Thursday Bible Study

  {PARABLES} The “lost” stories_   Luke 15:1-32     “ If people really knew me, they would reject me.” This is something I’m sure we’ve all thought / said before. So, to avoid this possibility, we often try to wear masks to help us ‘fit in ’. We hide who we really are. We can often feel this same way about God. We can feel as if we are rejected and condemned, rather than accepted and loved. So we do our best to please God... but feel as if we never measure up.     [Group activity starter] Make a collective list of descriptive words that paint an image of God as punitive and harsh. Now read aloud Luke 15:5 & 20. Make a contrasting list of descriptive words that illustrate this portrait of God. Think about the thoughts and feelings that you have as you look at these two contrasting images of God.     In these three parables about lostness – the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son – Jesus sets us straight about God’s attitude towards...

  {PARABLES} The Sower_   Matthew 13:1-23_     Have you ever wondered why / how the SAME message (or book or song) can produce very different results in different people?   For example, some people just seem to ‘get it’ while others really struggle.   In the ‘parable of the sower ’ Jesus talks about different types of soil in order to tell us why this happens...     [Group discussion starter] Describe a first-hand experience (serious or funny) that you have had with farming or caring for plants. What have you observed about the role of the soil in relation to a plant’s ability to survive?     The parable of the sower is arguably Jesus’ most important parable because it provides more clues, than any other parable, about parables and why / how they work, as well as how they should be interpreted. It’s why we begin this study here!   This parable is one of only a few that are followed with Jesus’ own interpretation and discussi...