Expository Preaching - Guest Post by My Husband

Why do I believe so strongly in expository preaching? Because I believe it is the only right and proper way to truly preach the Bible. The scripture passage determines the subject and main point of the sermon. The passage verse by verse and thought by thought are the content of the sermon. This is true exposition.

99% or more of the churches in the USA do not preach this way. In the last 11 years since my last pastorate I have not been in a single church of any denomination that preaches this way every single week.

If we are going to preach the Bible we must preach it the way God gave it to us. It is His Word. It is His Message. If we go into and preach our ideas and thoughts then it is our message not God's. My ideas, my thoughts and my opinions are totally worthless in view of the inspired Word of God. My words do not save any souls. My words do not change any lives. My words to not have any eternal value. It is God's Word (The Bible) that saves souls, changes lives and have eternal value. Not mine.

As you can tell I am passionate about it and long to see pastors and churches truly get back to the Bible and trust the Holy Spirit to use it change people. I have seen it first hand and I long to see it again.

If it isn't in the passage is shouldn't be in the sermon. That has been my rule for the past 50 years since I preached my first sermon as a teenager. I believe every sermon should be a passage of Scripture not one verse and especially not one word. When you take a word or verse out of context you can very quickly lose its correct meaning. When you stay in the context of the surrounding verses, chapter and book then you are much more likely to have the correct interpretation, meaning and preaching.

It takes work and effort to preach expository sermons. It is much easier just to make up what you want to say instead of searching out the correct meaning of the verses. In my pastoring days I often struggled with passages to make sure I had it right. A couple of times I even rewrote my sermon notes on Saturday evening to make sure I preached it correctly on Sunday morning.

For the past 11 years of being out of full time ministry it has been extremely difficult and frustrating to listen to sermons Sunday after Sunday where the context and main point of the passage is discarded to that some man can pontificate their own thoughts and ideas that they are always sure that they are correct about. I have seen the Bible diluted and and actually massacred in pulpits across the country.

God help us to come back to the Bible. Only His Word gives life!

How do you know if a sermon you are listening to is expository? It is really not that hard.

1. Do they have a passage of scripture and do they stick to it? I like to have a passage that is 4-6 verses in length. That is not a hard and fast rule. It will be dictated by the passage itself. The authors think and write like we do. They have groups of thought. One group of thought should usually be one sermon. Much of the Bible was written in paragraphs. Those paragraphs usually contain one main thought. A sermon should never be just one word or just one verse. It needs to be taken in its complete context.

2. Does the preacher stick to that text for the whole sermon? Not to say that they can't refer to related or supporting verse elsewhere in the Bible. But that should be at a minimum. If they jump to another passage and stay there for more than a few minutes then it is no longer an expository sermon. I have seen preachers go to 20-30 other verses in one sermon. That gets confusing to the listener. You then lose the thrust of the passage being preached. They need to preach the passage based on the interpretation from the original languages. What does it mean in the original Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic? There are many great tools you can use to accomplish that even if you aren't a great Greek or Hebrew scholar.

3. Do they often or even continually quote commentaries? Commentaries are just that, someone else's comments or opinions. I can count on one hand the number of times I have quoted a commentary in a sermon. I rarely use them even in preparation. I have heard sermons almost completely made up of quotes from commentators. I don't want to hear other people's opinions. I can get that anytime I want on TV. I want God's Word and what does He say through His Word. Man will often be wrong. God will never be wrong.

4. Is the passage interpreted though the culture of that day? I will give 2 examples. First is marriage. You will understand the Bible's teaching on marriage more completely and simply if you understand how a Jewish marriage worked from betrothal until death. It is much different from what we are used to in the western world. Second is adoption. You have to understand adoption in the Jewish culture of the first century. Their adoption was nothing like our adoption. No children were ever adopted into a family. There was the "spirit of adoption" when every child reached adulthood. I was "born" into God's family (John 1:12 and John 3). I was NEVER adopted into God's family. No more than my natural born children were adopted into my family. They didn't need to be. Understand the culture of the day and you will better understand the Bible.

