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Discovery Bible Study

The Gospel of Mark

Contents

  • How a Discovery Bible Study works
  • How to use this plan
  1. 1Mark 1 — The beginning of the good news Mark 1
  2. 2Mark 2 — Jesus forgives and calls sinners Mark 2
  3. 3Mark 3 — Jesus chooses the Twelve Mark 3
  4. 4Mark 4 — Parables of the kingdom, and a storm stilled Mark 4
  5. 5Mark 5 — Power over demons, disease, and death Mark 5
  6. 6Mark 6 — Sent out with nothing but him Mark 6
  7. 7Mark 7 — What truly defiles Mark 7
  8. 8Mark 8 — Who do you say I am? Mark 8
  9. 9Mark 9 — Glory on the mountain, faith in the valley Mark 9
  10. 10Mark 10 — The first shall be last Mark 10
  11. 11Mark 11 — The King comes to his temple Mark 11
  12. 12Mark 12 — The greatest commandment Mark 12
  13. 13Mark 13 — Stay awake Mark 13
  14. 14Mark 14 — The night he was betrayed Mark 14
  15. 15Mark 15 — The cross Mark 15
  16. 16Mark 16 — He is risen Mark 16

More Bible study plans at comission.cc

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

  1. What does this passage show me about God?
  2. What does it show me about people — and about myself?
  3. What will I obey this week? (a concrete step, with a day)
  4. 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.

How to use this plan

Who this is for

  • Established groups of committed disciples — not new believers. The readings are whole chapters, much longer than the short passages in the starter plans. A group should already have the DBS habits — reading, retelling, the four questions (what does this show us about God? about people? what will I obey this week? who will I tell?), a commitment (the one specific thing each person will do this week) — before taking on a whole book.
  • The point is still faith, not knowledge. A whole-book study is not a Bible-survey course. Resist the pull toward commentary, background trivia, and “covering material.” The same simple question drives every study: what is God showing us, and what will we obey?

How to use it

  • One chapter per study, the DBS way. Read the chapter (aloud, in sections, if that helps), retell it in your own words, then work the four questions. Because chapters are long, it’s fine for the retelling to trace the chapter’s main movements rather than every detail.
  • Let the follow-up prompts serve, not steer. Each study’s extra prompts under the four questions point at one thread in the chapter. If the group discovers a different thread, follow the group — the prompts are a help, never the agenda.
  • End every study in obedience. An honest commitment and one person you’ll tell — the same discipline as every other plan. Longer readings never excuse skipping the response.
  • Pace to the group, not the calendar. One chapter a week finishes Mark in about four months. Linger where a chapter opens up — especially chapters 8, 14, and 15 — and never rush the cross.
  • Facilitate, don’t teach. With more text on the table the temptation to lecture grows. Keep asking, “Where do you see that in the chapter?” Don’t chew their food for them.