Disciple I Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study: Study Manual: Second Edition

By Richard B. Wilke and Julia Kitchens Wilke Trust

DISCIPLE is a program of disciplined Bible study aimed at developing strong Christian leaders.

The
study gives the Old and New Testaments equal time, emphasizing the
wholeness of the Bible as a revelation of God. DISCIPLE draws upon the
work of scholars, the personal Bible reading and study of the
participant, and dynamic group discussion to aid understanding of the
Bible.

The first study in the program is DISCIPLE: BECOMING
DISCIPLES THROUGH BIBLE STUDY, a thirty-four week overview of the entire
Bible.

Commitment and Time Involved
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.

Study Manual
Each
member of the group needs a study manual and a Bible. The Bible is the
text for the study and the study manual will guide group members in
their study and preparation for the weekly group session. The study
manual also includes suggestions for individual and study-related
activities. Space is provided for taking notes while reading Scripture,
for recording thoughts and questions arising out of daily study, and for
notes during the weekly group session.

The titles of the
sessions along with theme words and theme verses, and major persons,
events, and topics will set the sequence of the biblical story in the
minds of the participants. The principal Scripture for each session
follows the chronological movement of the biblical story.

We recommend the New Interpreters Study Bible

More Questions? Visit www.cokesbury.com/disciple.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Sep 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781426727825

Richard B. Wilke

Richard B. Wilke is author of And Are We Yet Alive? and Signs and Wonders, and co-author of DISCIPLE Bible Study, all published by Abingdon Press. He is a popular keynote speaker and preacher who stresses evangelism and the vitality of the local church. Bishop Wilke lives with his wife, Julia, in Winfield, Kansas, where he is Bishop-in-Residence at Southwestern College.

Book preview

Writers of

DISCIPLE: BECOMING DISCIPLES THROUGH BIBLE STUDY

Study Manual

Richard Byrd Wilke

Julia Kitchens Wilke

Consultants to the Writers

William J. A. Power, Old Testament

Leander E. Keck, New Testament

DISCIPLE: BECOMING DISCIPLES THROUGH BIBLE STUDY

Study Manual, copyright (c) 1987 by Graded Press

Second Edition, copyright (c) 1993 by Abingdon Press

All rights reserved

Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted (c) 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations containing the letters TEV in the reference are from the Good News Bible: The Bible in Today’s English Version— Old Testament: Copyright (c) American Bible Society 1976; New Testament: Copyright (c) American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976.

Maps by Nell Fisher; all illustrations by Mitch Mann; cover design by Mary M. Johannes. Illustrations on pages 37, 53, 61, 131, 142, 154, 186 are reprinted from DISCIPLE: BECOMING DISCIPLES THROUGH BIBLE STUDY Study Manual, copyright (c) 1987 by Graded Press. Illustrations on pages 17, 23, 47, 54, 76, 81, 90, 122, 134, 155, 195 are reprinted from DISCIPLE: BECOMING DISCIPLES THROUGH BIBLE STUDY Study Manual Youth Edition, copyright (c) 1988 by Graded Press.

Neil M. Alexander, Editorial Director, Abingdon Press; Nellie M. Moser, Editorial Director and Editor of DISCIPLE ; Katherine C. Bailey, Assistant Editor; Linda O. Spicer, Secretary; Phillip D. Francis, Designer.

For more information about DISCIPLE or DISCIPLE training events, call toll free 800-251-8591 or 800-672-1789.

ISBN 13: 978-0-687-78349-6

09 10 11 12-18 17

Contents

As You Begin DISCIPLE

Old Testament

1. The Biblical Word

2. The Creating God

3. The Rebel People

4. The Called People

5. God Hears the Cry

6. God Sends the Law

7. When God Draws Near

8. The People Without a King

9. The People With a King

10. God Warns the People

11. God Punishes the People

12. God Restores the People

13. Songs of the Heart

14. The Righteous Are Like a Tree

15. When Trouble Comes

16. People Hope for a Savior

17. (Intertestamental Period) The Time of Transition

New Testament

18. Radical Discipleship

19. Mounting Controversy

20. The Hidden Messiah

21. God Seeks the Least, the Last, the Lost

22. Lifegiver

23. Advocate

24. The Explosive Power of the Spirit

25. The Gospel Penetrates the World

26. Put Right With God Through Faith

27. A Congregation in Ferment

28. The Son Shall Set Us Free

29. A Pastor Gives Guidance

30. Our Great High Priest

31. A People Set Apart

32. We Never Lose Hope

33. Gifts of Each Disciple

34. A Last Supper Together

As You Begin DISCIPLE

You are committing yourself to at least three to four hours a week of independent study and preparation, plus two and one-half hours each week for thirty-four weeks in the weekly group meeting.

