Simply Disciples Podcast

1. To the question, “What is baptism?“, discuss the biblical summary from Westminster Shorter Catechism 94 - “Baptism is a sacrament where the washing with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit signifies and seals our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord’s.” a. How is it a ceremonial or spiritual washing?...

1. Prior to this podcast, how would you have explained the importance of sacraments? 2. How did the podcast define a sacrament (feel free to google Westminster Shorter Catechism 92)? 3. What does the Westminster Shorter Catechism mean when it says “Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers”? 4. Read and discuss 1 Cor 11:17-34 regarding the seri...

4.7 How Should We Worship Together? by Deer Creek Church

1. Prior to this podcast, how would you have defined the mission of the church? Has your view changed? If so, how? 2. Was it helpful to think of the church in terms of the church gathered as an institution and the church scattered as individuals? 3. Read and discuss the implications of Matthew 28:16ff and Acts 2:42-44 regarding the mission of the church. 4. Bringing it all together, what is the po...

1. True or false - this podcast changed your life. (well, hopefully it was helpful) 2. If you asked most Christians, “what do you think is important in a church”?, what kind of answers do you think you would get? 3. The podcast argued that we believe our presbyterian church structure is important for church health. After listening to the podcast, how would you define Presbyterianism? And why is it...

1. Prior to this podcast, how would you have answered the question, “who should lead the church?” 2. The podcast discussed our world’s attraction to celebrity pastors. What comes to mind when you think of a celebrity pastor? What’s the danger in following celebrity pastors? 3. Read Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Tim 3:1-13 and discuss the importance of the qualifications for those who lead the church. 4. How d...

1. Prior to this podcast, how would you have answered the question “Is there even such a thing as a true church?” Do you know people who struggle with this question? 2. Westminster Confession of Faith 25.4,5 says that the church has sometimes been more or less pure (on a spectrum) and that some have so degenerated, as to become no churches at all but synagogues of Satan (Rev 2:9). And further, a c...

1. The Podcast mentioned four questions (puzzle pieces) that help us to understand the church according to the Scriptures: (1) Who are the members of the church? (2) Who are the officers of the church? (3) What is the purpose of the church? (4) What are the defining marks of the church? The previous podcast discussed the first two questions. This podcast discussed questions 3 and 4. Prior to this...

1. Prior to this podcast, how would you have answered the question, “What is the Church?” Did you resonate with some of the answers in the beginning of the podcast? 2. According to the Podcast, the Bible describes the church as the Temple of God (1 Pet 2:5), the Bride of Christ (Rev 19:6-9), the Body of Christ (Eph 4:15,16, and the Family of God (Eph 2:18,19). How are each of these descriptions im...

1. In previous podcasts we’ve discussed the Golden Chain of Salvation. Can you name the doctrines in order? (Hint: P… F… R… J… A… S… G…). Why is the order vitally important for our Christian lives? 2. What is Glorification? How is it different from Justification and Sanctification? 3. What does the Bible say about Glorification? (read and discuss Rom 8:29-21; 2 Cor 3:18; 1 John 3:2) 4. What else w...

1. What is the doctrine of Sanctification? (WSC #35) 2. Why does the order of Justification and Sanctification matter? What changes if we think Sanctification comes before Justification? (read and discuss Eph 2:8-10) 3. As you look back on your life, how have you seen the Lord at work in your sanctification? What/Who has God used to further your sanctification? 4. What else was helpful to you in t...

1. What do you think of J.I. Packer’s statement that “Adoption is the highest privilege of the gospel. The traitor is forgiven, brought in for supper, and given the family name. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater”? 2. What is the doctrine of Adoption and why is it so important for our daily lives? (WSC #34) 3. How would you r...

1. Why is the need for repentance a difficult concept in our culture? 2. Jesus was not shy about speaking of the need for repentance. Read Matthew 4:12-17, Mark 1:15 & Luke 13:1-5. Why are we often shy about calling people to repentance? 3. WSC #87 gives a great summary of the Bible’s teaching on repentance - “repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin...

1. What are common answers to “what is faith” (whether from this podcast or statements that you’ve heard)? 2. How does the Bible define faith? Read and discuss Hebrews 11:1, 6; Eph 2:8-9. 3. Westminster Shorter Catechism #86 gives a great summary of the Bible’s teaching on Faith - “Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered t...

