I recently participated in a small group Bible study called The Jesus Quest, which was adopted and adapted by a missionary named Chuck Quinley. Chuck understood that following Jesus meant more than just learning about Jesus, reading about Jesus, or trying to understand how Jesus wants us to live. He understood that it took action. We need to do the things that Jesus said to do: accomplish the task of forgiveness, serve the poor, and love people genuinely by assisting them with our hands and our feet. The Jesus Quest opened my eyes to a new way of reading the Bible.
While I was attending the Jesus Quest Bible study, I was in my third year of a weekly Bible study with some local businessmen. After two and half years we began to define a way to study the Bible and tried to make it repeatable for others. We read the same two chapters of God's Word weekly and would allow the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts and teach us the truth. Then, we would get together, and each man would have a few minutes to share what God had revealed to him. In this Bible study, we would talk about things like taking the mask off, never arguing, and loving people even when we disagreed. We’ve read much of the Bible together—multiple Old Testament and New Testament books.
I have been to seminary and learned a lot about the Bible. However, I’ve learned more in these three years than in all my seminary years combined.
Now mesh the Jesus Quest with this new, Simple Discipleship process that we were using at the bank, and you come up with what I believe is one of the greatest methods of studying and doing the Bible that I've ever seen in my entire life. I believe this is what Jesus meant when He told us that the Holy Spirit would come to us all, remind us of everything He said, and guide us in truth.
Jesus wants us to be growing and knowing Him personally. He wants us to be walking with Him and doing the things that He asked us to do. Jesus wants us to have a vibrant and powerful prayer life. When we study the Word repetitively and get together with others, God begins to work in our lives.
Now, everybody's heard of small group discipleship. Churches have been doing small groups for years and there is no doubt that God uses Pastors, teachers, and other leaders to make a significant impact on the world. However, many churches use curriculum written by men or women who have good intentions but are always putting their spin, their twist, and their theology into their manuscripts. What if we trusted the Holy Spirit to speak to the hearts of every believer? What if we taught them some simple ways of reading the Bible so that they could then listen, learn, and grow? What if "teaching" didn't mean helping people understand what God said but, rather, helping people walk with God and learn how to learn and hear from Him personally? It could be revolutionary for the church. It could be revolutionary for individual believers.
God is using this method in multiple states and 5 countries. He is blessing. Join us as we carry this Word worldwide. We charge no one for this training or material. All we ask is for you to do is help us spread the word. Go to www.simplediscipleship.org. Share with others.
So, let's break this down and jump in together. We use five simple steps. They are:
A. Read the Word Repetitively B. Listen to the Holy Spirit C. Gather in a Group D. Everyone Shares E. Remember Takeaways
More coming!