11-Week Study & Discussion Guide

Follow Me

by David Platt·78 discussion questions

Week 1 — FreeRead the Introduction of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: Matthew 4:18–22; Luke 9:23–24.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Platt opens by describing a Christianity that is "a mile wide and an inch deep" — large in numbers but shallow in discipleship. Where do you see evidence of this in your own church context or in American Christianity broadly?

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About This Study Guide

In Follow Me, David Platt issues a bracing, countercultural challenge: the Jesus of the American church and the Jesus of the Bible may not be the same person. Platt argues that for too long, Christianity in the West has been reduced to a simple transaction — say a prayer, sign a card, walk an aisle — while the radical demands of discipleship have been quietly set aside. Drawing on the Gospels' portrait of Jesus calling fishermen away from their nets, a tax collector away from his booth, and crowds away from their comfortable assumptions, Platt contends that following Jesus is not an addition to your life but a total reorientation of it. True disciples are not just converts; they are men and women who have been transformed by the gospel and who now make disciples of others — to the ends of the earth.

This study guide is designed to walk you through Follow Me week by week, chapter by chapter. The best way to use it is simple: read the assigned chapter before your group meets (or before your personal study time), take a few minutes to journal your initial reactions and questions, and then work through the discussion questions either on your own or with your group. Don't rush. Some questions are meant to surface uncomfortable truths about your own life; sit with those. Others push you toward the grand sweep of the gospel and God's mission in the world. Both kinds matter.

By the end of this guide, you should have a clearer, more biblical picture of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus — not as a burden, but as the most alive and purposeful way to be human. You should also have taken at least a few concrete steps: perhaps a relationship you are investing in more intentionally, a habit of prayer that is more honest, or a willingness to consider how God might be calling you beyond the comfortable boundaries of your current life. The goal is not just understanding but transformation — and ultimately, multiplication.

Week 1: Introduction — A Different Kind of Christianity

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Read the Introduction of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: Matthew 4:18–22; Luke 9:23–24.

1.Platt opens by describing a Christianity that is "a mile wide and an inch deep" — large in numbers but shallow in discipleship. Where do you see evidence of this in your own church context or in American Christianity broadly?

2.He draws a distinction between being a "convert" and being a "disciple." In your own words, what is the difference Platt is pointing to, and why does it matter?

3.Platt suggests that our methods of evangelism — the quick prayer, the raised hand, the signed card — may actually be producing false assurance in people who have never truly repented and believed. How do you react to that claim? Does it feel too harsh, or does it ring true?

4.Think about the moment or season when you first identified as a Christian. Looking back through the lens of Platt's introduction, would you describe that as a moment of conversion, the beginning of discipleship, or something else entirely?

a.What did you understand yourself to be committing to at that time?

b.How has that understanding changed?

5.Platt insists that the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20) is not just a task for missionaries and pastors but the defining mission of every follower of Jesus. Is that how you have lived your Christian life so far? Why or why not?

6.What do you hope to gain — or be challenged by — over the course of reading this book? Write down one honest expectation and one honest fear about where this study might lead you.

7.How does the gospel itself — the death and resurrection of Jesus for sinners — provide not just the starting point but the ongoing motivation for the kind of radical discipleship Platt describes in the introduction?

Week 2: Chapter 1 — Blank Checks and Busy Crowds

All 7 questions

Read Chapter 1 of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; Luke 5:1–11.

1.Platt emphasizes that when Jesus called his first disciples, they left everything — nets, boats, and in James and John's case, their own father — immediately. What does that kind of immediate, total response tell us about the authority of Jesus?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: Chapter 2 — Dead Men Walking

All 7 questions

Read Chapter 2 of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: Romans 3:10–18; Ephesians 2:1–5; John 3:3–7.

1.Platt grounds the need for discipleship in a robust doctrine of human depravity. He describes people apart from Christ as spiritually dead — not sick, not confused, but dead. How does this diagnosis change how we think about evangelism and discipleship?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Chapter 3 — Turning the World Upside Down

All 7 questions

Read Chapter 3 of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: Luke 9:23–25; Matthew 10:37–39; Philippians 3:7–11.

1.Platt unpacks Luke 9:23, where Jesus says disciples must deny themselves, take up their cross *daily*, and follow him. What does it mean to deny *yourself* — not just deny yourself things, but deny the self itself as the center of your life?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Chapter 4 — The Great Why

All 7 questions

Read Chapter 4 of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: John 10:10; John 17:3; 1 John 5:11–12.

1.Platt argues that the life Jesus promises in John 10:10 — "life to the full" — is not a more comfortable or prosperous version of our current life but something qualitatively different: eternal life, which Jesus defines in John 17:3 as *knowing* God. How does defining eternal life as a relationship rather than a destination change how you think about it?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Chapter 5 — A Fundamental Transformation

All 7 questions

Read Chapter 5 of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:1–14.

1.Platt argues that 2 Corinthians 5:17 — "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" — is not a poetic metaphor but a literal description of spiritual reality. What does it mean in practice that the old self is "gone" and the new has come?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Chapter 6 — A New Family

All 7 questions

Read Chapter 6 of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: Matthew 12:46–50; Acts 2:42–47; Hebrews 10:24–25.

1.Platt points to Matthew 12:46–50, where Jesus redefines family as those who do the will of the Father, as evidence that the church is not an optional add-on to Christian faith but is itself a new family. How does this challenge the common view that church attendance is simply one spiritual practice among many?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 8: Chapter 7 — A Multiplying Community

All 7 questions

Read Chapter 7 of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: Matthew 28:18–20; 2 Timothy 2:2; Acts 1:8.

1.Platt structures his vision of discipleship around 2 Timothy 2:2 — Paul's charge to Timothy to entrust what he has received to "faithful men who will be able to teach others also." This is four generations of disciples in one verse. How does this passage reshape what discipleship looks like practically?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Chapter 8 — To All Peoples

All 7 questions

Read Chapter 8 of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: Revelation 7:9–10; Romans 10:14–15; Matthew 24:14.

1.Platt opens the global dimension of discipleship with the vision in Revelation 7:9 — people from every tribe, tongue, and nation gathered before the throne. How does beginning with this end-time picture change how you think about global missions today?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 10: Chapter 9 — A Dangerous Discipleship

All 7 questions

Read Chapter 9 of Follow Me by David Platt. Key passages: Matthew 10:16–39; Acts 5:29; Philippians 1:29.

1.Platt draws from Matthew 10, where Jesus sends the disciples out and tells them to expect persecution, hatred, and danger. How does this passage serve as a corrective to versions of Christianity that promise health, safety, and prosperity?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 11: Review & Reflection

All 8 questions

Review your notes and journal entries from the entire book. Re-read any chapters that felt especially challenging or unresolved.

1.Looking back across the whole book, which chapter or idea hit you the hardest — the one you most wanted to argue with, or the one that most clearly named something true about your life? Why did it land that way?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many weeks is the Follow Me study guide?

This study guide covers Follow Me in 11 weeks, with chapter-by-chapter discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

How many discussion questions are included?

The complete guide includes 78 discussion questions across 11 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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