Discussion Questions

David Bercot distinguishes between “external commandments” (non-resistance, permanence of marriage, refusal to take oaths) and “Jesus and His Kingdom totally possessing us”; where have you seen your own Christianity settle for the outward rules without the inward possession, and what symptoms expose the difference? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you followed Christian rules on the outside but not let Jesus fully change you on the inside? What signs show the difference between outward rule-keeping and inward surrender?

Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21); what does it mean, in lived experience, for the Kingdom to “begin inside of us” and “flow from the heart to the outward applications,” and what kinds of outward obedience can actually hide an unchanged heart? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it look like in real life for God’s Kingdom to start inside you and then show up in how you live? What kinds of “obedience” can cover up a heart that hasn’t really changed?

The chapter claims “neither the world, nor nominal Christians, nor those who have bought into easy believism know anything about the Kingdom Life”; what parts of this critique feel accurate, what parts feel threatening, and how would you test Bercot’s claim without dismissing it defensively? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which parts of Bercot’s critique feel true to you, and which parts feel uncomfortable or threatening? How could you check whether he’s right without getting defensive or brushing it off?

Bercot says that being born again means Jesus “automatically comes to live inside of us,” but “His continuing to dwell in us is not automatic”; how does John 15:1–10 (branches cut off, withered, burned) reshape common evangelical assumptions about assurance and “once saved, always saved”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Jesus can stop “living in us” unless we keep abiding, how does John 15 change how you think about assurance and “once saved, always saved”? What new questions does it raise for you?

In John 15, Jesus ties abiding to obedience: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love”; how do you reconcile “obedient response to His love” with the fear that obedience-talk undermines grace, and what does this chapter imply grace is actually for? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can obedience be a loving response to Jesus without turning grace into “earning it”? Based on this chapter, what is grace meant to help us do?

The chapter introduces *Gelassenheit* as “self-surrender or total abandonment to God,” quoting Heinz Denk: “There is no other way to blessedness than to lose one’s self-will”; what would “losing self-will” look like in specific decisions you’re currently making (money, reputation, comfort, conflict), and what do you most want to protect from surrender? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would “letting go of your own will” look like in decisions you’re facing right now (money, comfort, reputation, conflict)? What are you most afraid to give up to God?

Bercot highlights that Anabaptist *Gelassenheit* enabled believers to accept imprisonment, torture, and death; what do you think early Christians assumed about discipleship and suffering that makes modern Christianity seem unprepared for a costly faith? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What did early Christians believe about following Jesus and suffering that helped them face prison or death? Why does modern Christianity often seem less ready for a faith that costs a lot?

George MacDonald argues, “If you are not content, it is because God is not with you as you need Him to be with you”; how does that claim confront modern explanations of discontent (circumstances, mental health, unmet desires), and what is it calling you to examine in your “need” for God? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does MacDonald’s idea challenge the way we usually explain discontent (life problems, mental health, unmet wants)? What does it push you to look at in how you depend on God?

The chapter ties creation (“image and likeness of God” and fruit “according to its kind”) to Christian fruit-bearing, insisting “without Christ, we cannot possibly bear such fruit”; what “fruit consistent with the image of God” does your life currently produce, and where might your efforts be “fruit of self” rather than fruit of abiding? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kind of “fruit” in your life looks like it matches God’s image? Where might you be producing “fruit of self” by your own effort instead of fruit that comes from abiding in Christ?

Bercot argues (based on punctuation possibilities in 1 John 5:3) that we finally love God fully when we obey and His commandments are “not burdensome,” and he describes prayer, Scripture, gratitude, and quick repentance flowing from desire rather than duty; where do you experience God’s commands as burdensome, and what would need to change in your inner life for obedience to become “the lightest burden anyone could carry”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do God’s commands feel heavy or annoying to you right now? What would need to change inside you so obeying feels like desire instead of just duty?