Discussion Questions

The speaker describes two opposite reactions to Acts 2—“Let it happen again” emotional revivalism with “little or no fruit of repentance,” and tradition-driven “outward conformity” with “very little life”; where have you personally seen each error show up, and what specific “fruit” was missing in each case? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you seen (1) high-emotion “revival” that didn’t lead to real repentance, and (2) strict tradition that looked right but felt lifeless? What good “fruit” was missing in each one?

The speaker argues there is a “middle road” that “produces life…good works, and revival,” summarized as “submission to Christ, his kingdom, and his body…the church,” including “submission to one another”; what would that kind of submission practically require that many modern Christians instinctively resist? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker says the healthy “middle road” is submitting to Christ and to the church, even to each other. What would that kind of submission require that many Christians today naturally push back against?

Acts 2:42 lists four central elements—apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayers—and the speaker asks whether we have “replaced them with our own system of worship”; what are concrete modern replacements you’ve seen (even good things) that subtly push these four to the margins? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Acts 2:42 centers on teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. What modern church habits or programs (even good ones) have you seen that slowly replace these or push them to the side?

The speaker lingers on the word “steadfastly/devoted,” using phrases like “attend continually” and “continual devotion,” and says “there was no question that they were all in”; what does “all in” look like in scheduling, finances, and priorities today, and what would have to be cut or reordered for it to be real? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If being “devoted” means you’re truly “all in,” what would that look like with your time, money, and priorities today? What would you need to cut out or rearrange to make it real?

Psalm 63 is used as a picture of devotion under pressure—seeking God early, meditating at daybreak, thirsting in a “waterless land,” and saying “your mercy is better than life”; what does that reveal about God’s worth and mercy, and how does it challenge the way we explain “the good life” to believers now? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Psalm 63 shows someone wanting God even in a hard, dry place and saying God’s mercy is “better than life.” What does that say about God’s worth, and how does it challenge what Christians often call “the good life”?

The speaker cites a claim about early church practice: Psalm 63 was publicly sung daily and began Sunday psalm singing; what early-Christian assumptions about corporate worship, daily rhythm, and devotion are implied by that practice, and how would adopting anything like it reshape a typical church service? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If early Christians really sang Psalm 63 together every day, what does that show about their view of worship and daily devotion? How might doing something like that change a normal church service today?

Devotion is defined as “love, loyalty, or enthusiasm” toward a “person, activity, and a cause” (Christ, worship, kingdom); when your life gets crowded, which of those three is easiest to reduce first, and what does that expose about what you’re actually loyal to? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Devotion can be toward Christ, worship, and the kingdom. When life gets busy, which one do you shrink first, and what does that show about what you’re most loyal to?

Using Cornelius, the speaker highlights a man devoted to God while also devoted to a demanding vocation, saying devotion to God “overshadowed his other duties”; how should a Christian evaluate career ambitions, oaths/commitments, and family responsibilities so they “aid” devotion rather than “distract” from it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Cornelius was serious about God while also doing a demanding job, and God came first. How can a Christian tell whether career goals, promises, and family duties are helping devotion to God or pulling them away from it?

Daniel’s refusal to adjust his prayer habits even under threat—windows open, same place, “as he was doing before”—is presented as “ultimate devotion”; what pressures today tempt you to move your worship “into the basement,” and what would it cost to keep public, patterned faithfulness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Daniel kept praying the same way even when it was dangerous. What pressures today tempt you to hide or downplay your faith, and what would it cost you to stay openly faithful?

The speaker ends with Laodicea: Jesus “vomits” the lukewarm, rebukes those who say “I have need of nothing,” and stands outside knocking; what signs would indicate Jesus is functionally “outside the door” of a person’s or a congregation’s life, and what would “be zealous and repent” look like in specific, measurable changes this week? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Laodicea thought they needed nothing, but Jesus was “outside the door.” What signs show that Jesus is being pushed out of a person’s life or a church, and what specific changes this week would show real zeal and repentance?