David Bercot says he once wanted to “recreate the early church” (worship style, doctrines, church government), but later concluded the primary goal should be focusing on “the kingdom of God” and an “obedient, love-faith relationship with Jesus Christ”; what are the subtle ways a sincere desire for “New Testament patterns” can become a substitute for actual obedience to the King?Another way to ask: How can trying to copy “New Testament” church patterns become a way to avoid actually obeying Jesus as King? What are some subtle signs of that?
The lesson contrasts second-century Christians pointing to the Sermon on the Mount (“This is what we believe”) with post-Nicene Christians pointing to a creed (“This is what we believe”); if your non-Christian neighbors watched your life for a month, what specific “Sermon on the Mount” beliefs would they actually be able to infer you hold?Another way to ask: If your non-Christian neighbors watched your life for a month, what “Sermon on the Mount” beliefs would they guess you believe? What would they not see?
Justin Martyr is quoted: “those who are not found living, as Christ taught, are not Christians, even though they profess with the lips”; how does that statement pressure modern assumptions about assurance and salvation—especially the idea that verbal confession plus correct beliefs is enough?Another way to ask: If someone claims to be Christian but doesn’t live like Jesus taught, what does Justin Martyr say that means? How does that challenge the idea that saying the right words and believing the right things is enough?
The letter to the king describes Christians fasting for “two or three days” to feed the needy, treating slaves as “brothers,” and refusing boasting when giving; what do those examples suggest about what God values most in His people, and which of those practices most exposes your own comfort level with sacrifice?Another way to ask: What do these examples (fasting to feed the needy, treating slaves like brothers, giving without bragging) show God cares most about? Which one makes you feel most uncomfortable because it would cost you something?
Clement of Alexandria is quoted on everyday holiness (“we cultivate our fields praising God… we sail the sea singing hymns”) and on commercial honesty (one fair price, no bargaining games); what does this reveal about the early Christian assumption that worship is not confined to a meeting, and where does your weekly routine functionally deny that?Another way to ask: What does it mean that early Christians saw farming, sailing, and work as worship too? Where does your weekly routine act like worship only happens at a church meeting?
Bercot argues the early Christians didn’t think of “Pauline theology” as something separate from Jesus and says modern Christians often “explain away what Jesus said” when it seems to conflict with Paul; where have you seen this happen in teaching you’ve received, and what practical teachings of Jesus tend to get reclassified as “not for today”?Another way to ask: Where have you heard people use Paul to explain away something Jesus clearly taught? Which of Jesus’ practical commands get treated as “not for today”?
He criticizes proof-texting and claims that taking “the totality of the New Testament,” beginning with Jesus and taking it “seriously and very literally” (unless context forbids), removes “problem verses”; what doctrines in your background were built mainly on a few key texts, and how might those doctrines change if you forced them to fit everything Jesus taught?Another way to ask: What beliefs in your church background are mostly based on a few favorite verses? How might those beliefs change if you made them fit everything Jesus taught too?
Tertullian’s picture of church discipline includes “scrupulous submission to authority” and a community known for temperance, chastity “not even [polluted] with a look,” compassion, truth, and “liberty for which we have learned to die”; what kind of leadership and membership habits would have to exist for that to be true today—and what would modern Christians likely label “legalism” in that description?Another way to ask: What kind of leaders and church members would it take to have the kind of disciplined, holy community Tertullian describes? Which parts of his description would many Christians today call “legalism”?
Bercot calls divorce-and-remarriage “the most prevalent sin” in churches and says churches “almost never” discipline it, while also warning against Montanist “perfectionist utopias” and against concluding your family is “the last true Christians”; how do you discern the line between necessary firmness about Jesus’ commands and the pride of separating from everyone who doesn’t meet your standards?Another way to ask: How do you know when to be firm about Jesus’ commands without becoming proud and separating from everyone who falls short? Where is the line between needed discipline and acting “holier than everyone else”?
The lesson claims the second-century church was “a unified worldwide church” without an overarching earthly hierarchy, maintained unity through a basic creed, shared lifestyle, and practices like letters of communion—so excommunication meant separation from the whole church; what parts of that unity seem most impossible in today’s fragmented Christianity, and what concrete steps could your congregation take toward unity that is genuinely “of the Holy Spirit” rather than organizational control?Another way to ask: What parts of the early church’s worldwide unity seem hardest to imagine in today’s divided Christianity? What real steps could your church take toward Spirit-led unity without just creating more control?
