Discussion Questions

  1. In this parable, there are three different things that can choke out the good news of Jesus: 1. Hostility to Jesus/Christianity - 2. Personal suffering/persecution, or 3. Selfish and worldly desires. What do you think is the biggest obstacle to people accepting the good news of Jesus? Is it one of the things listed above, or something else?
  2. In your own personal journey, what has been the biggest challenge or struggle in your faith?
  3. Sam listed five Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and You. What do you think this means and why is this significant?

READ MARK 4:3-20, THEN ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW

  1. What does this passage tell me about God and about people?
  2. If I believe today's teaching is from God and that He loved me so much He sent Jesus to die for me, what is the appropriate way to respond in my everyday life?
  3. Who can I talk to more about this or share this with?

Spend time sharing prayer requests as a group, and close your time in prayer together.

This week, Sam continued our series through Mark looking at the parables of the sower. In this parable, the seeds represent the Word of God, and the soils represent different people’s responses to Jesus. When people hear the Gospel, some are so resistant that they never give it a chance. Some give up when they face persecution or struggles, and they stop believing God is there for them. Some stop listening to Jesus because His message is crowded out by wealth, desires, and worldly things. We as Christian need to be aware of these pitfalls in order to be the good soil living faithfully for Jesus. At the end of the message, Sam shared that there are five gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and You, because for some people you are the only gospel they will ever read. This parable challenges us to be the good soil, embodying the heart and love of Jesus so that people can read Jesus through us.

Quote of the Week

“There are actually five gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and You. Because for some people, the only gospel they’ll ever read is you. They are looking at your life, and if you are good soil then you share it with others and you become a sower and people begin to see Jesus in you. And when you’re struggling, and when you’re having a hard time, you’re saying: “I don't know all the answers, but I know THE answer.” Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life. Will you come to Jesus? Will you be the embodiment of Jesus that people can read in their everyday life because you’re the fifth Gospel? - Pastor Sam

Scripture

Mark 4:3-20 (NIV) - 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”


Isaiah 6:9-10 (NLT) - 9 And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing. 10 Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.”


Mark 4:21-25 (NLT) - 21 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. 22 For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. 23 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” 24 Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”