DISCIPLE FAST TRACK CONTENTS As You Lead DISCIPLE FAST TRACK 4 Chapter Theme Word The Prophets 1. God s People Weep Return 8 2. God Sent Messengers Hear 12 3. Starved for the Words of the Lord Hunger 17 4. God Pleads Obey 23 5. God Rules the World Divine Purpose 27 6. God Will Not Abandon New Covenant 32 7. The Day of the Lord Has Come Doom 37 8. God Cleanses and Renews Promise 42 9. God Will Save Redeemer 47 10. God s Vision for a New World Vision 52 11. God s City of Peace Courage 56 12. God s Mission for Israel Witness 60 The Letters of Paul 1. Called Through God s Grace Apostle 68 2. The Letters of Paul Correspondence 72 3. The Lord Is Coming Encourage 76 4. Seeing the Good Rejoice 80 5. The Body of Christ Unity 84 6. Crisis in Confidence Pain 88 7. Salvation for All Faith 92 8. New Life in Christ Sacrificial Living 96 9. Fruit of the Holy Spirit Grow 100 10. Christ Above All New Life 104 11. Leadership in the Church Sound Teaching 109 12. Remember Who You Are Clay Pots 113
AS YOU LEAD Disciple FAST TRACK A Long History Since 1987, Disciple Bible study has reached millions of people worldwide, introducing the grand sweep of Scripture in a thirty-four-week format. Now Disciple FAST TRACK maintains the integrity and principles of the original study, but its modifications can better meet the needs of a hectic world. Participants still receive a thorough introduction to the Bible but in almost a third less time. FAST TRACK is not a replacement for the original; it is simply a practical option. Susan Wilke Fuquay and Elaine Friedrich are coeditors of Disciple FAST TRACK: REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE. Susan is a United Methodist Christian educator who works at St. Luke s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. For more than twenty-five years, Susan has been directly involved with Disciple Bible study. She coedited the youth version of Disciple, was a Disciple trainer at national training events, and has personally facilitated more than thirty Disciple groups. She was the general editor of Disciple FAST TRACK: BECOMING DISCIPLES THROUGH BIBLE STUDY. Dr. Friedrich has been a United Methodist Christian educator for over thirty-five years and currently works at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in Marietta, Georgia. She has facilitated Disciple as well as Disciple FAST TRACK groups for many years. Group Meetings Disciple FAST TRACK participants meet for a total of twenty-four weeks. There are twelve sessions in the Old Testament focusing on the Prophets and twelve in the New Testament focusing on the Letters of Paul. Each group session lasts seventy-five minutes. Churches are able to fit classes in on Sunday mornings, lunch hours, during the evening children s programming. FAST TRACK is designed for small groups of 8 16, as traditional Disciple is intended. But unlike the traditional version, FAST TRACK easily adapts for groups of 17 100. Many churches have used the large group model to allow the pastor to lead large numbers of people while maintaining the intimacy of the small group. Participants complete the Bible and Study Manual readings for each session prior to coming to the class. 4 Leader Guide, Study Manuals, and DVDs The Leader Guide directs FAST TRACK leaders through each of the twenty-four sessions. The Disciple FAST TRACK The Prophets and The Letters of Paul Study Manuals each consist of twelve sessions and are used together for this twenty-four-week study. To complete the study, each participant will need both the twelve-session Old Testament Study Manual (The Prophets) and the New Testament Study Manual (The Letters of Paul). Each session includes a five-minute DVD designed to introduce key theological ideas and to set the stage for group conversation. Unique to the REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE study is the Context section. This will help participants understand the reading for each lesson by telling them where the reading is taking place geographically, where it happens chronologically, and the kings and the prophets involved as well as the living situation of the people. Orientation Meeting Overview and Agenda When the list of people who have made the commitment to be part of your Disciple FAST TRACK group is complete, schedule a one-hour orientation meeting to take place at least one week before your first class session. If you have multiple groups, all participants can meet together for most of the orientation and then can divide out by class at the end for a few details unique to each group. The Purpose of the Orientation Meeting: To give a brief overview of Disciple FAST TRACK: REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE. To review the meeting schedule for the twelve or twenty-four weeks. Make sure everyone knows where you are meeting and how to make any special arrangements, such as childcare. To make sure every participant has a Disciple FAST TRACK Study Manual ordered from Cokesbury.com and a study Bible, and knows exactly how to prepare for Session 1. To make sure participants understand the value of completing the daily Bible reading and attending the scheduled class session. To give participants the opportunity to meet their group. Leader Preparation for the Orientation Meeting: Invite all participants to the meeting. Arrange a way to get the orientation meeting information to any who cannot attend so they will be prepared for Session 1.