In Bonds of Calvary,

David

Sermons:

The book of Romans series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOTcKEmDMorAr2Em0exDjGp7rhIYj04Iu

The Church series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOTcKEmDMorA0A966m-oPvFpGstS5QTI_

Jonah series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOTcKEmDMorAGvW_cpqq-iEL27iqqMeUp

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@versebyversebibleexpositio5817/playlists

Click this for more series and playlists.

The Priscilla Principle

The Priscilla Principle is now available in book form! Currently, you can get the Kindle version here.  The paperback version will be available in the next couple days. 

The Kindle version is easy and convenient to read and can be downloaded today!

The paperback version comes with around 50 blank, lined pages for notes and has a slightly different format than the Kindle version.

The versions are identical in content and you will refer back to your copy again and again as you search the Scriptures.

~Tricia

A Dangerous Trend

I keep seeing a trend in churches and I find it disturbing and counterproductive to a Christian walk.

This trend is pastors instructing their flocks to study their sermon all week. They're not telling the people to study the passage that was preached......they're telling the people to study the sermon. Some have gone so far as to create study guides for their sermons and even use them the following week in a Sunday School lesson. Some are encouraging families to use their sermon in their family "devotions."

This is dangerous to anyone's Christian walk. Pastors who do this are openly encouraging their people to replace God's Word with their own. Please do not cooperate with such instruction. Please study only God's Word, not the words of your pastor. 

Does this mean I do not support the preaching of God's Word? NO! Of course not. The Bible has many references to the importance of preaching God's Word.

Romans 10:17 - Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

2 Timothy 4:1 - Preach the word, be instant in season and out of season

I Corinthians 1:18 - For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to them who perish but unto those which are saved it is the power of God.

Those verses are just a few references to preaching and I wholeheartedly endorse anyone who preaches the Word of God.

But, I'm not going to study your sermon. I'm going to study God's Word. Replacing the Word of God with a sermon is idolatry. Those who are telling you to do that have exalted their own words above God's Word. This is idolatry. Have no part of it. Reject this idea. 

This is the opposite of what the Bible tells us to do. The Bible instructs us to study the Word. We are never once told to study someone else's words. 

You have the power to stop this trend in its tracks. If you receive instruction to study the sermon instead of God's Word, don't do it. It's God's Word that is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. 

Study God's Word. It will change your life no matter where you are in your walk with Christ.

~Tricia

A One-Time Resolution to Last a Lifetime

Another new year.....and this time a new decade! I've seen many people summarize the past decade with a year-by-year recount of a major event for each year and it's a good idea to do that as a reminder of what God has done in our lives.

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? I normally don't because I find them confining and they interrupt creativity. However, there's one "resolution" I made many years ago that has stood the test of time and remains true for me today. This was not a New Year's Resolution, it was simply a resolution I made to myself in response to spiritual abuse and I resolved to never let that happen again.

My decades-long resolution: To never take anyone's word for what God's Word says; always look it up for myself.

God's Word is very commonly misused, misinterpreted, used as a weapon, and abused in many other ways. I have not found even one "Bible study book" that does not misuse, misrepresent and/or teach things that are outright against what God's Word actually teaches. I honestly can't for the life of me figure out why people buy and use so-called "Bible study books" since they are anything but.

Most abuses of God's Word are very subtle and hard to spot. Bill Hybels, in his book Simplify, misuses God's Word right in the introduction. He said, and I paraphrase, that if we fail to simplify our lives by cutting back on our hectic schedules, we run the risk of forfeiting the abundant life Jesus promised us in John 10:10. We cannot forfeit the abundant life promised in Christ since he's talking about quantity of life in this verse.....as in, eternal, everlasting, unending life. Bill Hybels is wrong, but without such threats to our very relationship with Jesus, Bill wouldn't sell many books. He has to keep his target audience under threat.

In nearly all her books, Beth Moore refers people to her other books telling them they "need" to read another one of her books to answer a particular question and she claims her books will change your life. She does not refer people to God's Word, she refers them to her own books. She claims that if she did not write her books, the rocks would cry out. She equates her books with God's Word in this way. Her books have been recommended to me by well-meaning friends, but I've yet to get past her introductions before I find her abusing God's Word. No, thank you.

