Imagine that God gave humanity a clear map for how to follow Him: the Bible. God’s people took that map and learned all about it—its history, its various languages. Many could even use that map to win arguments. But what if, instead of actually following the map, humanity was content to simply learn about it. What if, for all of our knowledge, we never took a single step on the journey?

In RVL Discipleship: The Study, join renowned teacher and Bible scholar Ray Vander Laan as he examines what it means to be a follower of Christ through the cultural, historical, and otherwise contextual lens of Scripture. The Study is a four-season video curriculum for small groups and individuals to consider the question: what did it mean to be one of the original disciples of Jesus, and what does that mean for us today?

Includes 10 episodes, and downloadable leader and participant guides.

Season One available now. Seasons 2-4 will be added to your streaming account when released.

SEASON 1 (Available Now)

Jesus’ original disciples really knew their Bible. As modern-day followers of Christ, it is vitally important that we value Scripture in the same way. Season 1 of The Study outlines how we are meant to interact with the Text: 1) approaching it from the context in which it was written; 2) exploring how Jesus used the Scriptures in His teaching; 3) understanding how His followers were meant to be changed by what they learned; and 4) identifying the major paradigm that ties the whole Bible together.

SEASON 2 (Available Now)

Discipleship was formalized with the rise of rabbis in Jewish culture, but the concept really started much earlier than that. This idea of knowing God’s path and faithfully walking in it began when He called Israel out of Egypt, setting them apart as a kingdom of priests to show the rest of the world what He was like. Building on the tools and central themes from Season 1, this season explores the roots of discipleship, examining how God trained and established the nation of Israel in preparation for Jesus’ ministry to come.

SEASON 3 (Coming April 23, 2024)

What was daily life like for the Jews of Jesus’ day? How did they practice their faith under Roman occupation? And most importantly, what did it mean to be a rabbi? Season 3 of The Study focuses on Jesus as a man, our God made flesh, who chose to reveal Himself as a first century rabbi to a first century Jewish audience.

SEASON 4 (Coming..)

What did it mean to be the disciple of a rabbi in Jesus’ day? How did someone become a disciple, and what were they meant to do? The fourth and final season of The Study focuses on the practical role of a rabbi’s followers in the first century, unpacking cultural and scriptural implications and applying them to our lives as modern-day followers of Jesus.