Prepare The Soil
“If you can't understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?”
— Mark 4:13
Warm Up
- What is a parable?
Lessons
Video coming soon
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn't have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
— Mark 4:3-8 NLTWho is the farmer? God's ministers are the farmers scattering seed across the world (field).
What is the seed? The seed is the word of God. (The revelation of Jesus Christ.)
Where is the soil? The soils represent the hearts of people and the condition of their hearts.
“The farmer plants seed by taking God's word to others.”
— Mark 4:14You are about to receive a lot of seed. All throughout the discipleship journey you are going to be immersed in conversations and encounters that will break up the hard places, cut back the thorns, and pull out the unhealthy debris that will hinder growth. The best thing you can do is surrender to the process, yield to the experience, and say yes to what God wants to do in your life.
- Have you ever felt like the seed of God's word couldn't take root in your life? What was happening in your heart at the time?