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Secrets of the Kingdom Life  /  Chapter 26, The Limitations of Church Standards  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
The chapter urges viewing church standards as a “minimum level of Christian conduct” and forming a personal rule of life that includes prayer/devotion and inner matters like love, mercy, kindness; what would a concrete, Scripture-shaped personal rule of life look like for someone in your group this month, and how can the group encourage it without breeding individualism or a “holier than thou” spirit?
Another way to ask: What could a simple, Bible-based personal plan for this month look like (prayer, devotion, and things like love and kindness)? How can the group support it without people competing or acting “holier than thou”?

Direct Answer A concrete personal rule of life, as Bercot describes it, would include regular private prayer and Scripture reading and intentional pursuit of inner virtues like love, mercy, and kindness—grounded in “all the teachings of Scripture.” The group can encourage this by keeping everyone’s “sights… fixed on the commands of God” while rejecting a competitive, individualistic spirit.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says standards are “the minimum level of Christian conduct.”
  • Kingdom-life Christians should have “their own personal rules of life based on all the teachings of Scripture.”
  • Church standards “don’t usually cover our prayer and devotional life, but our personal rule of life should.”
  • It should “particularly include” inner matters: “love, mercy, and kindness.”
  • He clarifies: this is not to “become individualists” or have a “holier than thou” attitude.
  • The aim is obedience to God: “Just because our church hasn’t formally addressed” a teaching doesn’t mean we can “ignore it.”
Discussion Follow-ups The transcript doesn’t prescribe a specific schedule, but it points toward measurable practices (private prayer, Scripture at home) and heart aims (love/mercy/kindness). The group could share commitments modestly and pray for one another rather than comparing.

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