Against The Current - 1 Peter Series - Week 1
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
How to Stay Hopeful
Bible Discovery Method
Watch Andrew share on the DBM Method - HERE
The Bible is the most-read book in history. It is a beautiful, meaningful and at times complex document. It is the revelation of who God is, who we are and God’s plan for salvation as told through the historical words and stories of his people. This revelation spans many time periods and cultures. Starting at the creation of the world and ending in the return of Jesus to the world, setting all things right.
The Bible is the “word of God” in the sense that it is a written document about God's revelation to humanity and that God uses it to reveal himself to believers through the Holy Spirit.
A critical step in helping people grow as disciples of Jesus is teaching them to read the bible and find their story in God’s story.
A simple way to do this is to use a tool called “Bible Discovery Method” (DBM). This tool can be used with people who are disciples of Jesus or with people who are interested in finding out more about Jesus and looking into the Christian faith.
During our 1 Peter series, we will be basing our connect group studies around the Bible Discovery Method.
Here is how it works:
Before you jump into the Bible Discovery Method. Open up the conversation:
Open up
To begin the study, each participant is asked one of these questions:
What is one thing that you are thankful for?
What is one thing that God has been teaching you this week so far?
What has helped fill your cup this week?
What has made you laugh this week?
Read
Read 1 Peter 1:1-12 as a group.
1 Peter 1:1-12
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Re- Read
Read the passage again as a group. Then take 1 min of silence to think about what has been read.
Retell
Shut your Bible and ask one person or a few people to volunteer to retell the Bible passage in their own words.
Reflect:
What stood out to you in that passage?
What character or theme did you most connect with?
What does this passage teach us about God?
What does this passage teach us about people?
Respond:
What do you want to keep thinking about or do this week as a result of this passage? (What application am I taking from this study?)
Who do you know that could benefit from hearing about this passage?
