Discussion Questions

The speaker quotes Acts 1:3 and emphasizes that the risen Jesus spent 40 days giving “many convincing proofs” while “speaking about the kingdom of God”; how does that picture of Jesus reshape what you think Jesus prioritizes for the church after the resurrection? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Acts 1:3 says Jesus spent 40 days proving he was alive and talking about God’s kingdom. How does that change what you think Jesus wanted the church to focus on after he rose from the dead?

The speaker prays that God is “intensely involved with the affairs on earth,” including persecution and people “coming out of Ramadan” who feel “coldness from Allah”; what does this prayer assume about God’s heart toward Muslims, and what would it look like for Christians to become the kind of “body” God uses in that moment? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The prayer says God cares deeply about Muslims, including those leaving Ramadan and feeling far from Allah. What does that say about God’s heart toward Muslims, and how could Christians be the “body” God uses to help them?

Saratchi says his Catholic primary school gave him a negative picture of Christianity because priests taught well but “don’t really follow what they are teaching”; where do Christians today unintentionally train observers to believe “this is how the whole Christianity is,” and what repentance would be concrete rather than emotional? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Saratchi saw priests teach one thing but live another, and it made Christianity look fake. Where do Christians today send that same message, and what would real, practical repentance look like (not just feeling sorry)?

Saratchi describes being “in between”—counting himself Muslim because of family, yet admitting he knew “nothing about Muslim” and “nothing about Christianity”; how would early Christians have responded to someone who identifies by heritage but not obedience, and what does that expose about modern “Christian identity”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Saratchi called himself Muslim because of family, but didn’t really follow Islam or Christianity. How might early Christians respond to someone who claims a faith by background but not by obedience, and what does that show about how we define “Christian” today?

Saratchi says his mind changed within “one month” because he encountered a community where “everyone is held accountable,” people are hospitable, honest, and “part of family”; what specific forms of accountability and shared life do you think he actually experienced, and which of those are hardest for churches in your context to practice without excuses? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Saratchi changed quickly because he found a community that was honest, welcoming, and held people accountable like family. What kinds of accountability and shared life do you think he saw, and which are hardest for churches where you live to do without making excuses?

Saratchi kept retaking “Creation to New Creation” until a Genesis insight pierced him: “If I’m the image bearer of God… do I really represent God?”; what would it mean to treat “image-bearing” as a demanding call to represent God publicly rather than a comforting label? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Saratchi realized that being made in God’s image means you should actually represent God. What changes if we treat “image-bearer” as a serious public responsibility instead of a comforting title?

Charlton told Saratchi he needed to “make things right” before baptism, including a “proper marriage” rather than simply living together as culturally accepted “marriage”; how does that sequencing (repentance and concrete obedience before baptism) challenge common evangelical expectations about grace, immediacy, and assurance? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Charlton told Saratchi to fix his life first (like getting properly married) before being baptized. How does that order—repentance and real obedience before baptism—challenge common evangelical ideas about grace happening instantly and feeling assured right away?

Saratchi quotes Jesus’ hard saying about hating father/mother/wife/children/self and calls it “counting the cost,” then describes being cut off by family and choosing “I will never go back”; how should discipleship teaching prepare people for real relational loss, and what signs show a church is avoiding Jesus’ cost-counting to keep things comfortable? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Saratchi talks about “counting the cost” and being rejected by his family for following Jesus. How should churches prepare people for losing relationships, and what shows a church is avoiding Jesus’ hard teachings to keep things easy?

Saratchi told his wife, “following Christ is… work… we really need to be faithful… push it hard,” and the speaker says, “How different Christianity would look” if everyone embraced that; where does your own Christianity resist the idea of “work” (discipline, endurance, obedience), and how can you tell the difference between Spirit-empowered effort and self-righteous striving? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Saratchi said following Christ takes hard work—faithfulness, discipline, and pushing through. Where do you resist that kind of effort, and how can you tell the difference between effort led by the Spirit and trying to look good on your own?

Saratchi sought out his father to forgive him before baptism, then later hosted him for a week and connected this to Jesus’ teaching to “love our enemy”; what does this reveal about the kind of reconciliation God aims to bring “heaven to earth,” and what “making things right” conversation have you delayed that could test whether you truly believe Jesus’ teachings are meant to be done? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Saratchi forgave his father before baptism and later showed him love, connecting it to Jesus’ command to love enemies. What does this show about the kind of peace and reconciliation God wants, and what “make things right” talk have you been putting off that would test whether you really plan to obey Jesus?