Transcript Document

Applying the
Bible in my life
What is application
Me and my violin
Christian who is not applying the Bible
is like
a cyclist never ride a bike
A fisherman never fished
A pilot never flying
A cellist never playing
Applying the Bible is simply allowing
the Bible to make a difference in our
lives.
What is application
Application is answering the question;
“so what”
after any sermon or Bible study
Or
Why should I know these facts?
How can I use this information?
What am I going to do about what I
have just learned?
What is application
I know that;
“Love is very patient and kind, never
jealous or envious, never boastful or
proud, never haughty or selfish or
rude” (1 Cor 13:4-5)
“So what?”
Why Apply
• The Bible is God’s Word, and whatever
God says to us is full of living power.
• It is sharper than the sharpest dagger,
cutting swift and deep into our
innermost thoughts and desires,
exposing us for what we really are (Heb
4:12).
• It was the Holy Spirit within these godly
men who gave them true messages
from God (2 Pet. 1:20-21)
Why Apply
• So, the whole Bible was given to us by
inspiration from God
• It is useful to teach us what is true
• It makes us realize what is wrong in our
lives.
• It straightens us out.
• It helps us do what is right.
• It makes us well prepared and fully
equipped to do good to everyone
• (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Problems
• When we study the Bible we find books
which might explain facts of Septuagint,
Pentateuch and Ammonites, when I
want to know about worry, stress, peer
pressure, and anger.
Sometimes
• We dont read the Bible thinking that just
having a Bible at home, in my car,
loaded on my phone is enough to bless
and change my life.
• We read, and memorize verses, even
compete in Bible quizzes
• We read and understand much of what
the Bible is saying. But we don't know
how to apply.
There is still a gap between the
Scripture we read and the lives we live.
James Explained
James 1:22-25
We are to do what the Bible says, not just
read and understand
St. Paul Explained
1 Corinthians 10:11
St. Paul is saying that reading the Bible
should affect the way we live.
Isaiah told God’s people
“Won’t even one of you apply these
lessons from the past and see the ruin
that awaits you up ahead?
(Isaiah 42:23)
Because of who God is:
God knows us and He knows
everything about us.
God knows our talents, potential, gifts,
and fears.
He also knows everything happened, is
happening and will happen.
God loves us and wants the very best
for us.
It only makes sense to discover God’s
will and do it.
Because of who we are:
We can’t see the future, we don’t know
ourselves very well, and we easily
forget the past.
If we are left to our own device, we
stumble, fall, and fail.
We need help.
We need directions.
We need wisdom.
We need encouragement.
We need answers.
Because of the way the world is:
Our world is fallen.
It is filled with sin and ruled by Satan.
It is filled with temptations, questions,
pressures, and pitfalls.
God does not want to remove us from
the world; He want to use us to make
a difference in the world (Jn 17:13-18)
But how can we tell how well we are applying
the Bible?
Consider the following five steps in
application process:
1. Read
2. Understand
3. Comprehend
4. Apply
5. Do
Read
Open the Bible and read a passage; get a
general idea of the story
Understand
Know what all the words mean; learn
facts; see the concepts
Comprehend
Find the biblical principles, the timeless
truths that God wants to communicate
apply
See myself in the story and how the
biblical principles relate to my life; make
the timeless truths timely; see what God
wants me to do
do
Design an action plan; obey God and put
into practice now what He has taught
me in His Word
Step 1 reading, is the bare minimum
Step 5 doing, is the goal.
Let us assess our relationship with the Bible
Give a number that is most appropriate for
each step:
1-bad; 2-poor; 3-all right; 4-good; 5-very good
1. Read
2. Understand
3. Comprehend
4. Apply
5. Do
The first stage
Must be open to God as He speaks through
His Word.
Approaching scriptures with the prayer
“Lord, speak to me”
And eagerly anticipating God’s direction,
counsel, and personal communication
The second stage
“Taking it personally”
We should put the Bible truths and principles
into a personal context, asking,
“what does the message mean for me?”
In other words, it means looking at Bible study
from a personal perspective, going beyond
the historical and cultural context, the words
in the text, and the theology.
It also means taking a look, an honest look, at
our lives, anticipating that there will be a
lesson to learn and apply.
The third stage
“What should I do about it?”
What; looking for a specific action to take
Should; understanding that the message is to be
obeyed
I; recognizing that the application is for me.
Do; seeing that action, obedience, is involved.
About; knowing that the action is a response.
It; to a biblical teaching.
The forth stage
“Action plan?”
Now what?; this involve thinking
Now that I know what God wants me to do,
What am I going to do about it?
Where am I going to start?
What will be my first step?
So far
We have discussed;
What is application
Why application is important
Self-assessed our relationship with the Bible
Looked generally at the steps involved:
1. Receive the message
2. Reflect on my life
3. Identify what I need to change
4. Lay out a plan to make that change.
Actually, it seems very
simple, doesn’t it?
So
Why is application so difficult?
• The initial 5 steps (what’s) are:
• Read, understand, comprehend, apply, and do
• Of course speaking about the process of
studying the Bible is easy; but doing it takes a
lot more work.
• i.e. Moving from reading to comprehend or from
comprehend to apply is a big jump.
• Let us break the task down into smaller tasks.
• Using smaller steps, will help us be able to
climb the Bible study ladder much more easily.