Prepare the weekly schedule for the twelve or twenty-four weeks with dates of class sessions and any other special events. Include the meeting time and place and your contact information. If you have a complete roster of your group, you can hand it out as well. Determine how you will be selling the Study Manuals and study Bibles. Whether you collect money at this event or have already done so, everyone needs to have the Study Manuals. Some groups purchase both at the same time, while others only purchase the Old Testament to begin. Keys for a Successful Group Leader Preparation Plan the class schedule; make sure Disciple FAST TRACK: REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE Study Manuals are ordered; secure the location for the class, making sure a DVD player and TV are available; and schedule an orientation meeting. When you schedule a class, remember to consider new times, new days, and new locations that may reach people who have not been able to attend typical evening classes. Complete all daily reading assignments and take notes in the Study Manual just as participants do. During small group discussions, you will participate like everyone else. Read over the Leader Guide a few days before each session to have time to make any special preparations and to be fully ready to deliver the information under the Share the Following sections. Creating a Climate for a Great Group Ideally, a Disciple FAST TRACK group creates an atmosphere that can be described in many ways: warm, trusting, enthusiastic, patient, open-minded, caring, accepting, sensitive, fun, and informal. In a healthy climate, each participant and the group as a whole are respected. People are attentive and sensitive to one another s thoughts and feelings; they feel comfortable in honestly expressing their deepest thoughts and feelings. It is important that you model these traits and behaviors and articulate them to the group whenever needed. Dividing Into Smaller Groupings Follow the directions in the Leader Guide and divide into smaller group settings when directed. You may be tempted to remain as a whole group, most likely due to one of the following reasons: You want to hear all the discussion. This is absolutely not necessary to your role as leader, and in many cases, this desire will stifle the discussion in the small group. You may want to be sure they get it. Do not worry about this; people grow and develop when they try out new and different ideas. This is all part of healthy spiritual growth. Participants may resist breaking into small groups. Remember, the big group is less work for many of them; the quieter ones can let the more talkative ones take over. Participants will say they want to hear everyone s thoughts, but in reality, they will hear only from the verbal ones. Please do not succumb to this request. Spiritual growth and transformation in this study comes through the sharing and discussing of one s own thoughts. Follow the Leader Guide. Trust the process written for you. Bible Reading and Homework If you sense a few people are having trouble completing the Bible reading, do not make them feel guilty. Instead, encourage them to try hard the next session. Remember, many people are going from little or no Scripture reading to 20 30 minutes each day! Help them be successful. Also, participants will be more faithful in their reading when you follow the instructions in the Leader Guide. If you allow ample time for discussion in each session, participants will want to read to be prepared for it. However, they may stop doing the daily reading if the leader doesn t follow this guide, becomes a lecturer, and rarely allows the group time to talk. The reading may seem like a lot at first, but remember that millions of people have completed this study. People can and will do the reading. Do not sell them short! Prayer The time constraints of Disciple FAST TRACK do not allow for extensive sharing of prayer concerns during class time. In order to add the prayer concerns of the group to participants daily prayer time, get creative. For example, share prayer concerns via e-mail, text, or Facebook (in a private group), or bring prayer concerns to class written on index cards to exchange. 5
Time-Keeping Always start and end on time. This is a matter of respect. If you start late, people will start coming late. Simply start on time and tell people you understand if they are running late; they should just come join in. Also, always end on time. If you suddenly ask the group, Does anyone mind if we go a few minutes over? you are putting people in an awkward position. If you don t adhere to punctuality, you risk losing participants. Follow the time allotments given in the Leader Guide to the best of your ability. It is a tight schedule that will require discipline. You may want to mark your Leader Guide with the actual start and end times for each section of the session. This means you cannot add to the lectures, go into deep discussions, or get off track. Yes, people may get frustrated if you move them along, but they will get even more frustrated if