Pastor Ralph Posted April 22, 2023 Report Share Posted April 22, 2023 Q33. (Matthew 13:22) How do “thorns” prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? What is the difference between a genuine “disciple,” follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bianca Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 The cares of this life. Being too obsessed with things in this life can choke the word and stop it from working as it should. A true follower will do what Jesus says and seek to become more like him. A person holding a belief system like to go by certain rituals and rules to impress men or trying to impress God. We can't get to God in that way. Or they come up with their own so called Christian way of thinking or belief system saying they are serving Jesus when truly in their heart they are not. They still want to do things their own way and live like the world is living. I need to try not to idolize things in this life and make sure things in this life keeps it's place which is after Jesus. Material things can be good but not worth pulling aways from The Lord Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolaas A.P. Mostert Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 Q33. (Matthew 13:22) How do "thorns" prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? There is too much destructions in their lives. The focus is more on the natural things then the spiritual things. Therefor their worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word and makes it unfruitful. What is the difference between a genuine "disciple," follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? They say, even if you stay in a garage you are not a vehicle or even cannot become one. The same with this statement to be a disciple for CHRIST you have the have a relationship with HIM. You must know HIM in person. You must love HIM with all your heart, mind soul and body. A person who holds a Christian belief system is more harmful for Christianity, it is because of those that non believers don't want to be Christians. What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? You have to open up yourself for the Word of GOD. Make time in your daily schedule for GOD's Word. Don't necklet the Word of GOD. Do research on it, study it and make it your own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 Q33. “Thorns” in our lives can included: Cares and Worries, Deceitfulness of wealth, a desire for other things in life, and the pursuit of pleasure. If our lives are consumed by our cares and worries, we are not fully trusting God. We all have worries but we need to hand them over to God and trust Him to bring us through them. If we allow worry to take over in our lives we become spiritually blunt, and our faith is unable to grow as it should. Deceitfulness of Wealth: There is no problem in being wealthy so long as we are not consumed by it. That we don’t become lovers of money, spending all our time and efforts in making money should be our goal. If God has blessed us with wealth we must spend it appropriately, thinking of all the opportunities to help those who are poor, and do this wisely with God’s guidance. Desire for other things in life: we must be content with what God has given to us. We must not be trying to do the same as other people around us. If you socialise in a group that make you dissatisfied, maybe it is time to change friends! Anything that makes us dissatisfied needs to be stopped and more focus put on God and all His wonderful promises. Desire for pleasure: A desire for pleasure takes us away from time with God. Of course we can have relaxing and fun times but it must not become a constant desire to the exclusion of time in God’s word and the things of God. We must be strong about things in our lives, for instance The Lord’s day must be kept holy and we must not allow sport or retail therapy to happen on a Sunday. Someone who is a nominal Christian is someone who does not follow Jesus every day, but may go to Church on Sundays, Christmas and Easter. They may not know the need to be truly repentant for their sins and may not be sensitive to committing sin. They may know that Jesus died on the cross but don’t really dwell on it very much. They may be very much part of the world and all that goes on and possibly see nothing wrong in that. They do not know that as Christian’s we are chosen and set apart to be Holy and to preach the gospel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niyonka16 Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 Q33. Thorns (Matthew 13:22) How do "thorns" prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? ANSWER: The comfort, pleasure and cares of life can choke the power of God’s Word in ones life. You can't hear God if your mind is crowded with other thoughts or concerns, particularly worries, plans, and activities. When you spend more time consuming worldly entertainment than the Word of God, your heart will become cluttered and take on thorns that crowd out THE BLESSING. It is these thorns that keep us from maturing as believers and producing lasting spiritual fruit. We should not permit the thorns of cares, riches, and pleasures to choke the nourishment and vitality of God’s Word? What is the difference between a genuine "disciple," follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? ANSWER: A true/genuine disciple is not just a student or a learner, but a follower: one who applies what he has learned. True discipleship is a lifelong process. The difference between a disciple and a follower of Jesus is that a follower is in it for the benefits, a disciple follows even when it hurts. The difference between a disciple and a learner is, a disciple exceeds the student, in that he is not just a learner, but a doer of the teachings he receives, showing uncommon loyalty and commitment of heart to them. A person who holds a Christian belief system is someone who has put faith and trust in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ through His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, their behavior mirrors, reflects and resembles Christ. What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? ANSWER: Thorns don't ever seem to let up! Even though thorns seem to cause nothing but problems, we must not let thorns hold us back from what God has called us to do or from enjoying the many blessings God has given us. When we feel like giving up, we must rely on God to give us the strength to continue. Even if we can't see behind the scenes, we must trust that the all-knowing God has a plan. In 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10, Paul