Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 1
The speaker opens by saying “God’s tabernacle has always wanted to live within people,” and connects that to rejecting “fancy buildings”; what picture of God’s priorities and presence is he trying to recover, and what would a church shaped by Acts 7 and Stephen’s message deliberately choose to look like?
Another way to ask: When he says God wants to live in people, not in “fancy buildings,” what does that say about what God cares about most? If a church took Acts 7 and Stephen seriously, what would it choose to be like on purpose?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s teaching, God’s priority is to dwell in His people (individually and together), so the church should aim for a visible, obedient life that showcases God’s presence rather than relying on impressive religious structures. A church shaped by Acts 7 would deliberately choose simplicity—spaces and practices that don’t distract from “people as the temple.”
- He opens with: “God’s tabernacle has always wanted to live within people… that’s where the temple of God is: the people as individuals and together.”
- He explicitly connects this to rejecting status-symbol religion: “We don’t want fancy buildings. We want people to be attracted to the life that we live that shows God’s presence.”
- He imagines what the church could have told Constantine: “Thank you… but Jesus said… Stephen’s message from Acts chapter 7,” then repeats the people-as-temple emphasis.
- He frames the invitation as relational and embodied: “Come… eat with us… Come to our simple places and see what real joy and peace is like.”
- He warns against being swayed by what “looks wonderful” if it contradicts “clear teachings of Jesus.”