A Christian Worker's Resource (4 of 4)

Pages: 1 2 3 4

2.

2

A CHRISTIAN WORKER’S RESOURCE

5. Principles The next step is to determine what transferable principles are embedded in the passage. The Point and Principles may be exactly the same—or may be indirectly related. The Principles are the distilled essence of a passage. You should ask,

© What is the message for all of humankind?

© What are the timeless truths?

© What is the moral of the story?

Here are possible answers for Acts 27:27-44 for the first five steps up the Bible study Pyramid.

PEOPLE: Luke (the author, included in the “we” passage), Paul, the sailors, other

prisoners, soldiers guarding the other prisoners, the army officer guarding Paul

(Julius, see 27:1), God.

PLACE: on ship, sailing across the Adriatic Sea (27:27), near the island of Malta (28:1),

during a terrible storm, as Paul and other Roman prisoners were being taken to

Rome for trial; the journey was undertaken “late in the fall” (Acts 27:9), so it may

have been October, a time when dangerous storms could arise suddenly.

PLOT: Paul had warned that the trip would be disastrous (27:9- 10), but the pilot and

officer didn’t listen and determined to sail anyway. When the terrible storm arose,

Paul encouraged everyone (27:22) and told them what to do; this time the Roman

crew listened (27:3 1-38). Paul also thanked God in front of everyone (27:35). When

the ship began to break up, the soldiers were about to kill their prisoners (so they

wouldn't escape), but the officer guarding Paul stopped them (27:43).

POINT: Paul was confident of God’s protection and care, even during a life-threatening

storm. This confidence freed Paul to encourage others, even his captors, and to give

a clear testimony of his faith in Christ.

PRINCIPLES: God is present and in control of all our “storms”; we can take courage and

have hope because we know that God is with us and he cares for us. Even when we

are going through difficult times, we should encourage and help others and give

clear evidence of our faith.

Now you've made it up one side of the Pyramid. The path to the top of the Pyramid narrows to a single point and a few principles, but the paths going down the other side are diverse and varied for each person and for each situation. Points 6 to 9 are as follows:

6. Present This step expands the areas of application for the Point and Principles that you have extracted so far. A different kind of thinking is required because you are expanding possibilities and adding your life to the principles. Here you describe the significant implications of these timeless truths for life at home, school, job, and in your neighborhood. This step brings the truth into your context, into today’s world, here and now. The meaning for the original audience may be clear, but the implications for the present may be rich and varied. Ask,

© What do these principles mean for my society and culture?

• How is this relevant?

© What back then is similar to today?

© Howcan I make the timeless truth timely?

7. Parallels This step is similar to Present, except that it is very personal, addressing specific life situations, fears, hopes, and relationships. This is the time to explore all the areas of life where the truth might apply. Thus, you should ask,

© What does this truth mean for me?

© Where are my areas of need, conviction, and opportunity?

© Where in my life might this truth possibly apply?

8. Priorities After surfacing application areas, select one that you consider to be most important—one that God is nudging you about. This is one of the more difficult steps—it can be easy to start rationalizing or to make excuses. But to truly get God’s Word into your life and grow as a believer, you need to listen when God speaks. In taking this step, you are answering the question, “So what?”;

A CHRISTIAN WORKER’S RESOURCE

that is, what does this passage say about how I should change? This involves asking these tough questions:

© How should I adjust my priorities?

© What should I change about my values, beliefs, attitudes, or character?

© What about my thoughts and motives should change?

• What kind of person does God want me to become?

9. Plan After pinpointing what needs to change, you need to take action. You need to answer the question, “Now what?” and put truth into practice by determining to change and then making plans to live differently. Planning involves selecting a goal, breaking it down into bite-size pieces, and getting moving! These questions will help:

What does God want me to do about what I have learned?

© What steps will get me to that goal?

© What should be my first step? How should I get started? Here are possible answers for Acts 27:27—44 for the last four steps, down the Bible study Pyramid. While the answers in Steps 1 through 5 are pretty straightforward, the answers in Steps 6 through 9 will vary greatly from person to person, so these are merely suggestions:

PRESENT: I'm not a prisoner of a foreign government being taken to trial by ship in

a terrible storm, but I do have rough seas in my life. I have a conflict with my

daughter’s teacher, a problem with one of my company’s clients, and other difficult

situations.

PARALLELS: The main parallel to my life is Paul's attitude in the middle of the crisis—

he remained calm, gave instructions, encouraged everyone, and was a positive

example of a follower of Christ. In both the problem at school and the one at work,

I need to explain my case calmly and confidently. But in doing this, I should be

positive and helpful, not negative, hateful, or divisive.

PRIORITIES: My natural tendency is to get angry and tell someone off when I think he

orshe is wrong, or to shout orders without being sensitive to the feelings of others.

I think that God wants me to be more patient and understanding. Perhaps through

the way I communicate, I can be a positive witness for Christ.

PLAN: With the conflict at school, I need to speak directly to the teacher (not write a

letter) and explain my position carefully, calmly, and with concern for the feelings

of the teacher. I will make an appointment, write out my points beforehand so I

worv't get off on tangents and get upset, and carefully explain my position while

letting the teacher know that I respect him. Remember, a big difference stands between knowing and doing, and another big difference between teaching and doing. So as you begin taking the steps to application in both your personal study and in your teaching, ask yourself:

Am I doing what God wants me to do?

Am I obeying him? Be honest in your self-evaluation. Applying the Bible begins now, with you. James wrote:

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only

fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at

your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But

if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says

and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it (ames 1:22-25).

This article is adapted from Dave Veerman, How to Apply the Bible (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1993). Books are available at www.lifeapplicationbible.com.

Pages: 1 2 3 4