To establish a disciplined pattern of study, choose and stick to a particular time and location for daily reading and writing, study, reflection, and prayer.

Choosing a Bible

This study manual is based on the New Revised Standard Version. We recommend The New Interpreter’s Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Other excellent study Bibles and translations are available. Keep one or two handy for comparing difficult verses or passages.

Study Manual Format

This study manual is a discipline. It is a plan to guide your private study and preparation for the weekly group meeting.

Common elements appear throughout the lessons. The theme word, Scripture verse(s), and title at the beginning of each lesson suggest the subject and direction of the lesson. Together, they can help you remember the sequence of the biblical story.

Our Human Condition expresses a common human experience and provides a perspective from which to read and listen to Scripture.

Daily Bible reading assignments are listed in the Assignment section, and space is provided on the second page of each lesson for making notes about the Scripture—key ideas, persons, events, new insights, geographic or historic information, the meaning of particular words, questions you have about the Scripture that you want to raise in the group meeting. Daily assignments also indicate when to read and respond to The Bible Teaching and Marks of Discipleship sections of the lesson. The day on which you do this work will vary depending on the content of the lesson. Marks of Discipleship identifies particular characteristics of disciples and invites you to think about ways your life and the life of your congregation reflect those characteristics. Don’t rush through this part of your work. It will be a valuable source of insight and discussion for you and members of the group.

If You Want to Know More suggests additional individual reading and study and the occasional preparation of a report to the group. The additional study resources suggested below will be helpful here.

As you begin your daily study, use the prayer psalm from the Prayer section. Write down concerns about which you will pray during the week.

Additional Study Resources

Though you need only the Bible and this study manual for successful study of DISCIPLE, these reference books will help you go deeper into study of the Scriptures:

The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, Revised Edition, edited by Paul J. Achtemeier with the Society of Biblical Literature (HarperCollins Publishers, San Francisco, 1996).

The NRSV Concordance, edited by John R. Kohlenberger III (Zondervan Publishing House, 1991).

Oxford Bible Atlas, Third Edition, edited by Herbert G. May (Oxford University Press, 1984).

How to Get the Most From Reading Scripture

• Read with curiosity. Ask the questions who? what? where? when? how? and why? as you read.

• Learn as much as you can about the passage you are studying. It will help you hear God speak to you through the Scripture. Try to discover what the writer was saying for the time in which the passage was written. Read the surrounding verses and chapters to establish the setting or situation in which the action or teaching took place.

Pay attention to the form of the passage, because meaning exists not only in what is said but in the form in which it is said. How you read and understand poetry or a parable will differ from how you read and understand historical narrative.

Don’t force your interpretation on the biblical text. Let the Scripture speak for itself.

• Question the Scripture, but also learn to read Scripture so you find answers to your questions in the Scripture itself. The biblical text itself will solve some of the problems you have with a particular passage. Some problems additional reference material will solve, and some will remain a mystery.

• Come to the Bible with an eagerness to listen to Scripture as the Word of God and a willingness to hear and obey it. Trust the Holy Spirit to instruct you and to empower you through Scripture.

AUTHORITRY

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.

—2 Timothy 3:16-17, TEV

1   The Biblical Word

OUR HUMAN CONDITION

Inside me is this persistent longing to reach out to Someone; this desire to know if God has anything to do with me, to say to me; this need to know if the Bible has any power to offer me.

ASSIGNMENT

The goal of DISCIPLE is to develop disciples of Jesus Christ who know and love God’s Word. Throughout the DISCIPLE study, you will be reading Scripture. We urge you to follow the daily pattern of reading and study. As you read Scripture, make notes in the appropriate space on the adjoining page. Daily assignments will indicate when to read and respond to The Bible Teaching and Marks of Discipleship sections in the study manual. Usually you will read the study manual on Day 6, after you have read all the week’s Scripture.

