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Discovery Bible Study

Dear friends,

Last month, Sarah told you that August was all about the Lose Your Life course. If I had to summarize September, it was all about meetings and fixing things. At least the meetings have been fruitful.

Over the years, we have written about George Sibanda, who now leads The Base. I wrote about how we arranged for George to attend a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) conference in Nairobi in June. We had explained DMMs to George numerous times, but that conference showed him ways to implement the ideas. We have experimented with different kinds of groups, but now I think we have found the recipe that works for us.

One of the needs in the church in Zimbabwe is for Christians to read and apply the Bible. With that in mind, during Lose Your Life, the four young people had a Bible reading plan. As a group, they used a method I have described before called Discovery Bible Study (DBS). Now, all four of them are leading DBS groups, and The Base has more small groups than ever before.

In case I have not been clear about DBS before, it is simply a small group who read a Bible passage together, ask each other questions, and each comes to decisions as they answer. Then, the group holds each other accountable for what they decide.

One of the obstacles to starting a DBS is cultural. Most church attendees do not pray or read the Bible for themselves. The main reason for this is that they believe that it is the pastor’s job to pray for them. It is the pastor’s job to explain the Bible to them. By contrast, a DBS is seen as radical and unpopular. When a Baser invites someone to a DBS, he or she is implying that Christians should take personal responsibility to read and discuss the Bible, if not personally, then in a small group. Please pray with us for the success of our DBSs.

Recently, some of the young men in The Base approached me to teach them about purity and addiction. I have held one meeting with six guys, and I expect more will attend the next one. Discussing sexual purity is also a cultural change, but I see people in The Base who want to live with greater freedom. We need prayer for this as well.

I have written before about DBS and DMMs because we believe they are important to the health of the church in Zimbabwe. Sarah and I are asking you to pray with us for a specific need. While we are convinced that small group Bible studies are necessary for growth, we also see how it could become another form of legalism. We ask God to protect us from legalism, but even more, we ask the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to show themselves to everyone in The Base and especially those doing DBS. The revelation of God’s love will help us to see Bible study as a joy instead of as a duty.

Jay & Sarah