Book Club Questions for Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

1.Cymbala opens the book by describing the Brooklyn Tabernacle in its early days as a place of failure, debt, and discouragement. What is your initial reaction to a pastor being that transparent about weakness? Does it make you trust him more or less, and why?

2.The title Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire draws on the imagery of the Holy Spirit as wind (John 3:8) and fire (Acts 2:3). What do those two metaphors suggest to you about how the Spirit works — both its unpredictability and its intensity?

3.Cymbala argues from the outset that most churches in America are running on human energy and organizational skill rather than the power of the Spirit. Do you think that's a fair critique? What evidence, if any, have you seen that supports or challenges it?

1.Cymbala describes arriving at the Brooklyn Tabernacle to find a congregation of about twenty people, a leaky building, and an empty offering plate that sometimes held less than ten dollars. What does it say about God's purposes that he often begins with almost nothing?

2.He draws a sharp contrast between churches that are impressive to human observers and churches that are genuinely empowered by the Spirit. In your experience, what are the telltale signs of each?

3.Cymbala quotes Zechariah 4:6 — "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD." How does that verse function as a kind of theme for the entire chapter? Where is that principle hardest for you personally to apply?

1.Cymbala describes the Tuesday night prayer meeting as the most important service of the week at Brooklyn Tabernacle — more important than Sunday morning. How does that priority compare to your own church's rhythms? What does it say about what a church truly values?

2.He distinguishes between "saying prayers" and actually praying — the difference between religious routine and genuine, expectant communication with God. Which one more accurately describes your own prayer life right now? Be honest.

3.Cymbala recalls a moment of breaking down before God, crying out in helplessness, and sensing that God responded. Have you ever had a moment like that — where your prayer was less polished and more like a desperate cry? What was that like?

1.Cymbala uses the phrase "the smell of smoke" to describe something unmistakable — when God has clearly been at work, you can tell. Can you think of a time when you "smelled smoke" — when God's presence or power was undeniably evident? Describe it.

2.He shares early stories of broken people — drug addicts, homeless men and women — who began appearing at Brooklyn Tabernacle and being transformed. What does the kind of people God was drawing to the church tell us about the nature of revival?

3.Cymbala observes that as the church began to genuinely pray, it also began to genuinely welcome the most difficult people. Do you think a culture of prayer and a culture of radical welcome are connected? Why or why not?

1.Cymbala argues that God acts in history not merely for our benefit but for the honor of his own name — that he will not allow his name to be permanently disgraced. How does that idea strike you? Does it feel comforting, unsettling, or both?

2.He points to Ezekiel 36, where God promises to restore Israel not because they deserve it but "for the sake of my holy name." What does it mean for God to be motivated by his own glory? How does that truth reframe prayer — specifically, what we are really asking when we pray for revival?

3.Cymbala tells stories of individuals whose dramatic transformations were a direct testimony to God's power and name. Can you think of a conversion or transformation story — from your own life or someone you know — that clearly put God's name on display?

1.Cymbala uses the language of "spiritual boredom" to describe a state where church has become routine, faith has become familiar, and the supernatural seems far away. Be honest — have you ever been spiritually bored? What did that feel like?

2.He connects the lukewarm church of Laodicea in Revelation 3 to the self-satisfied American church. Jesus says to that church, "I wish you were cold or hot" — meaning flat indifference is worse than open hostility. Why is spiritual lukewarmness so dangerous, and so hard to detect in ourselves?

3.Cymbala argues that the antidote to spiritual boredom is not more programs, better music, or a more dynamic preacher — it is genuine, Spirit-led prayer and encounter with God. Have you ever tried to cure spiritual dryness with activity? What happened?

1.Cymbala describes services at Brooklyn Tabernacle where the presence of God was so palpable that people came under deep conviction, wept, confessed sin, and were transformed without being manipulated by the preacher. Have you ever been in a service like that? What distinguished it from a well-produced, emotionally engaging service?

