Disciple II Into the Word Into the World: Teacher Helps: Into the Word Into the World

By Duane A. Ewers

DISCIPLE II: Into the Word Into the World is the second study in the four-phase Disciple program and is prepared for those who are graduates of Disciple I: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study. This study proclaims the transforming power of Scripture while teaching Bible study skills that take participants deeper into the Scripture. The importance of keeping Bible study related to witness is reinforced while participants are encouraged to practice spiritual disciplines arising out of Scripture for the purpose of changing habits and transforming lives. The study also emphasizes the rhythm of coming to God and going for God, of being in the Word and in the world individually and corporately. This study understands the growing Christian as under discipline in community and in ministry to the world. Into the Word Into the World approaches all experiences of life as opportunities for faithful witness and service.

Commitment and Time Involved

32 week study
Three and one-half to four hours of independent study each week (40 minutes daily for leaders and 30 minutes daily for group members) in preparation for weekly group meetings.
Attendance at weekly 2.5 hour meetings.


Teacher Helps

The Teacher Helps provides an outline for an orientation session and process suggestions for each of the weekly group sessions. It does not contain new or additional content for the leader to present to the group. A one-page teaching plan is provided for each session. Weekly group sessions follow a set pattern, with designated amounts of time for each step. Suggestions for group activity are specific and clearly related to the Scripture being studied. Ample questions for use in discussion are included.

Specific instructions are included for making weekly assignments to individuals for use of the basic resource library.

In the front of the teacher helps is a section of general information on effectively using the study manual, preparing to lead the weekly group meeting, following the proper schedule and procedure, tips for leading discussion, and suggestions for creating and maintaining a caring climate in the study group.

Process suggestions in the teacher helps enable full participation by all members of the group as a result of disciplined daily study. A one-page plan for each of the weekly group sessions follows an established schedule and procedure, with an amount of time designated for each section in the plan. Each session plan includes suggestions for group study of a selected passage of Scripture.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Sep 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781426726354

Book preview

Put the Study Manual to Work

Each part of the study manual has a specific function both in daily preparation and in the weekly group meeting.

Theme Word

The theme word gives a clue to the subject of the lesson and the Scripture being studied in the lesson.

•  Display the word during each group meeting.

•  Read the word together as a part of Gathering and Prayer.

•  Use the theme word to refocus when discussion strays from the subject of the lesson.

Theme Verse(s)

The theme verse(s) expresses the focus of the lesson and might be read or recited from memory during the opening moment of devotion.

Title

The titles are descriptive of events or content and suggest movement and emphasis in the biblical story.

Our Human Condition

Our Human Condition is a statement of who we are, a statement about our inclinations as human beings. In our study of Scripture we meet the God who redirects our human inclinations into ministry. We move

•  from self-recognition (Our Human Condition) in light of who God is

•  to self-acceptance in light of God’s forgiveness (Scripture)

•  to commitment of self (ministry) in light of God’s call.

Encourage persons to restate Our Human Condition in terms of their own experience.

Assignment

Scripture is central to DISCIPLE: INTO THE WORD INTO THE WORLD, and the gaining and maintaining of the discipline of daily reading and study of Scripture are essential to the rhythm of being in the Word and in the world.

•  The Assignment section indicates when to read the week’s Scripture and when to read the study manual and write the responses called for.

•  Insist on daily notetaking along with daily Scripture reading. The second page of each lesson in the manual provides space. Headings for the days indicate content of the Scripture to be read. The main purpose for taking notes is to have a personal record of information gleaned from Scripture and of insights and questions about the Scripture. Many activities will call for use of the notes in group discussion and interaction.

•  Ask group members to covenant together to prepare this weekly page of notes.

•  Challenge members of the group through your own example of daily reading, study, and note- taking.

•  Make use of the work persons have done during the week. The extent to which you recognize and use the preparation group members have made will determine the degree of commitment they continue to bring to completing assignments.

•  Making Connections describes a variety of ways to study Scripture. Plan at least one activity each week that uses one of these suggested Bible study skills. (See pages 10–11.)

Basic Resource Library

This component provides reading and reference materials to assist deeper study of Scripture. The blank space in the study manual is for persons to write the name of the resource when they have an assignment.

•  Keep the resources circulating weekly.

•  Encourage persons to bring into group discussions what they are discovering through their assignments.

Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual disciplines are avenues for coming to God in order by God’s grace to go for God. Each week a particular spiritual discipline is included for reflection and practice.

•  Provide questions weekly to prompt reflection and practice. (See pages 12–14.)

