Discussion Questions

The speaker says Strength to Strength feels like something God has been “pouring His breath into,” with the admin team “hanging out the back” just trying to keep up—what does that description suggest about how God initiates and sustains work, and how should it shape the way Christians plan, measure, and talk about “success” in ministry initiatives? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If this work feels like God is the one starting and fueling it, how should that change how Christians plan, judge results, and talk about “success” in ministry?

When the speaker contrasts capitalism’s genuine goods (neonatal care, surgery, clean water) with its “ugly side” (pornography, gambling, factory farming, obesity, phone-isolated families), what does this reveal about God’s concern for both material provision and moral/spiritual corruption—and what “third way” questions should Christians be asking that neither the Chicago-school profit ethic nor socialist reactions can answer? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it show about God that capitalism can bring real help (like health care and clean water) but also serious harm (like porn and gambling)? What “third way” questions should Christians ask that neither pure profit thinking nor socialism really answers?

The speaker says kingdom Christians must “stand outside of these systems” and “advocate third-wave models”; what assumptions do modern Christians tend to absorb from partisan economic camps, and what would it look like for the church to form economic instincts primarily from Scripture rather than from ideological tribes? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What beliefs about money and the economy do Christians often pick up from politics without noticing? What would it look like for the church to shape its economic instincts mainly from Scripture instead?

The transcript distinguishes “business for mission,” “mission in business,” “business as platform,” “business as cover,” and “business as mission”; which of these categories do you most naturally default to, and what does that reveal about what you believe God values about ordinary work itself (not just what work can be used to finance or “smuggle in”)? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which idea do you most naturally follow: business for mission, mission in business, business as platform/cover, or business as mission? What does that say about what you think God values about everyday work itself?

The speaker argues that diseases like cholera and muscular dystrophy should be seen through a “second designer” framework (Satan corrupting creation), then links Jesus’ healings to “destroying the works of the devil”; how does that framing challenge common Christian explanations of suffering, and how might it expand what you consider “mission” beyond evangelism to include resisting corruption in creation? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the idea that Satan corrupts creation (a “second designer”) change the way you explain sickness and suffering? How might it widen your view of “mission” beyond evangelism to also fighting what is broken in the world?

He claims many Christian businesses suffer “weak excellence” and “sloppiness” because they lack “deep and abiding conviction” that their work aligns with God’s mission; where have you seen that dynamic in yourself or Christian communities, and what concrete practices would actually build conviction-driven excellence rather than religious branding? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you seen Christians do “sloppy” work because they don’t really believe their work matters to God? What practical habits could build real conviction and excellent work, not just Christian branding?

In discussing Matthew 6, the speaker says Jesus offers an “arbitrage opportunity” by converting earthly wealth (vulnerable to “moth, rust, thieves”) into eternal treasure “for yourselves,” and he insists rewards are not something to feel guilty about; what parts of modern evangelical culture make Christians uncomfortable with reward language, and how does Jesus’ logic confront both prosperity thinking and reward-embarrassment? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why do some Christians feel awkward when Jesus talks about rewards, like storing up treasure in heaven? How does Jesus’ teaching challenge both prosperity teaching and the idea that we should feel guilty about rewards?

The “High Class New York” case is used to argue that “investing is ownership” and therefore creates ethical responsibility—even for passive financiers; how should that principle reshape the way Christians think about retirement funds, index funds, or “hands-off” investments, and what level of diligence is actually faithful rather than scrupulous paralysis? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If investing means some kind of ownership, what responsibility do Christians have for what their retirement or index funds support? How much checking and research is faithful, without getting stuck in fear?

Using Deuteronomy 23 (“do not bring the earnings of a prostitute into the house of the Lord”) and Proverbs 1 (“Cast lots with us…share in the purse”), the speaker argues there is such a thing as “bad profit,” even if money is later donated; what kinds of income streams today are most tempting to justify with “but I tithe” logic, and what would repentance look like if the money itself came from harming neighbors’ bodies or souls? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kinds of income today are easy to excuse by saying, “But I tithe”? If money is made by hurting people’s bodies or souls, what would real repentance and change look like?

The speaker holds up William Carey, the Moravians, and the Puritans as examples where business bound Christians together, strengthened discipleship, and created credibility—then criticizes the “leftover scraps” model where work exhausts believers and church gets what remains; what would it require (and cost) for your community to recover a Moravian-like integration of work and discipleship, and how does Paul’s counsel in 1 Corinthians 7 (“if you can be made free…use it”) challenge modern assumptions about career safety, freedom, and being “Christ’s slave” rather than “slaves of men”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would it take—and what might it cost—for your church to connect work and discipleship more like the Moravians did instead of giving God “leftovers”? How does 1 Corinthians 7 challenge today’s ideas about career security, freedom, and living as Christ’s servant?