Day 1  Hold the Bible in your hands, remembering that it is many books by many writers who were inspired by God. Study the listing of the books of the Bible to get a feel for the titles. Look through the entire Bible, paying attention to the content headings. Locate study aids in your Bible: preface and introductions, notes at the foot of the page, maps, charts, and supplementary articles. Read portions that interest you.

Day 2  Sample different styles of biblical literature. Do not try to understand the message yet. Just enjoy the variety in style and begin learning how to read different material. Today, read poetry aloud. Read Psalm 84; Hosea 11; Exodus 15:1-18.

Day 3  History. Read 1 Kings 19; 1 Chronicles 22; Acts 9. Read rapidly; try some different Bible translations if available.

Day 4  Law. Exodus 20 (Ten Commandments); Deuteronomy 5-6 (6:4-9 is called the Shema, which means Hear). Prophets. Micah 4.

Day 5  Letters. Philemon (a letter from Paul). Gospels. Luke 15 (a parable of Jesus).

Day 6  Read and respond to The Bible Teaching and Marks of Discipleship.

Day 7  Rest and prayer.

PRAYER

Pray daily before study:

"Treat me according to your constant love,

and teach me your commands.

I am your servant; give me understanding,

so that I may know your teachings" (Psalm

   119:124-125, TEV).

Prayer concerns for this week:

THE BIBLE TEACHING

The word Bible means book. It is the book. All others pale beside it. Yet it is not a single book but a library of sixty-six books, written over a period of a thousand years. But the experiences that are recalled, analyzed, evaluated, and celebrated occurred over a much longer period. Stories were told around campfires; songs and psalms were sung in countless worship settings; histories were written and rewritten; laws received by inspiration were systematized and interpreted; prophecies were proclaimed, written down, fulfilled. Visions of a kingdom of justice and peace kept circulating through the people’s minds.

NOTES, REFLECTIONS, AND QUESTIONS

*Titles in italics are not in the Protestant Old Testament. They are from the Apocrypha and are in the Roman Catholic Old Testament.

The Bible tells about the Hebrew people. They were a unique people, unique in that they were called to be a revealing people, struggling always to be God’s people, beginning about 2000 B.C. when Abram and Sarai heard the Lord call them to go forth. God spoke in and through the experiences of this called people. Later, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God made full revelation and continued to show mysteries of truth with a new people of faith we call the church.

The Bible, inspired by God, is both human and divine. You may be surprised at how human the Bible is when you read of violence, rape, betrayal, adultery, sickness, and death. Nothing is hidden. You also will be overwhelmed at how divine the Bible is when you see repentance and faith, just and compassionate laws, acts of devotion and self-sacrifice, and the unending love of the forgiving, covenant God.

Not only are the experiences both human and divine, but so are the actual writings. Oral tradition was finally put into writing, then edited and reedited, copied and recopied; the whole process is a witness to the guiding hand of God. Even the canonizing—setting the standards for what is Scripture—was inspired.

When we speak of Scripture as being inspired, we are recognizing that the Scriptures were written by particular persons in particular circumstances. We are saying that the Scriptures are connected to God and because of that connection, the Scriptures have power to bring about an encounter between God and the one who reads Scripture. The authority of Scripture, then, lies in its ability to cause encounter. When we read the Bible and God speaks to us, we hear the Bible as God’s Word.

How Was the Bible Put Together?

Canon means rule or standard. Canon here means the list of religious writings considered authoritative.

The Hebrew canon at first simply defined Torah, the Law, the first five books in the Old Testament (the Pentateuch). Torah was not only the central document of Jewish faith but also the fundamental law of the Jewish people. Established finally between the sixth and fourth centuries B.C., this Torah canon was authoritative for all Jews and later for all Christians.

By the first century A.D., most Jews accepted alongside the Torah a second, less authoritative group of books called the Prophets. This collection included Joshua through Second Kings (excluding Ruth), plus the Prophets. Other books are known as the Writings. The Hebrew canon of Torah, Prophets, and Writings was finalized around A.D. 90.

