Chapter 7 Discussion Questions

Chapter 7:  The Searching God

In Part 2 of this book, we have moved from our unsuccessful attempts to quench our thirst to encountering the Living Water, God himself. 

Barnes begins this chapter by differentiating between loneliness, which he describes as the most common problem that therapists and pastors deal with, and solitude.  We have all experienced loneliness, even while we maintain busy lives surrounded by other people.  This is a loneliness that Jesus, in all his humanness, experienced, too. In fact, as Barnes says, Jesus “knew the loneliness of being abandoned by the people who professed to love him but left him to die alone on the cross.”  But, Jesus turned his many experiences of loneliness into experiences of solitude, and “what Jesus always discovered in solitude was that he was loved by the Father, who has not left me alone.” 

Barnes defines solitude as “a courageous choice to set aside the distractions, the relationship, and the busyness….”   Are you able to create moments of solitude in which you can encounter God and know that God has not left you alone and that God will come searching for you?  If so, do you do this intentionally, or do you do you experience moments of solitude “in the ordinary places?”  (p. 99)   Or, do you “manage your spiritual routines  so closely and hold them so tightly that they have lost nearly all potential to amaze?” (p. 100) 

Read and discuss the last paragraph of page 102:  “So when God says, …” 

Once again, Barnes asks us to change our perspective on our own lives (It’s not about us!).  At the bottom of page 104, he says, “In God’s hands, life is no longer a challenge we need to get right, but a holy gift to be received with awe, reverence, and faithfulness. Now even the simplest and most ordinary work, if done to the glory of God, is an opportunity to hear the seraphs singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory” – including your own little corner of the earth.”  How often do we pray to “get it right,” rather than pray in gratitude to simply receive the holy gift of life?

How often do you recognize “sacred moments of visitation from God?”  (p. 107)

At the bottom of page 107, Barnes says, “We are living in a society that has far too many expectations and not nearly enough hope.”  The last paragraph on page 108 says that it is only “the hope supplied in and through Jesus Christ that can lead us out of the darkness of our self-preoccupation and into the glorious light of God’s kingdom.” How can we abandon our expectations and adjust our mindsets to be receivers of God’s gifts and God’s love and to be a people who have great hopes?

Chapter 6 Discussion Questions

Chapter 6:  It’s Not About You

1.            Reflect on the paragraph on page 82:  “The real issue in life is always about God…”  How does finding freedom from ourselves, and adopting the reality that our lives are not about us but about God, change our outlook on our lives: relationships, career, ministry, etc.?  Do you find this insight freeing?

2.            So, if it’s all about God, who is God?

The doctrine of the Trinity, a central theological tenet of the Christian faith, defines God as three persons in one being with a single divine nature:  Father (the Creator), Son (the Begotten), and Holy Spirit (the one who proceeds) (Fourth Lateran Council).  While all three persons of the Trinity were mentioned by various Christians in various letters through the early centuries following Jesus’ death and resurrection, there was much controversy and debate, primarily about Jesus’ relationship to God the Father.  The doctrine of the Trinity as we know it took shape during the late 4^th Century, and has been addressed, clarified, and refined by various Councils throughout history.

Barnes says (p. 87): “Granted, the nature of one God existing in three persons may be a mystery, but … there are some clear, and maybe even painful, truths the doctrine of the Trinity teaches us.” 

How do some of the truths he explains change your perception of YOURSELF (It’s not all about you!) in relation to GOD?

For example:

(p. 87):  It was not necessary for God to love you.  The blessing is that he chose to love you.

(p. 88): We must start, not with our own thirst for God, but with God’s decision to enfold us into his family….  (p. 89):  Beginning with God’s love for us frees us from worrying so much about our love for God.

(p. 90):  As we open our lives to being filled with the Spirit, we are transformed into the very image of Christ.

(p. 92):  Do we have a lot of work to do once the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ’s relationship to the Father?

(p. 93):  … nearly all churches believe that Christ’s followers are urged to come to this table, and all believe that something important happens in the process….  We cannot experience such communion without being changed.  

Chapter 5 Discussion Questions

Chapter 5:  Compassion Fatigue

In this chapter, Craig Barnes addresses a common problem in faith communities. The opportunities to give of our time and our talents and our treasure are seemingly endless, and they can make us feel that we are not doing enough, even when our days seem to be filled by doing just these things.  We feel drained, and our pastors sometimes worry that offering yet one more opportunity for giving or serving will tip the scales and cause a rebellion! Where do we go wrong in our thinking when we attempt to figure out how, where, and when to serve?

