The goal of this section is to explain, demonstrate, and practice the “three columns” method. Practicing this daily will be one of the assignments to be done before the next training.
I. The Word of God is Like the Scalpel of a Heavenly Neurosurgeon Operating on our Brain
Read the following passage:
What image does the author use for comparison with the Word of God? What does he want to say with this?
Although our words have influence on other people, their capacity to change hearts is limited. Only the Word of God has the life-giving power capable of gaming someone a new person. Knowing this, we have to constantly come to the treasure of God’s truths to receive fresh instruction every day.
II. The Difference Between a Group that Depends on the Teacher and a Group that Depends on the Word of God
Who is the teacher in Model 1? Who is the teacher in Model 2?
With the help of questions we can direct our discovery to the Scriptures. Only the Word of God is the absolute authority. People have to learn to discover God in the Bible for themselves – the Bible and nothing but the Bible.
Sometime the teaching of the Bible relies on one educated and trained person so much, that when he leaves the group due to sickness or other circumstances, the group ceases to exist. We have to teach people to be dependent not upon us as spiritual mentors, but upon the Word of God, which will always be with them. We must teach them with the help of questions to discover together as a group. The process of of discovery should be:
- Very simple, so that anyone can do it.
- Even young children should be able to do it
- After a single gathering with you, people should be able to do it on their own.
Throughout this training we have talked about disciple making movements. These movements are only possible when multiplication continues through many generations, from one group of disciples to another. The simpler the process of transition, the easier and faster it will be passed on, and the closer it will be to the original. A complicated process of biblical study can stop multiplication and lead to deviations from the truth in future generations of disciples.
III. The First Column “Text from the Bible”
In the first column, the participants will copy the text from the Bible with their own hand writing. We call it the “Rule of Kings,” because this is what all the kings of Israel were supposed to do.
Answer the questions below as you read the passage:
What were the three instructions given to every king?
What were the three results?
What were the three instructions given to every king?
- Copy this law (the Scriptures)
- Keep it with him
- Read it every day
What were the three results?
- To learn to never the Lord, his God.
- To follow carefully all the words of the Law
- So his heart won’t be proud and consider himself better than others
Copy the “Text from the Bible” – Read Matthew 10:16-42. Since it is very long, copy in the first column only a part of the text, namely Matthew 10:16-22.
OR listen to the “Text from the Bible” – if you are going to work with oral culture, non-literate people, or in situations where it is not possible to write, you can substitute copying the text with reading it 3 to 4 times or listen to an audio recording 3 to 4 times. Listening to the text multiply times will help the group remember it, just like copying it will.
IV. The Second Column “In Your Own Words.”
Rewrite the text “In your own Words” (Matthew 10:16-22) – Now, in the second column, re-read and analyze the text from the first column, then rewrite the text in your own words, as if you are rewriting this to a friend who has never read the passage before.
OR retell the text “In your own Words” – it is important to give everyone in the group a change to retell the passage in their own words as they are telling this to a friend who has never heard the passage before.
Important Tips:
- If anyone in the group thinks the speaker is peaking from his/her own ideas or preaching, everyone in the group has permission to ask the current speaker, “Where does it say that in the text?”
- It is crucial to in no way teach, but to give the group the right to correct one another if necessary. If you assume a teaching positing, you will only tie to group to yourself, and not to the Bible and the Holy Spirit.
