10-Week Study & Discussion Guide

Chase the Lion

by Mark Batterson·71 discussion questions

Lead your group with the discussion already prepared: a reading plan, thoughtful questions, and printable handouts for everyone.

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Week 1 — FreeRead the Introduction of Chase the Lion. Key Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:20–23

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Batterson opens with the account of Benaiah chasing a lion into a pit on a snowy day. What is your gut reaction when you first read that story? Does it sound heroic, reckless, or something else — and why?

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 10-week study and discussion guide for Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson, with 71 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

In Chase the Lion, Mark Batterson takes one of the Bible's most obscure verses — the account of Benaiah, one of David's mighty men, who "chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day and killed it" (2 Samuel 23:20) — and builds an entire theology of God-sized risk around it. Batterson's central thesis is that the lions in your life — those terrifying, overwhelming, seemingly impossible challenges — are not obstacles to God's calling; they are the calling. Running toward the lion, not away from it, is what separates people of ordinary faith from people who change their world. Through a blend of Scripture, history, and contemporary storytelling, Batterson invites readers to stop playing it safe and start dreaming the kinds of dreams that are only possible if God shows up.

This study guide is designed for small groups or individual use over ten weeks, with one week devoted to the Introduction, one week per chapter, and a final week of review and reflection. Each week, read the assigned chapter before your group meets (or before your personal study time), journal your honest responses to the questions, and then discuss or pray through what God is stirring in you. You don't need theological training to use this guide — you just need a willingness to be honest about where fear has kept you from chasing the lions God has placed in your path.

By the end of this journey, you can expect to leave with a clearer picture of the dreams God has placed in your heart, a practical theology for taking Spirit-led risks, and a community of fellow "lion chasers" who can hold you accountable to stop running away and start running toward. Batterson's writing is equal parts challenging and encouraging, and these questions are designed to push you past surface-level agreement into genuine, life-altering response.

Week 1: Introduction — The Odd Dream

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Read the Introduction of Chase the Lion. Key Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:20–23

Before diving into the book's big ideas, take a moment to sit with the story of Benaiah — a man whose entire legacy hinges on one improbable, terrifying choice to chase rather than flee.

1.Batterson opens with the account of Benaiah chasing a lion into a pit on a snowy day. What is your gut reaction when you first read that story? Does it sound heroic, reckless, or something else — and why?

2.Batterson argues that most people see the lions in their lives as something to escape, but lion chasers see them as God-given opportunities. What 'lion' are you currently running away from — a dream, a calling, a relationship, a risk?

3.The introduction sets up the idea that Benaiah's lion-chasing résumé is what prepared him to eventually become commander of David's army. How does this reframe the way you think about the difficult, even frightening, seasons of your own life?

a.Can you identify a past 'lion' you faced that, in hindsight, prepared you for something greater?

b.Is there a current struggle you might begin to see as preparation rather than punishment?

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All 10 weeks, 71 questions, closing prayers, and printable weekly handouts — plus the full PDF — so your prep is reading it over, not writing it from scratch.

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Week 1 sample · first 3 questions

Group handout: Chase the Lion

Week 1 sample · first 3 questions. Scroll to read the sample.

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10-Week Schedule

  1. Week 1Introduction — The Odd Dream7 questions
  2. Week 2Chapter 1 — Quit Living As If the Purpose of Life Is to Arrive Safely at Death7 questions
  3. Week 3Chapter 2 — The Odd Dream7 questions
  4. Week 4Chapter 3 — Circle Makers7 questions
  5. Week 5Chapter 4 — Twenty-Three Hundred Miles from Home7 questions
  6. Week 6Chapter 5 — The Inverted Gospel7 questions
  7. Week 7Chapter 6 — Grab the Spear7 questions
  8. Week 8Chapter 7 — The Favor of God7 questions
  9. Week 9Chapter 8 — The Day I Met the Man Who Could Have Been Me7 questions
  10. Week 10Review & Reflection — Becoming a Lion Chaser8 questions

