Discovery Bible Study Method
The Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is an effective process for multiplying disciples who make disciples. If you are looking for a simple,
transferable method that will lead to loving obedience and spiritual reproduction, we highly recommend you consider starting a Discovery Bible Study.
Studies show that 90% of what people remember and apply to their own lives comes through self-discovery. Discovery Bible Study is based on the words of Jesus in John 6:44-45, “No one can come to Me
(Jesus) unless the Father who sent me draws him…It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God. Therefore, everyone who hears and has learned from the Father comes to me.’”
The goal of Discovery Bible Study is two-fold:
1) Encouraging people to hear God for themselves through His Word. (What’s God saying to you?)
2) Encouraging people to obey what the Father is teaching them. (How will you apply what you have learned?)
A Discovery Bible Study is the foundation of a simple/organic church. It takes people from not knowing God to falling in love with Jesus. Later, the same process is used to master any topic in the Bible. It establishes the DNA of the emerging church.
Here's a simple illustration of how it works...
1. Start with a Person of Peace (Luke 10:6) - and his/her extended relational network.
2. Seek to lead a person/family/group to discover God and His salvation.
3. The Scripture is the authority. Lead a simple inductive Bible study each week.
PART 1
1. Ask: “What are you thankful for this week?” (Prayer/Worship) 2. Ask: “What has stressed you out this week?” “What do you need to happen for things to be better?” Or… “What needs do you or others have?” (Intercession)
3. Ask: “How can we help each other with the needs we expressed?” (Ministry)
4. Ask: “What did we talk about last week?” (Review/Accountability) 5. Ask: “Did you change anything in your life as a result of last
week’s study?” Or… “How did you apply what you learned last week?” (Accountability/Obedience)
6. Ask: “Did you get a chance to share the story with (the person they identified)?” (Accountability/Evangelism)
7. Ask: “We identified several needs last week and planned to meet those needs. How did it go? (Accountability/Ministry)
PART II
1. Ask God to teach us as we read this weeks passage. (John 6:44-45: Hearing God/Scripture/Prayer)
2. Ask for someone to retell the passage in his or her own words. Like they were telling a friend who wasn’t there.
(Understanding/Evangelism)
3. Ask the Group: “Do you agree with their retelling? Is there something they added or left out that they shouldn’t have?” As long as the group doesn’t miss a key component of the passage, continue. If they miss something, read the passage again. If someone states something that isn’t in the passage, ask, “Where did you find [what they said] in this passage?” Reread the passage, if necessary. (Priesthood of Believers/Group Correction/Understanding) 4. Ask: “What does this passage teach us about God?” (Discovery/Scripture/Priesthood of Believers)
5. Ask: “What does this passage teach us about humanity?” (Discovery/Scripture/Priesthood of Believers)
6. Ask: “If we believe this passage is from God, how must we change?” Or… “If you believe this is true, how would you have to obey?” (Discovery/Scripture/Obedience/Priesthood of Believers) 7. Ask: “Who are you going to share this passage with before we meet again?” Or… “With whom do you plan to share what you have just learned?” (Evangelism/Replication)
Here the participants are being discipled to depend on Scripture as their source of spiritual authority. This process is repeated every week until the group becomes followers of Jesus, and then disciples in
obedience to the Word, which will include water baptism.
From Creation to Christ –
Guided Discovery Bible Study Reference List
Genesis 1:1-25 The Creation Story: God Created the World Genesis 2:4-24 The Creation Story: The Creation of Man Genesis 3:1-13 The Fall: The First Sin and Judgment Genesis 3:14-24 The Fall: Judgment of a Sinful World Genesis 6:1-9:17 The Fall: The Flood
Genesis 12:1-8,
15:1-6 Redemption: God’s Promise to Abram
Genesis 22:1-19 Redemption: Abraham offers Isaac as a Sacrifice
Exodus 12:1-28 Redemption: The Promise of Passover
Exodus 20:1-21 Redemption: The Ten Commandments
Leviticus 4:1-35 Redemption: The Sacrificial System
Isaiah 53 Redemption: Isaiah Foreshadows the
Coming Promise Luke 1:26-38,
2:1-20 Redemption: The Birth of Jesus
Matthew 3; John
1:29-34 Redemption: Jesus is Baptized
Matthew 4:1-11 Redemption: The Temptation of Christ
John 3:1-21 Redemption: Jesus and Nicodemus
John 4:1-26, 39-42 Redemption: Jesus and the Woman at the Well
Luke 5:17-26 Redemption: Jesus Forgives and Heals
Mark 4:35-41 Redemption: Jesus Calms the Storm
Mark 5:1-20 Redemption: Jesus Casts Out Evil Spirits
John 11:1-44 Redemption: Jesus Raises Lazarus from the
Dead
Matthew 26:26-30 Redemption: The First Lord’s Supper John 18:1-19:16 Redemption: Jesus is Betrayed and
Condemned
Luke 23:32-56 Redemption: Jesus is Crucified
Luke 24:1-35 Redemption: Jesus Conquers Death
Luke 24:36-53 Redemption: Jesus Appears and Ascends
Tips for Trainers:
1. Keep the groups small. (Five is the ideal number, but 4-6 is okay. If your fellowship is larger consider dividing into multiple groups – See #2)
• Smaller groups prevent the Bible Teaching from taking too long
(45 minutes is ideal).
• Smaller groups draw quiet or shy people into the discussion.
2. Divide larger groups into sub-groups and have them work through the questions simultaneously.
• You get to model how to handle a bigger group. • Involves more people in the facilitation role.
3. Remind the facilitators of their responsibilities:
• Keep the discussion moving and involve everyone.
• Use the “Where is that in this passage?” question to keep the
group on track.
• Be sure to save time for questions 6 and 7 in Part I & II.
• Make sure someone takes notes when the prayer requests are
being shared.
4. After they answer the questions, facilitate a debriefing exercise by having sub-groups list their “top three” insights into God and their “top three” ways to obey the passage. Make sure someone takes notes when the “top three” are being shared.
• The goal is to enable people to hear from God. The larger group
review confirms the things each group heard and exposes them to something they might have missed that another sub-group heard.
• Provides an interesting review process (the three “Rs” of
education are “repetition, repetition, repetition,” but it cannot become boring or you will lose them).
• Exercises the participants in healthy group functions (your
long-term goal is to disciple them in functioning as a healthy church).
• You can “accentuate the positive” by highlighting the healthiest
responses. (Rather than causing those with weak responses to lose face, you get to spotlight the ones that are strong and worthy of being imitated.)
Start with Creation and work through the Bible to Christ, focusing on the attributes of God. When working with pre-believers, outside
leaders should never facilitate more than two studies. It is preferable if they never facilitate, but rather coach the Person of Peace to ask the questions from the start.
The great thing about using the DBS is that it has a great "teaching to obey" mechanism. By asking each person how they intend to obey each week, and following up the next week by asking how they applied what they learned, you are reinforcing the importance of doing what the Bible says!
REMEMBER:
• Keep the discussion focused on the Scripture • Don’t introduce outside materials into the process
• Everyone must answer what must change in their lives to obey • Focus on specific action
