Your Response
We have arrived at the final lesson of this training course. At the end of this lesson, it will be time to decide how you want to proceed, whether or not you want to continue to move forward in finding your purpose in God’s plan. However, before we make that decision, let’s look at two parables that Jesus told and see them in this new light of God’s plan for the world.
Parable of the Four Soils
Read Matthew 13:1-9 and Matthew 13:18-23
Question: What are the different types of soil in this parable and what do they represent?
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The hard soil represents someone who does not understand the word of God that has told to them.
The rocky soil represents someone who believes but they have no root so their faith quickly fades.
The thorny soil represents someone who believes but has too many other concerns besides the word of God. The thorns, whether they be our money, our stature in the community, our even our friends or families, crowd out the word and the person’s faith fades away.
The good soil represents someone who believes and is fruitful and faithful, reproducing the faith that has been sown in them.
Question: How many of these different “soils” believe and have faith initially? What is the difference between the good soil and the other two?
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There are three different “soils” that initially believe: the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil. However, only the soil that produces a crop, reproducing what was initially sown, is what Jesus calls “good soil”.
Question: What is the connection between what Jesus is teaching in this parable and what we have learned in the other lessons up to now?
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Jesus is completing the same mission that God has been on since the beginning of time. When he tells this parable, he is in the process of making disciples whom he will go on to command to make more disciples. Jesus is showing us through this parable that we can join God in his plan by being fruitful and reproducing what has been sown in us.
Parable of the Bags of Gold
Jesus went on and later told his disciples another parable about a man who gave his servants bags of gold while he went away on a trip. Let’s see what we can learn from this parable…
Read Matthew 25:14-30
Question: If Jesus is the master and we are the servants, what can we learn about what Jesus expects us to do until he returns?
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Jesus is clearly calling us to use what we have been given to bring a return to him. If we will do it, we will be considered to be a good and faithful servant. However, if we do not, Jesus does not consider us to have been faithful with what we have been given.
Question: So now, we come to the all-important question: What will you do? Are you willing to continue moving forward to learn how you can do what Jesus is calling you to do?
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It is time for us to take God’s plan seriously. He wants to transform your life in every way. His desire is to give each of us a new birth and a new life, reflecting the image of Jesus Christ. However, he also desires that this new life would also be given to others and that they also would be taught to teach other people. This is God’s plan for his image, the image of Jesus, to be spread across the entire earth.
If you are ready to do this, the Search Party team is ready to walk with you and your church or group in this process. Get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you!