Alec MacNaughton // Standalone

“1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that

“‘they may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”

13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

— Mark 4:1-20 ESV

Outline1.  Most Seeds Don't Flourish vv 1-8

 

 

2. God Knows Most People Will Reject His Word  vv 9-13

 

 

3. We Do God's Will By Hearing, Accepting, and Sharing the Word! vv  14-20

Alec MacNaugton is English and lives in London with his wife Tatja and daughter Elvi. Alec is a school teacher and actively serves his local church Grace Church Greenwich. Alec was an intern at UCC during 2013 when he was studying bible full-time.

Small Group StudyUnderstand the Text

This is a long text—discuss some of these questions, but be sure to apply! See the resources below, and perhaps even watch the video. 

1. Discuss the differences between the soils and what kind of people each represents. What happens to the seed in each kind of soil?
2. What makes the difference in how the plants grow?
3. In the story, Jesus implies that his teaching is like seeds. What do you think Jesus expects to happen in response to his teaching?
4. What will the different reactions to his teaching be?
5. Jesus ends the story by saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” What do you think he means by this?
6. Why do you think Jesus told this parable?
7. Do people have a choice as to what type of soil they are? Can the type of soil change?
8. What might help break up hard soil (or get rid of rocks, weeds, etc)?

Apply the Text

1. What kind of soil are you? What do you think Jesus would like you to do in response to this parable?
2. What are some practical ways of sharing God’s word?
3. How are we tempted not to listen to the words of Jesus? Why
4. How do this passage encourage us when we face opposition and indifference to the gospel?

Reading the Bible One2One

Last Saturday (August 25), UCC brought two families from a London church to give a training in the One2One method of reading the Bible with fellow Christians and non-Christians. It’s a simple yet powerful way of engaging people with God’s Word that has been a fruitful ministry in their church, especially among international students. It's a method we encourage people at UCC to use as a way of discipling one another and reaching out to non-Christians.

Resources:
3-Part Video Training on One2One from St Helen's Church (Part 1 embedded below)

• A great and practical introduction into why and how to read the Bible one-to-one with people. 

Bible Study Resources from St Helen's Church

• Guided studies of various books of the Bible to help you in personal study and/or preparation for reading the Bible with someone

Truth at Work and The Word One To One

• Guided readings of the Gospel of John with helpful questions for discussion.

Christianity Explored

• An overview of the Christian faith and Q&A videos on difficult questions people have about Christianity (also a course)

Many more resources are available—don't hesitate to ask!