NOTES, REFLECTIONS, AND QUESTIONS

New Testament Canon

THE GOSPELS

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

The Acts of the Apostles

LETTERS TO CHURCHES

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

LETTERS TO INDIVIDUALS

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Letter to the Hebrews

GENERAL LETTERS

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

2 John

3 John

Jude

The Revelation

The Hebrew Scriptures, known later to Christians as the Old Testament, were originally written in Hebrew, but as early as the third century B.C. they were being translated into Greek. That translation was called the Septuagint. Early Christians inherited it and other Greek-language translations. The Septuagint differs from the Hebrew Bible in its language, in its order of the books, and in its inclusion of those books known as the Apocrypha.

Not until the second century A.D. did Christians set apart specifically Christian writings and treat them as equal to the Hebrew Scriptures by reading them in worship. A New Testament canon developed gradually. The earliest listing of books identical to our present New Testament canon was prepared by Athanasius of Alexandria in A.D. 367.

None of the books of the Apocrypha was ever included in the Hebrew Bible. At the Reformation, Martin Luther decided for the canon of the Hebrew Bible rather than the canon of the Septuagint. At the Council of Trent (1545-63), the Roman Catholic Church affirmed the canon of the Septuagint, including the Apocrypha, with the exception of 1 and 2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh.

How Do We Read the Bible?

Just as God’s Spirit guided those who remembered, interpreted, wrote, edited, and copied, God guides the reader today.

Our goal is not to learn the Bible as we learn algebra. Nor do we read a book of Scripture as we would read a detective story or novel. Rather, as we read, we listen for the Holy Spirit to help us understand eternal, universal truths. We watch for unexpected insights that are personal, just for us. We savor a promise, thrill to a story that rings true in our experience, or agonize over a law or principle that could change our lives.

As our spiritual understanding grows, we see new truth. Also, as we live through experiences of sickness, sin, trial, and tragedy, we come to comprehend teachings we could never fathom before.

Often you may feel like the Ethiopian eunuch in the Book of Acts who was riding in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud. The apostle Philip asked him, Do you understand what you are reading? The Ethiopian man replied, How can I understand unless someone explains it to me? (Acts 8:30-31, TEV).

You are embarking on a fascinating journey of biblical discovery. Help along the way will come from many sources: the study plan in this manual; your teacher and fellow students; and the preachers, teachers, and scholars who will instruct you through videotape. But most important of all, the Holy Spirit will lead and guide you as you study. Jesus said, The Advocate, the Holy Spirit... will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you (John 14:26).

NOTES, REFLECTIONS, AND QUESTIONS

What Forms of Writing Are in the Bible?

Scripture simply means writing. But the writing is of every conceivable variety: poetry, laws, historical narratives, liturgies, songs, prophetic utterances, wise sayings, short stories, parables, Gospels, letters, sermons, apocalypses.

Therefore, your reading style must vary. Some poems, such as the Psalms, ought to be read aloud. Notice in Hebrew poetry, a thought is often repeated as a form of poetic parallelism.

"Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself" (Psalm 84:3).

Stories and historical narratives can be read rapidly. Law must be read with attention to detail. Reading the prophets requires listening for the message under the words. Proverbs or pithy texts might be memorized. Gospels are such powerful presentations of faith in Christ that they command acceptance of him or rejection.

Why Study the Bible?

What do you bring to the Bible? Your humanity. Everything you have ever thought, done, experienced, or agonized over can be dealt with by the Bible. Every human emotion is expressed there.

What does the Bible bring to you? God’s authoritative guidance and counsel. The Bible has to express humanity in order to reach us; it has to express divinity in order to save us.

Once you gain familiarity with the Bible and are touched by God’s Spirit, you will hunger and thirst for more of God’s Word. What starts out as hard work turns into satisfaction and joy. The psalmist declared that study of the ordinances of God is

"sweeter... than honey,

and drippings of the honeycomb" (Psalm 19:10).

Perhaps the Scriptures best define themselves. Read again 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the verses at the beginning of this lesson.

The words in John’s Gospel are even more powerful. Look up John 20:31 and copy that verse here.

NOTES, REFLECTIONS, AND QUESTIONS

Disciples place themselves under the power and authority of Scripture.

MARKS OF DISCIPLESHIP

Disciples place themselves under the power and authority of Scripture. Under Marks of Discipleship, we will be asking ourselves how the Word of God is shaping our Christian discipleship.

