Apply God's Word

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. We have been

talking about the three steps to effective Bible study: Observation,

Interpretation, and Application. If we leave one step undone, our Bible study

will be fruitless.

As a church planter, you are often called upon to teach or preach from the

Bible. This is a great honor and a great responsibility. Knowing that many

people will listen to our words and be influenced by them, we often take time

to prepare our message very well. We pray. We read the Bible. We study the

Word. We make careful observation so we can have good interpretation. And

then we make plans to apply the teaching of the Bible to the lives of our

listeners. When we prepare this way to preach or teach, we feel good. We feel

confident. We have understood the Word of God and we know how our

listeners should apply that word to their lives.

There is just one problem with this Bible study method. We put ourselves in

danger if we only study the Bible in order to teach others what they should do.

We are in danger of becoming hypocrites who teach others to do what we have

not done.

Jesus was surrounded by religious hypocrites during his earthly ministry. He

said of the Pharisees, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you

hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the

outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything

unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but

on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27,28).

These words of Jesus are very strong words indeed. When we teach others to

take steps to apply God’s word in ways we are not willing to do, we are like the

Pharisees. We look good on the outside, but on the inside we are not filled with

light and life.

So here is my word of encouragement to you today. When you study the Bible,

your first application should be personal. Study the Word, obey the word, and

then teach the word. Study the word to make application in your own life. Ask

yourself, “What must I stop doing, start doing, or keep doing in order to apply

this Bible teaching in my life?” Once you have applied a Bible teaching in your

own life, home, and family, you will be in a strong position to teach others.

Don’t be discouraged; don’t be afraid. The Holy Spirit will lead you. He will

help you understand the truth of the Scriptures and apply its teaching to your

life.

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #BibleStudy