Monday BIBLE STUDY-Prayer

Crosscultural Evangelism Balanced Expectations Parable of the Soils- Mark 4:13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

Going back to the parable of the sower, the Lord Jesus asked the disciples how they could expect to understand more involved parables if they could not understand this simple one. How can we apply this to our spiritual growth?

Mark 4:14 The sower sows the word.

The Savior did not identify the sower. It could be Himself or those who preach as His representatives. The seed, He said, is the Word.

Mark 4:15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. :16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; :17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.

Stony ground may have enough soil to cause initial growth, but no depth is established. As weather may ruin weak plants, adversity destroys those who base their faith on emotions.

A person with a solid foundation would have counted the cost, which includes hardships and sacrifces as well as benefts.

Mark 4:18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, :19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

No criticism is ofered regarding the ground in the third category. The dedication was genuine initially, but later they allowed “things” to afect them. Their separation to the gospel softened as new appeals and attractions gained their attention. That which began as a minor tangent ends choking the Word of God right out of their lives.

Mark 4:20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

The virtue of the good ground lies in its function. Yet the amount of its produce is not the issue, for some ground brings forth more than others. Even though the fruit may appear relatively meager, the fact remains, it brings forth fruit.

Parable of the Lamp Mark 4:21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?

The lamp here represents the truths which the Lord imparted to His disciples. These truths were not to be put under a basket or under a bed, but out in the open for men to see.

The bushel basket may represent business, which if allowed, will steal time that should be given to the things of the Lord. The bed may speak of comfort or laziness, both enemies of evangelism…. How can we apply this to our lives?

Mark 4:22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.

Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables. The underlying truth was hidden. But the divine intention was that the disciples explain those hidden truths to willing hearts.

Verse 22 might also mean, however, that the disciples should serve in constant remembrance of a coming day of manifestation when it will be seen if business or self-indulgence were allowed to take precedence over testimony for the Savior.

Mark 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The seriousness of these words is indicated by Jesus’ admonition: “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”… Why do Christians at times not take God’s Word seriously?

Mark 4:24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. www.ebcnc.com McDonald, Knoll, Farstad; Hinson and Knoll 1 Monday BIBLE STUDY-Prayer

Then the Savior added another serious warning: “Take heed what you hear.” If I hear some command from the Word of God, but fail to obey it, I cannot pass it on to others. What gives power and scope to teaching is when people see the truth in the preacher’s life.

Whatever we measure out in sharing the truth with others comes back to us with compound interest. The teacher usually learns more in preparing a lesson than the pupils. And the future reward will be greater than our puny expenditure.

Mark 4:25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Every time we acquire fresh truth and allow it to become real in our lives, we are sure to be given more truth.

On the other hand, failure to respond to truth results in a loss of what was previously acquired.

Facing Opposition Acts 4:1 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, :2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. :3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. :4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about fve thousand.

The frst persecution of the infant church was about to break out.

True to pattern, it arose from the religious leaders. The priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees rose up against the apostles.

Scroggie suggests that the priests represent religious intolerance; the captain of the temple, political enmity; and the Sadducees, rationalistic unbelief. The Sadducees denied the doctrine of resurrection. This brought them into open confict with the apostles, since the resurrection was the keynote of apostolic preaching!

Spurgeon sees a parallel: The Sadducees, as you know, were the Broad School, the liberals, the advanced thinkers, the modern-thought people of the day. If you want a bitter sneer, a biting sarcasm, or a cruel action, I commend you to these large-hearted gentlemen. They are liberal to everybody, except to those who hold the truth; and for those they have a reserve of concentrated bitterness which far excels wormwood and gall. They are so liberal to their brother errorists that they have no tolerance to spare for evangelicals.

These leaders resented the fact that the apostles were teaching the people; they felt this was their sole prerogative. Then, too, they were angered by the proclamation in Jesus of the resurrection from the dead. If Jesus had risen from among the dead, then the Sadducees were discredited.

In verse 2, the expression resurrection from the dead is important because it disproves the popular idea of a general resurrection at the end of the world. This passage and others speak of resurrection out from among dead ones. In other words, some will be raised while others (unbelievers) will remain in the grave until a later time.

The leaders decided to hold the apostles under a sort of house arrest until the next day, since it was getting late. (The miracle of healing in chapter 3 had been performed around 3:00 p.m.) In spite of ofcial opposition, many people turned to the Lord. About fve thousand men (Gk. andres, “males”) are mentioned as entering the Christian fellowship. Commentators are disagreed whether this included the three thousand saved at Pentecost. It does not include women and children.

Acts 4:5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, :6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.

The next day, the religious council, known as the Sanhedrin, sat as a court of inquiry, intending to put a stop to the activities of these public nuisances. All they succeeded in doing was to give the apostles another chance to witness for Christ!

Acts 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”

The trial opened by their asking the apostles by what power or by what name they had performed the miracle. Peter stepped forward to deliver his third successive public confession of Christ in Jerusalem. It was a priceless opportunity to preach the gospel to the religious establishment, and he seized it eagerly and fearlessly.

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, flled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: :9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, :10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucifed, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before www.ebcnc.com McDonald, Knoll, Farstad; Hinson and Knoll 2