Application Assignment

Tomorrow is the last day of my first seminary class.  (They're going to have to do it without me though, because I'll be at the tech rehearsal of Imagine Christmas at First Baptist Euless.)  In my class, BE101: Bible Study Methods and Hermeneutics, we've walked through the four steps of inductive Bible study: Observation, Interpretation, Correlation, and Application.  We've practiced these processes on several passages, but we mainly focused on Philemon, and specifically verses 4-7.  Last week we were tasked with correlating, or drawing out timeless principles from, these four verses.  This week we were asked to carry that to the last step by constructing 3 careful, concise, correct, contemporary applications.  In addition, we were challenged to select one of our applications and actually apply it this week, reporting on the effects thereof.  As I was finishing my assignment this evening, it dawned on me that some of you may enjoy reading about my experiences over the last week in this assignment.  If the names Steve & LuAnne Wade, Mark Knight, Mark Bailey, Rebekah Wade, Doug Sager, or John Meador mean anything to you, please read on...


Philemon 4-7
I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Principles (from Correlation assignment):
  1. Consistent prayer and thanksgiving to a worthy God should be a Christian's habit.
  2. Fellowship is made effective by the knowledge of blessing.
  3. A believer's love and faith should be evident enough to encourage other believers.

Applications:

  1. I will thank God every day for someone who has inspired me in the faith.
  2. I will seek opportunities to share blessings in my life rather than lament inconveniences.
  3. I will encourage my coworkers by my love for them and faith in God's sovereignty.



I chose to live out my first application: "I will thank God every day for someone who has inspired me in the faith."  This was a very simple yet surprisingly profound and poignant experience for me.  I began by thanking God for my parents, who decided long ago to raise my sisters and me in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  As I reflected upon this precious gift they gave, I realized that their obedience to God in this way laid the groundwork for my own parenthood today, inspiring me to make the hard decisions and train my children to follow Christ as well.  My parents have not only blessed my generation, but my children's generation as well!  I also thanked God for a mentor I had as a teenager named Mark Knight.  Mark was my Student Pastor for a couple years, and he showed me a kind of personal love and devotion I'd never experienced in a leader, before or since.  He was the one who showed me how to wait on God's timing for a mate and trust that His will is perfect.  He was the one that years ago urged me to attend a seminary on its main campus (rather than an extension or online) so that I didn't miss the blessing of sitting under great men of God as they teach out of a lifetime of dedication and study.  This led me to express my gratitude for Dr. Mark Bailey, who this semester has rocked my world with the depth and breadth of his knowledge of the Word.  He has influenced my walk and my academic life by demonstrating that God's Word can totally infect every aspect of one's life.  I thanked God for my incredible wife Rebekah, whose steadfast love and unending patience has been a huge source of strength and stability in my life, especially in the last six months as we've been on our own, away from all our family and everything we've ever known.  For Doug Sager, my former pastor, who modeled Godly leadership and challenged me to follow God even when it doesn't make sense; for John Meador, my current pastor, who consistently and with great detail and creativity can exegete a passage of Scripture and make it accessible to anyone.

I began this application thinking I was was just doing an assignment.  Then, troubled and convicted by that sentiment, I realized that I should be doing it out of obedience and seeking to experience God through it.  As I actually practiced it, however, I discovered God's greater purpose, personal and powerful as always: He wanted to remind me of leaders in my life who made a significant impact on my life.  He knows my heart and how I desire to affect people through the responsibility I've been given, and He of course knows my current struggle concerning a large new dose of responsibility and leadership coming my way very soon.  Thinking about these role models God placed in my path has reminded me that effective leadership is effected by Him being allowed to lead through a willing heart.  My takeaway from this assignment, beyond the overwhelming gratitude brought on by reflecting upon influential figures in my life, has been a timely and refreshing affirmation that my Father knows my situation and has His hand on me, even when I feel ill-equipped and unqualified for what He's asking me to do.