I was once told by a pastor that he did not want me to teach the Bible in his church, but I was to teach a curriculum he chose, verbatim. When I told him I would not teach it verbatim if it had doctrinal errors, and that I would use God's Word as the final authority for all my teaching, he would not let me teach in what he called "his" church. Goodbye, dude, we have nothing more in common. If God's Word is not your final authority, you have bigger issues than a shallow curriculum filled with bad interpretations of Scripture.

My list of examples and encounters like this is nearly endless, but the bottom line for me is, I will not take anyone's word for what the Bible says. I will look it up. If I'm listening to you preach, I will have my Bible open and make sure you're staying in context and not using the pulpit to bully people or push an agenda. While I would never make a scene, I have quietly walked out of many services and never gone back when the preacher has violated the very Scriptures they claim to be preaching.

Looking things up for yourself creates discernment, confidence, and wisdom. This practice prevents spiritual abuse. It helps your spiritual growth. This is a good practice. Because of this resolve, I do not use Bible study books to study God's Word, I use the Bible. And my related tools are not commentaries, but a good lexicon. I use Logos software, which has lexicons and concordances built in.

A commentary is not a Bible study tool; it is simply someone else's study. Do your own study. Take no one's word for what the Bible says.

Happy New Year!
Happy 2020!
~Tricia

Here's a Question for your Pastor

Because 1 Timothy 2:8-12 is often used to make the argument that all women are barred from all preaching and teaching of men for all time, I made a few interesting and powerful observations of how the Apostle Paul speaks to and about women in I Timothy 2:8-12. Keep in mind that my observations are in no way comprehensive and I'm not listing all the observations I've made in this passage. I'm mainly making observations about Paul's mention of women in these verses.

⁸ I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; ⁹in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, ¹⁰ but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. ¹¹ Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. ¹² And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.  

My observations:

1. From the first chapter, I already know the Apostle Paul is talking to Timothy and this is the first letter he wrote to him.

2. Verse 9 uses the plural of the word gyné for women. 

3. Verse 10 uses the plural of the word gyné for women.

4. Verse 11 uses the singular of the word gyné for woman.

5. Verse 12 uses the singular of the word gyné for woman.

These observations raised questions in my mind. Why did Paul switch from talking about women, plural, to woman, singular? Is Paul talking about one particular woman and not all women?

We cannot know the exact thought of the Apostle Paul here, but we do know God is very precise in His Word and that every letter and symbol is intentional.

We cannot change the meaning from singular to plural when God has written, through Paul, a singular word. We cannot use this as a proof text that all women are to be silent in all churches for all time. Certainly, if this was an admonition for all women to be quiet in all churches for all time, Paul, himself, violated this again and again as he approved and used women in ministry as deacons, church leaders, patrons, etc.

This requires more study on the part of anyone who teaches or preaches God's Word.
Don't take my word for it, look it up for yourself. If your pastor does not make this distinction when preaching this passage, ask him why.

~Tricia

The Top 5 Reasons Bible Study Books are Bad for You

Anyone who knows me knows that I do not like or use Bible study books.
I see danger in them and I want to tell you why.

1. Using a Bible study book does not promote good Bible understanding. Using a Bible study book gives you a good understanding of what the author of that book thinks, but it does not give you a good understanding of what the Bible says. Every single Bible study book contains errors. Every single one. Avoid these errors by using the Bible, not a study book that has errors.

2. Bible study books taint the Bible. When my son was deployed to Iraq, I cherished his letters.  I would never have allowed someone else to read them then tell me their thoughts and ideas about what he had written. No way! I had to read them (devour them) for myself. It's the same with God's Word; I have to read the Word for myself and can never be satisfied with someone else's summary or thoughts about the Word. To study by reading someone else's take on the Bible taints the Scriptures with that person's ideas and thoughts. Everyone has filters....whether they admit it or not...and those filters taint the Word. I'd rather not have their take on it; I'd rather have the Scriptures alone.

