Mark Chapter 4

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
 and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
- Mark 4:10-20 ‍

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He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
- Mark 4:40‍

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Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked.
- Mark 7:15-19‍

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He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
- Mark 8:31-34

Table Groups and the Weekly Experience will be on break April 10 - June 3.

Mixer

What is in your junk drawer at home? What is the most unusual?

Neighborly - Daily Devotional

To get the Daily Devotionals delivered to you every morning, text ‘dailydevotional’ to 97000.

1. In Pastor Ken’s 3/28/22 entry, Hate My Family, he reminds us of the commandment to put God first in our love, adoration and worship. Where are you out of balance with who/what you love today? Pastor Ken emphasizes that loving our family is an extension of loving Jesus... but the order is critically important. What shifts can you make to put God first in your life, your marriage, raising children, and friendships?
2. In Cristina’s, 3/31/22 entry, Christ Over Cancel Culture, she reminds us that Jesus did not live his life in a way that promoted a cancel culture. How will you follow Jesus’ model of choosing the hard to love when it is hard to love the? Pastor Jared spoke recently about making a bigger table than bigger walls. How will you avoid building a “like-minded echo chamber”?

Sermon Questions

Scriptures: Mark 4:10-20, 4:40, 5: 18-19, 7:15-19, 8:31-34

1. What impacted or challenged you in today’s message?
2. Read Mark 4:1-20. In the Parable of the Sower, describe the times you have experienced seeds in the different soils of your life. Where are you now when God plants seeds in your life?
3. Are you good at being a ‘Christian insider’? What role does motivation play in which kind you are? (Checking off the church boxes vs producing fruit for the Kingdom of God)
4. How did the disciples, being so close to Jesus, considering themselves “insiders,” lose sight of who Jesus really came for - the “radioactive people”? (See Mark 5:18-19 and Mark 7:15-18, 24-30)
5. Do you remember being an outsider? How does remembering the grace of God and the power of Easter inspire you to seek out an outsider looking in (the least of these)?
6. As a Christian, can you be both an insider and an outsider? What does this look like?
7. How can you be a part of creating a space that welcomes the outsiders into the grace of God?

Living Deeper

Pastor Jared talked about the kind of insiders who produce the fruit of love, kindness, gentleness, etc. We have the fruit of the Spirit given to us as a gift. Now how do we grow it? Let’s start with Kindness. Use this article from ibelieve.com to guide and inspire your growth in kindness this week:

https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/kindness-8-ways-to-grow-in-this-fruit-of-the-spirit.html

Serve

• Good Neighbor Day is coming up Saturday, April 9! Register online or in app.
• Vacation Bible School is coming up June 20-24! If you would like to be a part of kids experiencing the best week of their summer, contact heidi@thechurchrb.org or lisak@thechurchrb.org !

Pray

As we move toward Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday, pray for God to prepare the hearts of all the outsiders to hear that Good News is for them! Jesus is for everyone. And to us insiders, confess to Him that we don’t have it all figured out and we need to be reminded daily of when we were once outsiders. May we approach Easter with a heart position of reflection, gratitude, celebration, and challenge to keep the cross visible in our own lives as we relate to the world around us.

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