Disciple Bible Study

If you would like a more in-depth knowledge of the Bible, further your spiritual growth and become a more intentional disciple, consider committing to Disciple Bible Study this fall. Hundreds of our own members have taken at least the foundational Disciple I course and have gained a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Disciple.

The classes, which are co-ed, meet weekly in a small group setting for 30–34 weeks. Daily Bible reading and homework are important components but no more time-consuming than other typical in-depth Bible studies.

Disciple I, a thought-provoking survey of the Bible, is a pre-requisite, while the other courses, while numbered, can be taken in any order.

Disciple I, Becoming Disciples through Bible Study, covers most of the Old and New Testament (about 70% of the Bible). It provides the student with a good understanding of what the Bible says, what it means to be a disciple of Christ, and also an opportunity to experience the Bible on a personal basis. This study is prerequisite to all Disciple studies.

Disciple II, Into the Word, Into the World, is an in-depth examination of Genesis and Exodus in the fall, followed by a detailed study of Luke and Acts in the spring. It gives students a good understanding of how the Bible impacts their lives.

Disciple III, Remember Who You Are, is an in-depth examination of the Old Testament prophets in the Fall, followed by the letters of Paul in the Spring. It emphasizes identity as a people of God, repentance, and community.

Disciple IV, Under the Tree of Life, focuses on writings in both the Old Testament (Ruth, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiates, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, and Daniel) and New Testament (John, 1, 2, 3 John, James, Jude, and Revelation). Disciple IV emphasizes the ideas of being tested, refined, and moving into spiritual maturity.

Short-Term Disciple Bible Study. These eight to eleven week in-depth Bible studies are modeled after the basic design of Disciple Bible Study, making these life-changing courses accessible for those who are unable to commit to longer studies. They each delve deeper into specific books of the Bible, including Genesis, Romans, John and Psalms.

Short-Term Disciple: Invitation to Psalms. This 10-week study offers greater understanding of how the ancient texts of praise, lament, worship, and prayer found in the Psalms can still speak to us and for us. The human emotions expressed in the Book of Psalms rise to peaks of joy and descend into valleys of despair composing a collection of moving testimonies of grace, glory, sorrow and beauty unmatched in sacred literature.

Short-Term Disciple: Invitation to John. In its wisdom, the early church chose to keep four Gospel accounts of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Three of these Gospels are very similar to each other in both what they tell about the story of Jesus and how they tell it. However, the Gospel of John stands apart. In it, we find Jesus speaking not in parables but in lengthy discourses. This is an 11-week study.

Short-Term Disciple: Invitation to Genesis. The creation of the world only takes up the first two chapters of the 50-chapter book of Genesis. What are the other chapters about? This 10-week study approaches the Book of Genesis not simply as a story of the beginning but as a story of beginnings from start to finish. Through the study, participants will be invited to listen afresh to the witness of this opening book of the Hebrew Bible and to understand more clearly God’s purpose in beginning to form a people with the likes of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, and Jacob and Esau.

Short-Term Disciple: Invitation to Romans. Some of the great formers and re-formers of church teaching were themselves formed by their reading of Romans. As a result, Paul’s teachings in Romans come to us mediated through the history of the church’s interpretations of his letter. The challenge of reading Romans, then, is to learn to have our own interpretive conversation with the text itself, in spite of centuries of commentary on the text. One of the aims of this eight-week study is to invite us into conversation around several key themes: (1) Paul’s emphasis on communal salvation; (2) the centrality of God’s righteousness; and (3) the relationship between Jews and Gentiles and the relationship of both to God.

Jesus in the Gospels offers the opportunity to let each Gospel's Jesus story challenge us in its own way. Since each Gospel has its own way of portraying Jesus and expressing his significance, each Gospel deserves to be heard in its own right. Jesus in the Gospels is much like a "hearing aid," carefully designed to help all readers listen more attentively in order to hear each Gospel story's witness to Jesus. The overreaching aim is the same as in previous Disciple studies, to deepen discipleship through better understanding of the biblical texts and their message.

Christian Believer is a 30-week study of the classical doctrines of the Christian faith. It emphasizes the connection between believing and living. The beliefs taught equip the Christian community for living faithfully and passing on the faith entrusted to them.

“It was always difficult for me to find Jesus in the Old Testament. Through Disciple, I was able to see that He was there all along.” – Maggie Edgar