Discussion Questions

The speaker says our honest conduct among unbelievers should lead them to “see who and how God our Father really is and glorify Him, not us”; what would have to change in the way you think about “witness” for that to be the goal rather than being admired, influential, or sought out for advice? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If your goal in witnessing was for unbelievers to praise God (not you), how would your attitude or approach need to change so you’re not trying to be admired or seen as the “wise” person?

In 1 Peter 1:22 the speaker highlights “purified your souls by your obedience to the truth”; how does that order (obedience → purification → sincere brotherly love) confront common modern assumptions that obedience is optional or “extra” once you believe? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the order “obey the truth → be purified → love others sincerely” challenge the idea that obedience is optional after you believe?

The speaker calls “love one another earnestly” a choice that must be intentional; where do you see yourself relying on spontaneous feelings for love, and what practices would make love more deliberate in your relationships within the church? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you depend on loving feelings to show love, and what habits could help you choose to love people in your church on purpose?

Peter’s command “put away all malice…deceit…hypocrisy…envy…slander” is connected to becoming “like newborn infants”; which of the speaker’s “baby qualities” exposes the most adult, cultivated sin in you, and what would it look like to genuinely “go back” and start again there? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which “baby-like” quality shows you a grown-up, practiced sin in you the most, and what would it look like to start over and change there?

The speaker defines “sincere milk of the word” as “straightforward, honest, unembellished truth” and treats the Sermon on the Mount as that foundational milk; what teachings of Jesus do you tend to avoid, soften, or “embellish,” and how has that affected your growth? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which teachings of Jesus do you tend to dodge or water down, and how has that slowed your spiritual growth?

The speaker warns that trying to “plan our lives in Christ” while refusing to become a “living stone” creates “fissures” and “cracks” in the wall; where are you most tempted to keep yourself “the way you are” while still wanting to be part of God’s spiritual house? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where are you trying to follow Christ but still insisting on staying “just the way you are,” instead of becoming a “living stone” in God’s house?

The speaker claims there are only two kingdoms, and he names “religious institutions” as a “tolerated subculture of Satan’s kingdom” when Jesus’ words “find no enduring place in their hearts”; what specific markers would distinguish a church that has lost true spiritual life from a church that is genuinely being built on the cornerstone? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What clear signs show a church has lost real spiritual life, and what signs show a church is truly being built on Jesus as the cornerstone?

“They stumble because they disobey the word” and “we cannot separate Jesus from what He taught”; how does this challenge the way modern evangelicalism often separates trusting Jesus from obeying Jesus, especially regarding assurance and salvation? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does “you can’t separate Jesus from what He taught” challenge the common idea that you can trust Jesus without obeying Him, especially when it comes to assurance and salvation?

The speaker defines spiritual sacrifices concretely (time to pray, help, show love and kindness) and connects them to Revelation’s “bowls of incense” as “the prayers of the saints”; what “priestly” sacrifices are missing in your life because you treat them as optional rather than as your calling? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What “priestly” acts—like prayer, helping, and showing kindness—are missing in your life because you treat them as optional instead of your calling?

Peter’s exhortation to “abstain from the passions of the flesh” is framed as war against the soul that can turn “living stones” into “dead stones,” and the speaker says sin’s dominion is ultimately a choice under grace; where have you made peace with something that is actually waging war on your soul, and what would decisive abstaining look like this week in visible actions and hidden motives? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What sin have you made peace with even though it’s hurting your soul, and what would choosing to abstain look like this week in your actions and your private thoughts?