MODULE 4: Scripture — Meeting 4
Discipleship : Meeting 4
DISCUSS the disciple’s experience with Lectio Divina. Then spend time together working through the discussion questions for Redemption below:
THE POINT OF THE VIDEO: The gospel is the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection — which means that God sets us free, renews all things, and adopts us as children.
Discussion
Questions
1. Share about a time when you received some life-changing news.
2. Why is it important to remember that the gospel is good news, and not just good advice?
3. If we tried to define the gospel in one sentence, we might say: The gospel is the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection—which means that: God sets us free, renews all things, and adopts us as children.
4. However, the gospel is too big to fit into just a few words! Read the following scriptures and share what you might add: Romans 8:1, Ephesians 2:4–5, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Philippians 2:5–11, 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
5. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 suggests that God doesn’t just forgive us but makes us holy as well. What does it mean for the gospel to be “more than forgiveness?”
6. How is the good news meant to change us?
7. Philippians 2:5–11 teaches that Jesus was God, but he made himself nothing and died on a cross. What does it mean for us to live with this same mindset?
8. We’ve said that because of the gospel, God sets us free, renews all things, and adopts us as children. Which of those three grabs you the most right now? Why?
9. We learned in a previous meeting that sin makes us slaves, spreads chaos, and causes us to be alone. But the gospel solves these problems:
• Instead of slaves, we are set free (John 8:36)
• Instead of chaos, all things are made new (Revelation 21:5
• Instead of being alone, we are adopted as children (Galatians 4:5)
10. Which of those areas is most difficult for you to live out right now?
11. We learned in week 1 that we are actors in God’s great drama, and the Bible is our script. Today, we are living out this story by the power of the Holy Spirit. What are some opportunities you have in your life to bring this good news to those who need it?
ASSIGNMENT: Watch the video, Completion, to wrap up Module 4. Then, in preparation for Module 5, have the Discipler complete the Creating Your Timeline and Life Theme exercises below. The Discipler will walk through these exercises at your next meeting before the Disciple completes them for him or herself.
Completion video: written by Phil Wiseman. Videography by Jay Wilde
Creating Your Timeline
By Megan Koch, Inspired by Don Miller's Book Storyline: Finding Your Subplot in God's Story
One important aspect of following Jesus is understanding how God has used your life experiences to form you into who you are today. We often think our lives are chains of random, meaningless events. However, when we encounter Jesus, we realize that we have a God who is present in all of it—even the difficult times. We are often so overwhelmed with simply living our lives that we rarely have an opportunity to step back and ask, “What does it all mean?” This exercise will do just that.
You will identify 8-10 of the most pivotal events of your life story and plot them on a timeline, just like a screenwriter would do. (Some people may identify more than 10 events, some less.) Once you’ve identified these events, you’ll begin to build a redemptive perspective and recognize how God has used these seasons to shape you into who you are today. Once you see that, you’ll begin to understand your purpose and calling in new ways.
You’ll need to set aside about 2 hours to complete this timeline, so plan accordingly. Don’t rush. If you need to leave this project and come back to it again to complete it, please do so.
Reflecting on Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina, or "divine reading," is an ancient way of praying Scripture in four movements: read (lectio), reflect (meditatio), respond (oratio) and rest (contemplatio). As you debrief your week, consider these questions:
Which passage did you use? What word or phrase stood out to you?
How was this different from reading the Bible for information?
Did you sense God speaking to you through the text? What did you do with it?
Which movement came most naturally? Which was hardest?
Would you like to keep Lectio Divina as part of your regular Bible reading?
Good News, Not Good Advice
The Redemption video makes an important point: the gospel is good news, not good advice. Advice tells us what we should do; news tells us what has been done. The heart of the Christian message is not a list of steps to improve ourselves but the announcement that Jesus has lived, died and risen again for us. Because of him, God sets us free, renews all things and adopts us as his children.
This matters for discipleship. Spiritual practices like prayer, fasting and Bible reading are not ways to earn God’s love; they are ways to respond to it and grow in it. Whenever discipleship starts to feel like a burden of self-improvement, return to the good news.
Setting Your Bible Reading Plan
Module 4 closes with a plan. Before your next meeting, choose one approach you can sustain:
A Gospel a month. Read one chapter a day through Mark, Luke or John.
Psalm and Gospel. A psalm in the morning and a Gospel passage in the evening.
One-year Bible. A structured plan through the whole Bible in a year.
Book study. An inductive study of one short letter, such as Philippians or James.
Share your plan with your discipler and agree on how you will check in.
For the Discipler
Invite your disciple to explain the gospel in their own words using the three phrases from this meeting. This prepares them for Module 8: Hospitality, where they will learn to share Jesus with others. Celebrate how far they have come in their understanding of Scripture this month.
Looking Ahead
In Module 5: Guidance, the big story of the Bible meets the disciple’s own story. Disciplers, complete your own Timeline and Life Theme before the first meeting of the next module.
Continue the Pathway — You are in Module 4: Scripture, Meeting 4 of 4. Previous: Meeting 3 — Inductive Bible Study. Next: Module 5: Guidance. Every essay, worksheet and video for this module is collected on the Module 4 resources page.