9-Week Study & Discussion Guide

The Treasure Principle

by Randy Alcorn·60 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 Preface and Introduction of The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. Primary Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:15-21.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Alcorn opens by describing a dramatic shift in his own relationship with money and possessions. What circumstances forced that shift, and what does he say he discovered on the other side of it? Had you heard his story before reading this book?

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 9-week study and discussion guide for The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn, with 60 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

Randy Alcorn's The Treasure Principle is a compact but life-changing book built around a single, arresting idea: you can't take it with you — but you can send it on ahead. Drawing on Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6:19-21 ("Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven"), Alcorn argues that joyful, radical generosity is not merely a financial strategy but a spiritual discipline that rewires the heart. The book's central "Treasure Principle" is this: You can't take it with you, but you can send it on ahead. Alcorn unpacks six "keys" that flow from this principle, showing readers that where we put our money is where our hearts will follow — and that releasing our grip on earthly wealth is the path to both kingdom impact and deep, lasting joy.

This study guide is designed for six to eight weeks of individual or small-group engagement. Each week, read the assigned chapter (or preface/introduction) before your meeting or journaling session. Then work through the discussion questions slowly and honestly — some questions ask what the text says, some ask what you truly believe, and some ask you to examine your own finances and habits. There is no right answer to the personal questions; the goal is honest reflection and prayerful movement. Each week closes with a prayer that names the specific temptations and hopes that chapter surfaces.

By the end of this guide, you will have a clearer theology of money and possessions, a fresh sense of the freedom that generosity produces, and — if you let the material do its work — a concrete plan for becoming a more joyful, strategic, and sacrificial giver. Come with an open Bible, an open hand, and a willingness to be surprised by joy.

Week 1: Preface & Introduction — Buried Treasure

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Read the Preface and Introduction of The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. Primary Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:15-21.

Before diving into the Treasure Principle itself, Alcorn wants to disorient us from the world's default assumptions about money — and that disorientation begins right here in the opening pages.

1.Alcorn opens by describing a dramatic shift in his own relationship with money and possessions. What circumstances forced that shift, and what does he say he discovered on the other side of it? Had you heard his story before reading this book?

2.The book's premise is that most Christians in wealthy Western cultures have absorbed the world's view of money almost without noticing. Do you think that's a fair diagnosis? What evidence for it do you see in your own life or in your church?

3.Jesus talked about money more than almost any other topic in the Gospels. Why do you think that is? What does the sheer volume of Jesus' teaching on wealth tell us about its spiritual danger — or its spiritual potential?

a.Read Luke 12:15-21 (the parable of the Rich Fool). How does Jesus define 'foolishness' in this story?

b.The Rich Fool isn't described as dishonest or cruel — just self-focused. How does that make the parable more uncomfortable, not less?

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Week 1 sample · first 3 questions

Group handout: The Treasure Principle

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

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9-Week Schedule

  1. Week 1Preface & Introduction — Buried Treasure6 questions
  2. Week 2Chapter 1 — Buried Treasure and the Treasure Principle6 questions
  3. Week 3Chapter 2 — This World Is Not Our Home6 questions
  4. Week 4Chapter 3 — Compounding Joy: Giving as Investment6 questions
  5. Week 5Chapter 4 — Six Keys to the Treasure Chest8 questions
  6. Week 6Chapter 5 — Getting There From Here7 questions
  7. Week 7Chapter 6 — Eyes on Eternity6 questions
  8. Week 8Chapter 7 — Becoming a Hilarious Giver7 questions
  9. Week 9Review & Reflection — The Treasure Principle in Your Life8 questions

Week 2: Chapter 1 — Buried Treasure and the Treasure Principle

All 6 questions →

Read Chapter 1 of The Treasure Principle. Primary Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21; Matthew 13:44.

1.Alcorn states the Treasure Principle plainly: 'You can't take it with you — but you can send it on ahead.' In your own words, what does it mean to 'send it on ahead'? What mechanisms does Alcorn say make that possible?

+ 5 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: Chapter 2 — This World Is Not Our Home

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Read Chapter 2 of The Treasure Principle. Primary Scripture: Hebrews 11:13-16; Philippians 3:20; 1 Peter 2:11.

1.Alcorn uses the image of a traveler or an expatriate — someone living in a foreign country, not accumulating property there because they know they're going home. How does that image land for you? In what ways do you actually live like an expatriate? In what ways do you clearly not?

+ 5 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Chapter 3 — Compounding Joy: Giving as Investment

All 6 questions →

Read Chapter 3 of The Treasure Principle. Primary Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Luke 16:9-13.

1.Alcorn introduces the idea that giving earns heavenly 'dividends' — returns that compound over eternity. He's deliberately using financial language. Do you find this motivating or slightly uncomfortable? What does your reaction reveal about your theology of rewards?

+ 5 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Chapter 4 — Six Keys to the Treasure Chest

All 8 questions →

Read Chapter 4 of The Treasure Principle. Primary Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Matthew 19:21.

1.Alcorn's first key is: 'God owns everything. I'm His money manager.' How does thinking of yourself as a steward (manager) rather than an owner change the way you feel about spending, saving, and giving? Is this genuinely freeing or does it feel like a constraint?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Chapter 5 — Getting There From Here

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Read Chapter 5 of The Treasure Principle. Primary Scripture: Luke 19:1-10; Mark 10:17-22; Acts 2:44-45.

1.Alcorn contrasts Zacchaeus (Luke 19) and the Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10) as two people who encountered Jesus and responded very differently to the call to give. What made the difference? What do their contrasting stories reveal about the relationship between wealth and salvation?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Chapter 6 — Eyes on Eternity

All 6 questions →

Read Chapter 6 of The Treasure Principle. Primary Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; Revelation 22:12; Matthew 25:14-30.

1.Alcorn devotes significant attention to the Judgment Seat of Christ (the Bema Seat) in 1 Corinthians 3, where believers' works are evaluated — not for condemnation, but for reward. Had you thought seriously about this before? How does it change the way you think about giving?

+ 5 more questions in the full guide

Week 8: Chapter 7 — Becoming a Hilarious Giver

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Read Chapter 7 of The Treasure Principle. Primary Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7; Psalm 37:4; John 10:10.

1.The word translated 'cheerful' in 2 Corinthians 9:7 is the Greek word hilaros — from which we get 'hilarious.' Alcorn builds his closing chapter around that word. What does 'hilarious giving' look like in practice? Have you ever met someone whose generosity looked hilarious — almost absurd — to outside observers?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Review & Reflection — The Treasure Principle in Your Life

All 8 questions →

Review your notes from The Treasure Principle. Suggested Scripture for reflection: Matthew 6:19-21; 2 Corinthians 8:1-9; 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19.

1.Looking back across the whole book: which chapter, key, or illustration had the most impact on you? What was it about that moment that got through your defenses?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide
Book Club QuestionsMore by Randy AlcornChristian LivingSpiritual Growth & DisciplinesFor Small GroupsFor ChurchesFor Pastors & Sermon SeriesFree Question GeneratorMake a reading schedule for this book

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About the The Treasure Principle guide

How many weeks is the The Treasure Principle study guide?

This study guide covers The Treasure Principle in 9 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 60 discussion questions across 9 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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