the leader does all the talking or the discussion gets off track. Remember, this is a FAST TRACK class; some compromises had to be made to shorten the class. The good news is people can continue to study the Bible for the rest of their lives. How to Lead a Large Group The ideal size for a Disciple group is 8 16 people, yet many FAST TRACK leaders have had success with groups of 17 100. These are the keys to success with large groups: Participants sit in the same small table groups of 6 9 people every week. Ideally, they should stay in the same group for all twenty-four weeks, or at least for the twelve-week Old Testament or New Testament session. Hopefully, the group can stay together for the entire study, but if the group composition changes for the New Testament, new table groups can be formed. Each table must have a designated leader. The table leader takes attendance, checks on participants who are absent, and makes certain the times on the small group discussions are followed. Information and Handouts More information and helpful handouts for Disciple FAST TRACK are available at adultbiblestudies.com/dft3extras. 6
F A S T T R A C K THE PROPHETS
1 GOD S PEOPLE WEEP PREPARE FOR THE SESSION Prior to Session 1, ensure all participants have a DISCIPLE FAST TRACK: REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE The Prophets Study Manual and a study Bible. Communicate with participants two weeks before the class begins that they will need to have completed the reading assignment for Session 1 in both the Study Manual and the Bible before the first group session. Prepare and make enough copies of a group roster (include names and contact information) to hand out to each participant at the beginning of this session. Make enough copies of the Small Group Discussion Guide (page 11) to distribute to smaller groupings. You will need a minimum of five copies for this session. See instructions under Encourage Small Group Discussion below. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION (10 MINUTES) Offer a personal welcome. Hand out the copies of the group roster. Ask participants to introduce themselves and explain briefly what they hope to gain by participating in this study. Ask how the group did with the daily Bible reading and if anyone has any questions on how to prepare for each group session. Ask participants to open their Study Manuals to Session 1. Direct the group to read aloud together the following: Theme Word: Return Theme Verse: We must search and examine our ways; we must return to the LORD (Lamentations 3:40). Title: God s People Weep Our Human Condition: We go our own way until we hurt. Then in shock and confusion we ask, What happened? With guilt we wonder, Where did we go wrong? We want to blame others. But confronted by the outcomes of our actions, we ask, Where can we turn for relief? Ask participants to underline the parts of the human condition they relate to most easily. Opening Prayer: Pray the prayer aloud together from this session in the Study Manual: NOTES 8 Hear my prayer, LORD! Listen closely to my cry for help! Please don t ignore my tears! I m just a foreigner an immigrant staying with you, just like all my ancestors were (Psalm 39:12).
1 GOD S PEOPLE WEEP VIEW THE DVD (5 MINUTES) NOTES EXPLORE GOD S PEOPLE WEEP (15 MINUTES) We begin our study of the prophets in 587 BC with the most devastating event of the ancient Jewish people, the destruction of Jerusalem including the Temple. Today s Context: Turn in your Study Manual to this session s Context information (page 6). Read it aloud. Our study here may seem strange, but often we can understand tragedy by looking back from the tragic event to what possibly caused it. So, in this study we will back up in Old Testament history and learn how the people ended up in ruin. And, when we get to the prophets, we will study them in historical sequence rather than in biblical sequence. So, let s begin by reviewing the overall history of the Old Testament to set the stage for our learning. To do this, let s take a few minutes and become familiar with the additional resources we have in our Study Manual. Turn to the back of your Study Manual to the Timeline of Old Testament Biblical Events chart (page 109). Read down the chart, reviewing the major events and time periods shown. This study will focus heavily on the time period of the Divided Kingdom, the exiles, and the return of the exiles. With that in mind, let s move into our discussion on this session s readings. ENCOURAGE SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (30 MINUTES) Divide the class into five small groups, even if some are pairs. Assign one of the five chapters of Lamentations to each small group so that all five chapters are covered. Hand out the Small Group Discussion Guide and ask the small groups to spend the next twenty minutes looking for the six themes listed. Have each group take notes of their findings. After twenty minutes come back together as a large group and have each small group share for two minutes about their discoveries. Conclude by discussing the following question: How do these themes point to a covenant relationship between God and the people? CONSIDER MARKS OF OBEDIENT COMMUNITY (10 MINUTES) The community of faith relies on the trustworthiness of God s word. Remind the group that the Marks of Obedient Community and Our Human Condition are always in tension. We need to struggle with them together. In line with the overall emphasis on community in this study, the Marks of Obedient Community section most often addresses the whole community rather than just the individual. Have the group turn back to the Our Human Condition section in the Study Manual and read it aloud together. 9
