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Question 2

Hermes is quoted saying, “Refrain from much business, and you will avoid sin… For those with a lot of business are preoccupied about their earthly affairs instead of serving the Lord”; what do you think “much business” would have meant to early Christians, and what would be the modern equivalents that quietly crowd out serving God?

Another way to ask: What do you think “much business” meant for early Christians, and what things in our lives today quietly take up so much space that they push out serving God?

Direct Answer Based on the transcript’s framing, “much business” means becoming so occupied with earthly affairs that you stop doing what you know you should do; modern equivalents are anything that preoccupies you the way Andy’s game did.

Support from Transcript:

Hermes is quoted: “Refrain from much business, and you will avoid sin… preoccupied about their earthly affairs instead of serving the Lord.”
Andy’s “business” isn’t work but a distraction that takes over: the Monopoly game becomes the center of his afternoon.
He had a concrete obligation connected to serving his father and employer: “Mr. Applegate… willing to do it on a trial basis.”
The game is “getting interesting,” and that interest crowds out obedience: “They all ended up with fairly evenly matched properties, so the game moved slowly.”
He becomes mentally consumed: “so engrossed in the game that he didn’t notice the time.”

Discussion Follow-ups The transcript doesn’t list modern examples, so the group must supply them. What regularly makes you “preoccupied” enough that you lose track of time and neglect responsibilities?

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