Discovery Bible Study
Stewards of the Land
Contents
- How a Discovery Bible Study works
- 1The earth is the Lord's Psalm 24:1-2
- 2Plants that carry their seed Genesis 1:11-13
- 3Made to rule the earth Genesis 1:26-31
- 4To work it and keep it Genesis 2:8-9,15
- 5Thorns and sweat Genesis 3:16-19
- 6God feeds all he made Psalm 104:10-32
- 7The birds and the lilies Matthew 6:25-34
- 8The diligent farmer Proverbs 12:10-11 · Proverbs 24:30-34 · Proverbs 27:23-27
- 9The seed grows by itself Mark 4:26-29
- 10Who gives the power Deuteronomy 8:10-14,17-18
- 11When the fig tree fails Leviticus 26:3-5,9-13 · Habakkuk 3:17-19
- 12Creation waits Romans 8:18-21
- 13The vine and the vinedresser John 15:1-8
- 14Christ reconciles all things Colossians 1:15-20
How a Discovery Bible Study works
This page is for whoever leads the study. Everyone else only needs the passage.
A Discovery Bible Study has no teacher. The person leading only asks the questions; the Bible does the teaching. That is what makes it simple enough for anyone to lead — no title, no training, no materials, no money.
Eat, digest, grow
- Eat the WordRead the passage aloud, read it again, then close the Bible and have someone retell it in their own words. Reading is the bite, re-reading the chewing, the retelling the swallow. If the group can't retell it, read it once more before going on.
- DigestWork through the four questions. This is where the passage turns into faith and obedience — answered from what the text actually says, not from what someone already knew.
- GrowGrowth is God's part, not yours. One plants, another waters, but God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6–7). Do the cycle faithfully and leave the growing to Him.
The four questions
Answer from what the passage actually says — stay in the text.
- What does this passage show me about God?
- What does it show me about people — and about myself, my work and my land?
- What will I obey this week, at home and on my land? (a concrete step, with a day)
- Who will I tell?
The shape of a meeting
- Look backWhat are you thankful for? What is hard right now? How did you obey what we found last time, and who did you tell? Pray briefly for each other.
- Look upRead, re-read, retell — then the four questions.
- Look forwardEach person says out loud one concrete commitment — a sentence that starts “I will…” — and names one person they will tell. Next time, the group asks about both. Asking is what turns a discussion into obedience.
The one rule: don't teach
The moment you start explaining, the group stops discovering. If someone says something that is not in the passage, do not correct them — ask, kindly, “Where do you see that in this passage?” and let them look. The text and the group sort it out. This is the rule that lets someone who has been in two studies lead the third.
Four to fifteen people. About an hour, once a week. Nothing else required.