Discussion Questions
Levi described being “a member in the church” while also saying, “I was not converted…Nothing changed.” What did he assume church membership and confession were supposed to do for him, and what does his story expose about the difference between external belonging and the new birth Jesus described to Nicodemus in John 3? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Levi thought being in the church and saying the right words would change him. What does his story show about the difference between just “belonging” on the outside and being born again like Jesus talks about in John 3?
Levi said he “would go to church and make confessions… but it never did” give strength, and later described real change coming through extended confession to his wife over months. What do these two kinds of “confession” reveal about what God is after—especially regarding honesty, exposure, and the kind of repentance that actually breaks sin’s power? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why didn’t Levi’s church confessions help him change, but months of honest confession to his wife did? What does that say about the kind of honesty and repentance God wants to break sin’s hold?
In the church conflict, Levi concluded, “They’re both wrong…They’re not being redemptive,” and he and his wife chose neutrality and lost trust/friendships. What does “being redemptive” mean in the way he used it, and how would early Christians (who expected costly unity and peacemaking) have judged the pressure from parents to “take a side”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Levi said both sides “weren’t being redemptive,” what did he mean by “redemptive”? How might early Christians have viewed the pressure from parents to pick a side instead of working for unity and peace?
Levi admitted he started reading Scripture to prove the elders wrong, then justified sin by saying the bishop was “just as bad as me.” Where do you see that same pattern—using real failures in leaders or churches as permission to keep private sin—and what would it look like to let God turn critique of the church into repentance rather than ammunition? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Levi used the leaders’ failures to excuse his own sin. Where do you see people do that today, and what would it look like to let problems in the church lead you to repentance instead of excuses?
Levi connected the 2016 election to his spiritual conflict, saying he realized he “couldn’t be loyal to the kingdom of God and to the kingdom of the world,” and he remembered the relief of “We won.” What does that moment reveal about what he was truly trusting for “safety,” and how does it challenge common evangelical assumptions about political victories as spiritual hope? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Levi felt relief after “We won” in the 2016 election, what was he really trusting to keep him safe? How does this challenge the idea that political wins are the same as spiritual hope?
Levi used the two-kingdoms idea as a turning point and compared conversion to switching armies mid-war. In what practical ways should allegiance-transfer show up (speech, conflict style, money, entertainment, enemies), and where do modern Christians try to keep “dual citizenship” without admitting it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If conversion is like switching sides in a war, what should change in everyday life (words, conflict, money, entertainment, how you treat enemies)? Where do Christians try to serve both God and the world without admitting it?
Levi said that after conversion he became “joyful in receiving maybe persecution,” while his wife was angry and said, “You can live it, but please keep it to yourself.” What do these reactions expose about how “the cross” feels inside marriage and church life, and what does it cost to speak about the kingdom when others prefer quiet respectability? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why was Levi joyful about possible persecution while his wife wanted him to stay quiet? What does this show about how following the cross can strain marriage and church life, and what it can cost to speak openly about God’s kingdom?
After being asked to leave his church by a deadline (without excommunication), Levi described losing zeal, becoming a “benchwarmer,” and then “small” sins like anger/critical spirit creeping in. How does his story confront the idea that a dramatic conversion experience guarantees long-term spiritual heat, and what practices might keep “zeal” from being crowded out by busyness and relief? JumpstartAnother way to ask: After being told to leave his church, Levi lost passion and “small” sins grew. How does this show that one dramatic conversion doesn’t guarantee lasting zeal, and what habits help keep zeal from fading with busyness and comfort?
Discuss Levi’s paint illustration: diluting pigment, painting over red with white, distressing that reveals the undercoat, and the “tiny drop” that disappears but still tints everything. Which part most accurately describes how you’ve seen sin function in “good Christian” lives, and what does the illustration imply about God’s ability—and willingness—to truly cleanse rather than merely cover? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In Levi’s paint example (diluting, covering, undercoat showing, one tiny drop tinting everything), which part best shows how sin often works in “good Christian” lives? What does the picture suggest about whether God can truly clean us, not just cover things up?
Levi warned that many Christians “accept” sin, then “justify sin and claim grace” without repentance, and he used the woman in Columbus who said, “I can’t have Jesus because I am gay,” as an example of honesty. In what ways can church culture create people who are less honest than that woman—claiming assurance while living in slavery—and what would repentance, discipleship, and church discipline look like if Galatians 5 and John 8 were taken literally? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can church culture lead people to hide or excuse sin while still claiming they’re fine with God? If Galatians 5 and John 8 were taken seriously, what would real repentance, discipleship, and church discipline look like?