societal upheaval and persecution. We are called to stay awake and remain faithful, refusing to be lured to sleep by the false peace of cultural Christianity.

Week 15 (Mark 14:1-52): Extravagant Surrender

Big Idea: While a woman pours out costly perfume and Jesus agonizes in Gethsemane, the disciples sleep and Judas betrays. We must decide if we are using Jesus for our gain or pouring out our lives in devoted worship.

Week 16 (Mark 14:53-15:20): The King on Trial

Big Idea: Jesus endures false accusations and corrupt systems with silence and resolve. This provides a blueprint for how believers can face unjust cultural pushback with Christ-like dignity.

Week 17 (Mark 15:21-47): The Missional Cross

Big Idea: The climax of the Gospel. Jesus is crucified, the veil is torn, and a Roman outsider recognizes Him as the Son of God. The cross is the ultimate missional act, securing our salvation.

Week 18 (Mark 16:1-20): The Commission

Big Idea: The tomb is empty. The initial fear of the disciples must give way to the bold, active witness required by the Great Commission. We are empowered to go out and preach the Gospel everywhere.

Part 2: 1 Peter – The Missional Exile (8 Weeks)

Week 19 (1 Peter 1:1-12): An Exile's Hope

Big Idea: Our primary identity is "elect exiles." Understanding the absolute security of our eternal salvation frees us from the exhausting cultural rat race of trying to prove our worth through career or status.

Week 20 (1 Peter 1:13-25): Distinct Holiness

Big Idea: Grounded in grace, we are called to be distinctly holy. This isn't rigid legalism; it is about living a life so beautifully different from our secular surroundings that it naturally provokes questions.

Week 21 (1 Peter 2:1-10): A Missional Community

Big Idea: We are living stones built into a spiritual house, a royal priesthood. Missional living is not a solo endeavor; it requires a deep, interdependent church community designed to declare God's praises to the world.

Week 22 (1 Peter 2:11-25): Witness in the Workplace

Big Idea: We engage secular societal structures with excellent, honorable behavior. Our jobs are our primary mission fields, where enduring friction or unjust authority with a Christ-like attitude is a powerful witness.

Week 23 (1 Peter 3:1-12): Witness in the Home

Big Idea: Authentic faith transforms our most intimate relationships. When marriages and households operate on mutual respect and quiet beauty, they serve as a counter-cultural beacon of peace in a broken society.

Week 24 (1 Peter 3:13-22): Apologetics of Gentleness

Big Idea: When our distinct lives finally prompt cultural skepticism, we must be ready to explain our hope. Crucially, this defense must always be delivered with a clear conscience, profound gentleness, and respect.

Week 25 (1 Peter 4:1-19): Stewarding Grace and Suffering

Big Idea: We intentionally break from the self-indulgent norms of our past by stewarding our gifts to serve others. When the culture pushes back, we shouldn't be surprised; we rejoice, entrust ourselves to God, and keep doing good.

Week 26 (1 Peter 5:1-14): Humble Leadership and Resilience

Big Idea: We have an active spiritual enemy seeking to destroy our witness through pride and anxiety. By embracing humility and standing firm together with our global brotherhood, we endure the pressures of our culture and emerge established in Christ.