Before he died in 1999, Dr. William (Bill) Lane (not William Lane Craig) presented a study of Mark 3:13-6:32 that he called the Cycle of Discipleship. This study last aired in February 2022 as a three-part discussion on the In The Studio With Michael Card radio program.

Dr. Lane said the cycle of discipleship consists of three phases:

• The first phase began with Jesus’ call for the disciples to be with Him in various situations.
• The second phase began when Jesus sent out His disciples to speak His word and do His work. They acted as His apostles or shaliachim… his legal representatives.
• The third phase was when the disciples returned to Jesus to report on all they said and did. Jesus then called them to a desert place to rest with Him. The cycle then repeated.

I found this study both interesting and beneficial in my own walk with the Lord. I wanted others to benefit as well, so I led a Bible study earlier this year where we listened to each episode and followed along in our Bibles. We then discussed what we heard and learned. The study was well received.

I’ve made all the materials we used available so anyone can use it as part of their small-group Bible study. This includes the teacher notes, student question sheets, the audio of the discussion between Dr. Lane, Wayne Shepherd, and Michael Card, and a transcription of the audio. (Permission to use the audio excerpts was obtained through the Michael Card Music Facebook page.)

You can download all of the files by clicking on the link below. This study may not be sold. It may only be redistributed for free. Please read the teacher notes for more information. Let me know if anything needs correcting or if you have any suggestions.

    The Cycle Of Discipleship Study (.zip)

The .zip file above includes the audio excerpts of the study, but you can listen to the complete radio episodes here:

• Bearers Of The Light: Part 1
• Bearers Of The Light: Part 2
• Bearers Of The Light: Part 3