Sea of Galilee 

 

A Discovery Bible Study (DBS)

Discovery Bible Studies are optimized for discipleship and disciple-making. A discovery group follows this basic three-part structure whenever you gather:

  1. Look Back: Review what has happened since the last meeting. Care for one another. Check on last meeting’s commitments. Refresh the vision to multiply.
  2. Look Up: Hear from the Lord from his scriptures, using simple questions to facilitate a participative discussion that remains focused on discovering what's in the passage.
  3. Look Ahead: Make practical plans to do what you’ve learned and tell others.

Follow the 3/3 meeting format in every meeting, dividing the time about equally among each third. Try to finish within an hour.

Break into subgroups of 3-4 if necessary for the sake of time. Leadership is just facilitating, and rotates each meeting. Each person shares briefly, in sentences, not paragraphs! Use the template below, or use the Waha app.

Look back:
  • What are you thankful for?
  • What are you struggling with? (Pray for individual struggles; can you help?)
  • How did you do on your last meeting’s 'Do & Tell' commitments? (Encourage with positive accountability.)
Look up:

Leader, ask a member (or the group/subgroup) to read the chosen Bible passage aloud. Then repeat it. If you have time, try as a group to remember all of its details; this will help you remember and apply it long after the DBS.

Then share answers to these standard questions. If answers wander or people start bringing in other passages or outside authorities or philosophies, ask "Where is that in the passage?"

  • What does this teach about God, God’s character, or what God does?
  • What do we learn in it about people, including ourselves?
  • Depending on time or the passage: What's the main point of the passage?
Look ahead:
  • Have you learned something here that you need to obey? Alternately in the USA: What will you do about what you've learned? (Make your 'do' SMART: specific, measurable, achieveable, relevant, and time-bound.)
  • With what specific person should you share who needs to hear it, or the good news, or your personal story? Alternately in the USA: Whom will you bless in light of this?
  • When and where will we meet next time?

Your group can close with a commissioning prayer.