• Let us take them one at a time.
Read
• Use a translation of the Bible that is easy to
understand yet accurate
(Van Dyke) / (NKJV, NRSV)
• Use Bible study tools.
• Attend Bible study with a group.
• Prepare your shopping list.
• Express your needs to God.
Before you read the Bible
• Stop and take a simple spiritual diagnosis
before opening the pages of Scriptures.
• What conflicts am I facing at work, home,
school, or church?
• What resources do I lack? (time, energy,
money, relationships)
• What difficult situations am I facing?
• What personal shortcomings am I struggling to
overcome?
Before you read the Bible
• By discovering your needs and expressing
them to God, you will prepare your heart to
receive His words.
• Verses will seem to jump off the page, and you
will find more applications.
• Focusing on your needs will help you to
respond to directions given by God in the Bible.
People
• Human nature has not changed over the
centuries, neither have human struggles and
problems.
• Find people, including all the characters in the
passage, those actively taking parts and those
mentioned.
• Sometimes no specific individuals or groups of
people are mentioned such as in Proverbs. But
we should not forget the author, the original
audience and God.
People
• In Exodus 13, we have
• Moses giving the speech and writing the book;
• The nation of Israel;
• Pharaoh;
• Other nations,
• Joseph
• Israel’s sons
• And God
People
• In Acts 3:1-11, we have
• Peter;
• John;
• The beggar
• The individuals who carried the beggar to the
temple’s gate.
• People who saw the man healed,
• The Lord Jesus is also mentioned.
• The author (Luke)
• And God
People
• We should identify the people and learn
something about them.
• For example, if in a prophetic book, the prophet
spends a full chapter condemning a nation
we’ve never heard of, we should use a Bible
dictionary and find out more about what those
people were like.
People
• Here is some questions to ask:
1.Who are all of the people in this passage?
2.How are these people like in today’s world?
3.What characteristics in myself do I see
represented in these people?
Place
• This step helps put the passage in its original
setting, the historical and cultural context.
• The more we know about the culture, history,
and problems of the people in the passage, the
more we will be able to find parallels to our lives
today. (drinking wine, the word “woman”, . .).
Place
• Here is some questions to ask:
1.What is the setting of this passage?
2.What are the significant details in the history,
culture and geography?
3.What are the similarities to my world?
Scenarios / plots
• Look for what is going on among people or
between God and people.
• This step is easy in historical books but it is
difficult in other books. (Philemon).
• Questions:
1.What is happening in this passage?
2.What would I have done in this situation?
3.How is this similar to what is happening in my
life or in the world today?
Principles
• To identify the message
• Questions:
1.What is the message?
2.What is the timeless truth?
Example; Number 17
• The story of Aaron’s staff budding, blossoming
and producing almonds.
• The Lord wanted to stop the constant
complaints of the people against Moses and
Aaron.
Present
• To bring biblical principles into the present;
• Questions:
1.What does this principle mean for my society
and culture?
2.How can I make the timeless truth timely?
Apply
• In James 1:19; the principle is simple;
Christians should “listen much, speak little, and
not become angry”
• To bring this principle into the present, take a
moment to think about the possible applications
for home, school, work, church, neighbourhood
and the world.
Priorities
• This step involves looking at how we should
change on the inside in order to change the
outside
• It means stopping to think about the work God
wants to do in our lives before determining
specific vertues.
• How should I set up my priorities?
• Values, beliefs, attitudes, character, thoughts,
motives
• What kind of person does God want me to
become.
Action
• That is actually doing what God TOLD me to
do.
• It is putting words into action.
• It is to live differently
• This step involves selecting a goal, breaking it
down into bite-size pieces, then DO IT.
• Confirm what God wants me to do about what I
have learned (GOAL)
• Determine what steps will get me to that goal.
Action
• There are two types of actions:
• Intentional
• I WILL followed by TO DO in order (1, 2, 3, ..)
• Conditional
• IF followed by THEN
• Applying 1 Cor 13
Action
• I will be more loving to my wife by:
1.Not complaining when I come home from work
2.Clearing the table after dinner
3.Bringing her roses next week
And
1.If she had a bad day, then I will listen to her
2. and not argue with her.
The need for a goal
• To apply the message we received, we need a
strategy
• But first we must determine our goal
• Goals can be long term or short term.
• Goals can be quantitative or qualitative
• Goals can be general or specific
• Be realistic
Action
• There are two types of actions:
• Intentional
• I WILL followed by TO DO in order (1, 2, 3, ..)
• Conditional
• IF followed by THEN
• Be realistic
• Even after designing a realistic action plan to
reach a realistic goal, you still have to
overcome the biggest problem.
The first step
we must make the first step so small.
When we take the first step, we will be much
more likely to achieve our goals
Small steps
• Are there doctrines that God wants me to know
and believe?
• Are there lessons here for me to learn?
• Are there examples for me to follow?
• Are there sins for me to avoid?
• Are there prayers for me to pray?
• Are there commands for me to obey?
Small steps
•
•
•
•
Then, I move to the relational questions.
I take my time in meditating on these:
What does this passage reveal about God’s
heart?
How am I to respond to God and to His
response to the people in the text?
How will I live to improve and deepen my
relationships?
How can I better love the people around me?
Small steps