1.            Paul, James, and others write about faith and works. Read James’ familiar passage:  James 2:14-26 (Faith without deeds is dead).  Many of us are inspired by this and other passages to do good works because good works arise out of our faith in and love for God.  Our faith produces a desire in us to care for others.  But Barnes cautions us that, frequently, we forget who is doing the works. 

On the top of page 68, Barnes writes, “Most of the mistakes we make in our commitments to compassion and mission are rooted in a far more serious mistake about Jesus, namely, thinking of him in the past tense.”  Then read the paragraph at the bottom of the same page, “Why is it that so many…”  On the next page, Barnes writes, ‘The Gospel writer John introduces us to Jesus by stating, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.”  Not one thing….  all of the good work is still being done by him.” 

Respond to these thoughts. 

Do we sometimes attempt to quench our thirst for God by doing good works? 

Are we guilty of “playing Jesus?”  Of forgetting that it is, in fact, the living God who is accomplishing great works through us and indeed in spite of us?

How does this change your outlook toward mission/service?

 2.            On page 72 (second paragraph), Barnes says, “Here is the key to this whole narrative.  Our calling is not to fix one single thing, but to bring all the broken things to Jesus Christ, who alone has the power to save our children and our society.” 

And then, on page 74, read from “Many of us who spend enormous chunks of time at church…” through the end of the page.

What does “placing the despairing world back into the hands of the Savior” look like in real life?  How is this a different approach to the way we may typically carry on our mission/service/church business?

3.              The last section of this chapter is based on the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, Philip’s desperation, Andrew’s seemingly meager solution, and Jesus  giving thanks to God for the small offering of five loaves and two fish, and then turning it into an abundance.  Barnes says we are not to worry about whether our limited resources can heal and bring hope to a broken world.  (p. 77) “that is the Savior’s worry.  All you are asked to do is to take what you have, place it in Jesus’ hands, and give thanks.” 

Discuss.  Do you feel that a burden has been lifted? 

Pray as a group that we can approach our various ministries in a new way: by giving thanks to God for what we have to offer, by recognizing that it is Jesus whose power will accomplish the work of healing and the restoration of hope in our world, and by having the courage to place this work in Jesus hands.

Chapter 4 Discussion Questions

Chapter 4:  When Prayer Dries Up

1.  Barnes maintains that one of the reasons for our thirst or longing for God is that our prayer lives have dried up.  Is your prayer life healthy?  Have you ever experienced a “dried-up” prayer life?

2.  This seems ironic:  (p. 55):  “When we believe our prayer life has dried up, there is only one thing to do:  pray about it.  There simply is no alternative but to remain in the desert places when we are led there, including waiting out the long dry spells when we are doing nothing but wandering around in the wilderness of our own prayers.”  How can we summon the energy to pray about our dried-up prayer life? 

3. p. 56:  “God brought us into this place (the desert) for a reason – the same reason we are always led into the wilderness; to learn that our thirst is for a God we do not control….  Somewhere along the way, as I trudged through the arid season of praying, I became more focused on longing for God than on understanding him.” What does longing or thirsting for God feel like?  Barnes maintains that 100% of us are thirsting for God. you think that 100% of us look like/live like we are longing or thirsting for God? 

4. Barnes discusses three “levels of gratitude:”  (pages 56 – 60)

Level 1:  having a grateful heart, i.e. giving thanks for our blessings

Level 2:  giving thanks in the face of great crisis or loss

Level 3:  Being thankful for God alone;  “the discovery that he alone is enough.  Not our experience of him. Not our blessings from him or our knowledge about him. Just him.” (p. 57)

Barnes explains that it is this third level of gratitude that is the only thing that will get us through “the dark night of the soul.”  Discuss this idea.  How does one reach level 3?

5.  Read the last paragraph on page 63.  Are you at a point where you are ready to “give it all back,” and to proclaim that your thirst is always, only, for God alone?  Pray together as a group that each person’s attachments to worldly pleasures may decrease, and that their longing for God may increase.

Chapter 3 Discussion questions

Chapter 3:  A Stranger in Community

1. The church is probably the first place we go (after trying secular cures) when we are trying to satisfy our thirsty soul.  But, Barnes says that eventually we will feel like a stranger in church.  Have you ever had this experience? Have you ever experienced discontent, conflict, scorn, etc. in your place of worship?

2. The church is “the body of Christ.”  Why, then, is it imperfect, and how can we reconcile our desire to commune with Jesus Christ when our experience of Him is through the church, which Barnes says “can never fully represent the essence of Christ.” (p. 42)

3. Barnes says that many people who have left the church for whatever reason eventually find their way back “because they know in their souls that they have to.” (p. 45) He then discusses Peter’s response to Jesus when Jesus asks the disciples if they want to abandon him, as many followers have.  Peter says, “Lord, to whom can we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  (p. 45) What was it about Jesus that led the disciples to continue to follow him? How can we keep from abandoning him or falling away? How can we continue to thirst for Jesus?

