Day 4 - Session 1: Sticking Points & Barriers Between Chairs

Participant Handout

Session Theme

Jesus identified specific sticking points that keep people stuck in each chair and barriers between levels of fruitfulness - recognizing and overcoming them is essential to completing the disciple-making journey.

Scripture Focus

Mark 4:1-20 (The Parable of the Soils - four types of ground)
John 15:1-8 (The vine and the branches - four levels of fruit)
1 John 1:9 (Confessing sin for cleansing)
Hebrews 12:5-11 (God’s discipline as loving pruning)
Psalm 91:1 (Dwelling in the shelter of the Most High)
Colossians 1:28-29 (Strenuously contending with Christ’s energy)

Learning Objectives

Identify the four sticking points from Mark 4 that keep people from becoming fruitful
Explain the three barriers between chairs from John 15 (sin, good things/pruning, satisfaction)
Diagnose where they or their disciples might be stuck and name one step to move forward

Teaching Block 1: The Tacks on the Chair

Core Idea: Each chair has its own sticking points. The Parable of the Soils (Mark 4) shows that 75% of people who begin the journey never reach fruitfulness.

Four soils = four sticking points:

Soil Type	What Happens	Sticking Point
Hard path	Birds snatch seed	Stuck in Chair 1 - needs cultivation
Rocky soil	Quick growth, no root	Stuck in Chair 2 - needs deep roots
Thorny soil	Worries, wealth, wants choke plant	Stuck in Chair 2-3 - needs thorn removal
Good soil	30, 60, 100 times harvest	Moving toward Chair 4

The farmer knows: You cannot throw seed on unprepared ground. You must cultivate, deepen roots, and clear thorns. A Javanese farmer prepares the field before planting. We must prepare hearts before sharing the Gospel.

Scripture: “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” - Mark 4:8

Discussion Block 2: Three Sticking Points - Worries, Wealth, Wants

Three groups of 3-4, each takes one sticking point

(8 min) Group discussion:
- Group A - Worries: What worries choke fruitfulness in your context? What Scripture promises help?
- Group B - Wealth: How does the deceitfulness of wealth distract from disciple-making, even among the poor?
- Group C - Wants: What “good things” crowd out the best thing?

My group’s practical step to overcome our sticking point:

(7 min) Report and discuss.

Teaching Block 3: Barriers Between the Chairs

Core Idea: John 15 maps four levels of fruit to the four chairs, with three barriers between them.

Four levels of fruit:

Chair	Fruit Level	Key Verse
Chair 1 - The Lost	No fruit	John 15:5
Chair 2 - The Believer	Fruit	John 15:2
Chair 3 - The Worker	More fruit	John 15:2
Chair 4 - Disciple-Maker	Much fruit	John 15:8

Three barriers:

Barrier	Between	What It Is	Remedy
1. SIN	Chair 1->2	Unconfessed sin. But airo = “lift up,” not destroy	Confess immediately (1 John 1:9). Be a “repenter”
2. PRUNING	Chair 2->3	God removes good things for better things	Expect it. Guard against bitterness (Heb 12:15). Trust the Gardener
3. SATISFACTION	Chair 3->4	Content with “more fruit” instead of “much fruit”	Abide (meno). Strenuously contend in His energy (Col 1:29)

Pruning insight: A vine branch with 10-12 buds is pruned back to 2-3 for richer fruit. The gardener is never closer than when pruning.
Abiding insight: Meno appears 8 times in John 15. Make Jesus your permanent dwelling place (Ps 91:1).

Scripture: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” - John 15:5

Discussion Block 4: Diagnosing Where We Are Stuck

Individual reflection (7 min), then pairs (8 min)

Draw the diagram:
```
Chair 1 ---[Sin]--- Chair 2 ---[Pruning]--- Chair 3 ---[Satisfaction]--- Chair 4
```
Place an “X” where you are. Answer: a. What is my sticking point? _________________ b. Which barrier am I facing? _________________ c. One thing I need to do or trust God to do? _________________
In pairs: share your diagnosis. Listen. Pray briefly.

Teaching Block 5: Overcoming the Barriers

Core Idea: Practical help for each barrier. God will not leave us stuck - but we must cooperate.

Barrier 1 - Sin:

Confess immediately (1 John 1:9)
Be a “repenter” - the Christian life is a life of repenting
Let the Father lift you up - He restores, not discards

Barrier 2 - Pruning:

Expect it (John 15:2 - “every branch”)
Do not let bitterness grow (Heb 12:15 - the #1 destroyer of disciples)
Remember: good things removed for better things
Do not shrink back (Heb 10:35)

Barrier 3 - Satisfaction:

Abide (meno) - make Jesus your dwelling place
Strenuously contend in His energy (Col 1:29)
Never settle for “more fruit” - God wants “much fruit”
Inspect your fruit: Character (Gal 5), Conduct (Phil 1:11), Converts (Rom 1:13)

Scripture: “Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” - Hebrews 10:35

Discussion Block 6: My Next Step - Breaking Through

Personal commitment (5 min), then whole group prayer (10 min)

My Commitment to Move Forward:

Question	My Answer
Which chair am I in?	Chair 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
My biggest sticking point? (worries / wealth / wants / other)
Which barrier am I facing? (sin / pruning / satisfaction)
ONE step I will take this week?
Who will hold me accountable?

Prayer: We pray for each barrier - repentance for sin, endurance for pruning, holy dissatisfaction for satisfaction.

Application Handles

When you feel stuck in your spiritual growth (not moving to the next chair), use the Mark 4 soils to diagnose why. Ask: Is my heart hard (need cultivation)? Shallow (need deeper roots)? Choked by worries/wealth/wants (need to clear the thorns)? Do not just try harder - diagnose first.
When you face painful circumstances that feel like God is taking good things away, recognize this as pruning (John 15:2). God is removing good things to make room for greater fruitfulness. Guard your heart against bitterness - it is the number one destroyer of disciples. Trust the Gardener; He is never closer than when He is pruning.
When you are busy and fruitful but have not trained anyone else to do what you do, you may be stuck at the “satisfaction barrier” between Chair 3 and Chair 4. Remember that God’s goal for you is not “more fruit” but “much fruit” (John 15:8) - and that requires reproduction. Find one person to invest in this week.