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Secrets of the Kingdom Life  /  Chapter 25, How Church Standards Can Help  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 2
The chapter says church standards are “an enormous help in our quest for obedience”; what does that statement assume about God’s intentions for Christian growth, and what view of human weakness or forgetfulness seems built into the need for shared rules?
Another way to ask: If church standards help us obey, what does that say about how God expects us to grow? What does it assume about how weak or forgetful we are that we need shared rules?

Direct Answer The transcript assumes God intends believers to grow in real obedience, and that structured, shared standards help believers follow through rather than drift. It also assumes people are prone to “grow faint” and fall back unless they have regular accountability, exhortation, and clear expectations.

Support from Transcript:

  • Bercot states plainly: “Church standards… can be an enormous help in our quest for obedience.”
  • Standards are framed as “rules of conduct,” not optional suggestions, implying obedience is a central goal of Christian growth.
  • Wesley observed that those not in a society “grew faint in their minds and within a few months fell back into what they were before.”
  • By contrast, those united “continued striving to enter in at the strait gate… and to lay hold on eternal life.”
  • The societies met weekly “for Bible study, prayer, and mutual encouragement,” showing growth is nurtured through habits and community.
  • Members “watch over one another in love,” suggesting human weakness needs ongoing support.
Discussion Follow-ups What kinds of spiritual “fainting” do we see today that might be prevented by clearer shared expectations? How can standards be framed as help rather than mere control?

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