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Jumpstarter 5 of 10

Ideas to help restart your discussion
Question 5
He lists “impractical marching orders” (love enemies, go “defenseless,” weapons “not carnal,” “we do not war in the flesh,” dying is gain, overcome by “blood of the Lamb…not loving our lives”); which of these orders do you most instinctively postpone to “another age,” and what does that reveal about how you picture God’s wisdom versus “real life”?
Another way to ask: Taylor lists hard commands like love your enemies, be defenseless, and don’t fight with earthly weapons. Which one do you tend to push off to “someday,” and what does that show about whether you trust God’s wisdom in real life?

Direct Answer Taylor’s point is that postponing Jesus’ “impractical” commands usually reveals we treat them as ideals for a future world instead of present marching orders for the church. When I delay enemy-love or defenselessness, it shows I trust “real life” logic—power, protection, retaliation—more than the wisdom of Christ’s kingdom.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says we are “commanded to love, feed, warm, and care, and even our very enemies of the countries in which we live.”
  • He calls our orders “impractical marching orders” like going “defenseless… before wolves or sheep before the slaughter.”
  • He insists “our weapons are not… earthly… not carnal, but mighty,” and “we do not war in the flesh.”
  • He contrasts covenants: OT orders “to destroy men’s lives,” but now “new orders to save them.”
  • He notes the new-covenant mindset: “dying actually is gain… and… the cross is our example.”
  • He describes end-time victory: not “bombs and chemical warfare,” but “by the blood of the Lamb… testimony… not loving our lives… unto the death.”
Discussion Follow-ups Which command feels most unrealistic to you right now—enemy-love, nonviolence, or accepting suffering? Taylor would likely ask whether the issue is practicality or allegiance.