3. Bible study books lead to idol worship. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people in "Bible" studies never open a Bible. They use some study book they found and never open the Scriptures. They've said the Scriptures are printed within the book, but I have only seen a few verses referenced in such books, followed by pages of commentary. The authors of these books have taken the Bible completely out of its context, put their own spin on it, then called it "Bible" study. It is not a Bible study; it's a book study. When you're studying what someone else has said about the Bible, you're not studying the Bible. These books are taking the place of the Bible in people's lives. They, and their authors, have become idols because they take the focus completely off God and put it on themselves. They do this by making application the primary focus. The primary focus of the Bible is not its application to your life; the primary focus of the Bible is Jesus. If we are thinking about ourselves and our response to His Word, we are no longer looking to Jesus, we are looking to ourselves. We then become the idols and you can see this play out all over social media.

4. Bible study books stunt spiritual growth. Because the main focus of these books is mostly application, the work of the Holy Spirit is replaced with the principles taught in these books that people think are "Biblical." The most you will get from a "Bible" study book is a list of things the author thinks you should or should not do in light of their interpretation. This is not spiritual growth; this actually stunts spiritual growth because these so-called "Biblical principles" only last until the next book is published, then a whole new set of "Biblical principles" takes shape. News flash: Biblical principles are a myth. They do not exist. If we could truly glean some "Biblical principle" from Scripture, then we could make the argument that becoming a prostitute and committing treason is a good principle. Look how that worked out for Rahab.....she's even in the line of Christ!

5. Bible study books are filled with misinterpretation and false teachings. I have not found even one Bible study book that teaches Truth without error. They all have errors because they are all made by people and people make mistakes every single day. Many authors, in their book introductions, even exalt themselves, telling people their book will change their lives and they need it (Beth Moore's books nearly all say this). Their books will not change your life. They might make you feel good or better in a given moment, but that fades with reality. The misinterpretations are hard to spot because they run very close to Scripture, but with small, dangerous changes. Be wary of any study that quotes a small portion of Scripture then builds an entire lesson around it. There's a 99% chance those verses are taken and used completely out of context, but you might never know if you're using that book instead of the Bible as your main text.

I'm not condemning all teachings from all people; I'm condemning "Bible" study books that are anything but. We can all learn something from each other. I'm not against learning from others. I am against replacing true, real Bible study with a book written by a human author that takes the place of my Bible. I've been in "Bible studies" where the participants often don't open or even bring their Bibles!

True, real Bible study is not difficult; I'm perplexed as to why anyone would choose a Bible study book, especially in a classroom (think Sunday School) setting, instead of the actual Bible.

God has promised His Word will not return void. No human author can make that claim. Their words are all void. Why do so many people settle for so much less when the Bible is so rich in doctrine, comfort, learning, teaching, truth and a host of other benefits?

Settle for More....more true understanding of the Bible.....more interaction with the Holy Spirit.....more knowledge of the Bible.....more of the Word.

Using Bible study books causes people to settle for less.

~Tricia

Does Ephesians Really Teach THAT?

I recently listened to a woman describe her latest Bible study book and share some things she was learning from it. She was referring to a Bible study book, not the actual Bible. As with the vast majority of Christians, she was learning from a human author, not the Author of the Bible.

I digress.

This woman was very excited about her new Bible study book labeled "Ephesians." She said it was a verse-by-verse study of the Book of Ephesians and was enamored by what the author brought out. That day's "study" covered the first two verses of Ephesians chapter 1:

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The author of the book then proceeded to teach her readers what she thought the passage was saying:

"God has a will for your life. God has a plan for your life. How exciting to know that God has a plan and a will for your life! Be assured that if God has a will for your life, He will fulfill it in you!

In the notes section of this study, write down five things you will do this week to fulfill God's will in your life."

Ladies and gentlemen, this is wrong. 

These two verses are not teaching that God has a will for your life. What these verses are teaching:

Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus. 

Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ. 

He said his apostleship was by the will of God. 

He addresses the saints at Ephesus.

He addresses the faithful in Christ Jesus. 

He extends grace to them, and peace, from God. 

He identifies God as "our father," using a possessive plural pronoun. 

He includes Jesus Christ in the grace and peace. 

He identifies Jesus Christ as Lord. 

There is no application in these verses, yet they are just as powerful as all other verses in the Bible. 

Here's how to study the Bible:

Read what it says.

Do not read anything into it.

Do not filter it through past teachings you've heard.

Read it again.

