Keys to the Kingdom (Week 5)
In our series Keys to the Kingdom: The Secret Language of the Parables, we’re exploring Jesus’s teachings—hidden in story form—found in the gospel according to Mark.
Icebreaker:
Share about a time when something small in your life (a habit, decision, relationship, or opportunity) eventually grew into something much bigger than you expected.
Read Mark 4:30-32.
1. Jesus uses something ordinary and small (a mustard seed) to describe the Kingdom of God. What stands out to you about Jesus consistently using “everyday” imagery to explain spiritual truth?
2. Why do you think people (then and now) tend to “despise small beginnings”? Where do you see that mindset in your own life or culture?
3. In his sermon, Jarm makes the point that “The Kingdom of God has a deceptive insignificance.” What do you think that means? How have you experienced God working in ways that felt small or hidden?
4. What does this tell you about God’s Kingdom, as opposed to the kingdoms of the world?
5. Where in your life right now are you tempted to force results instead of trusting God’s timing and growth? (This could be family, work, faith, friendships, or ministry.)
6. Jarm challenges us to believe that “God-sized results are inevitable.” What would it look like for you to faithfully “plant seeds” this week without needing to see immediate results?
7. To close your time today, take a moment to pray for one “mustard seed opportunity” in your life, your group, or your church that you would like to trust God with.
(*Video available after Sunday services)
