Discussion Questions
The speaker frames God’s blessing to Abraham as “blessed for a reason…to be a blessing to the nations,” and says God chose Abraham “not only…for salvation, but for service”; how does that reshape the way you understand God’s intentions in election, and what parts of your Christianity would have to change if service-to-the-nations is the point of being “blessed”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If God blessed Abraham so he could bless other nations, how does that change what you think “being chosen” is for? What would you need to change in your faith if being blessed is mainly about serving others?
The speaker ties Jesus’ “living water” (John 4) to a prayer that God would “send down that water and heal the land…through Your methods and not through ours”; what do you learn about God’s character from that contrast between God’s methods and ours, and where do you see yourself instinctively trusting “our methods” to get results? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does the difference between God’s ways and our ways teach you about what God is like? Where do you usually rely on human plans and strategies to get results instead of trusting God?
When the speaker asks what the kingdom of God is—rejecting “virtual reality,” “pie in the sky,” and “monks…philosophizing”—and then points to Acts 2 as a concrete picture, what specific practices in Acts 2 does he treat as “kingdom on earth,” and which of those practices feel most unrealistic or threatening to reproduce in your own church life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In Acts 2, what habits does the speaker point to as the kingdom of God happening on earth? Which of those habits feels hardest, most unrealistic, or even scary to try in your church life?
The speaker claims the early Christians changed Roman cities through ordinary congregational life rather than “all kinds of parachurch ministries”; based on the Roman city description he reads (plagues, filth, homelessness, widows, ethnic strife), what assumptions did early Christians seem to have about the church’s responsibility, and how does that differ from how modern Christians assume “professionals” or institutions should handle those needs? JumpstartAnother way to ask: From the problems in Roman cities (sickness, poverty, widows, conflict), what did early Christians seem to believe the church should do? How is that different from today, when we often expect professionals or organizations to handle those needs?
The speaker uses Emperor Julian’s complaint (“the godless Galileans care…for ours as well”) and then asks whether your town says that about your congregation; what would have to become visibly true in your congregation’s weekly rhythms for unbelievers to plausibly describe you that way, and what do you suspect currently blocks that kind of public reputation? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would your church have to do every week for non-Christians to say, “They care for our people too”? What do you think is stopping your church from getting that kind of reputation right now?
The speaker warns that people “buy into certain narratives” and then lays out three competing paradigms (conservative evangelical: preaching + national politics; progressive evangelical: activism + national politics; kingdom-focused: communities of faithful practice + personal relationships); which of his descriptions exposes a temptation you recognize in yourself, and how do you justify that temptation as “close to right” when you’re under pressure? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which of the three stories he describes (right-leaning politics, left-leaning politics, or local faithful community) tempts you the most? When you feel pressure, how do you convince yourself that temptation is “almost right”?
In his five “reject” points, the speaker says Anabaptists once would “storm the gates of hell” but later “pulled back,” becoming absorbed by “plants, places, and products”; where do you see isolationism showing up in subtle, respectable forms (not just moving rural), and what would “moving inward towards people” cost you in comfort, schedule, and identity? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see Christians pulling away from people in quiet, respectable ways (not just moving to the country)? What would it cost you in comfort, time, and sense of self to move toward people instead?
The speaker calls “get saved, avoid hell, get your ticket for heaven” an “impoverished gospel,” and quotes John Nugent saying the most dangerous religion is Christianity that keeps people “happy and healthy” without fellowship that showcases the kingdom; what parts of your discipleship have functioned mainly as self-protection or self-improvement, and what would it look like to repent of “meism” without sliding into burnout or performance? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What parts of your discipleship have mainly been about protecting yourself or improving yourself? What would it look like to turn from being self-centered without burning out or trying to earn God’s approval?
The speaker says “reject patriotism,” calls love of country “idolatry,” and even insists “Call it this country. Don’t call it our country,” arguing that refusing political entanglement can honor “the blood that Christ shed”; how would early Christians—who refused ruler-worship and embraced martyrdom—hear modern evangelical claims that political action is a necessary form of love of neighbor, and what fears rise up in you when you imagine actually living as a “host-nation” citizen? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How do you think early Christians—who refused emperor worship and were willing to die—would respond to the idea that political action is required to love your neighbor? What fears come up for you when you think about living more like a “guest” in this country than an owner?
The speaker quotes Nugent: if God’s strategy is a people whose life together reflects the kingdom, “any other strategy is apostasy,” and he pushes “prioritizing our community” with specific practices like regular shared meals, help in emergencies (his son’s injury), and “Sundays are out”; what concrete changes to your home life and calendar would make your community visibly non-optional, and which relationships in your church would become harder—but more honest—if you truly treated one-anothering as God’s primary strategy for blessing the world? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What real changes to your schedule and home life would show that your church community is not optional? If you took “one another” seriously, which relationships at church might get harder but also become more honest?