Ask God to help you understand.

Read it again.

Read it again.

Determine the context of the words by reading what came before and after the verses you're reading.
Ask yourself who's writing, who they are writing to, where they are, where their intended audience is, whether they are writing to an individual or a group, if there is more than one person writing, who the writer is in relationship to the recipient(s), etc.

Read it aloud. 

Look up confusing words in a Bible dictionary (not a regular dictionary) or lexicon to clarify their meaning.

Read it aloud again. 

Memorize it.

Read it again.

Think of it as you go through your day.

Read it again.

Take no one's word for what the Bible says.

Take no one's word for what the Bible teaches.

Read only the Bible, not a commentary or Bible study book.

Read it again.

It will nourish your soul.

You will grow.
The Holy Spirit, not a human author, is your guide.

The answer to the blog title is, No. Ephesians, in these two verses, is not teaching what the book author taught, that God has a will and plan for your life. Do not be fooled by this teaching; it is Secular Humanism. 

God has so much more for you in His Word. Do not settle for shallow teaching that only fills the human ego and does nothing for the soul. Stop shortchanging your Christian walk with books and faux "Bible" studies that water down and filter God's Word.

I'll never forget when my son was deployed to Iraq for the first time. It was 2004, the war was hot and heavy and my son was so very young - just 19. Nineteen. I wrote him a letter every single day and he would often receive them in batches so I made sure I numbered them so he'd know what order they came in. He wrote a few letters to me during this time, too, and I remember being glued to those letters, taking in every word, studying his handwriting, looking for a hidden message that would tell me he's ok. I was breathless when reading his letters. I still have every single one. I realized I would never be satisfied if someone else read his letters for me then summarized them. I would never have taken anyone else's word for anything he said. I had to see for myself! I had to read each and every letter over and over and over till I had them practically memorized.

This is a good reminder on how to approach God's Word. Take no one else's summary or thoughts, but go directly to God yourself and see what He has to say to you.

~Tricia

Do You Recognize the Bible?

Do you recognize the Bible? Can you recognize false teaching? Many pastors, teachers and authors, even in mainstream evangelical churches, aren't preaching the truth.

What are they preaching? The answer is simple: Human ideas. Human philosophy. Human reasoning.

How do I know this is not the Truth?

One young woman asked me that very question a few years ago. She and a co-worker had stopped by our house and after a time of visiting, they sought truth about the Word of God. She asked me point blank how I knew when a sermon was not based on Truth.

My answer: Say you're hearing someone preach John 3:16 and they talk about God's love and how much he loved humanity......then they veer off and talk about I Corinthians 13 and use that to define how WE should love, but they never establish a context for either passage of Scripture but simply tie them together all in the name of love. Oh, we ought to love! Are you loving? Are you loving the way 1 Corinthians 13 says to love?

Sounds so good, right?

Not so fast.

It's as though they decided to preach on love and looked up verses with the word love in them, then built a "sermon" which really isn't a sermon at all. If preaching isn't expository, it's not preaching at all, it's a talk or lecture. Expository means we take God's Word in context, without human speculation. The Bible is not a dictionary or an encyclopedia, it is a narrative.

Now let's say you're hearing a true expositor preach John 3:16.....the first thing they do after reading the entire passage (and inviting you to follow along in your own Bible), is to establish context. They ask pertinent questions....why say things this way? Why say "begotten Son?" Who is Jesus talking to? (He's talking to Nicodemus.) Why is he talking to him? (Nicodemus came to him at night and approached him.) Jesus knew his heart's condition......he told him no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. Nicodemus was confused.....and Jesus wondered at him not knowing this, seeing he was a teacher of the Jews. Jesus goes on to explain some theology and hits a highlight as he helps Nicodemus understand by giving the example of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 21) - and explains that, in the same way, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.....that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.....then he says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes on him will not perish but have everlasting life..."  and verse 17 cannot be left out...."For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."

So, this very short, not-at-all complete summary shows the huge difference between man's ideas and God's intent. John 3 is all about God's great, unspeakable gift of eternal life.....it is not about what we should or should not do when we are loving others.

Now, this is not to say that we are not to love others.......it's simply that this is not what John 3 is teaching. This is not what John 3:16 is about.