gives us three ways to deal with thorns 1. pray; 2. lean into God's strength; and 3. continue to glorify God. Whenever an anxious thought pops into your mind, rebuke it, and take it capti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zanele Tlhakanelo Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 Thorns choke us in maturing in understanding the Word of God. When we are faced with earthly challenges, we tend to doubt God as we think we can resolve challenges that we face without taking all the troubles we face to Him. We at times are deceived by the material things we have thinking that we have created the wealth ourselves or the achievements that we have attained. Our desire should be in understanding the Word of God rather than desiring the things of the world which are temporal. A genuine disciple is the one who understands that Christianity is a lifestyle and not a religion system. We do not serve God because we are obliged but we understand that we are to preach the message of the Kingdom without compromising the truth. We should not be people-pleasers but let people know the heart of God through His Word. We need to be rooted in the Word of God and pray without ceasing. At all times acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit who is in us and always ask that He guides, directs, leads, advise and helps us in hearing when God speaks to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robomom3 Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 Q33. (Matthew 13:22) How do “thorns” prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? Thorns cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus and place them on ourselves and the things around us. It is much like Peter walking on water until he took his eyes off of Jesus and saw the storm around him. He instantly was filled with fear and forgot WHO was walking with him. In his mind, the storm became more powerful than his Messiah in that moment and his fear caused the waves to begin to consume him and swallow him up. Our enemy loves to place distractions all around us. If the same storm keeps popping up over and over again drawing your full attention and consuming your thoughts, for example children whose lives are filled with drama, you can bet that's the enemy. Once you decide to give that storm to Jesus and keep focused on Him and His Word, walking in obedience instead of meditating on the problems... the problems seem to suddenly disappear. But until we learn to keep our focus on the One Who is more powerful than any storm or thorn we face, our enemy will continue to use against us what works to choke out God and His Goodness in our lives. What is the difference between a genuine “disciple,” follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? A genuine disciple is in love with Jesus... we can't get enough of Him... we seek Him out, we drink up every bit of His Spirit that we can, we dive deep and enjoy the journey, the treasure hunt of precious tidbits hidden within His Word. We listen to His Voice and do what He asks us to do... our deepest desire is to look like Him, think like Him, walk like Him, talk like Him, please Him... we are passionate and bold in our walk because we know our Savior personally... our testimony is built on our own eyewitness accounts of His Goodness and Faithfulness... a genuine disciple is a CHILD of God. Those who hold to a Christian belief system become legalistic and judgmental... they set out to "do" what the system requires them to do. They live through check lists and feel guilty when they haven't checked all the boxes. There is no personal relationship because they are married to a system instead of a Savior. One brings peace and one brings anxiety. I have chosen Peace... What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? I have learned to recognize the enemy's tactics and I have found that no matter what is happening around me, who is falling apart, what job is being lost or threatened, what the checkbook looks like, what my adult children are doing, what is going on in the government or the world, as long as I keep my focus on Jesus and make time to meet with Him each day, my heart and mind stays at Peace. I am blessed to not have a personality that leans towards anxiety... I am an optimist, although it seems God has surrounded me with pessimists and my heart breaks for them. I cannot imagine going through life meditating on worst case scenarios. We need to remember that this world is temporary... this is not our destination and everything that happens here is to prepare us for where we are heading. Those thorns will strengthen us if we keep our eyes on Jesus and trust Him to take care of the weeds in the garden around us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted October 17, 2023 Report Share Posted October 17, 2023 Q33. (Matthew 13:22) How do "thorns" prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? What is the difference between a genuine "disciple," follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? The thorns of life chokes, strangles our spiritual life, and also our relationship with God. Preventing any spiritual good the Word of God might have in maturing us as believers. The cares and worries of the world take up more and more of their time. The fallacy of riches and the desire for pleasures dominates our hearts, gradually blinding us to the true values in life. The true disciple puts their trust and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only way to heaven (John 14:6). In contrast to the follower who thinks they can work their way to heaven. An elderly friend of mine gave me some good advice: get rid of all encumbrances. Things that are a distraction, an impediment, a barrier, or an obstruction to our spiritual growth. We need to think more of eternal things, being ready when our Lord comes. As we mature there will be spiritual growth for all to see in the fruit of the Spirit. People should not have to ask are we a Christian, it should be obvious from our love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control shown towards others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krissi Posted October 17, 2023 Report Share Posted October 17, 2023 The "Thorns" that keep us from maturing in our faith become more subtle and less overtly sinful as we age in Him. Many times thorns are our strong desires which are not sinful in themselves -- it's the strength of the desire that makes it "wrong" in God's eyes, not it's content. God wants these strong desires to be put down before Him. He wants to be our strongest desire. For