The Forgotten Tool for Making Disciples: Bible Discovery Groups That Transform Lives Around You

Summary

The video presents a Bible Discovery Group (BDG)—also called a Bible study or discipleship group—as a simple, reproducible way to help people read Scripture, follow Jesus, and learn to share their faith. The speakers emphasize that it is not meant to be a lecture led by an expert. Instead, participants read and discuss the Bible together, then consider how to put it into practice.

Main Ideas

• A tool for evangelism, discipleship, and community-building: Groups can be used with friends and neighbors, within churches to establish a shared biblical foundation, or as a starting point for a new home group or fellowship.
• Participation over passive listening: Everyone reads, thinks, and contributes. A facilitator guides the process but does not need to be an accomplished teacher.
• Discovery should lead to action: The goal is not only to learn information, but to obey what participants understand from Scripture and pass it on to others.
• Groups can multiply: Participants can be trained to facilitate groups, invite others, and start new groups in different settings.
• Keep it adaptable: Groups can meet daily or weekly, last an hour or several hours, and run for three, eight, or twelve weeks. The speakers advise starting rather than waiting for ideal conditions.

Suggested Discussion Method

For each topic:

1. Choose several Bible passages—often five to seven—and read them aloud together.
2. Discuss four questions:
   • What does this passage say about God?
   • What does it say about people?
   • What should I do or obey in response?
   • Who can I share this with?
3. Let participants draw conclusions from the text rather than relying on the facilitator to provide all the answers.
4. Include a practical response, such as sharing a relevant testimony, practicing a ministry skill, praying, or taking a step of obedience.

Example Meeting Format

Olivier describes a weekly meeting lasting about two and a half hours:

• First 20 minutes: Share what happened during the previous week, including testimonies and ways participants applied what they were learning.
• Around one hour: Study the session’s topic through Bible passages and group discussion.
• Practical portion: Demonstrate and practice how to apply the topic—for example, sharing a testimony, helping someone think through repentance, praying for healing, or preparing for baptism.

The format is flexible. Torben says that in prison he met with people daily and used a shorter version, while the weekly format outside prison allowed more time for testimonies and practical exercises.

Torben’s Prison Experience

Torben recounts that Bible Discovery Groups became useful when his prison meetings grew and opposition made it difficult to gather everyone in one place. He selected three relatively experienced English-speaking participants, showed them how to facilitate discussions, and had them lead separate groups.

He says the groups continued and spread: one participant later started a group in another prison block, and Bible-study material reached other parts of the prison. Torben reports that 22 of the 25 prisoners in his block became Christians during that period.

Suggested Course Topics

The speakers outline an eight-session version:

1. Discipleship: following Jesus rather than merely becoming a convert.
2. Repentance and faith in God.
3. Water baptism.
4. Baptism with the Holy Spirit.
5. Resurrection from the dead and eternal judgment.
6. Relationship with God and growth in Christ.
7. Making disciples, fellowship, and communion.
8. Sharing the gospel, healing the sick, and casting out demons.

A twelve-session version gives more time to several subjects by separating repentance from faith, resurrection from eternal judgment, relationship with God from growth in Christ, and discipleship from fellowship and communion.

Olivier’s Examples and Reported Outcomes

Olivier says the format has been used in homes, schools, churches, a food bank, a clinic, and other community settings. He describes it as a way to help new and existing believers mature, become active in ministry, and share a common foundation.

He also recounts testimonies of people being baptized, experiencing what they understood as freedom from spiritual oppression, and one man reporting that his cancer had disappeared after prayer. These are presented as testimonies from the network.

Practical Encouragement

The speakers encourage viewers to:

• Identify one or more people to invite, even if it is only one person.
• Begin with a small group and adjust the plan as needed.
• Use Scripture passages and discussion questions rather than waiting to become an expert.
• Include practical application, not just discussion.
• Ask participants whom they could invite or share the material with.
• Consider repeating the group so that new participants can join and experienced participants can help lead.
• Use the groups in churches to build relationships and establish a shared understanding of basic Christian teachings.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Torben: Main presenter; shares the prison account, explains the discussion method and course options, and gives practical advice.
• Olivier: Torben’s friend, described as a leader in a Canadian network; explains the weekly format and shares examples from its use. The subtitles inconsistently render his name as “Olivia” in one place.
• Unnamed participants and people in testimonies: Briefly represented through comments from earlier group material and accounts relayed by Torben and Olivier. These include the prison participant Einar and the food-bank cancer-healing testimony.
• Biblical sources cited: The speakers refer to Hebrews 6:1–2, 2 Timothy 2:2, and passages on discipleship, repentance, baptism, the Holy Spirit, resurrection, judgment, and the new heaven and earth.