And that is one example of how to tell if your pastor is preaching the Truth or preaching human ideas.

Stick to the Word.
It is enough without some human's ideas.
Take everything you are taught, no matter who is teaching it, and filter it through the Scriptures. If it does not measure up, it's not preaching and it's not accurate teaching. Get away from that sort of teaching/preaching.

If you want human ideas, tune into the news or read a book.

Do you recognize the Bible? Can you listen to a sermon and tell whether the preacher is sticking to the Word or going off on human ideas?

I really, really miss my husband's preaching. He is a true expositor...and true expositors, we have learned, are very rare, indeed.

Read your Bible.
Make observations of what you read.
Interpret what it says according to the passage context.
Pray.
Find out more about Bible study here at thepriscillaprinciple.com.

~Tricia

Commentaries and Sermon Prep Do Not Mix

Contrary to what some think, I do not hate commentaries. I do, however, think they are highly overused, especially when pastors depend more on them than they do the Bible for their pulpit ministries.

I can always tell when a commentary, rather than the Word of God, has been used in sermon prep. I think it's a shame, too. This practice not only hurts the pastor doing the prep, but it hurts the listeners as well.

I Peter 2:2 tell us, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby."

God wisely gives us the perspective of His Word as milk...and not just milk, but sincere milk. As the mom of 8 kids, I can tell you first hand, it's not good for newborn babies to have anything but the sincere milk they need to start off life. With my first baby, my doctor advised me to give him nothing but my milk for at least the first 6 months. No water, No juice. No food. Just the sincere milk of his mama, so that he would grow. While the same applies to non-nursing newborns, they ought to be given the sincere milk of the formula their doctor prescribes. You can't just give a newborn cow's milk, soy milk or almond milk. They need "sincere" milk. They need highly nutritious, high protein, pure milk, either from their mama or specially formulated......so they can grow properly.

Commentaries are not for newborns. Baby Christians need the sincere milk of the Word of God. They need the real thing, not a watered down version that has lost its potency. They need the pure Word of God, not the opinions of men. Commentaries are the opinions of men. When a pastor heavily uses commentaries for sermon prep, they are giving their people a watered-down version of the Word, not the pure Word. The result is, the people don't grow as they ought. Their behavior might change for a while, but their hearts are not growing, they are only temporarily changing their behavior to please people and try to fit in with everyone else. This is not discipleship, this is cloning. God does not want clones; He did not tell us to make clones. He told us to make disciples.

Pastors, take a look at your sheep. Are they stepping up to serve? If you're begging for helpers and volunteers to teach and no one is stepping up, it could be that they are spiritually malnourished from shallow preaching that has been heavily watered down by commentaries. Babies who are properly fed want to learn all the time, then they want to share that knowledge. It's impossible to stop a properly fed newborn from growing, learning and wanting to share that learning with their world. When babies don't do this, pediatricians call it "failure to thrive" and immediate steps are taken to improve their diet. Are your sheep failing to thrive in their Christian walk?

Commentaries are not for pulpit ministry. Once a person has established their ability to learn from God's Word by personal observation and interpretation, they can begin to refer to a commentary here and there as a reference to see what others have concluded about a passage of Scripture. It's assumed that one who is a pastor has already learned how to make their own personal observations and learned to interpret God's Word properly. If they want to read a commentary to see how their interpretations line up with others who are assumed to be like-minded, then reading a commentary is highly appropriate to their study. However, when a commentary is the first thing a pastor grabs for sermon prep and does not do any of their own observations and interpretation, there is a big weakness in their ability to dig out the Truths in God's Word. This, in turn, leads to a weak pulpit ministry....and weak sheep with a failure to thrive.

Commentaries are not always right. God's Word is always right, but since commentaries are written by humans, we have to assume they have contain mistakes. There is not one commentary that is 100% right 100% of the time. Since it would take a tremendous amount of time to flush out every mistake, why use a faulty guide in the first place? There are no mistakes in God's Word. None. And if one does not feel confident in their ability to observe and interpret, they can be reminded that the perfect Holy Spirit is their Guide.  I do not understand people's insistence on using an imperfect resource as a main resource when the Perfect One is so readily available.

