Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright
Week 11: Part III, Chapter 10 — Reshaping the Church for Mission
Read Part III, Chapter 10 of Surprised by Hope. Key passages: Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:6–11; 1 Corinthians 15:58.
Want the full guide for Surprised by Hope?
Free Week 1 sample in 5 min · $24.99 for all 17 weeks · 7-day refund
Wright pivots from future hope to present mission, arguing that eschatology is not an escape from the world but a charter for engagement with it.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Wright argues in Part III that the great mistake has been to think of Christian hope as future-oriented in a way that makes the present irrelevant. How does he insist that hope and mission are inseparable — that what we believe about the future shapes how we act in the present?
2.Wright uses the metaphor of 'building for the kingdom' — that the good work Christians do in the present world is not thrown away at the end but is somehow 'taken up' into the new creation. This is a striking and controversial claim. What is the biblical basis he offers for it, and does it persuade you?
3.Wright argues that the Church's worship — particularly the Eucharist — is itself a form of anticipating the new creation, a 'foretaste' of the heavenly banquet. How does this understanding of worship change the way we think about Sunday services?
a.How does worshipping the risen Jesus connect heaven and earth right now?
b.In what ways does your church's worship feel like a foretaste of the new creation — or fail to?
You're on Week 11 of 17
Don't lose momentum — get the rest of Surprised by Hope
All 120 questions across 17 weeks, with closing prayers and a downloadable PDF for your group.
One-time purchase · 7-day refund · Covers your whole group