1. What are common answers to the questions “How can a sinful human be right with a holy and righteous God?” and “If you were to die tonight and meet God, why should he give you eternal life in heaven?” 2. The podcast discussed various views of salvation including Pelagianism, a cosmic scale of justice, Roman Catholic, and Arminian. What’s a common thread in all of these views? 3. We believe the B...

1. The podcast defined predestination as “the biblical teaching that God sovereignly chooses, before the foundation of the world, who he will save through his Son Jesus and because of that who will receive eternal life”. This raises questions about free will. Do we have free will if God chooses who will be saved? 2. How did this podcast explain our free will? 3. Do you have trouble embracing prede...

1. Why is this a controversial doctrine? 2. This podcast discussed the two views of the nature of humans - basically good (Pelagianism) or sinful and fallen. What are some of the differences between these two views? 3. Discuss how does the Bible speaks of predestination in Rom 8:28-30, Eph 1:3-11, John 15:13-19? Was it helpful to also consider predestination in the OT passages of Gen 18:18-19 and...

1. Prior to this podcast, how were you taught about the manifestation of Spiritual gifts such as prophecy, healing, apostleship, tongues (aka the Sign Gifts)? 2. Discuss the differences between the Continuationist view and Cessationist view with respect to the manifestation of spiritual gifts in the church today. Was it helpful to think through the differences? 3. When it comes to the manifestatio...

1. What or who has shaped your views on spiritual gifts leading up to this podcast? 2. What is the danger in looking to personal experiences to shape our understanding of the purpose for spiritual gifts? 3. Read 1 Cor 12.4-7, Rom 12:6, 1 Pet 4:10, Eph 4:11-13 and discuss what spiritual gifts are and what is the purpose of spiritual gifts? (this podcast proposed a definition of spiritual gifts - “a...

1. Did you resonate with any of the misunderstandings of the work of the Holy Spirit that this podcast mentioned (i.e. always spectacular, works apart from Scripture, always spontaneous)? 2. The podcast highlighted the work of the Holy Spirit in the OT in creation, inspiration of Prophets, and equipping/enabling God’s servants. Read and discuss Gen 1:1-2; Isaiah 61:1; Judges 13:25; Isaiah 11:2) 3....

1. Were you taught about the Holy Spirit in your past in ways that differ from the teaching in this podcast? 2. Why do you think there is confusion about the Holy Spirit today? 3. The Nicene Creed is a summary of the Scriptures. What is the Nicene Creed seeking to make clear about the Holy Spirit? 4. Read and discuss what the Scriptures teach about the Holy Spirit in John 14:15-26 and John 16:7-15...

1. What does the Bible teach about the resurrection of Christ? Is it mythical or just a spiritual metaphor? (read and discuss 1 Cor 15:1-19) 2. How does 1 Cor 15 (and other portions of Scripture) answer the objections that the people who saw Jesus were just hallucinating, or that it was made up by the disciples? 3. Is it enough for a Christian to claim that the resurrection is true because Jesus l...

How would you respond to the following questions: 1. “Isn’t God unfair to punish Jesus, as a substitute, in our place?” (Rom 6:23; Heb 4:15; John 3:16; John 10:18) 2. “Isn’t God’s reaction to sin disproportionate to the crime? Does sin really deserve eternal hell and punishment? (Rom 1:18ff) 3. “How can an eternal penalty be paid for by one act of suffering for a few hours by one man, Jesus?” (How...

1. Prior to this podcast, if someone asked you why Jesus died on the cross, what would your answer have been? Did your answer change at all as a result of this podcast? 2. How does the Old Testament give us insight on the purpose of the cross? (Isaiah 6:1-8; Ps 7:11-12; other passages?) 3. How do God’s commandments reveal our guilt before a holy and just God? (Ex 20:1-17; Mt 22:37-40; Matthew 5:21...

1. Where would you go in Scripture to make the case that Jesus was truly man? (John 1, Rom 1, Phil 2:5-8; Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 3, etc.) 2. What is the incarnation of Christ and why is it crucial for our salvation? Why did the Son of God need to become man? (Heb 2:14-18) 3. We often hear Jesus died for in our place, but why was it crucial that Jesus also lived a perfect life in our place? 4. What...