I fear many lay aside God's Word and pick up commentaries first. They ought to lay aside the commentary and pick up God's Word for a change. They might be surprised when their church begins to grow and thrive beyond their expectations. After all, this is how we all grow.

~Tricia

Some Rubbish for You

Someone recently posted this quote on social media:

..." An important assumption as we begin to pray is that God is absolutely Sovereign. If we are not convinced of this, our praying can amount to nothing more than the desperate cries of the heathen addressing their impotent idols."

I commented "Ridiculous nonsense!" 

Who is this Alan Cairns talking to? Is he talking to Christians? Is he talking to the world? The quote does not tell us, but I will assume from the context of his comment that he's talking to people who claim to be Christians since he says, "we" and I presume he claims to be a Christian.

This quote is filled with Secular Humanism and I'll tell you why.

1. This quote makes people focus on themselves and their own attitude, not on Jesus. Some poor, unsure Christian would see this quote and think...."Oh, my, am I acknowledging that God is absolutely sovereign? Oh, I don't know. I mean, I'm sure He is but I don't always see it....I'm not sure if I believe that at this exact moment....oh, man, now God won't hear me and I'm just sounding desperate. I guess I just won't pray today!" 
OR 
Built up with pride, one might think, "I'm going to pray today because I am wise enough to acknowledge God's sovereignty so He'll surely listen to ME and answer all my prayers. My prayers go higher than the next guy's because of my decision to acknowledge God's sovereignty. I am so righteous, He just has to hear me! I'll pray, then post it on Facebook so everyone else will know how wise and godly I am. I think everyone will want to be like me....oh! And I could write a book and I'll bet it would sell a million copies. Of course, I'd donate some to missions, but I can just see my book on prayer being a best seller! I've got this!"

2. This quote misrepresents God as Someone Who is waiting for us to get it right rather than the compassionate, loving God He is as He constantly makes intercession for us. He knows and remembers that we are dust. He knows we aren't going to get it right the majority of the time. But, He doesn't care....He says, "Come......"

3. The quote is totally focused on human behavior/responses/attitudes/abilities as though we humans have any power or influence whatsoever on God almighty. We do not.  

4. This, my friends, is Secular Humanism and it has a stronghold on the church. This quote by Alan Cairns has no Biblical basis. He's speaking as a heathen, himself; as one who does not know God at all.

Many Christians  do not recognize Secular Humanism and they end up promoting it unknowingly. You, however, can learn to recognize it so you aren't taken in by it's falsehoods. 

Anything that makes you focus on yourself and your own attitude and not Jesus Christ is Secular Humanism. Learn of Him. Learn from Him. It's all Him. Get out of your own way and stop focusing on what you think you are and what you think you should think/feel/say/do and focus on Him, only. 

Then you won't have to listen to false quotes like the one above and doubt your faith or be built up with pride. 

You will know Him and you will know He is enough.

Don't be fooled by some "eloquent" sounding quote. Hold everything up to God's Word and make sure it's in line with the Scriptures. If not, throw it away; you do not need it. The quote I referenced above is rubbish.


~Tricia

Fallout from a Good Sermon

For the past three weeks, in our quest for a church home, we've visited a church that we think just might become our church home. Finding a church preaching the Word and not worldly philosophy has been a huge challenge, but we might finally be at the end of our search.

Last Sunday, the senior pastor of this church preached a sermon on the whole armor of God. Since then, I have been driven to think about, ponder, look up and study the passages he preached from because his preaching was so spot-on that it fueled further study. 

This is fallout from a good sermon. 

This is what pastors want their people to do.

Many times, I'm looking up the sermon passage because I'm uncomfortable with the content of the sermon and I'm searching to see if what was preached was true to the passage. Mostly it hasn't been for the past three years. Mostly it's been a quest to feed myself the truth of a passage because whoever "preached" it did not. 

That has not been the case for the past three weeks. The first week we visited, they had a guest speaker, a missionary, and he was true to the text. The next week, the senior pastor preached and he was spot-on, just as he was this past week.