Week 2: Chapter 1 — Quit Living As If the Purpose of Life Is to Arrive Safely at Death

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 1 of Chase the Lion. Key Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:20–23; Ephesians 3:20

1.The chapter title is itself a challenge. What does a life lived 'arriving safely at death' actually look like day-to-day? Can you describe a version of that life you've been tempted toward — or have lived?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: Chapter 2 — The Odd Dream

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 2 of Chase the Lion. Key Scripture: Genesis 37; Acts 2:17

1.Batterson describes God-given dreams as 'odd' — they often don't make sense to the people closest to you. Has God ever put something on your heart that seemed odd even to you? How did you respond?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Chapter 3 — Circle Makers

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 3 of Chase the Lion. Key Scripture: 1 Kings 18:41–45; Matthew 7:7–8

1.Batterson tells the legend of Honi the Circle Maker — a first-century rabbi who drew a circle in the dust, stood inside it, and told God he wouldn't move until it rained. What is your initial reaction to that kind of bold, almost audacious prayer? Does it inspire or unsettle you?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Chapter 4 — Twenty-Three Hundred Miles from Home

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 4 of Chase the Lion. Key Scripture: Genesis 12:1–4; Hebrews 11:8

1.Batterson draws on the story of Abraham leaving Ur — a wealthy, comfortable city — for a land he could not see, heading to a destination God had not yet named. What did Abraham have to leave behind, both materially and psychologically, to take that first step?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Chapter 5 — The Inverted Gospel

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 5 of Chase the Lion. Key Scripture: Matthew 16:24–25; Luke 9:23–24

1.Batterson describes what he calls an 'inverted gospel' — a version of Christianity that promises comfort, safety, and personal fulfillment while quietly stripping out the cross. Where do you see this version of the gospel showing up in our culture? In your own heart?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Chapter 6 — Grab the Spear

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 6 of Chase the Lion. Key Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:21; 1 Samuel 17

1.Batterson highlights the moment when Benaiah faced an Egyptian giant armed with a spear — and Benaiah had nothing. He grabbed the spear out of the giant's hand and killed him with it. What does that image stir in you? What does it take to grab the spear rather than run?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 8: Chapter 7 — The Favor of God

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 7 of Chase the Lion. Key Scripture: Luke 2:52; Proverbs 3:3–4

1.Batterson describes divine favor as the 'X factor' that accounts for why some people seem to be in the right place at the right time. How have you experienced what you would describe as God's favor in your life? What made it recognizable as something beyond coincidence?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Chapter 8 — The Day I Met the Man Who Could Have Been Me

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 8 of Chase the Lion. Key Scripture: Luke 19:11–27 (the Parable of the Minas)

1.Batterson describes a pivotal encounter with someone who represented a version of the life he could have lived if he had made different choices. Has there been a 'mirror moment' in your life — a person or circumstance that showed you a version of yourself you were in danger of becoming or had already become?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 10: Review & Reflection — Becoming a Lion Chaser

All 8 questions →

Review your notes, journal entries, and highlights from all chapters of Chase the Lion.

1.Looking back across the whole book, which chapter or idea hit you hardest — the one that made you most uncomfortable, most hopeful, or most convicted? Why do you think that particular idea landed the way it did?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide
Book Club QuestionsMore by Mark BattersonChristian LivingFaith & TheologyFor Small GroupsFor ChurchesFor Pastors & Sermon SeriesFree Question GeneratorMake a reading schedule for this book

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About the Chase the Lion guide

How many weeks is the Chase the Lion study guide?

This study guide covers Chase the Lion in 10 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

How many discussion questions are included?

The complete guide includes 71 discussion questions across 10 weeks — an average of 7 questions per week, designed for group conversation.

Can I use this guide for a book club?

Yes — the questions are written for group discussion and work well for small groups, book clubs, church studies, and couples reading together.

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