The Discovery Questions

In a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) people who know nothing about the Bible become disciples of Jesus Christ. How does this happen? A key factor is the discussion questions that help them focus on God’s Word and apply it to their lives. Let’s take a brief tour of the essential questions that distinguish Discovery Bible Study from other methods.

A. LIVING THE WORD

Participants share experiences from the previous week.

1. With whom did you share last week’s passage?
2. Did you apply what you learned in last week’s passage?
3. What happened this past week as we helped someone outside our group?

These questions assume that the participants accepted personal assignments at the last session. We’ll see how that occurs later in our tour.

B. OPEN THE WORD

1. Who would like to read the Scripture passage for this week? The others read along silently. Who would like to read it again? This time the rest just listen.
2. Who would like to try retelling the passage in their own words? Members take turns doing this, with the others filling in whatever someone left out.

This is not a competition.   It is group learning — with the goal that each of them will share their paraphrase of the passage with somebody outside the group during the coming week.

C. DISCOVER THE WORD

1. What happens in this scripture passage?
2. In this passage what do we discover about God?
3. In this passage what do we discover about people?

Participants agree to confine their remarks to the passage being studied. If anyone shares something from an outside source, the others ask: Where does it say that in this passage? As they listen to Scripture alone, God becomes the teacher and leader of the group.

D. OBEY THE WORD

1. If this scripture is true, how does it change how we see God?
2. If this is true, how does it change how we treat others?
3. If it is true, how does it change what I will do this week?

In response to the truths they have discovered in God’s Word, each person writes an “I will” statement: an agreement to change something in their daily life that reflects the reality learned from the Bible this week. Someone records these for the next session.

E. PASS ON THE WORD

1. With whom will you share this story? When and how? Someone records these for the next session.
2. Do you know anyone who needs help? What can we do as a group to help them?

By sharing God’s Word with others and helping outsiders, when the Discovery Group members eventually become followers of Jesus, they will need no urging to witness and serve, for these habits are already embedded in their DNA.

What an amazing set of questions and activities! Compare what happens in a Discovery Bible Study to small group Bible studies you have attended.

1. Did your group focus on the Word of God, or did your conversations often wander far afield?
2. Did you identify what God was calling you to change in your behavior, assign yourselves “I will” statements, and then hold one another accountable to them?
3. Did you learn the Scripture passage well enough to say it in your own words?
4. Did you share your Scripture paraphrase with someone during the coming week?
5. Did you identify the needs of people outside your group and seek to help them?
6. Was God, through His Word, the leader of your group?

No wonder Discovery Bible Study groups multiply like wildfire and become Disciple Making Movements. Ultimately, the reason why the Discovery questions are so effective, is that they parallel how Jesus Himself made disciples. So, the next blog in this series is entitled: “Jesus Led a Discovery Group.”

Meanwhile, watch this 8-minute video to see how the Discovery Bible Study questions and activities transform a group of unbelievers into dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ.

If you desire training to use these magnificent tools, I am willing to mentor you (at no charge) and point you to training resources available online or in your area.

Meaning of acronyms used in these posts:

• CPM (Church-Planting Movements) refers to phenomenal multiplication of house churches and Bible study groups in various places in the world.
• DMM (Disciple Making Movement) refers to multiplication of disciples who make more disciples as Jesus specifically told us to do in Matt. 28:18-19.
• DBS (Discovery Bible Study) cultivates disciples who obey and apply what the Holy Spirit reveals through Scripture, and then share it with others.