Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
When discussing people who want Anabaptist convictions but lack local fellowship, Samantha says faith must be grounded enough to stand alone—“He is sufficient”—and asks whether you’d hold to convictions like nonresistance or divorce/remarriage even if no one stands with you; what does that reveal about God’s role as the source of strength, and how does it challenge the assumption that obedience requires ideal church conditions?
Another way to ask: Would you still follow hard convictions like nonresistance or teaching on divorce/remarriage if you had no supportive church around you? What does that show about depending on God instead of depending on ideal church conditions?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s teaching, God Himself must be the believer’s strength when community support is absent, because “He is sufficient.” This challenges the idea that we can only obey when we have the “right” church nearby; obedience may require standing alone.
- She names “distance” as a real issue: seekers say, “I believe this, but I have no church.”
- She admits community helps: “it is easier to maintain our values… when we have support… it is hard.”
- Yet she returns to grounding: faith must be “grounded on the word of God and on the strength of God.”
- She asks pointedly about convictions: if everyone approves divorce/remarriage, “are you going to be willing to be that person that says no… even if there’s no one standing with you?”
- She concludes: “We’re made for fellowship, but if we don’t have that, He is sufficient.”