Right now answer these questions: Why am I participating in DISCIPLE? Why am I planning to study the Bible with intensity, faithfulness, and serious inquiry?

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE

The division of the Bible into our present chapters was probably done by British churchman Stephen Langton (1150?—1228), who was consecrated as archbishop of Canterbury in 1207. The division of the New Testament into its present verses was done by Robert Stephanus in the Greek New Testament he published in 1551. The first division of the New Testament into verses in an English translation was Whittington’s translation (Geneva, 1557). The first English Bible (Old and New Testaments) divided into verses was the Geneva version of 1560.

Memorize the titles of the Old Testament books so you can locate biblical passages easily and quickly.

Spend additional time browsing in the Bible or discovering where in the church or public library you can find reference books that you need.

WONDER

So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female.

—Genesis 1:27, TEV

2   The Creating God

OUR HUMAN CONDITION

I wonder who made me and my world. If there is a Creator, what is this Creator like? Why was I made? Geologists point to rocks that are billions of years old. Astronomers speak of stars that are millions of light years away. In a universe so big, surely I am only a speck of dust.

ASSIGNMENT

Especially read Genesis 1-2 and the psalms aloud. This week’s preparation is designed for celebration and praise and to establish the habit of daily study and devotion. Find a hymnal for reading or singing the suggested hymns.

Day 1  Genesis 1:1-2:3 (Creation) Hymn: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee

Day 2  Genesis 2:4-25 (second Creation story); Psalm 8 (praise to the Creator) Hymn: For the Beauty of the Earth

Day 3  Psalms 19:1-6; 33 (God’s glory and greatness) Hymn: All Creatures of Our God and King

Day 4 Job 38-39 (God’s mystery and majesty); 40:15-41:34 (God’s power) Hymn: This is My Father’s World

Day 5  Psalms 104; 150 (praise); John 1:1-5 (the Word) Hymn: How Great Thou Art

Day 6  Read and respond to The Bible Teaching and Marks of Discipleship. Hymn: When Morning Gilds the Skies

Day 7  Rest, reflection, prayer, and praise.

PRAYER

Pray daily before study:

"You created me, and you keep me safe;

give me understanding, so that I may learn

   your laws" (Psalm 119:73, TEV).

Prayer concerns for this week:

THE BIBLE TEACHING

The Hebrew verb for create refers to the activity of God, not to human activity (Genesis 1:1). Two ideas are contained in the verb create . First, God freely, purposefully creates order out of chaos. Second, God arranges and designs that creation.

The heavens and the earth means the immeasurable universe, all that was or is or ever will be.

The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep (1:2) refers to a cosmic emptiness, a formless darkness, sometimes referred to as a sea of chaos. The ancients believed that all creation originated from a dark, watery chaos, the deep. Look up Psalm 24:1-2. A wind from God swept over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). Other translations for swept over could be hovered, soared, or trembled.

The Hebrews did not believe that the Creator was simply one of a group of gods. They did not believe that two gods, one good and one evil, battled to bring creation into existence. Rather, they believed that the one and only Lord of the universe, the One who had created them to be a covenant people and who had delivered them from slavery, was Author and Designer of all that is.

What Is God Like?

Then God spoke. The universe was created by a word (Genesis 1:3). Jews and Christians are not pantheists. We do not believe that God and the universe are one. We are not a part of the great universal Spirit, the way a drop of water is a part of an ocean. No, a separateness exists between God and the created order. God spoke, and order came into being. God stands apart yet involved. God stays close, in contact with that creation.

Later when Jesus Christ came, Christians understood that in him the Word had become a human being. Word became a synonym for Jesus Christ. John had Genesis 1:3 in mind when he wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... All things came into being through him....

And the Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1:1-14). By God’s word the universe came into being. Later that Word walked among us.

The apostle Paul also wanted people to know that the Word God spoke in Creation was the same Word God spoke on the cross. For in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible.... For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things,... by making peace through the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:16-20). Thus Christians have come to perceive the Creation story.

Wonder

From the beginning, people have pondered the mystery of Creation. Why am I here? Where did the universe come from? Little children ask, Who made God?

Giraffes and elephants amuse us; the Rocky Mountains and the Milky Way amaze us; a newborn baby fills us with wonder. With the psalmist we ask,

"What are human