Discussion Questions

The speaker frames Strength to Strength as helping the Church “earnestly contend for the faith,” then immediately insists the call must focus on “people, not statistics”; what does that reveal about what the speaker believes God is after in moments of geopolitical crisis, and where might that confront how you typically process war news? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker says we should “contend for the faith,” but focus on people, not numbers. What does that show he thinks God cares about during war, and how does it challenge how you usually take in war news?

The speaker quotes Galatians 3:28–29 (“neither Jew nor Gentile… you are Abraham’s seed”) to reject dispensationalism and “God working on two fronts”; how does that argument reshape how Christians should talk about the modern nation-state of Israel, and what popular Christian assumptions does it directly challenge? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Using Galatians 3:28–29, the speaker says God is not working on “two fronts.” How should this change how Christians talk about the modern country of Israel, and what common Christian beliefs does it question?

The speaker says Western Christians can “quickly get aligned with powers,” especially conservative Christianity urging U.S. alignment with Israel; what would it look like for a church to recognize where it has been discipled more by national power narratives than by the New Covenant? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker warns that Western Christians can get pulled into supporting powerful nations, like the U.S. backing Israel. What would it look like for a church to admit it has been shaped more by national stories than by the New Covenant?

The speaker uses James (“pure and undefiled religion… visit orphans and widows… keep oneself unspotted from the world”) to warn that “powers of our day” can influence believers; what specific “spots” do you think the speaker believes this conflict could put on Christians in the West, and how would those spots show up in speech, media habits, or political reflexes? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker says worldly “powers” can leave “spots” on Christians. What kinds of “spots” might this conflict put on Western Christians, and how would you see them in our words, media use, and political reactions?

In prayer, the speaker highlights Jesus weeping over Jerusalem and connects it to “rich lording over the poor” and exploitation at the temple; how does that picture of Jesus shape the way Christians should interpret oppression and corruption today—especially when it is tied to places saturated with biblical history? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker points to Jesus weeping over Jerusalem and connects it to the rich abusing the poor at the temple. How should this shape the way Christians understand oppression and corruption today, especially in places tied to Bible history?

The speaker prays that Christians would be willing “in the face of evil” to “absorb evil as your Son did,” calling this “the upside-down ways of the Messiah”; how does that teaching land on you when the evil described is Hamas’ massacre and the retaliatory violence that follows, and what do you fear would happen if Christians actually lived that way publicly? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The speaker prays that Christians would “absorb evil” like Jesus did. How does that idea hit you when thinking about Hamas’ killings and the violence that follows, and what are you afraid would happen if Christians lived that way in public?

Stephen says terminology (“Palestine,” “West Bank,” “Israel”) is “really important” because it signals what side you’re on, even if you’re “not actually taking a side”; what does this teach about truth-telling and peacemaking in a polarized environment, and how might early Christians have navigated similar pressure to declare loyalty to one side? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Stephen says the words we use (“Palestine,” “West Bank,” “Israel”) can sound like choosing a side. What does that teach about telling the truth and making peace when people are polarized, and how might early Christians have handled similar pressure to pick a side?

Stephen describes the West Bank closures, live fire responses, and the “hopelessness” that fuels young men throwing stones; how does his account complicate the simple “good guys vs. terrorists” storyline, and what would repentance look like for Christians who have repeated that storyline with confidence? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Stephen describes closures, live gunfire, and hopelessness in the West Bank that leads some young men to throw stones. How does this make the “good guys vs. terrorists” story less simple, and what would repentance look like for Christians who repeated that story confidently?

Stephen reports about Gaza’s tiny registered Christian population (“about 800 of 2.4 million”), the church bomb damage and deaths, prank calls to churches, and claims that Hamas pressures people to remain as human shields; what does this reveal about the kind of suffering God allows His people to endure, and what responsibilities does that place on believers who live far from the cost? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Stephen talks about the small Christian community in Gaza and the threats and losses they face. What does this show you about the suffering God may allow His people to go through, and what does that mean for Christians who are far away and safe?

Stephen says Elijah, a Palestinian Christian, refuses both Hamas’ actions and partisan allegiance, using Joshua’s encounter with the commander of the Lord’s army (“neither”); what would it require for you to say, in a concrete modern controversy, “my place as a Christian is on neither side,” and how would that expose where your identity is more national, ethnic, or ideological than cruciform? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Elijah rejects both Hamas and partisan loyalty and says, like Joshua, “neither.” What would it take for you to say “as a Christian, I’m on neither side” in a real issue today, and how might that reveal where your identity is more national, ethnic, or political than cruciform?