19.

Seven Factors Affecting Believers’ Growth and Maturity (Part 2)

Matthew 13:31-58

  • Session: 19
  • Week: 3
  • Day: 5
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Introduction

In Matthew 13:31-58, we explore how, in this Kingdom age or church age, believers can grow together (coexist) with weeds—such as lies, untruths, falsehoods, hearsay, cultic practices, and occultic practices within the church. We recognise that these weeds, along with counterfeit elements, creep in while we sleep spiritually and cannot be uprooted until Jesus returns. These counterfeit practices hinder the church’s call to productivity a hundredfold.

Objectives

By the end of this session, you will have:

  • Understood how good and light can live victoriously above evil and darkness by listing practical truths and principles from the parables.
  • Listed the truths about how good and evil coexist today (in the church, in the office, in the marketplace, in the family) until the end of the church age and how to keep existing evil in check today, comparing it with how sheep live among wolves victoriously.
  • Been warned that familiar people with the source and resources of truth might not benefit, with examples from the family of Jesus and the people of His hometown.

Outline

  • Principles of overcoming evil in this age and the age to come.
  • The kingdom of lies, counterfeits, hearsay, etc.
  • Jesus’s indoor and outdoor meetings (Matthew 13:1, Matthew 13:36).
  • The process of progressively opening the eyes of understanding.

Group Study Time

Matthew 13:31-58

Connecting

  • Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
  • Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
  • Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
  • Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.

Comprehending

What do the verses mean?
(In small groups, attempt the following questions):

  • What is evil? How do we keep the evil nested in our house in check?
  • Read Matthew 13:2, Matthew 13:19, Matthew 13:32. What do the birds of the air represent in these verses? What is revealed about birds of the air abiding in the Kingdom of God? How should we engage them? (Matthew 13:31-32)
  • Read Matthew 13:33. Yeast represents evil, lies, sin, and corruption in the Church and fellowship. What does this verse reveal about yeast in the Kingdom or Church of God?
  • Read Matthew 13:36-43. What is the meaning of the parable of the wheat and tares? List three truths about how good and evil coexist today (in the church, office, marketplace, and family) until the end of the church age. How do we keep evil in check today? How do sheep live among wolves victoriously?
  • Read Matthew 13:44-52. List five lessons you have learned about how good, valuable disciples (bought at a price by Jesus) live together with evil people and their agents until Jesus comes again.
  • In Matthew 13:52, how do disciples of Jesus seek out the new gem of truth from the old falsehood in our storeroom?
  • Read Matthew 13:53-58. Why did Jesus’s family and hometown people benefit least from Him? List five truths revealed about people familiar with you—hometown and family members—within Kingdom living.

Committing

  • Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
  • List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
  • Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
  • Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
    • Sin to confess
    • Promise to claim
    • Attitude to change
    • Command to keep
    • Error to change
    • Prayer to make
    • Example to copy
    • Truth to obey and
    • Something praiseworthy

Communicating

  • Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
  • Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
  • Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.