How should we read stories about Jesus with People of Peace, in order to help them encounter God in the Scriptures?
Scripture
Read the following Bible verses about Scripture.
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (Paul tells Timothy about Scripture’s power)
Hebrews 4:12 (The Word of God like a sword)
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (The Word of God is from God, not humans)
What do these verses teach us about the origin and power of Scripture?
How have you experienced the power of Scripture in your own life?
Story
An English woman living in France has an amazingly simple but effective ministry. She socialises with locals in bars, gets to know shop keepers, and sparks up friendships with them and their partners. She meets them for coffee to hear a bit more about their life and gets to share a bit of her own life story, including the fact that Jesus is a big part of it. She will then ask the person if they want to hear a story. They pretty much always say ‘yes’ and she proceeds to share a Bible story about Jesus with them and then spends some time discussing it. People often hear something profound as the Holy Spirit speaks to them through the Scriptures. She has led many people to Christ as they become open to God by hearing from him through the Scriptures.
How do you feel about asking People of Peace if you can share a story with them?
Shape
The following tool, called Discovery Bible Study (DBS), is a great way to help people encounter God by looking at Bible stories about Jesus.
DBS involves reading one of the Bible stories about Jesus and then asking a few simple questions to generate discussion.
Tell the story: There are many great stories about Jesus in the four Gospels. Pick one and read it out loud in an engaging way. If you can tell the story from memory then even better (don’t get caught up with trying to be word-perfect, just tell the story). To further engage them in the story you could ask someone to have a go at retelling it, or ask people questions like, ‘Who is in this story?’, ‘Where does this story take place?’, ‘What are the people doing?’, etc.
Then ask 3 key questions: DBS involves asking the same 3 questions of each story, to help people discover what God is like, what they are like and how they might practically respond to God.
- What does this story teach us about God?
- What does this story teach us about humans (including ourselves)?
- If this story were true, how would it change our lives?
You can do this with any of Jesus’ stories. Here are a few we suggest:
- Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman (Luke 7:36-50)
- The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32
- Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
- Jesus and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)
Spending time engaging in the Scriptures with People of Peace using Discovery Bible Study can lead to people receiving revelation about Jesus, what he has done for them and the new life he is inviting them into.
[Discovery Bible Study was developped by David L. Watson and Paul D. Watson at www.contagiousdisciplemaking.com]
So What?
The following exercise can get you familiar with using the Discovery Bible Study method.
Split the Missional Community into groups of around 4 people. Role-play a scheduled meeting between two believers and two People of Peace, where one of you shares a story about Jesus and uses the 3 key questions to open up a discussion.
Have each group share back to the whole Missional Community about how they found this process.
Encourage people to think about which of their People of Peace they might be able to ask this week if they would be up for you sharing a story with them.
Spend some extended time praying for these People of Peace and for opportunities to share Jesus stories with them.
Grow Further
Memory Verse:
‘For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’
Other Bible passages:
Other resources:
Video: Helping Others Discover God - Discovery Bible Study
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