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Radical Reformation History  /  Lecture 14: The Birth of the Hutterites (Part 2)  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 8
Brother Paul told the Lutheran ministers, “If you can show me one little flock of Christ that is a fruit of your preaching, I will join them,” and then argued fiercely for a visible, identifiable church using Jesus’ and Peter’s words; what would count today as a “little flock” you could actually point to, and how would this visible-church demand disrupt common evangelical confidence in an “invisible church” that cannot be located?
Another way to ask: What would a real “little flock” of Christ look like today that you could actually point to and identify? How does that challenge the idea of an “invisible church” that can’t be clearly found anywhere?

Direct Answer In the transcript, a “little flock” would be an identifiable community whose life visibly reflects obedience to Christ—people recognizable by doing the Father’s will and by observable love and holiness—rather than a purely invisible idea. This demand disrupts confidence in an “invisible church” by insisting you should be able to point to an actual body shaped by the fruit of preaching.

Support from Transcript:

  • Brother Paul’s condition: “If you can show me one little flock of Christ that is a fruit of your preaching, I will join them.”
  • Lutherans respond with invisibility: “a Christian church is not something visible. You cannot point to it.”
  • Paul rebukes that as false: “This shows what false prophets you are,” because Christ “pointed to his church and to his disciples.”
  • He cites visibility markers: “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden,” and “love one another…that all may recognize you as true disciples.”
  • He appeals to corporate identity texts: “You are a chosen race…a holy nation, God’s own people,” and argues, “If you were members, you would also be able to point to a body.”
Discussion Follow-ups What visible traits would your church point to as evidence of being Christ’s people? If someone asked, ‘Show me the fruit of your preaching,’ what would you show—relationships, discipline, missions, holiness?

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