The Parable of the Growing Seed
Mark 4:26-29 He said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn’t know how. For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come." (web)
Discussion Questions
What credit can we claim for fruitfulness?
How can it be detrimental to give too much credit to spiritual leaders for fruitfulness?
How much effort does it take to be fruitful? Is the amount that you sow the amount you get back?
Comments
In the parable of the sower, the seed represented the Word of God. Once this is sown in one's heart or in others, it grows into convictions and applications which make one's faith of a quality acceptable to God for salvation and develops one's character to become more Christlike. But this growing process is not accomplished purely by the sower. God himself works behind the scenes doing most of the work. The Apostle Paul was such a sower and he writes:"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." 1Cor 3:6,7 So let not ministers of the gospel, or anyone else, attribute such growth purely to their own efforts, or take credit for what God has accomplished. Nor should we give too much credit to "spiritual leaders", which often results in divisiveness in the Christian community, which is the context of Paul's statement in 1Corinthians 3.
But another application is that it doesn't really take much effort to experience fruitfulness. Jesus can take our five loaves and two fish and multiply them to feed thousands. Let this be a reminder to those claiming not to have much time available for ministry. Just do a little and see the results. Once you've eaten of the first harvest, you'll be more experienced and motivated to do more.
Rap
This is what the kingdom is like
A man scattered seed. Then day and night
Whether he sleeps or wakes the seeds sprout and grow
How does this happen? He doesn't know
All by itself grain is produced
But how that can be he can't deduce.
It grows to a stalk, then head and kernel
All by itself by something internal
As soon as the grain is ripe he reaps
Though much of the work had been done while he sleeps
So lets not take credit for more than our share
For God does most of the work. That is clear.
But also this means there's not much that you need
God causes growth if you just plant the seed
The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
Mark 4:26-29 He said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn’t know how. For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come." (web)
Discussion Questions
What credit can we claim for fruitfulness?
How can it be detrimental to give too much credit to spiritual leaders for fruitfulness?
How much effort does it take to be fruitful? Is the amount that you sow the amount you get back?
Comments
In the parable of the sower, the seed represented the Word of God. Once this is sown in one's heart or in others, it grows into convictions and applications which make one's faith of a quality acceptable to God for salvation and develops one's character to become more Christlike. But this growing process is not accomplished purely by the sower. God himself works behind the scenes doing most of the work. The Apostle Paul was such a sower and he writes:"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." 1Cor 3:6,7 So let not ministers of the gospel, or anyone else, attribute such growth purely to their own efforts, or take credit for what God has accomplished. Nor should we give too much credit to "spiritual leaders", which often results in divisiveness in the Christian community, which is the context of Paul's statement in 1Corinthians 3.
But another application is that it doesn't really take much effort to experience fruitfulness. Jesus can take our five loaves and two fish and multiply them to feed thousands. Let this be a reminder to those claiming not to have much time available for ministry. Just do a little and see the results. Once you've eaten of the first harvest, you'll be more experienced and motivated to do more.
This is what the kingdom is like
A man scattered seed. Then day and night
Whether he sleeps or wakes the seeds sprout and grow
How does this happen? He doesn't know
All by itself grain is produced
But how that can be he can't deduce.
It grows to a stalk, then head and kernel
All by itself by something internal
As soon as the grain is ripe he reaps
Though much of the work had been done while he sleeps
So lets not take credit for more than our share
For God does most of the work. That is clear.
But also this means there's not much that you need
God causes growth if you just plant the seed
The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
