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And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
Mark 4:13-20 (NKJV)
CG Discussion Questions:
1. As God has appointed the fivefold ministry to teach and equip the church, where the seed of the word of God determines the harvest, what harvest do you expect to witness in the church that you have attended? What are the characteristics of the stony ground and explain what determines the condition of our hearts and the result of the word of God in our lives?
(Mark 4:14, 16-17)
2. What kind of persecution have you experienced for being a Christian in this fallen world and were there occasions that you even considered to disassociate yourself from God? Explain what tribulation is and what might have caused you to stumble, feel disappointed with God or even turn away from God? (John 15:19-20; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4)
3. How should we deal with tribulations in our lives and what should be the conviction in the word (seed) to help us weather through the storm in our lives? Have you experienced identity crisis, feeling worthless or losing previous glamorous positions? Discuss what should be the seed sown on our identity in Christ and how receptive have our hearts been to the word.
(Romans 8:35, 37-38; Isaiah 43:1-2; Psalm 34:6, 17)