•  Make connections between spiritual disciplines and ministry—the inner and the outer life.

Prayer

The prayer psalm printed in the study manual is a starting point for personal prayer.

•  Encourage persons to jot down concerns about which they want to pray during the week and to add concerns that arise from their daily study of Scripture.

•  Establish a plan for group members to pray for one another.

•  Emphasize prayer as the power undergirding ministry.

Into the Word

This section comments on the Scripture and draws meaning from it.

•  Write notes in the margin as you read and during discussion in the group meeting while others are telling what they have learned.

•  Decide how you will use the information persons write in the blanks in this section. Some information will be suited to response on a voluntary basis, in pairs or in threes; other information might be discussed in the entire group.

Into the World

      Ministry is the focus of this section.

•  Keep Our Human Condition, Scripture, and ministry connected and interacting. Direction for ministry emerges from viewing the human condition through Scripture.

•  Emphasize listening to Scripture.

•  Plan time every week for persons to declare their ministry commitment. They will do this in God’s Word in My World.

•  Vary the approaches you use for having persons talk about what they have written in the blanks in this section.

Sabbath

This section identifies the several dimensions of sabbath keeping as a way of putting God first.

•  Encourage sabbath keeping. (See pages 15–17.)

•  Guide the group in working through personal priorities and family priorities that come into conflict over sabbath.

If You Want to Know More

This section encourages additional reading of Scripture and offers opportunity for using reference materials and presenting information to the group.

•  Make use of the initiative of group members by providing time for them to report their individual research and study.

•  Scan the information in this section. Some of it is useful at more than one point in the study.

Weekly Group Schedule and Procedure

Teacher helps for each of the thirty-two group meetings (pages 26–59) follow this format. The activities suggest possible ways to approach the large amount of material to be covered for each lesson.

On pages 8 and 9 you will find a planning sheet form to use in writing your weekly group plan. Use the form on page 8 if you are teaching adults or primarily adults. Use the form on page 9 if you are teaching youth. They differ only in the amounts of time designated for the parts of the weekly schedule. Make copies as you need them. You will be able to write on that one page everything you need to lead the weekly group meeting. Use the back of the page for any additional notes. In the parentheses beside the designated times, write the clock time you are to begin that part of the meeting.

GATHERING AND PRAYER

(5 minutes)

Begin on time with those who are there. At times, use the theme word, theme verse, and prayer from the study manual. Updates on prayer concerns, comments on experiences with sabbath and spiritual disciplines, and a checking of progress in becoming disciplined in daily study are also appropriate.

VIDEO SEGMENT

(20 minutes)

The video segment will provide persons a common body of information to which to react and will focus attention quickly on the subject of the group meeting.

Teacher helps for each lesson

•  suggest a way to prepare group members to view the video segment;

•  provide a summary of the main ideas in the segment;

•  suggest questions to discuss about what they have heard.

Encourage notetaking during the viewing. Occasionally the group may want to view a video segment a second time in a session to gain fuller understanding of the topic.

Preview the video segment. Prepare to define some of the vocabulary and decide how to help group members make connections between the video content and what they have read in the Bible and in the study manual.

To save time in setting up for the next meeting, don’t rewind the tape.

SCRIPTURE AND STUDY MANUAL

(50 or 35 minutes)

Much of the discussion and activity during this time will result from the reading and study persons have done and the notes they have made of their reflections and questions. Select and plan some teaching procedures that help persons identify, clarify, organize, and master information they have gathered in their study. Plan some procedures that move beyond information to meaning.

Find ways to integrate information persons are gaining and experiences they are having in practicing spiritual disciplines, in sabbath keeping, and in developing Bible study skills through Making Connections and use of the Basic Resource Library books.

Guard against repeating in the meeting what persons have already done in their preparation.

BREAK

(10 minutes)

Stay with the allotted time. Limit refreshments to a beverage.

ENCOUNTER THE WORD

(40 or 20 minutes)

This time focuses on group study of a passage selected from the assigned Scripture. Group members will have read the passage but will not have studied it in detail. No mention of this activity is made in the study manual, and group members will not know before the meeting what passage they will be studying together.

Teacher helps for each lesson indicate the passage selected for study and a way to approach study. Many of the approaches are described in detail in Teaching the Bible to Adults and Youth, by Dick Murray (Abingdon Press, 1987). Several approaches are based on the Making Connections sections of the lessons.

•  Familiarize yourself with the suggested approach.

•  Test the approach with the selected passage.

•  Identify clearly the steps you will follow in guiding the study.