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How to Do a Discovery Bible Study

Learn the whole Discovery Bible Study cycle one step at a time — then try it today. About 15 minutes, and anyone can lead.

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A Discovery Bible Study (DBS) isn’t a class and it isn’t a sermon — it’s a simple way to meet Jesus in a short passage and do what He says. You don’t need to be an expert; if you can ask a question, you can do this.

This class walks through the whole cycle one step at a time — a short video for each step — then sends you to try it on a real passage. The whole method is three moves:

  • 🍞 Eat the Word — read, re-read, and retell it.
  • 🥣 Digest it — four questions that move you from insight to obedience.
  • 🌱 Grow — God gives the growth; that part is His.

We use one short story the whole way through — Mark 1:16–18, the calling of Simon and Andrew — so you can watch one real cycle come together. Grab a Bible (or your phone), and let’s go. The last chapter leaves you with a one-page reference you can keep.

Chapters

  1. Intro: What Is a Discovery Bible Study?Why we open the Bible to grow and obey — and the one rule that makes it reproducible.
  2. Eat: Read, Re-read, RetellThe retell gate — the one habit that separates real discovery from borrowed answers.
  3. Digest: What Does This Teach Me About God?The first of the four questions — answered from the text, not from what you already believe.
  4. Digest: About People — and About MeThe second question turns the passage into a mirror — not just people back then, but you.
  5. Digest: What Will I Obey This Week?Move from insight to obedience with one concrete step — a name and a day.
  6. Digest: Who Will I Tell?The multiplication question — every cycle ends by naming one person.
  7. Grow: God Gives the GrowthThe relief — growth is God's part, not something you perform (1 Corinthians 3:6–7).
  8. Outro: Now Do It YourselfYou just learned the cycle — now run one on a real passage this week. Includes a one-page reference to keep.

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