Discussion Questions

Leo highlighted 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (“not the gospel of God only, but also of our own souls”) and called it “more than just the gospel to be effective”; where in the Bangladesh story did “imparting our own souls” show up in concrete, costly ways (time, inconvenience, risk, reputation), and what does that suggest about how God normally advances the gospel? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In the Bangladesh story, where did the team give more than words—giving their time, comfort, safety, or reputation—to show they were sharing their very lives? What does that show about how God usually spreads the gospel?

Arnold said the Bangladesh work is “easy to take your finger and trace the work of God through it,” especially because they did not choose the area, the building, or even the village; how does that view of God’s providence challenge common Christian instincts to prioritize strategy, control, and “best use of resources”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: They didn’t choose the place, building, or village, yet God clearly worked through it. How does that challenge our desire to plan everything, stay in control, and always pick what seems most “efficient”?

The team’s very public presence (265 volunteers, living in a government building, working in mud and floodwater) created visibility and rapport; what does this imply about the early Christian assumption that witness is embodied and observable, not private and “non-invasive”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Because the team worked publicly and lived among the people, everyone could see them. What does that say about Christian witness being something people watch in real life, not something private and hidden?

Arnold described English teaching in public schools as a platform that avoids suspicion (“not little private classes happening in the back room”) and forces immersion (“before two weeks is out, you’re invited home”); what does this reveal about God’s wisdom in using ordinary, legitimate work to open relational access, and how might that confront modern expectations of quick, event-based evangelism? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How did ordinary public-school English teaching help build trust and real friendships in a way that secret meetings could not? How does that challenge the idea that evangelism should be fast and event-focused?

Amon’s turning point began with a question he asked (“What’s the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament?”), and Arnold said, “If you ever can work in the Muslim world, get them to ask you the question”; what does this approach assume about humility, patience, and trust in God’s timing—and how does it critique pushy or performative “sharing the gospel” habits? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why is it powerful when a Muslim person is the one asking the questions instead of Christians pushing the conversation? What does this say about humility, patience, and waiting for God’s timing?

Arnold chose to start in Genesis (Adam/Eve, fall, sin) and directly contrasted Islam’s “good deeds” logic with the Christian diagnosis of sin; what did the teaching imply about the nature of sin and human inability, and where do modern evangelical presentations sometimes soften that confrontation to keep conversations comfortable? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Starting in Genesis, Arnold focused on sin and our inability to fix ourselves, not just “doing better.” What does that teach about what sin really is, and where do Christians today sometimes soften that message to keep things comfortable?

Arnold emphasized that the whole difference between Islam and Christianity “hangs on…Jesus Christ,” and later said the “only safe way” is to compare Muhammad against Jesus, because “Jesus stands on his own”; how does that method of apologetics reveal what they believe about Jesus’ authority and sufficiency, and what temptations does it resist (winning arguments, tearing down without building faith)? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why did Arnold say the key difference comes down to Jesus, and that comparing Muhammad to Jesus is the “safest” way? What does that show about who they believe Jesus is, and what bad habits does it help avoid in arguing about faith?

Amon asked for a church (“even in the Islamic world, we have to discuss our faith to keep it alive”), and Arnold’s counsel was essentially: begin sharing with family and friends and let a church emerge; how does that reflect early Christian assumptions about church formation, discipleship, and ordinary believers as the engine of growth—and what modern church-centered assumptions does it unsettle? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Amon asked for a church, Arnold told him to start sharing with family and friends and let a church grow from that. How does that match how the early church started, and how does it challenge modern ideas that church growth must be led by big programs or professionals?

After Amon’s baptism he hid from being seen “pretty wet,” then he disappeared into jail for 16 months, with pressure and betrayal suspected from family; what does this narrative teach about the real cost of conversion, the fragility of “assurance” narratives that assume ease, and the kind of perseverance the New Testament expects as normal? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Amon tried to hide his baptism and later spent 16 months in jail, likely because of family pressure. What does this teach about the real cost of following Jesus and the kind of endurance the New Testament says to expect?

Leo described Bangladeshi believers asking for teaching on marriage because Christian liberty made women seem “too bossy,” and then he taught Ephesians 5; how does this reveal both the power and the danger of “freedom” when it enters a culture, and what heart-motives (control, fear, self-protection, pride) might need repentance in men and women when the gospel reshapes authority and service? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Christian freedom entered the culture, it caused conflict about marriage roles, so Leo taught Ephesians 5. How can “freedom” be both good and risky in a culture, and what wrong heart attitudes might men and women need to repent of as the gospel reshapes leadership and service?