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A Change of Allegiance  /  Chapter 5, The Early Church  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 5
The chapter stresses that at Christ’s coming “He set up His kingdom in which He alone reigns as King,” and that early Christians meant “Thy kingdom come” literally—what practical differences would show up in your calendar, spending, voting, career plans, or conflict habits if Jesus’ kingdom were treated as your primary political reality?
Another way to ask: If Jesus’ kingdom was your main loyalty, what would change in how you use time, spend money, vote, plan your career, or handle conflict?

Direct Answer Based on Dean Taylor’s teaching, treating Jesus’ kingdom as primary would mean ordering daily life around the King’s prescribed “structure, practices, laws, and even… weapons,” especially in how we handle conflict and participation in violence. The transcript doesn’t directly address calendars, voting, or spending, but it strongly implies that allegiance decisions would reshape life-plans and career choices.

Support from Transcript:

  • “Christ… set up His kingdom in which He alone reigns as King.”
  • Early Christians meant it when they prayed, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”
  • As citizens, “their structure, practices, laws, and even their weapons had been prescribed by their King.”
  • Dean frames his own change as political/allegiance: “I had undergone a change of allegiance. My allegiance was to Jesus.”
  • The key practical area emphasized is conflict: “No just wars… ‘Love your enemies,’” and refusal to “make peace with war.”
Discussion Follow-ups If Jesus’ kingdom sets the terms, where would your current plans collide with His “prescribed” way? What would you stop doing because it implies a different allegiance?

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