example, I know someone who has been checking real estate listings in a particular part of the country for many years now, more than a decade. She wants to buy property and have a homestead. This is a good desire, certainly one not sinful. Yet God never opens this door for her. I believe He wants her to submit this desire to Him, to give it up and move on. He wants to be FIRST in her life and this desire is preventing His preeminence. IT's possible to have all the correct beliefs, to be theologically "sound" and true, and yet have no passion and love for God. This distinguishes a true follower from a mere adherent ("a person who holds a Christian belief system.") -- This is mere observation, but it seems that God has been moving greatly among believers in the past couple years, clearing our lives of thorns and opening more spiritual space to worship and serve Him. Lately, there seems to be a parting of superficial and committed Christians. Maybe I'm just imagining this, but evidence is mounting that God seems to be preparing many of his most devoted children for works and assignments that require a deeper maturity. My response to this is to make myself as available as possible so, if He so chooses, He can quickly use me. "HERE I AM ... USE ME." I'm becoming healthier, reading missionary bios and those of famous, devoted Christians, studying the scriptures diligently, getting rid of stuff (actual physical stuff!) to lighten the load and facilitate change, joining a group of women who are more mature than I am ... these are a few of the things I am doing to clear my life of the thorns that prevent maturity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD35 Posted October 18, 2023 Report Share Posted October 18, 2023 How do "thorns" prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? What is the difference between a genuine "disciple," follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? 1. Worries, Cares (Matthew, Mark, Luke). At the top of the list are "worries" /cares". Worry is the opposite of trust -- and trust is the root idea of faith. All of us have anxieties; Jesus certainly did. But it is how we handle them that decides whether they choke out spiritual life or cause it to flourish. Being consumed with life's worries may be choking your spiritual life. Worry competes with faith for your time and your very life-force. It strangles your relationship with God and the growth of the Word in your life. Determine now to call on him continually to help you, and then trust that he will keep his promises. Cultivate an attitude of trust. 2. Deceitfulness of wealth (Matthew, Mark), riches (Luke). Second on the list is "riches" or "wealth," that is, "the abundance of many earthly goods, wealth."Especially dangerous is the "deceitfulness" or "lure"of wealth (Matthew, Mark). Riches aren't evil in themselves. It is the "love of money" that is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10a). Riches aren't evil in themselves, but "eagerness to be rich" can cause people to wander from the faith (1 Timothy 6:10b). Riches aren't evil, but Mammon can become a very real competitor to serving God himself (Matthew 6:24). The problem is that riches touch the covetousness or greed deep within fallen man and often take a powerful hold. Money can deceive us, and when it does it can keep fruit from ripening on your seedheads so there is no crop for the harvest. 3. Desire for Other Things (Mark). Desire for things not ours is the root of the Tenth Commandment, "You shall not covet" (Exodus 20:17). We see and hear advertisements day by day that make us desire things we don't need. Add to that a corrupt heart, and it is easy to choke off the growth of the Word in us. 4. Pleasures (Luke). Finally, we come to "pleasures" (Luke 8:14), Greek hēdonē, from which we get our word "hedonism." Everybody wants to be happy. But sometimes our pursuit of happiness can be twisted into an all-out pursuit of pleasure. Our society has turned "duty" into a negative, and "self-indulgence" into a positive. Our songs croon, "How can it be so wrong, when it feels so right?" Too often we have replaced righteousness and honor and self-sacrifice with a pursuit of pleasure, of recreation, that can choke the growth of Jesus' Word in us and keep us from maturing and producing usable fruit. Weekend sports and recreation has displaced church-going in many a family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeraldG Posted October 19, 2023 Report Share Posted October 19, 2023 Thorns prevents the word of God from maturing in our lives, because they literally get in the way, they distract us,and confuse us, literally choking the spiritual life right out of us. The difference is that some one is a genuine disciple, or follower of Jesus doesn't allow the distractions of this life to hinder them from maturing in the word, the Lord. The grow strength from the word of God so that when trials come they stand, and overcome. But someone who just holds a Christian belief is weak in the faith so that when trials come they fall, and they allow the distractions of this life to get in the way of serving or following the Lord. We need to get in the word more, pray more, put away the things which seem to distract us, assemble ourselves more with fellow Christians, and just serve the Lord with our whole heart. Then the thorns will have to die out, and we mature in the Lord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Wolf Posted October 21, 2023 Report Share Posted October 21, 2023 Q33. (Matthew 13:22) How do “thorns” prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? What is the difference between a genuine “disciple,” follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? "Thorns" are any distraction that turn us away from God for whatever reason. The difference between a genuine "disciple" and a person who merely holds a Christian belief system is a complete difference. There are many philosophies circling the planet currently. Some people ascribe to the Christian belief system especially in that they want to be forgiven of everything but certainly do not want to actually read the Bible, Know God, and live by His plan, instead they want to make up the plan for right and wrong--thinking we all go to Heaven. A true disciple of Jesus spends time with Him, in His Word, and living as Jesus lived. To clear the thorns that prevent Christ's work of maturing me, I can become more disciplined--truly pursuing the study of His Word and asking and listening to find out HOW He wants me to live each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haar Posted October 