Book Club Questions for The Awe of God

1.Bevere opens by describing a kind of Christianity that is enthusiastic and busy yet strangely shallow — marked by intimacy pursued without reverence. Have you recognized this pattern in yourself or in broader church culture? What does it look, sound, or feel like?

2.The publisher's description frames holy fear as 'the key to everything.' Before reading further, what is your gut reaction to that claim? Does it feel like an overstatement, or does something in you resonate with it?

3.Bevere draws a sharp distinction between being afraid of God and fearing God in a holy sense. In your own words, how would you describe that difference at this early stage of the study?

1.Bevere works to define holy fear carefully, distinguishing it from slavish terror. How does he define the fear of the Lord in these early chapters? What are its key characteristics?

2.He points out that Isaiah 11:2–3 lists the 'fear of the Lord' as one of the gifts of the Spirit resting on the Messiah — meaning Jesus Himself walked in holy fear. What does it mean to you that Jesus, the Son of God, delighted in the fear of the Lord?

3.Bevere describes God as both intimately loving and awesomely holy — and argues that we need both realities held in tension. What happens spiritually when we emphasize only God's love without His holiness, or only His holiness without His love?

1.Bevere catalogs a remarkable list of benefits tied to the fear of the Lord throughout Scripture — provision, protection, wisdom, long life, confidence, and more. Which of these surprised you most, and why?

2.Psalm 25:14 says, 'The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him.' Bevere unpacks this idea that God shares His confidence — His inner counsel — with those who fear Him. What would it mean practically for God to share His 'secrets' with you?

3.Bevere makes the point that lesser fears — fear of people, fear of the future, fear of failure — are eclipsed when the fear of God takes its proper place. Have you experienced this? What lesser fears tend to dominate your life, and how might a deeper awe of God displace them?

1.Bevere observes that people who truly fear the Lord 'tremble at His word' (Isaiah 66:2). What does it look like to tremble at Scripture — not with fear of punishment, but with reverent weight? Can you think of a time when a passage of Scripture stopped you in your tracks?

2.He distinguishes between reading the Bible for information and receiving it with trembling submission. Which mode do you most naturally operate in, and what makes the second mode difficult?

3.Bevere uses the example of Ezra, who gathered all who 'trembled at the words of the God of Israel' (Ezra 9:4). What is it about a community of people marked by reverence for God's Word that makes it qualitatively different from ordinary religious community?

1.Bevere holds up Joseph as a prime example of the fear of the Lord in action. When Potiphar's wife propositioned him, Joseph's response was not 'I might get caught' but 'How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?' (Genesis 39:9). What is the difference between moral behavior rooted in fear of consequences versus moral behavior rooted in holy fear?

2.Bevere argues that the decline of the fear of the Lord in the church is directly connected to a casual attitude toward sin. Do you see this connection in your own experience — in yourself or in the broader Christian culture around you?

3.Proverbs 16:6 says that 'by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.' Bevere treats this not as willpower or behavioral management, but as a supernatural dynamic — God's own awe working in us to produce genuine repugnance toward sin. How is this different from simply 'trying harder'?

1.Bevere distinguishes between the world's wisdom and God's wisdom. How does James 3:13–17 describe the difference between earthly, unspiritual wisdom and the wisdom that comes from above? Which characteristics of 'wisdom from above' do you most need right now?

2.Proverbs 9:10 declares that 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.' Bevere unpacks the word 'beginning' (Hebrew: *reshit*) to mean not merely the starting point but the chief part — the very essence — of wisdom. How does this reframe what wisdom is and where it comes from?

3.Bevere argues that many Christians make decisions primarily through logic, feelings, or advice from peers, rather than through the wisdom God grants to those who fear Him. Which of these alternatives do you tend to rely on most, and what would it look like to lead with holy fear instead?

1.Bevere takes seriously the biblical language of grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). What does it say about the nature of God that He can be grieved? How does this truth affect the way you think about your daily choices?

2.Bevere lists specific behaviors in Ephesians 4 that grieve the Spirit — unwholesome talk, bitterness, anger, slander, malice. Are you more inclined to take these seriously as 'big sins,' or do you treat them as relatively minor? How might the fear of God recalibrate your view?

3.Bevere discusses Israel's repeated pattern of grieving God in the wilderness (Hebrews 3; Psalm 95), and how their hardened hearts were connected to a loss of holy fear. What warning does Israel's story carry for the contemporary church — and for you personally?

