Biblical Fluency here refers to being equipped to read, comprehend and apply the biblical narrative to one’s life for the purpose of personal and corporate transformation. This Biblical Fluency Discipleship Track has been developed by some of our P2C Staff. It can be used for a semester of discipleship or over a number of weeks, depending on a student’s biblical literacy. This discipleship track might be helpful for a student who: 

  • Who is interested in examining Christianity
  • Someone who lives and believes the Christian faith but lacks biblical grounding
  • Desires spiritual growth.
  • Desires to create discipline in their Scripture reading.
  • Wants to go and make disciples.

What are the stages someone might need to move through?

Stage One: Starter

  • Stage One: Starter
    • Description: A person who is beginning to engage with Scripture. Could be a Christian or a non-Christian who is on a spectrum of Seeker or Skeptic. The line represents someone’s desire to engage with Scripture. The person could be anywhere on this continuum: 

Seeker (High Desire) <—————————————–> Skeptic (Low Desire)

  • 1A) Seeker: A person who has a high desire to engage with Scripture but lacks ability or tools to engage Scripture well. 
  • Questions someone here may be asking:
    • Where do I start in exploring the Bible?
    • How did we get the Bible?
    • How do I navigate the Bible (NT vs OT, chapters and verses)? 
    • Can I trust the Bible?
  • Helpful training, development, or conversations:
    • 1st conversation: 
      • Helpful conversation starter questions: Have you ever read the Bible before? Would you say you have a positive, neutral, or negative view of the Bible? Why? What would motivate you to learn more about what the Bible says?
      • Resource: The Word
    • 2nd conversation
  • 1B) Skeptic
  • Description: A person who has a high ability to understand the basic message of Scripture but a low desire to actually engage with its message. They may find the Bible boring, confusing or irrelevant.
  • Questions someone here may be asking:
    • I’ve heard that the Bible is ______ (misogynistic, homophobic, etc.), why should I consider reading it? 
    • Is the Bible relevant to my life? Why should I make time for it? 
    • I’m so busy with school, don’t I get enough of the Bible from my P2C discipleship group?
  • Helpful training, development, or conversations:

Stage Two: Sentimental

  • Stage Two: Sentimental
    • Description: This is someone who has good intentions for Bible reading, but only reads small portions of the Bible. They rely more on others’ interpretation of the Bible rather than being able to accurately interpret and apply the Bible to their own lives. 
  • Questions someone here may be asking:
    • How can I make time to read the Bible daily when I’m so busy with classes?
    • Where do I go to find help with a Bible question? 
    • How should I interpret the Bible? When people say they take the Bible “literally,” what does that mean? 
  • Helpful training, development, or conversations:
    • 1st conversation
      • Helpful conversation starter questions: What would you like to be true of yourself when it comes to Bible reading?  What obstacles do you face when it comes to reading the Bible? What resources or people have helped you to understand the Bible better? Do you feel like you understand and can apply to your life what you are reading?
      • Resource: Understanding and Applying the Bible
    • 2nd conversation

Stage Three: Sincere

  • Stage Three: Sincere
    • Description: This is a student who reads the Bible consistently and is familiar with sections of the Bible but unfamiliar with others. This person has a higher desire, but encounters difficulties in things like interpreting the Old Testament for the New Testament age.
  • Questions someone here may be asking:
    • How do I explain the challenging parts of Scripture to my friends (judgement, miracles, etc.)? 
    • How can I get more out of my Bible reading? What does it mean to pray through Scripture? 
    • Where does Jesus fit into the Old Testament? 
    • Why are there so many different interpretations of the same passage? How can I know which is the best interpretation? 
  • Helpful training, development, or conversations:
    • 1st conversation
      • Helpful conversation starter questions: How has God been speaking to you through His Word? How does the Bible inform your daily living and decisions? How do you think you can get more out of your Bible reading? What areas are you struggling to understand as you read the Bible?
      • Resource: Ways to Meditate on Scripture
    • 2nd conversation

Stage Four: Sower

  • Stage Four: Sower
    • Description: A mature follower of Jesus (Gal. 5; 1 Tim; 3; Titus 1; 2 Pet. 1) who seeks to share with others what they read in Scripture, whether informally or formally. This is a person who is highly motivated and has a high ability to interpret and apply the text to their own lives. They continue to wrestle with how to apply and comprehend certain teachings in the Bible. 
  • Questions someone here may be asking:
    • What is the significance of this issue for myself? 
    • How does the Bible address this issue I’m encountering?
    • What life experience is creating bias or unwillingness for me to hear Scripture? 
    • How does my family/church/pastor understand this issue? What would it mean to them if I came to a different conclusion?
    • How do I sensitively teach this biblical but controversial topic to others?
  • Helpful training, development, or conversations:
    • 1st conversation
      • Helpful conversation starter questions: What has been your experience with Scripture memorization? How has God been convicting or challenging you through Scripture recently? Are there any areas in your life right now that are preventing you from receiving what God may want to teach you through Scripture? 
      • Resource: How to Make Sense of Confusing Bible Passages
    • 2nd conversation

Some other suggestions to consider:

  • One to One Bible Reading: Inductive Bible Study, 10x10x10 Method, COMA method, Swedish Method, etc.
  • Lectio Divina
  • Teaching a student to pray through Scripture
  • Interpreting the Bible crash course
  • Bible Overview course

Helpful Resources at any Stage

  • Bible Project Videos: extremely helpful videos that give a good overview of books and Biblical concepts.
  • How To Read the Bible for All It’s Worth: A good overview of how to faithfully understand various genres of biblical literature.
  • One to One Bible Reading by David Helm: A short, quick read on how to read the Bible well with another person for discipleship
  • New City Catechism: A Q and A format based loosely off the Heidelberg Catechism, which addresses basic theology (free online)
  • CrossTalk by Michael R. Emlet: A book that addresses how to apply the story of Scripture to the personal narratives of the people we work with.

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