How to Lead a Discovery Bible Study

April 13, 2019

by Discipleship.org Partner

In your group life, do you find that only a few people feel confident to share what they see in the Bible?
Would you like a simple viral way to train others in how to read the Bible… and wonder if Discovery Bible Study might be a way forward?
How confident are you that you can effectively read the Bible with pre-Christians?

One of the keys to healthy missional community life is having the Bible at the center. People need to be able to encounter God there – but in ways that empower each individual, wherever they are on their spiritual journey, to see Jesus for themselves and not feel pressured to merely parrot out the “right” answer.

Fresh Bread

In broad terms, one of our 6 essentials of ‘what happens’ in a missional community is about active engagement with the Bible. We call this, ‘Fresh Bread’. You know that moment when you walk past a bakery and suddenly you are hit with the wondrous aroma of baking bread? And while a moment before you weren’t even thinking about food, now all you can focus on is enjoying all that goodness!

When it comes to the Bible, as we break it open in something like a Discovery Bible Study, we should be struck by the fresh aroma of the ‘now word’ of Jesus to us as we think about how it impacts our story today. In fact, Scripture is so powerful, when we encounter God there and see how He is intersecting our life right now, that becomes all we can think about. This can be true both for Christians and also those not yet committed to Christ.

And this is where Discovery Bible Study is such a powerful tool. Globally it is having a colossal impact, especially in nations where some of the fiercest persecution of Christians is taking place. In such situations it is vital to find simple, transferable ways to train people to read the Bible, hear what Jesus is saying to them, and then obey that direction that very week.

In response to many questions, in this video we share with you all you’ll need to know to start and multiply your own Discovery Bible Study!

EXERCISE:

Who can you invite to read the Bible with you in a Discovery Bible Study?

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS:

REVIEW how you did last week in obeying the passage, and who you shared it with

READ the passage x2, and then retell it

DISCUSS
1. What did I discover about God in this passage?

2. What did I discover about people in this passage?

ACT
3. How will I commit to obey this passage this week?

4. With whom will I share what I have learned from this passage?

PRAY for one another

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY – READING PLAN

This is a sample list of passages that you can use if you want to read through some of the key points of the story of God. Obviously, adapt the list as you see fit!