Reflective Discipleship: Building a Biblical Lens in Community

A disciple has the responsibility to mature each day. To become more like Christ, the believer needs consistent engagement with spiritual habits and the ongoing connection to a local church. And, like Paul encouraged Christ followers in Romans, we need to renew our minds daily:

These two verses remind the Christian to present to God their whole being as their true worship. By renewing the mind consistently, we can discern God’s pleasing and perfect will. These verses imply it’s an ongoing practice. We must decide the rhythm for our lives through worshipping, practicing spiritual habits each week, and being a part of a Bible study group.

Lifelong Learning

Maturing as a follower of Christ involves a commitment to lifelong learning. This is a topic we do not always consider in the church, yet a doctor, accountant, or any licensed field requires ongoing training to maintain that license to practice.

In the church, gathering in a Bible study group is the best way to focus on being a lifelong learner of the Bible and learning through connecting with other believers.

“God designed the church to be a community of lifelong learners under the earthly guidance of leaders who are teachers at heart.”[1] When we begin to see the local church as a community of lifelong learners, we can discern that this is a continuous earthly pursuit. We learn from each other. We sharpen each other’s questions, dive deeper into the Bible to find the answers, and discover depth that’s even stronger than personal experiences.

Consistent Gathering

Gathering each week in Bible study groups ensures the deeper growth of everyone. Following Christ in a reflective community of believers allows for each of us to contribute to the group through our experiences and understanding of our pasts.

Each of us offers more than opinions when we're truly committed to renewing the mind; we're sharing an understanding of walking with Christ that's reasonable and true. Application is then greater because everyone is engaged in learning. The collective knowledge of the group, along with a teacher sharing the truth of the Scripture, gives us far more than we could receive studying alone.

A focus on renewing the mind then becomes not just an individual exercise but also a Bible study group collective, renewing as the group reflects and learns in community. The process of working through our faith together produces clarity in understanding the Bible throughout a lifetime.

Developing a Biblical Lens

As people study the Bible individually—and with a group that challenges our perceptions, convictions, and questions—we develop a biblical lens. This new way of viewing life helps us refocus, increasing our biblical understanding and application.

Each of us has renewal moments that help us refocus and feel refreshed to tackle what’s ahead. If you have a long day at work and feel tired, you might like to take a moment to be renewed through a nap, a walk, soaking in a bath, or just sitting in your favorite chair.

In the same way, we renew through the Word so we can live the next day for Christ. As renewal happens, our minds are open to new information, or we’re reminded of knowledge we already had. Either way, applying God’s Word to our lives is more achievable. The value of daily study of the Word, combined with community, increases our commitment to being renewed through Christ. This ongoing practice helps each of us refine our lens and shape our view of the teachings of God’s Word.

It All Happens Together

People develop relationships by spending time together and sharing common interests like sports teams and leisure activities. This creates a deeper bond than casual interaction in passing. Similarly, commitment to the ongoing meeting with a Bible study group inspires a deeper connection to the Word, other believers, and the church. Being in a Bible study group with like-minded people in similar life stages creates an environment for developing a lens to better understand the Bible. This leads to renewal in all areas of a person’s life. So consider renewing your commitment to your Bible study group.