A Fruitful Life

Passage: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Speaker: Patrick King

Community Group Discussion:

Opening Question

When or where have you most felt the presence of God? When or where is it most difficult for you to listen to God?

Read Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23

1. From the Scripture passage share something that surprises, encourages, or confuses you.
2. Helmut Thielicke, in The Waiting Father, wrote: “There are certain times in our life and there are certain levels in the self in which we are hard ground, rocky ground, thorny ground, and fertile soil all in one…we dare not leave this grim hour of admonition without resolving to enter into judgment with ourselves and sternly asking ourselves: to what birds, what thorns, what superficiality am I exposing the Word of God in my life; what are the threatening forces and the roots of peacelessness in my life?” How does this perspective affect the way you listen to Jesus’s parable?
3. Of the four soils: 1. theoretical/hard, 2. superficial/rocky, 3. divided/thorny, 4. fruitful/good; what are you currently exposing the Word of God to in your life in this season?
4. There are various ways to cultivate listening hearts and souls. On Sunday, two were discussed: intentionally stopping and intentionally seeking. How are you practicing these two ways of listening in your life? Or what are some ways/times you could practice each? What are the barriers you face in practicing listening to God’s Word?
5. Cultivating good soil we can expect to see the Spirit produce it’s fruit in our lives.Life in Jesus grows new character (see list below). While all the Spirit’s fruit in related and connected, what areas/attitudes would you particularly like to see the Spirit help you in?
   1. Hate to love
   2. Apathy to joy
   3. Hurry to peace
   4. Anxiety to patience
   5. Rivalry to goodness
   6. Dishonesty to faithfulness
   7. Anger to gentleness
   8. Lust to self-control

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