1 GOD S PEOPLE WEEP We go our own way until we hurt. Then in shock and confusion we ask, What happened? With guilt we wonder, Where did we go wrong? We want to blame others. But confronted by the outcomes of our actions, we ask, Where can we turn for relief? Then have the group turn to the Mark of Obedient Community printed in italics and read it aloud together. The community of faith relies on the trustworthiness of God s word. Read the following from your Study Manual aloud: The community of faith learns God s word is trustworthy. God means exactly what God says. When we remember God s law and God s love, we remember who we are and who we are meant to be. God judges and God saves. So we can repent, realign our lives to God. We are never so lost as to be outside God s compassion. We can turn in confidence to God. Discuss the following questions from the Marks of Obedient Community in the Study Manual: How do you understand the idea that the God who judges us, causing us pain, is also the God to whom we go for relief from that pain? What is your experience of this God? How does your obedient community deal with suffering, especially suffering caused by sin or poor decisions? When have you experienced return? CLOSE WITH PRAYER (5 MINUTES) Direct participants to use the space provided for prayer concerns in Session 2. Remind the participants to pray for these requests in their daily study time. Close the group session in prayer. NOTES 10
1 GOD S PEOPLE WEEP SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE (20 MINUTES IN SMALL GROUPS/10 MINUTES LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION) As you discuss the following themes, refer to the chapter you have been assigned in Lamentations, your Study Manual, and your daily study notes. Also, you will want to refer to the notes on your chapter in your study Bible. There are many themes in the Book of Lamentations that reoccur throughout the prophets. Read through your assigned chapter and look for examples of the following themes. Take notes of your findings so you will be able to share with the larger group in twenty minutes. You may not be able to find every theme in each chapter. 1. People are responsible for their own suffering 2. Divine judgment/punishment 3. Someone blaming God 4. A call to repent 5. Possibility of hope and restoration 6. God as Lord of history Permission is given to photocopy this page for class use only. Copyright 2018 Abingdon Press. 11
his guide leads you through the biblical narrative in each of the 24 sessions. All handouts are provided. This study examines the connection between memory and identity as the people of God. Participants will find common themes, including calls to remember, calls to repent, calls for renewal, and calls for community. T R A C K Classes meet for a total of 24 weeks, studying the Prophets and the letters traditionally attributed to Paul for 12 sessions each. Preparation is manageable, with 3 5 chapters of the Bible to read each day. Weekly sessions last 75 minutes. Hosts will provide 3 5-minute video insights related to the week s session. Flexible for use with small groups of 8 14 or for large groups of 15 100. F A S T T Hear the call to return to God and a community set apart F A S T T R A C K R e m e m b e r W h o Yo u A re In this study, there are 12 sessions each on the Old Testament Major and Minor Prophets and on the 13 New Testament letters traditionally attributed to Paul. The prophets and Paul are continually calling hearers and readers back to their God and to a sense of who they are as a people set apart. Daily reading assignments are designed to establish the historical context of the Prophets and of Paul. Readers will encounter The Word of the Lord with comments on Scripture and amplification of meaning, as well as Marks of Obedient Community, which identify beliefs, attitudes, and actions of the obeying community. Marks is the faith response to Our Human Condition. DISCIPLE FAST TRACK, part of the DISCIPLE family of Bible studies, RELIGION Christian Education Adult $21.99 ISBN: 978--1-50185955-7 www.abingdonpress.com Cover Design by Jim E. Carlton LEADER GUIDE provides a great option for busy people just like you who seek to gain a better understanding of the Bible and want to grow as disciples. FAST TRACK groups can meet for a total of 24 weeks, devoting 12 weeks each to the Prophets and to the Letters of Paul, making it easier to fit into busy schedules. LEADER GUIDE