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Group Discussion
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People Skills
April 18,2026
Week 2: Serving Well
Jeff Griffin
Mark 10:35-45
Life is a people-centered journey. If we’re going to thrive at work, school or home, we need to grow in how we relate to others. In the series People Skills we learn from the ultimate expert on relationships of all kinds - Jesus himself. This week we look at the question of, in a world that tells us to continually put ourselves first, what does the Bible say about serving others?
If you’ve ever worked in the service industry – waiting tables, working a cash register, or otherwise providing customer service - share a time something either went really well or horribly wrong. Or flip it: share a memory of exceptionally good or bad service you’ve received.
1. Read Mark 10:35-40. James and John had reason to believe they were part of Jesus’ closest circle: along with Peter, they’d been invited to witness the raising of Jairus’s daughter and to see Jesus’ transfiguration. Considering that, how do you react to their request in verse 37? Have you ever been in a situation where past experience caused you to expect special treatment, but you didn’t receive it? How might these two have felt to be turned down?
2. Now read verses 41-45. What type of people does Jesus refer to in verse 42 (rulers & officials)? What contrast does He draw between them and leaders in His Kingdom? Why do you think He’s making it a leadership issue (He’s acknowledging that His disciples are/will be leaders and the first to model this for others)?
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. (Mk 10:43, NIV)
3. You may not consider yourself a leader in an official capacity, but simply by following this maxim (serving others), how might that make you be seen as a leader by others?
4. Jeff alluded to the world’s emphasis on self-care in his sermon, and we often hear people (such as moms or caregivers) talk about losing themselves (or fearing this) in serving others. But we’re reminded that, in Jesus’ call to lose our life for His sake, we actually find it (Matthew 16:25). What is different about serving others Jesus-style that creates this paradox?
5. Think of a relationship in which you’ve been struggling. How could you become more curious about that person? What might you try to learn that would enable you to serve them (or serve them better)? Name one thing you’ll do in the next week to serve that person.
It can be hard to see where we’ve been self-centered in a relationship, but it’s also life-giving to learn how to serve. Pray for God-inspired service among your group members.
“He must become greater, I must become less.” ~ John the Baptist