21, 2023 Report Share Posted October 21, 2023 A33. Thorns can represent worries about the things or issues that could be health or family issues etc that bother us, the deceitfulness of wealth, desires for “things” and worldly pleasures. These can prevent us from hearing the word of God or prevent us from hearing and acting on the word of God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmela Posted October 23, 2023 Report Share Posted October 23, 2023 Q33. (Matthew 13:22) How do "thorns" prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? Worries of this life can consume a person. Depends on how we handle them. If they crop up and we hand them over to the Lord and genuinely let them go and TRUST Him to take care of them, then the thorny branch begins to disentangle. Riches and the Desire for other Things can easily deceive one into thinking that it will be easier to serve the Lord, if one has this or that. Meanwhile this and that can just be the start of the desire for more and more. Luring one into the "keeping up with the Jones's style of life. There is nothing wrong with riches in themselves, it is the love of riches that binds a person, which prevents the Word of God from being wanted to make a change in ones lifestyle. Pleasures in this life can consume one. The need to take part in this event, that party, that sports, that competition etc. This crowds out time for anything else. No alone time spent with the Lord in quiet. What is the difference between a genuine "disciple," follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? A genuine disciple/follower/learner of Rabbi Jesus, will put everything aside and desire to spend time with Him. His lifestyle will portray Jesus. A person who holds a Christian belief system, will be a person with good morals etc but not one who has a personal relationship with Jesus. One will know Jesus whereas the other will know about Jesus. What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? Spend time in the Word (seeing we still have the chance to do so), speak to the Lord about anything and everything, know Him in everything, worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. This way worries are drowned and not fed, desires are curbed and pleasure is found in serving Christ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Grant Posted October 25, 2023 Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 Q33. (Matthew 13:22) How do “thorns” prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? What is the difference between a genuine “disciple,” follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? 1. By letting the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke them which causes unfruitfulness. 2. A genuine disciple will obey by reading the word, seeking God, and putting him first in all things. When things are hard, they do not hesitate to look to God above other things. 3. Seek Jesus with our whole heart regardless of what situation we are in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George L Posted November 7, 2023 Report Share Posted November 7, 2023 Q33. (Matthew 13:22) How do "thorns" prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? Thorns are a worldly attraction with more allure to your mind than the depth of the gospel understanding. A failure to enter a covenent relationship with the onecwho paid the price for you. Thorns are distractions, of the world apealing to self life. What is the difference between a genuine "disciple," follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? Christ came on a mission to recruit a workforce to salvage the souls lost, stollen, stray, and captured by the enemy. A genuine disciple is about serving the one who’s goal is saving all who have fallen short of the glory of God. The measure is sacrifice of self for use by the Christ. What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? One by one stop heeding distractions. Remove them from your life. Tell the Holy Spirit you want more of God’s ways help you make room for him. He will show you one by one the things that need to go next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sister Evelyn Posted November 8, 2023 Report Share Posted November 8, 2023 Q.33 (Matthew 13:22) The seed sown among thorns likewise is unfruitful, choked out by a heart weighed down with cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches. The difference between a genuine disciple, follower or learner of Jesus is a believer will give up everything for Jesus and adheres completely to His teachings making Him the center of their lives. Living a godly life and displaying the Fruit of the Spirit. A person who h old a Christian belief is that they believe that Jesus is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. What I can do to clear my life of thorns that prevent Christ's work fro maturing in me is not to surrender to the worldly flesh. Asking the Holy Spirit for guidance and to always direct me in the right path. Focus on the Word of God. And try not to have negative people in my life that can be a stumbling block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janzie Posted November 14, 2023 Report Share Posted November 14, 2023 On 4/21/2023 at 11:37 PM, Pastor Ralph said: Q33. (Matthew 13:22) How do “thorns” prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives? What is the difference between a genuine “disciple,” follower or learner of Rabbi Jesus, and a person who holds a Christian belief system? What can you do to clear your life of the thorns that prevent Christ's work from maturing in you? Thorns of worry, not trusting God; going after wealth and wanting to become rich; desiring things we don't need - coveting; pleasures of this world, pursuing happiness apart from God - all choke the Word and make it unfruitful. A disciple is a follower of Jesus, one who hears the word of God and keeps it and seeks the Lord with all their hear, compared to people who seem to believe for a while and receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they don't persevere in faith, they "fall away. I can clear up the thorns in my life by seeking Jesus, not the things of this world and having ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted December 19, 2023 Report Share Posted December 19, 2023 The thorns prevent the Word of God from maturing in our lives because there seems to be other things that we want to do then to call on God and follow him. A genuine “disciple” will be doing the will of God and that he knows God’s word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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