Michael lived out his faith so others could see. That led Pierson into Discovering God's Word!
Pierson, an unbeliever who was raised Catholic, is absolutely fascinated by God's Word. You can read the first part of Pierson's story here. But how did Michael start his DBS with Pierson? Below is the story of the start of Pierson's DBS and the profound discovery moments that took place as Pierson encountered God in the pages in Scripture.
Reading My Bible at Work Led to DBS
Pierson and I were coworkers at Target a few years ago. I sometimes brought my Bible with me to read while I was on break. One day, Pierson spotted me and asked me what I was reading. I told him it was the Bible.
"Dude," Pierson replied, "I've been meaning to read that!" He told me that a psychologist and professor named Jordan Peterson had the Bible on a list of important books that everyone should read. "I feel like I never gave it a fair shot," Pierson admitted.
My friend Joleene had just shared about DBS with my family. "Hey," I offered, "if you would like, we could study the Bible together!"
Pierson grinned. "Yeah, that'd be great!" Thus began my DBS with Pierson. With each consecutive Discovery Bible Study, Pierson ends by saying, "I said the last passage was my favorite, but I gotta say—this one is my new favorite!"
Discovering that Jesus is Like Superman
Recently, while reading the story of the Last Supper, Pierson noticed the irony within the story. Though Jesus knew He needed to die on the cross, His closest friends and followers were oblivious to his impending fate.
"To me," Pierson shared, "Jesus seems to be the epitome of beauty because he is a tragic hero. He has to die but his best friends don't know it."
We read the story of Jesus' betrayal and condemnation in John 18:1-19:16 next. Once we reached the question, "What does this teach us about God?" Pierson pointed out how Pontius Pilate asked Jesus where he was from, but Jesus wouldn't tell him. In the story, Pilate reminds Jesus that he has the authority to have Jesus killed. Jesus answered Pilate, "You would have no authority at all unless it had been given to you from above."
"I know we're not supposed to bring in outside material to our DBS," Pierson clarified, "but man—this just reminds me of that scene in the Superman movie!" He described how Superman breaks his cuffs in custody and reminds the police of that he has the power to leave whenever he wants, only staying out of respect for them.
"Jesus doesn't have to be here, because He's God! He could escape easily. However, He willingly submits himself to die for our sake!" Pierson marveled.
Connecting Passover with the Gospels
As we continued reading, we noticed the Jews refraining from entering Pilate's palace to stay clean because it was the night before Passover.
"Passover?" Pierson paused. "That's the story we read way back in the book of Exodus!" He remembered that they needed to find a pure lamb, kill it, and put the blood on their door frames.
Pierson's eyes widened. "Wait a second—Jesus is the Lamb of God!" He started spinning in his chair with his hands in the air. "The lamb in the Passover story had to be without blemish. Jesus is without blemish! He's the Lamb of God!"
Pierson's step of obedience was to reread the Exodus story to see how else the story connected with the Gospel. As we do DBS together, Pierson has shown an incredible willingness to share what he's learning to his friends and family. He shares the stories with his dad, brothers, and our old coworkers from Target! I thank God that I had the privilege to witness such an impactful discovery moment in Pierson's life.
Lessons Learned:
Michael and Pierson's story teaches us the importance of being conspicuously spiritual. Michael, as a part of his everyday walk with Jesus, read his Bible in his workplace. He allowed his faith to be seen without being pushy. His obedience led Pierson to dive into the Word with him! This story also displays how God's Word, in conjunction with the moving of the Holy Spirit, is more than sufficient to help unbelievers discover who Jesus is. Michael didn't have to explain it all. In the process of reading the stories of Scripture, Pierson experienced huge discovery moments. In fact, if Michael had explained it all from the start, it would have robbed Pierson of the joy of discovering God for himself!
Free Podcast: The Heart of Discovery Bible Study
Why do we ask these questions from 30 years ago in the Discovery Bible Study process? In this episode, David Watson joins us for a behind-the-scenes look at the heart of DBS. Discover the history of the process and the importance of the different questions. If you're wanting to deepen your understanding of DBS, this is the episode for you!