Discussion Questions

Dean Taylor calls “the cross” the Christian’s “most ultimate weapon” that makes “man’s strength, resources, and good ideas” futile—what does this chapter suggest God is trying to destroy in us, and why would God choose weakness and death as His primary strategy? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Taylor says the cross makes human strength and good ideas useless. What do you think God is trying to break down in us, and why would He use weakness and death to do it?

Jesus’ commissioning picture is “sheep in the midst of wolves,” and Tertullian argues sheep are not those who “repel force with force” but those slain “with patience”—how do you think the earliest Christians heard Jesus’ “sheep” language, and what instincts in us resist Tertullian’s definition of faithfulness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Jesus says His followers are like sheep among wolves, and Tertullian says faithful sheep don’t fight back but suffer patiently. How do you think the first Christians understood that image, and what in us pushes back against that kind of faithfulness?

The chapter lists the apostles’ deaths and calls what the world would label “unmitigated failure” something Christ calls “blessed”—what does that reversal reveal about God’s definition of success, and how would it reshape the way we measure “fruitfulness” in ministry? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The apostles’ deaths look like total failure to the world, but the chapter calls them “blessed.” What does that say about how God defines success, and how might it change how we judge “fruitfulness” in ministry?

When Peter tried to protect Jesus from suffering, Jesus replied, “Get behind me, Satan…you are not mindful of the things of God but the things of men”—what “things of men” most often shape your decision-making, and what would it look like to treat those instincts as spiritually dangerous rather than merely natural? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Jesus told Peter he was thinking “the things of men” instead of God’s ways. What human priorities most shape your choices, and what would it look like to see those instincts as spiritually dangerous?

Taylor says “perhaps the biggest tool of the enemy is the fear of death,” then links it to everyday self-preservation—where do you see fear of loss (health, reputation, money, safety, control) quietly governing your choices more than obedience to Christ? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Taylor says fear of death—and fear of loss—often controls us. Where do fears like losing health, reputation, money, safety, control, or comfort guide your choices more than obeying Christ?

In the early morning prayer story, Taylor admits he tried to justify a difficult calling as “healthy,” but felt “liberated” by the blunt thought, “we’re all probably going to die earlier because of this”—what does that moment expose about our need to sanctify obedience with practical benefits, and where do you do the same thing? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Taylor felt freed when he stopped trying to call a hard obedience “healthy” and admitted it might shorten his life. What does that show about our need to justify obedience with practical benefits, and where do you do that?

Paul’s “to die is gain” and “all who desire to live godly…will be persecuted” is presented as normal early-Christian expectation—how does this collide with modern evangelical assumptions about blessing, safety, and God’s will, and what changes if we accept persecution as part of discipleship rather than an exception? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Paul treats persecution and even death as normal for Christians. How does that challenge modern ideas about blessing, safety, and God’s will, and what changes if we see persecution as part of discipleship?

Taylor frames modern “what-if” questions (Hitler, Islam, job loss, family attacks, even “someone kicks your dog”) as attempts to “skirt around the cross,” and calls embracing the cross the “Christian nuclear weapon”—which “what-if” scenarios most powerfully control you, and how would Romans 8:35–39 answer them without promising earthly protection? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Taylor says “what-if” fears are a way to avoid the cross. Which “what-if” situations control you most, and how would Romans 8:35–39 answer those fears without promising you’ll be safe on earth?

Applying the cross to “lawsuits,” Paul calls it “utter failure” to sue and asks, “Why not rather accept wrong…be cheated?”—what would “accept wrong” look like in a concrete conflict you’ve faced (business, church, family), and what heart-idols does that command threaten? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Paul says it’s better to accept being wronged than to sue. In a real conflict you’ve faced (work, church, family), what would it look like to accept the wrong, and what desires in your heart would that threaten?

The chapter’s forgiveness stories (the South African woman embracing Van De Broeck; John Welsh’s wife preferring his beheading over compromise) and Revelation’s “lion” revealed as a “slain lamb” push a specific picture of God’s power—what kind of God must He be to place slain-Lamb victory at the center of heaven’s worship, and what parts of your Christianity would have to change if that is truly the center? JumpstartAnother way to ask: These stories and Revelation show God winning like a slain Lamb, not like a warrior who crushes enemies. What kind of God would make that the center of heaven’s worship, and what would you need to change if that’s also the center of your faith?