1.God said of Israel in Deuteronomy 5:29, 'Oh, that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments.' The 'Oh' reveals something about God's longing. What does this verse tell you about what God most wants from His people — and from you?

2.Bevere likely addresses the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, where God's judgment on hypocrisy caused 'great fear' to come on the church. This is one of the most uncomfortable stories in the New Testament. How do you process it? What does it reveal about God that we might prefer to look away from?

3.The result of the Ananias and Sapphira incident was that 'great fear came upon the whole church' — and then the church grew dramatically. Bevere suggests that holy fear and church growth are connected, not opposed. Does that surprise you? What might it look like in practice?

1.Proverbs 29:25 says, 'The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.' What does the 'snare' of fearing people look like in your own life — in your decisions, your speech, your compromises?

2.Bevere points out that the religious leaders in John 12:42–43 believed in Jesus but wouldn't confess it 'for fear of the Pharisees.' They 'loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.' How is the love of human approval a form of idolatry, and where do you see it operating in yourself?

3.Isaiah 51:12–13 asks, 'Who are you to fear man who dies, a son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker?' God connects fear of man directly to forgetting who He is. What does forgetfulness of God look like practically, and how does remembering Him displace lesser fears?

1.Psalm 112 opens, 'Blessed is the man who fears the Lord.' The rest of the psalm describes the stunning legacy such a person leaves — stability for their children, righteousness remembered forever, unshakeable hearts. Which of these promised legacies do you most long to build, and what is standing in the way?

2.Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 concludes the entire book of wisdom literature with this: 'Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment.' How does the certainty of judgment — not as condemnation for believers, but as accounting — motivate you to live differently today?

3.Bevere distinguishes between living for what is temporal and living for what is eternal. Where in your current life are you most oriented toward temporal rewards, comfort, or approval? What would a reorientation toward eternity look like in that area?

1.Psalm 25:14 says, 'The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him.' The Hebrew word translated 'friendship' (*sod*) means intimate counsel or confidential closeness. What does it mean to you that God offers this kind of friendship specifically to those who fear Him?

2.Bevere likely uses the moment in Revelation 1 when the apostle John — who had reclined at Jesus's breast at the Last Supper — falls as though dead at the feet of the glorified Christ. What does this moment reveal about how our experience of God deepens and changes, even for those who knew Jesus intimately?

3.Bevere argues that much of what passes for intimacy with God today is actually familiarity — a casual, comfortable approach that lacks genuine awe. What is the difference between intimacy and familiarity, and how do you tell which one you have?

1.Bevere contrasts those in Scripture who finished well (Paul, Daniel, Joseph, Anna) with those who started well but veered off course (Solomon, Saul, Samson). What patterns do you notice in those who finished well? What patterns do you notice in those who didn't?

2.Proverbs 4:18 says that 'the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.' Bevere uses this to argue that finishing well is not just about avoiding catastrophic failure but about a life that steadily grows brighter. Is your life currently getting brighter? What might be dimming it?

3.Bevere likely addresses the danger of success — how spiritual achievement, public recognition, or even a long track record can erode holy fear if we're not careful. Can you think of examples (biblical or contemporary) where success became a spiritual liability?

1.Bevere sees a direct connection between the fear of the Lord and genuine revival — noting that in Acts 2:43, 'awe came upon every soul.' What is the relationship between corporate holy fear and the kind of spiritual awakening the church longs for today?

2.Habakkuk prayed, 'Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it' (Habakkuk 3:2). What strikes you about the fact that Habakkuk's prayer for revival is rooted in holy fear? How might your own prayers for renewal change if you prayed more from this posture?

3.2 Chronicles 7:14 is one of the most famous revival texts in Scripture. Bevere likely highlights that humbling ourselves before God — one of the key conditions — is itself an expression of holy fear. What would genuine corporate humility look like in your church or community?

1.When you wrote down what you hoped to gain from this study in Week 1, what did you say? Looking back now, how did God meet that hope — or surprise you with something different?

2.Which chapter or week of this study had the greatest personal impact on you? What specifically did God use to get your attention — a particular verse, illustration, story, or quote from Bevere?

3.Bevere argues that the fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom, obedience, intimacy with God, freedom from the fear of man, and an eternal legacy. Looking across all of these, where have you grown the most during this study? Where do you sense you still have the furthest to go?