Lighthouse Bible Studies

Application, Application!!

When I started studying the Bible, I loved reading it. My problem was remembering what I had read, particularly a day or two later. So I started writing down statements to remind myself of what Scripture says about what God wants us to do and to know—“application.”

I had a statement for each paragraph, chapter, and book. Since I was particularly interested in what God wants us to do, many of the application statements are in the form of instructions. They served as memory prompts and sometimes as prayer guides. Scripture is so rich, and it addresses so many topics, that many different statements could be written about the same passage. That’s some of the richness that we hear in group Bible studies, when people share how Scripture has applied to their lives. My statements are just one set.

My family and I recently went through Philippians again for our family devotion time, and tweaked the application statements for that book. The following is the result. I’m posting it because we would like to hear what you think about two questions:
1) Are the application statements useful as a reading outline or guide for quiet times, or do they still need a teacher to explain them?
2) Would they serve well as a discussion guide for group Bible studies?

I’ll post the first two chapters of Philippians today and the other two chapters next week. You can leave comments here on the blog or on the Lighthouse Bible Studies Facebook page. You could also use the “Like” button on the Facebook page if you think the application is useful. Thanks!  - Beebe

Philippians:  How to Rejoice While You Work*

Chapter 1  Strive together for the gospel.

v.1-8      Rejoice in fellow workers for the gospel.

v.9-11    Pray for them.

v.12-18  Speak the word boldly without fear.

v.19-21  Magnify Christ by life or by death.

v.22-26  Live to enrich one another’s progress and joy of faith.

v.27-30  Let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Chapter 2  Be skilled in “with,” be equipped with humility, and be active in selflessness.

v.1-4  Set your heart and mind to do “with.”

(“with”: be like-minded, have a loving disposition, fit well together in peace and friendliness, do nothing from selfish ambition or pride, value one another, and look out for one another’s interests)

v.5-11    Be emptied of self and selfish pursuits that hinder God’s work.

v.12-18  Be a vessel for God to work in and through: shine as lights in a dark world.

v.19-23  Live selflessly: sincerely care for one another’s states, and seek the things of Christ.

v.24-30  Esteem fellow workers, and receive them with all gladness.

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*Note: “Work” is a broad term meaning any activity that produces a result,¹ any undertaking, anything by which a person is occupied, and any product of work.²

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1. Larry Pierce, The Online Bible, CD-Rom (Winterbourne, Ontario: Larry Pierce, 2007), Philippians 1:6, 2:30; “work,” Strong’s #2716.
2. Ibid., Philippians 2:12, “work,” Strong’s #2041.

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Copyright © 2014 by Beebe Kauffman