Discussion Questions

Jesus prayed that His disciples would remain “in the world” but be kept “from the evil one” (John 17:14–15); what does this suggest about God’s intention for where Christians live and how He expects them to remain spiritually safe without physical withdrawal? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Jesus prayed that His followers would stay “in the world” but be protected from “the evil one.” What does that say about where God wants Christians to live, and how He expects them to stay spiritually safe without leaving society?

David Bercot argues that in North America the world often hates conservative evangelicals for reasons like political coercion, militarism, or hypocrisy rather than because they are “not of the world”; what kinds of “world-hatred” have you experienced, and how can you discern whether it’s the kind Jesus described or the kind Bercot warned against? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says the world may hate Christians for politics, violence, or hypocrisy—not because they live differently for Jesus. When have you felt “hated,” and how can you tell which kind it is?

Bercot says, “If your Christianity or mind doesn’t require separation from the world, it simply isn’t the real thing”; what definition of “real Christianity” is being assumed here, and where does that collide with common evangelical ideas about grace, assurance, and “freedom”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says if your faith doesn’t require separation from the world, it isn’t real Christianity. What does he mean by “real Christianity,” and where does that clash with common evangelical ideas about grace, assurance, and freedom?

The Letter to Diognetus describes Christians as following local customs in clothing and food, yet living a “wonderful and confessedly striking method of life”; what are the specific differences the author highlights (sojourners, citizens of heaven, surpassing laws), and what would those differences look like in your neighborhood without adopting a “Christian subculture” aesthetic? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The Letter to Diognetus says Christians dress and eat like everyone else, but live in a striking way. What differences does it name, and what would those look like in your neighborhood without trying to look like a “Christian subculture”?

The lesson claims that efforts to apply “separation” have caused more divisions and church splits among “Kingdom Christians” than almost anything else; what kinds of separation-related issues are most likely to fracture serious disciples today, and how could a group pursue holiness without turning applications (dress, games, lifestyle) into identity markers? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The lesson says “separation” has caused many church splits among serious Christians. What separation issues today most often divide believers, and how can a group pursue holiness without making things like dress, games, or lifestyle the main badge of identity?

Hermes and other early writers urge Christians to “make no further preparations” for this city, to “refrain from much business,” and Bercot summarizes: “accumulate no more than you just have to…work no more hours a week than you just have to”; what would have to change in your spending, saving, housing, and career trajectory to take that literally, and what fears surface when you imagine doing it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Early writers urged Christians to avoid building a life around this world, and Bercot says to earn and save only what you must. If you took that literally, what would change in your spending, saving, housing, and career plans—and what fears would come up?

The Apostolic Constitutions calls secular trades “secondary employment” and says worship is the “primary vocation,” yet also condemns laziness and commands working to support the needy; how would you redesign a normal week (time, energy, attention) if you truly treated worship and the kingdom as your main business while still working “with all appropriate seriousness”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The Apostolic Constitutions says worship is the main calling, but it also says don’t be lazy and work to help the needy. What would your week look like if worship and the kingdom were your top priority while you still worked seriously?

Bercot lists jobs early Christians said were incompatible with baptism or church fellowship (idolatry-related trades, military positions, actor, charioteer/gladiator-related work, sorcery, prostitution/pandering); what modern jobs or roles feel “close enough” to these categories to raise the same moral problem, and how should a church decide where to draw lines without simply copying a list? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Early Christians said some jobs didn’t fit with baptism or church fellowship (like idol work, military jobs, acting, violent sports, sorcery, prostitution). What modern jobs feel similar in moral danger, and how should a church set boundaries without just copying an old list?

Early Christians “renounced” spectacles like gladiators and objected to theater because it taught immorality, with writers saying “to see a man put to death is much the same as killing him”; how should that reasoning challenge the way Christians consume modern entertainment (sports culture, violent media, sexualized content), especially when the church today often treats it as morally neutral? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Early Christians rejected violent and immoral shows, saying watching a man die is like killing him. How should that challenge what Christians enjoy today in entertainment (sports culture, violent media, sexual content), especially when many churches treat it as morally neutral?

The lesson portrays early Christians as refusing political office to reserve themselves for “more divine and necessary service,” insisting the end never justifies the means, and describing patriotism and war as injuring others; what would it practically mean for you to live as part of the “one all-embracing commonwealth, the world,” and which of your political habits (voting identity, activism, rhetoric, national pride, views of war) would be hardest to surrender—and why? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The lesson says early Christians avoided political office, believed the end doesn’t justify the means, and saw patriotism and war as harming others. What would it look like for you to live as a citizen of the whole world, and which political habits would be hardest for you to give up—and why?