#6 Mark 4:1-34 "Jesus and Kingdom Stories"

The Gospel of Mark: Servanthood, Discipleship, and Following Jesus #5 Mark 4:1-34 "Jesus and Kingdom Stories" Which story is driving your life? Jesus calls his followers to hear, respond to and share the Gospel while sin, the cares of the world, and opposition hinder Kingdom growth but the promise of the Kingdom is guaranteed to grow until it encompasses people from every nation. The stories we believe matter. The stories that we listen to, that we share, and the we believe shape everything about us. Which story will we believe? Which story will we share? Which story will we reject? Which story will shape our lives? Discussion Questions When have you found telling stories (parables) to be an effective way to communicate? What made them effective? Why do some call this the parable of the sower and other call it the parable of the soils? Which do you prefer, and why? How did Jesus' parables give His disciples more understanding without giving any benefit to those who rejected Him? Give current examples of cases where those who already understand the gospel gain more understanding while those who have rejected Jesus remain in the dark. Was it unfair of Jesus to obscure His teaching from those who rejected Him by using parables? Whose fault was it ultimately that they did not understand? why is this parable foundational to comprehending other parables? Is one kind of soil that Jesus mentions more prevalent in our culture right now? Is there a particular way we should present the Word of God that might make people more receptive? How can we change the presentation without changing the message? What part do we play in being good soil for God's Word? What can we do to grow in holiness and to produce fruit by making disciples? The Hardened Hearted - How is actively listening and learning to Biblical teaching an act of spiritual warfare against Satan? The hardened heart can manifest as apathy, annoyance, and antagonism. How have you seen people harden their hearts against Biblical teaching? The Shallow Heart - We need to be careful to avoid a firecracker faith that has a short-term excitement but no long-term roots. How can we grow our roots deep so that we don't change when the environment around us changes? How can we shepherd people going through the honeymoon stage of faith to have realistic expectations about the challenges they will face? Does your spiritual life require constant mountain top experiences and what happens to your faith when you experience suffering, persecution or difficulty. The Profane Heart - How can we guard our hearts to carefully avoid the temptations to get caught up in the cares of the world? What ways can riches be deceitful? How does worldliness choke out godly fruitfulness in your life? The Faithful Heart - What does a receptive, humble, teachable, listening, receiving and learning heart look like? The Gospel of Mark says "Hear/Listen" 14 times in Mark 4:1-34! Questions about Listening to Jesus and Growing Do I Delight or Dread Reading the Bible Throughout the Week? Do I Prepare my Heart to Receive God’s Word or do I Just Show up on Sundays? Do I Lean in to Consider, Take Notes and Actively Listen or Do I Just Passively Watch? Am I Being Shaped to See Jesus as Increasingly More Precious or More Forgetful? Do I Take an Active Role in My Spiritual Development or Do I Expect Others to Do Everything? Would Others Say that I’m Becoming More Humble and Teachable or More Proud and Unwilling to be Corrected? Am I Growing in My Obedience or am I More Careless in Obedience? Does God’s Word Linger in My Life or is it Immediately Disregarded?