Read the Bible more. Pray more. Share the gospel more.
Christians know what’s likely coming at the end of a sermon or Bible study. If there’s any application discussed, it will be one of the big three: read, pray, share.
It’s easy to make Christians feel guilty in any of these areas. None would boast of having a check mark next to these boxes.
Even so, why do we land in the same places every week, regardless of the Scripture we study? One effect is that we become callous to these exhortations, ignoring actions that are good for us and for God’s kingdom.
The Good Kind of Repetition
When I go to my annual physical, I know my doctor will touch on diet and exercise. This isn’t because he lacks creativity or because he’s a bore. He returns to these topics because they are essential to my body’s health. Other patterns and activities are also important, but if I’m not paying close attention to what I eat and how much I’m moving, most other things won’t matter.
Similarly, Bible reading, prayer, and evangelism are central parts of our Christian lives. We cannot obey the first great commandment (love God) without hearing from him and speaking to him. And we cannot obey the second great commandment (love your neighbor) without considering ways we might point our friends to Jesus.
These application topics are repeated because they are of vital importance. We need the repetition both because we forget them and because we resist them. Let us not despise the good repetition that our souls need.
Go Beyond the Basics
It is good to be reminded to read the Bible, pray, and talk to our friends about Jesus, but that doesn’t mean these are the only applications we should draw from Scriptural truths. In some situations, these serve for a preacher or teacher as a too-easy fallback or blanket prescription.
This is precisely where I find the grid on our application worksheet so helpful. Thinking systematically can help spark ideas and push us in new directions.
Application has two directions—inward and outward. Inward application has to do with personal obedience, piety, and growth. Outward application refers to the influence we have on others—both other individuals and institutions of which we are a part.
It may also be helpful to think about Bible application in three spheres—head, heart, and hands. Head application is concerned with what we think or believe. Heart application refers to our affections—what we value, long for, or love. Finally, hands application is about our actions—what we will start or stop doing.
Overwhelmed by Application
When we put together the two directions and three spheres, we have six potential application categories. (See an example here.) For some readers, this may give you whiplash—from only three familiar application topics to an overwhelming number of possibilities.
Six may well be too many applications for any given sermon or study. A smaller number works better in most cases.
We should be drawing our application from the main point (or, occasionally, main points) of a passage. And most main points lead naturally to some of these six application categories more than others.
Finally, we must remember Jesus in our application. Feeling overwhelmed often means that we are not resting in God’s grace. The gospel reminds us that we obey and apply the Bible because we are God’s beloved children, not in order to be beloved. Jesus has bought us with a price, secured our salvation, and made our Bible application possible.
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