2.Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:25 that when the church gathers in the Spirit, an unbeliever might fall on his face and say, "God is really among you." What would need to be different about our church gatherings for that response to be possible?

3.Cymbala is careful not to equate a particular worship style with God's presence. He is suspicious of manufactured emotion and emotional manipulation. How do you tell the difference between genuine spiritual encounter and emotionally induced religious feeling?

1.Cymbala cites Jeremiah 33:3 — "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known" — as a kind of divine dare. Have you ever treated that verse as a genuine, open invitation? What would it look like to actually take God up on it?

2.He argues that most Christians pray small, safe, easily-answered prayers — things we could almost accomplish ourselves — rather than asking God for things that would require his direct supernatural involvement. What do your typical prayers reveal about your actual level of faith and expectation?

3.Cymbala shares stories of specific, audacious prayers that were answered in ways that could not be explained naturally. What is the difference between bold, expectant faith and presumption? How do you tell them apart?

1.Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Cymbala emphasizes the word "I" — it is Christ's church, and he is the builder. How does that change the way a pastor, elder, or church member thinks about their role?

2.He contrasts churches that grow because of demographic trends, clever marketing, or a gifted communicator, with churches that grow because God is clearly at work. Is it possible to tell the difference? What distinguishes the two?

3.Cymbala describes the Brooklyn Tabernacle as growing not because they targeted a particular demographic or launched a slick outreach strategy, but because desperate people in a hard city were drawn by the Spirit to a place of genuine prayer and welcome. What does that suggest about what the "attractional" element of a healthy church should actually be?

1.Cymbala tells the story of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, which grew from an embarrassingly small and unpolished group into a Grammy Award-winning ensemble. What is so striking about the origin of the choir, and what does it say about how God builds things?

2.His wife Carol, with no formal music training, became the director of the choir and led it for decades. Why do you think God so often uses people who are unqualified by human standards? What is the advantage of not having all the answers?

3.Cymbala argues that genuine praise and worship are not merely musical performances — they are spiritual weapons and acts of faith. Psalm 40 describes God putting a "new song" in the psalmist's mouth. Has God ever given you a "new song" — a fresh reason to praise him in a difficult season? What was it?

1.Cymbala returns throughout this chapter to the idea that God's blessing is not something to be engineered but something that flows from genuine connection to him. How does John 15's image of the vine and branches capture that relationship?

2.He argues that God blessed Abraham not because Abraham had it all together but because Abraham trusted and obeyed. Where do you struggle most to simply trust and obey — without fully understanding the plan?

3.Cymbala is blunt that many church ministries are running on human momentum — they were once Spirit-initiated but have now become self-sustaining institutions. How does an individual Christian or a church avoid drifting from Spirit-dependence into institutional momentum?

1.Habakkuk prays, "Lord, I have heard the report about you, and I fear. Revive your work in the midst of the years" (Hab. 3:2). Cymbala uses this prayer as a model. What strikes you about the fact that Habakkuk's prayer for revival begins with fear — reverent awe — rather than confidence in his own standing?

2.Cymbala defines revival not as a series of meetings or an emotional event but as God returning to his church in power after a season of coldness and departure. By that definition, do you think revival is needed today — in your life, your church, your city? Why or why not?

3.Acts 3:19 calls people to "repent and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Cymbala argues that repentance — genuine turning — is always the door to renewal. What do you need to repent of to receive fresh wind and fresh fire in your own life?

1.Which chapter or story from Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire had the most significant impact on you, and why? What was it about that chapter that got through to you in a way the others didn't?

2.How has your understanding of prayer changed — or at least been challenged — through this study? Be specific: what did you believe before, and what do you believe now?

3.Cymbala's central argument is that God is attracted to weakness, honesty, and desperation — and repelled by self-sufficiency and religious performance. Has that thesis been confirmed, qualified, or complicated for you as you've read? How?