John Chrysostom defended the sower for casting seed on rock, thorns and the path, because people can change in ways soil cannot. What does that defense reveal about God's love and His hopes for every hearer? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Chrysostom said it makes sense to sow on bad ground because people can change. What does that show about God's love for every person?
Bill Shiley says God isn't hard to please, yet he also says we should bear as much fruit as we can. How do those two truths fit together in our picture of God's character? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bill Shiley says God is easy to please, but we should still bear all the fruit we can. How can both be true of God?
Cyprian tied the hundredfold harvest to martyrs and the sixtyfold harvest to those who stay celibate for Christ. What does that reading show about how early Christians thought about sacrifice, effort and reward? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Cyprian linked the biggest harvests to martyrs and to people who stay single for Christ. What does that show about how early Christians saw sacrifice and reward?
The pre-Nicene church saw God's grace reaching people through His word, baptism, communion, fasting, prayer, alms, confessing sins and fellowship. How would that understanding of grace shape a believer's ordinary week? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Early Christians saw God's grace coming through His word and through things like baptism, communion, fasting, prayer and giving. How would that change a normal week?
In the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl, the finder sells everything, and the treasure brings great joy. Why is it uncomfortable to hear that Christ requires us to give up everything, and how can joy and total cost belong together? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The man in these parables sells everything and is full of joy. Why is it hard to hear that Christ asks for everything, and how can joy and cost go together?
Jesus says the tares grow with the wheat in the world until the harvest, yet Bill Shiley says the church must remove those who persist in lawlessness. Why is it challenging to keep both truths, and what goes wrong when either one is dropped? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The tares stay in the world until the harvest, but the church must remove people who keep living in lawlessness. Why is it hard to hold both, and what goes wrong if we drop one?
Bill Shiley rejects the idea that God spreads a camouflage of Jesus' righteousness over us, and he says the fire or the barn depends on practicing Christ's law or lawlessness. How does that confront common modern assumptions about grace and assurance? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bill Shiley says God does not just cover us with Jesus' righteousness, and that the judgment depends on how we live. How does that challenge modern ideas about grace and being sure of salvation?
Bill Shiley says teachers who hold to monergistic grace may call for godliness, yet they destroy its root. Why does he see personal choice as the root of fruit, and how does that challenge what many Christians assume about faith and freedom? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bill Shiley says monergistic grace destroys the root of fruit even when teachers call for godly living. Why does he say our own choice is the root, and how does that challenge what many Christians think?
Chrysostom says the word is choked because of those who let the thorns spring up, and Bill Shiley says free will means he does not have to stay stuck in brokenness. What thorns or old patterns are you allowing, and what choice would begin to change them? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Chrysostom says thorns choke the word because we let them grow, and Bill Shiley says we do not have to stay stuck. What thorns are you allowing, and what choice could start to change them?
Bill Shiley compares the parables to a puzzle box lid that shows the finished picture. When you face a hard saying or a doctrinal debate, how would you use the parables to guide your thinking, and does the picture of your own life match the lid? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bill Shiley says the parables are like a puzzle box lid that shows the full picture. How can the parables help you with hard verses, and does your life match that picture?
Keep studying
Go deeper from here
Return to the full lesson, continue the course, or keep browsing related resources.
