Discussion Questions

Peter says he might have arranged the chapter differently but trusts the Holy Spirit’s ordering; what does that assumption reveal about how God communicates priorities through Scripture, even when the flow “doesn’t apply to us…yet” or feels non-intuitive? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Peter thinks the Holy Spirit arranged the chapter on purpose, even if the order feels odd. What does that say about how God shows us what matters most in Scripture, even when it doesn’t seem to fit us yet?

Peter’s repeated warning is aimed “especially” at Christians who refuse to grow and become “blind” and forget they were “purged from [their] old sins”; how does that challenge common modern categories like “saved but not serious,” and what signs would a group actually look for to diagnose this kind of spiritual amnesia? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Peter warns Christians who stop growing can become “blind” and forget they were cleansed from old sins. How does this challenge the idea of being “saved but not serious,” and what signs would show someone has this kind of spiritual forgetfulness?

The speaker suggests that when the early church was “young, pliable…open to learning,” it was also “vulnerable”; how would early Christians have held together openness to God’s voice with suspicion of “other things” entering in, and what practices today would either strengthen or weaken that balance? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker says the early church was open to learning but also easy to mislead. How could early Christians stay open to God while guarding against wrong ideas, and what habits today would help or hurt that balance?

Peter grounds apostolic teaching in being “eyewitnesses of his majesty”; in the transcript the speaker defines majesty as Jesus’ character and leadership rather than “apparel” or “military prowess”—what specific features of Jesus’ way of leading should function as a test for teaching and authority in the church? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Peter says the apostles taught as eyewitnesses of Jesus’ “majesty,” meaning his character and leadership. What parts of Jesus’ leadership should we use to test who should be trusted to teach and lead in the church?

The teacher contrasts apostolic proclamation with being surrounded by Greek myths and “cultural traditions…taboos,” and later warns about stories that “appeal to the emotions” while “lacking in character”; where do you see modern Christian equivalents of “cunningly devised fables,” and how can a group tell when emotional appeal has replaced truth and obedience? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The teacher warns about stories that sound good and stir emotions but don’t produce real character and obedience. What are today’s Christian versions of “clever made-up stories,” and how can a group tell when feelings have replaced truth and obedience?

In the Mount of Transfiguration account, the speaker says Peter’s “three tabernacles” idea effectively put Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah, and God immediately corrects that with “Hear ye him”; what are practical ways Christians today subtly equalize Jesus with other authorities (church tradition, political ideology, favorite teachers, “prophetic words”), and what would it look like to re-center everything through “Hear ye him”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Peter wanted to build three shelters, which treated Jesus like he was on the same level as Moses and Elijah, and God corrected him: “Listen to him.” How do Christians today put Jesus on the same level as other authorities, and what would it look like to truly put “Listen to him” first?

The speaker connects “Hear ye him” to the church being harassed by Judaizers claiming people must “observe the law of Moses” to be saved; what does this reveal about God’s intention for authority in the new covenant, and how might modern churches recreate a “unless you ____ you cannot be saved” message (even if the blank isn’t Mosaic law)? JumpstartAnother way to ask: “Listen to him” mattered when people said you had to keep Moses’ law to be saved. What does that show about who has authority in the new covenant, and how might churches today create their own “unless you ___ you can’t be saved” message?

Peter’s “more sure word of prophecy” is presented as superior to contemporary prophetic claims because the apostles were with “the author of life…word made flesh”; how should this reshape the weight you give to modern prophecy, impressions, and new revelations—especially in communities that emphasize being “filled with the Holy Spirit”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Peter calls Scripture a “more sure” prophetic word than newer prophetic claims because the apostles knew Jesus personally. How should that affect how much weight we give to modern prophecies, impressions, and “new revelations,” especially in Spirit-filled churches?

The “lost in a cave” illustration is used to explain “take heed…as unto a light that shineth in a dark place,” and the speaker says we should read Jesus and the apostles “as if our very life depends on extracting their meaning,” celebrating rediscovery of the Sermon on the Mount; what habits, time use, and church programming choices would have to change if a congregation truly treated Jesus’ teaching that way? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker says we should treat Jesus’ and the apostles’ words like a life-saving light in the dark. If a church really believed that, what would need to change about people’s habits, schedules, and church programs?

When explaining “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,” the speaker warns against developing a theory and plugging it into isolated verses, then illustrates God’s severity with the disobedient prophet (1 Kings 13) and Moses striking the rock (Numbers 20); what does this teaching suggest about God’s character toward leaders who misrepresent him, and how should that sober reality shape how a group selects teachers, evaluates interpretations, and handles correction? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker warns against building a theory from a few verses and shows how seriously God dealt with leaders like the disobedient prophet and Moses. What does this say about how God views leaders who misrepresent him, and how should it shape how a group chooses teachers, checks interpretations, and corrects mistakes?