Sermon Discussion Guide: Revelation and Resistance: What the Spirit is Saying

Scripture: Revelation 2:1–7 & 3:1–22
Main Themes: Spiritual discernment, resistance to empire, redefining success, community, faithful listening, widening welcome

Discussion Questions

  1. Perception Over Prediction
  • Pastor Mark quoted Eugene Peterson: “Revelation is not about prediction, but perception.”
    o How does this shift your understanding of the Book of Revelation?
    o In what ways are we called to see differently rather than know the future?
  1. Power and Resistance
  • Revelation contrasts lion power (domination) with lamb power (vulnerability).
    o What kinds of “lion power” dominate in our world today?
    o How might we practice “lamb power” in our homes, church, or city?
    o What does faithful resistance to modern-day empire look like for you?
  1. Listening to the Spirit
  • The letters to the churches urge us to listen to what the Spirit is saying.
    o What practices help you listen to God’s voice today?
    o What’s the difference between listening for what has been said vs. what the Spirit is saying now?
  1. Discerning Faithfulness
  • Revelation lifts up some churches and challenges others.
    o Which message (Ephesus, Sardis, Philadelphia, or Laodicea) resonated with you the most?
    o How does your personal or communal faith life reflect faithfulness, sleepiness, or lukewarmness?
  1. Redefining Success
  • Pastor Mark noted that the empire defines success by wealth, power, and status, while the gospel defines it relationally.
    o How have you seen these competing definitions play out in your own life or work?
    o What does success look like when we define it through God’s vision?
  1. Community as Antidote
  • Community and Spirit-listening are described as antidotes to self-deception.
    o How has being part of a faith community helped you see yourself and others more clearly?
    o What role does vulnerability and accountability play in spiritual growth?
  1. Widening the Welcome
  • Pastor Mark discussed the church’s ongoing renovations and ministries as part of widening RPPC’s welcome.
    o How do our physical and spiritual spaces reflect God’s radical hospitality?
    o What more might welcome require of us—as individuals and as a church?
  1. Personal & Collective Discernment
  • Pastor Mark invited us to reflect on three core questions:
    1. What is God saying to me now?
    2. Where is God already at work in our community and city?
    3. What is the Spirit saying to our church now?
      o Which question feels most urgent for you this week?
      o How might you bring these questions into conversation with others?
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