Discussion Questions

When the pastor warned, “If you would leave our church and go to a more conservative church, your husband and your children will not become Christian… It’s legalistic,” what picture of God was he assuming—what kind of God “wins” people—and how does that compare with the way Sabina experienced God leading her through conscience? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When the pastor said leaving for a more conservative church would keep your family from becoming Christian, what kind of God did he seem to believe in? How is that different from how Sabina felt God guiding her through her conscience?

Sabina said, “My conscience says it’s not right, and I cannot agree with it,” about women preaching/teaching; how should a Christian weigh conscience, Scripture, and church pressure when they conflict, and what does this reveal about God’s concern for obedience versus outcomes? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When your conscience, the Bible, and church pressure clash, how should a Christian decide what to do? What does this show about whether God cares more about obedience or about getting the results we want?

The pastor’s prediction about her family didn’t come true (“I praise God that they became Christians despite extremely conservative Christians in our lives”); what does this suggest about God’s power and intentions compared to human strategies for evangelism? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Sabina’s family became Christians even though the pastor’s warning was wrong—what does that say about God’s power compared to our plans for evangelism? What might it show about what God is really trying to do?

Sabina describes an unbelieving husband observing churches “from an outsider… point of view”; if early Christians assumed outsiders were watching the church’s life closely, what practices or priorities would they expect to be visibly distinct? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If non-Christians were watching the church closely like early Christians expected, what would they notice that is clearly different? What habits or priorities should stand out right away?

Sabina’s “football club” illustration argues that post-service conversation reveals what people truly follow; if a visitor listened to your group’s after-church talk, what would they conclude you love, fear, or hope in—and what might that say about God’s actual place in your life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If a visitor listened to your group talk after church, what would they think you care about most? What would that show about how important God really is in your daily life?

In the “liberal” church with a band and worship songs, Heiko “wasn’t very impressed,” but among the Mennonites he said, “They follow Jesus, and I can see that”; what do you think he saw there that he didn’t see before, and what does that imply God intends to communicate through a church? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why do you think Heiko could “see” people following Jesus among the Mennonites but not in the other church? What does that suggest God wants a church to show the world?

The first pastor praised Heiko’s “long, beautiful hair from the pulpit” to “win him,” while Dan Yoder never addressed the long hair but “invited him… took interest… talked about his beliefs”; what does each approach reveal about what they believed truly converts someone? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does the first pastor’s praise of Heiko’s hair to “win him” show about what he thought changes a person? What does Dan Yoder’s approach show he thought really leads someone to faith?

The speaker says, “If you want to do something, just do it. Don’t talk about it… It needs to be authentic”; where have you seen Christian “talk” substitute for obedience, and how would early Christians have judged a church that speaks well but lives indistinctly? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you seen Christians talk a lot but not obey much? How do you think early Christians would judge a church that sounds good but lives like everyone else?

The transcript contrasts “legalism and rules” with “the love that you saw”; how do you distinguish genuine obedience to Scripture from rule-keeping that lacks love, and where might modern evangelical ideas of “freedom” actually train us to distrust costly obedience? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can you tell the difference between obeying Scripture with love and just keeping rules without love? In what ways might today’s idea of “freedom” make people suspicious of hard, costly obedience?

Sabina claims, “If you invite some unbelieving neighbor, they would see what’s going on at the church. They definitely would understand”; what specific, observable changes in habits (conversation, hospitality, humility, seriousness about Scripture) would need to happen in your church for that statement to be true—and what are you currently tempted to protect instead? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What visible changes would need to happen in your church—like in conversations, hospitality, humility, and how you treat Scripture—so a neighbor could truly understand what you believe? What comforts or habits are you most tempted to protect instead?