INTRO: Do you enjoy growing plants or have any connections with agriculture?

READ: Matthew 13 and Isaiah 6

DISCUSS
1. Why would Jesus speak to the people in parables that were not always easy to understand?
2. Which parables in the Bible speak to you? Which ones confuse you? Does it help to think of them as metaphors and poetry?
3. From the Parable of the Sower, which soil(s) are you? What happens inside you when you start considering this question, especially when you think of this parable as an invitation to call out to the gardener?
4. What if we are supposed to be unsettled (but not discouraged or hopeless) by this parable? What if we are supposed to accurately assess ourselves, recognize our need, and turn to Jesus to be healed?
5. Have you previously connected the Parable of the Sower to Isaiah 6? When you are exposed to the holiness of God, what is your response?
6. Have you been through a season where God removed rocks and weeds from your life that were holding you back? Where he changed the soil of your heart?

PRAY:
Lord, thank you for caring for the hearts of your disciples. May I accurately see the condition of my heart and then turn to you - the Gardener - for the work that only you can do in the soil of my heart.

SHARE & PRAY:
- Share one thing you need prayer for today
- Take time to pray for one person at a time
- Invite the Holy Spirit to guide your time
- Listen to the Lord for guidance in how to pray for one another