The Significance of Parables

1. What is a parable - A parable is a story that veils truth. This way those who hear it can find understanding which fits their own level of faith. So a parable is a story that has meaning only as far as we have faith.


2.   a) Describing the future growth of the church in context of scripture parables - The purpose of growth is to harvest; logic following the growth will continue until it is time to separate the wheat from the tares. At that point there will be a falling away. Until then, however, there will be growth.

      b) Why does our church send out so many missionaries? - Fishers of men. Like casting a net out into the sea to catch fish, the bigger the net the more fish one can catch. So naturally having a larger "net" of missionaries will make the catch much larger.
   
      c) How has our church grown so quickly when it relatively new, and started relatively small? - People will hold onto those things which are valuable to them. A small pearl of great price is worth more than all the other treasures a person has. So really the answer is testimony and faith. People can find truth and comfort in something, and that is a pearl of great price.


      d) Why do members fall away from the church? - Trials of faith can come in many forms, but they are meant to separate the wheat from the tares, the righteous from the wicked, and faithful from the faithless. 


3.   a) Sacrifices for the gospel - Many people give up friends, family, religion, and money in order to have their pearl of great price (the gospel). I have given up some of the above, but mostly friends. Religion teaches us to love our neighbor, but we should not let that drag us down to a level lower than we currently stand.


      b) Gathering the good, and casting our the bad - As with any mechanism, if there is a broken piece, or a piece that is not functioning properly it must be removed and replaced. A religion is a living breathing organism, and it is no different from a mechanism. The bad must be sifted from the good. As in the parable of the fishing net they will cast out a net for all, but they will cut away the bad so that it does not infect the good.