Discussion Questions

The chapter says we “lose our lives” in two ways: laying down our lives as the Lord did, and separating our lives from “the customary things of this world.” Where do you sense the sharper edge in that second way, and what specific “customary things” would early Christians have assumed Christians must renounce? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The chapter says we can “lose our lives” by stepping away from normal worldly routines. Where do you feel that “step away” would cost you the most, and what everyday practices do you think early Christians believed believers had to give up?

“Bearing the cross means to separate our souls from the delights and pleasures of this life,” and “dying to ourselves means being content with the necessities of life.” How does the chapter define “necessities,” and what current spending habits or comforts would be hardest to reclassify as non-necessary without self-justification? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the chapter describe what counts as “necessities”? What spending habits or comforts would be hardest for you to admit are not truly necessary?

The author links wanting “more than these necessities” with how “easy to sin.” What does that suggest about God’s wisdom in limiting desires, and how does that confront modern Christian language about “enjoying God’s blessings” and pursuing lifestyle upgrades? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If wanting more than necessities makes it “easy to sin,” what does that say about why God might limit our desires? How does that push back on talk about “enjoying God’s blessings” and always upgrading our lifestyle?

The chapter quotes, “Bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” and frames this as part of putting on “the armor of God” against the devil’s schemes. What would it look like in practice to treat thoughts—not only actions—as a battlefield where obedience is demanded? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would it look like to treat your thoughts as something you must bring under Christ’s control, not just your actions? In daily life, how would you fight for obedience in your mind?

The intimate-with-God person is described as viewing riches and poverty, honor and dishonor, health and sickness, life and death, work and pleasure “with indifference.” Which of those contrasts exposes the most “non-indifference” in you, and how might early Christians have trained their instincts to respond differently than the world? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which pair is hardest for you to be calm about—riches/poverty, honor/dishonor, health/sickness, life/death, or work/pleasure? How might early Christians have trained themselves to react differently than the world does?

Daniel is held up as an endurance model, living in Babylon like Lot in Sodom and Abraham in Chaldea, with Abraham called “the friend of God.” What picture of God’s friendship and faithfulness is being presented through those exile stories, and how does that challenge modern expectations that intimacy with God produces comfort or safety? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do the exile stories (Daniel, Lot, Abraham) show about God’s friendship and faithfulness when life is hard and unsafe? How does that challenge the idea that being close to God should always bring comfort or protection?

The chapter says the intimate-with-God person, “when under trial, will bless God like Job,” pray like Jonah, tame lions, and endure fire—then “testify both day and night by his words, his conduct, and his very life.” What kind of Christianity is assumed here, and where does it collide with a faith that is mostly private, verbal, or church-centered? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kind of Christian life does the chapter assume—especially during trials and suffering? Where does that clash with a faith that stays mostly private, mostly words, or mostly limited to church?

“His best friend will be the Lord, and he will share the same hearth with the Spirit,” followed by being “pure in the flesh, in his heart, and in his speech.” How does the chapter connect intimacy with God to purity, and what modern Christian arguments might try to separate closeness to God from rigorous purity in body, inner life, and words? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the chapter connect being close to God with being pure in your body, heart, and speech? What modern arguments try to say you can be close to God without strict purity in those areas?

The chapter explains former “fleshly desires” as “imprints in our souls…left by the wicked spirit forces with whom we struggle.” How does that spiritual-warfare explanation of desire confront modern assumptions that temptation is mainly psychological, hormonal, or neutral—and what would change in your repentance if you took the “imprint” language literally? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The chapter says old desires are “imprints” left in us by evil spirits we fight against. How does that challenge the idea that temptation is mostly psychological or just natural, and how would your repentance change if you took the “imprint” idea seriously?

Using the public games analogy, the chapter says evil powers lure people with honors, adulteries, pleasures, and “alluring fantasies,” like a herdsman leading cattle, and that each false allurement “leaves its imprint” by constant pressure. What are the recurring “bait” and “fantasies” in your environment (media, career, romance, recognition), and what concrete counter-practices would actually weaken those imprints rather than merely condemning them? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What “bait” keeps pulling at you in your setting—media, career, romance, or wanting attention and praise? What specific habits could you practice to weaken those pulls, not just criticize them?