4. Read the paragraph at the bottom of page 46, beginning with “This vision of the church….”   and the sentence on the top of page 48: “Whether it is in the great sanctuary…”  Is there room in our community/church for all of these differences?  How can we, as individuals, ensure that there is?

5. Respond to the last paragraph on page 49:  “The church’s job and purpose is not to take away our thirst but to nurture it…. Every Sunday we need to be reminded that we are thirsty and that nothing but Jesus’ living water can satisfy us. Not even the church.” 

Chapter 2 Discussion questions

Chapter 2:  Right Answers Aren't Enough

1.  Discuss the following passages on page 26: “I guess you might say Dad wasn’t about to make the Christian life easy.  Why then did so many people flock to this church, meet Jesus as their Savior there, and begin to live a different life?” and page 27:  “The point of the church’s ministry… is to draw people to the love of Jesus Christ. People are saved not by WHAT they know but by WHO they know.”

2.    On page 28, Barnes says, “Knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing him.”  Do you think, in our church, we are better at helping our community know about Jesus or know Jesus?  Discuss with respect to children, youth, and adults.  How does this relate to Barnes’ statement on page 29 about Jesus’ disciples:  “the most important thing was not what they understood but who they were following.”

3.   Read and discuss the third paragraph on page 32:  “The question bears asking…” along with the sentence on the following page:  “The Almighty does have his own purpose:  to bring relief to our parched souls.  Often he achieves this purpose by demonstrating just how unsatisfying it is to be dead-right.”

4.  Read the last passage on page 36, and relate it to the question above regarding knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus.

Chapter 1 Discussion questions

Chapter 1:  Our Parched Souls

In this chapter, Craig Barnes lays out the premise of his book: that many people live that is devoid of hope and is full of despair and sadness.  We are searching for something to fill the void, but some are not sure how or where and we are not sure what or whom we are searching for. No matter where we are on this journey, Barnes says “one hundred percent of us thirst for more of God than what we now have.” (page 22)

1.  On page 14, Barnes says that “we can find this sacred river.  But not unless we enter the silent desert.  Discuss the desert metaphor, as it exists in the Bible, and as it exists in our lives.

2.  On page 14, Barnes says, “one of the worst mistakes we can make is to get used to living in the dry places.”  What does this mean?

3.  Read the third paragraph on page 17.  Discuss.

4.  Do you agree that “this sense of despair is one of the prevailing themes of contemporary society?” (page 20)  How about the message of hope further down the page:  “When we arrive at the place…”

5.  On page 24, Barnes says, “The true object of our search is nothing less than an encounter with the Holy One.”  OK, but he doesn’t tell us yet how to have that encounter!  (Be patient… keep reading!)

Welcome to the Church of the Saviour study guide to the book, Sacred Thirst, written by Dr. M. Craig Barnes, President of the Princeton Theological Seminary, and 2013 Myers Lecturer.

This website offers chapter by chapter questions and notes from other study group leaders. Please feel free to add your own notes and comments. Suggested schedules are also available, based on the frequency and number of times your group plans to meet to discuss the book.

In his engaging and thought-provoking style, Dr. Barnes invites us to face our desperate longing for God, a longing that we may not have even named, yet one we all share.   The description of the book says: Jesus once said, “Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty.”  So why are Christians still thirsty?   We throw ourselves into church work, Bible studies, prayer, missions, fellowship.  Yet still we search restlessly for something more.  What are we missing? Perhaps the answer is, more of Jesus.  Church meetings and programs, ministry, Christian counseling, and home groups are all good, but they are not Him… Our souls crave Him alone. We have tried to satisfy our parched souls with so many other things – even religious things.  But when we get to the bottom of our desire, we find Jesus quietly waiting with his living water – intimate communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This book is filled with unique insights into human experience and the character of God.  With keen understanding of the needs of contemporary Christians, Barnes points to the only way our thirst will ever be satisfied.  Drawing from his rich background in the Bible and his tender insights as a pastor, he leads us into a new understanding of ourselves and the uncontrollable but gracious God we seek

Dr. M. Craig Barnes  Books will be available at the church for $10.  E-book copies are also available for individual purchase (from various online providers).  We will ensure that copies are available for anyone for whom the cost would be a burden. Let us know how many books you need, and we can deliver them to your group for distribution, or individuals may purchase a copy at Covenant Corner in the Parlor.