One distinguishing mark of a great teacher is their ability to ask great questions that encourage independent thought from their students. This is true in disciple-making as well.
Whenever we study the Bible or tell a Bible story, both with kids and adults, we always try to ask the following four questions: In this story, is there a sin to avoid? Is there a promise to claim? Is there an example to follow? Is there a command to obey? These open-ended questions always lead to interesting responses that show how relevant the Bible is across cultures, generations and socio-economic groups.
One Sabbath morning, after hearing several stories about Jesus healing the blind, we asked one of our younger students these questions. She responded emphatically, “There is an example to follow! If Jesus healed blind people, we should also go look for blind people to heal.”
Another time, after discussing with one of our spiritual family groups the story of when Jesus visited the home of Martha and Mary, an older man responded thoughtfully, “There is a sin to avoid. We should avoid trying to control God or other people to make them do what we want.”
In another instance, after hearing the story of how God sent manna from heaven to feed the Israelites in the desert, one of our teenage students commented, “There is a promise to claim. God will always give us food and take care of us.”
In making disciples and establishing spiritual family groups throughout our corner of Thailand, we want to encourage new disciples to engage with the Bible and learn how to discover relevant truths for their lives. Above all else, we want them to learn through experience that Jesus is a real person who cares about them.
We invite you to partner with us and pledge your support to help us catalyze a disciple-making movement here in Thailand that will transform lives and reveal the depth of God’s love for the Isan Thai people.
