In the days after Christmas we often turn to reflection on the past year and vision for the coming year. And there is no better season in which to remember to follow him. For the next two Sundays, we will read Mark 4 together in search of what Jesus calls “the secret of the Kingdom of God.”
During the last few weeks, this passage of Scripture has been particularly significant for me personally, and I look forward to sharing it with you.
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(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)
Date: December 27, 2015 // Title: The Secret of the Kingdom of God, pt. 1
Scripture: Mark 4:1-34
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
Jesus is preaching that the Kingdom of God is at hand and calling his listeners into being the people of God. His Kingdom is where God’s will is done. His family are those who see and do the will of God. How do we know God’s will? Jesus tells the story about the four soils. The seed that is sown on the hardened path is carried away by birds. The seed sown in the rocky soil sprouts quickly, but because the roots lack depth, dies just as fast. The seed sown in the thorny soil is choked out by all the other things allowed to grow in the same space. The seeds sown in the good soil are received well and bear much fruit. The examples of the best soils in Mark are the people with the least to offer and who interfere the least with the seed. The secret of the Kingdom is the relationship between the seed and soil. The good soil asks Jesus what things mean and what to do.
THE MAIN THOUGHT Keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
If you want to be the good soil, ask Jesus.
SEE IT Questions :: 10-15 minutes
Picture: What is the common trait between the soil from the hardened path, the rocky soil and the thorny soil? What is the problem that they all share? (They have no room for the seed to grow.)
Mirror: What does the soil of our life look like? Are we trampled, hurt and betrayed? Have we become hardened? Are we easily excitable, relying on the experiences of others but lacking roots to get us through the hard times? Do the things of this world grow so freely that they can distract us from the words God has for us? Or are we trusting and listening to seeds that God is sowing all around us?
Window: If God is a generous farmer sowing seed everywhere, trusting the seed to do the work, and trusting the soils to work out it’s own relationship to the seed, how should that impact how we spread good news? Are we trusting the seed to be powerful?
BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Exercise 15 minutes
Take some time to wait and ask before making resolutions for the next year. Before adding things to do, what should we resolve to remove to make room in the soil of our life? Resolve to make space.
Change IN // Group Activity 10 minutes
Thinking back over your group this past year, what soil has your group cultivated? What would you need to make room for in your group to be good soil?
Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 5 minutes
The good news is that soil can change, and the sower is sending seed in every direction. Look for seed this week. Where is God at work? Share your observations next week. How can you change the soil around you?
CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.