His text last Sunday was Ephesians 6:13-17 and he preached on the whole armor of God, focusing on the helmet of salvation and he referred back to Isaiah 59:16&17 where God sees no intercessor so He brought salvation unto him and he put on righteousness as a breastplate and the helmet of salvation and verse 20 where it says, "And the Redeemer will come to Zion...." and this has all served all week to nourish my soul.

He said the helmet of salvation guards my mind so I'll remember the permanence of salvation; that I have a future with Christ. We are saved from the penalty of sin. We are saved from the power of sin. 

Do you see what a good sermon can do for the heart of the people? It's Friday and I'm still contemplating this sermon and excited to hear more this Sunday. I take notes. I devour this. 

I do not have this reaction when a pastor preaches philosophy or some list of how to do this or that. I don't care how he feels about how anyone does this or that, I care about God's Word, which He manifests through preaching.

It's the preaching, people, not the program. It's not the style of preaching, either, because there is only one way to preach and that is expository. Anything else is not preaching.

This daughter of Abraham has been empowered, encouraged, strengthened and motivated.

If all programs were thrown out the window and only the preaching remained, God's Word, the ministry and the advancement of His kingdom would still thrive.

It's the preaching.

Get this.

~Tricia

First, Become a Prostitute

Many people often see patterns in Scripture that they interpret as "Biblical principles." They claim that these principles will help people live a God-pleasing life and have success in their Christian walk. It sounds so good. It sounds so promising. It sounds so incredibly right that these people write books about these principles, giving their readers step-by-step instructions to follow to get to their great Christian life. And from those book sales, they live a luxurious, "favored-by-God" life. Or so they say.

I wanted to take a look at a passage of Scripture that shows a pattern for sure success with God. His favor was found all over this passage and in the life of one woman and her family in particular. Her principles were so successful that she's even an earthly ancestor of Christ, Himself. Who would not want that level of success? Who would not want to be so remembered? Everyone I know would strive toward that level of success in their walk with God.

Let's get started. Let's look closely at her life and see why God's favor was with her so heavily. Let's discover the principles that led to her success.

Our Scripture passage is found in Joshua chapter 2, then chapter 6 verses 17, 23 & 25. The following observations are brief and I encourage you to read the passages for yourself to find more details. I'm highlighting three Biblical principles taken from this passage for your ease in following and clarity in understanding.

Her name: Rahab
Her occupation: Prostitution

Your first step in seeing success and favor with God is to become a prostitute. This clearly put Rahab in a great position to receive spies. Had she not been a prostitute, she would not have been a likely target for some foreign spies to feel comfortable around. Certainly her occupation served her well and helped her secure a solid position with those men. This principle is under-used in our society.

Her visitors: Spies
Her solution: Lie and deceive

Your second step in seeing success and favor with God is to lie. The Biblical principle we can take away from her lies is that they worked. Clearly, since they are recorded in Scripture and not condemned, they are a viable option for everyone even today. When we fail to recognize and use all the principles given to us, we fail to see God's favor on our lives. Her prostitution is never condemned, either, by the way.

Her dilemma: An invasion
Her tactic: Bargain for her and her family's sake.

Your third step in seeing success and favor with God is to strike a bargain with someone in charge, working solely for your own survival and the survival of your family. Forget everyone else; this is just for you. Her bargaining, I might add, was based on the fact that she had lied for these men, giving her clear bargaining chips to use to her advantage.

Rahab was mentioned again in the New Testament, in Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25. Clearly the principles she lived by worked. What a legacy! Why is no one on her bandwagon?

This practice of seeing patterns of Biblical principles practiced throughout Scripture is secular humanism at its best.

This entire blog post is satire. (Please realize that I do not condone prostitution, lying or any other form of sin and ungodliness.  I wrote this to show the ludicrousness of assigning certain passages of Scripture as patterns for "Biblical principles" while ignoring others.)

Patterns of human behavior throughout Scripture are all badly flawed. Sin is shown forth from one end of the human spectrum to the other. Do you want a Biblical principle to follow?

Look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith....Hebrews 12:2. Read on through verse 3. It will take your breath away.

Stop worshiping human behavior and throw yourself on His mercy.
For His mercy endures forever.

~Tricia

A Culture of Rape in the Church

It's interesting to me that a secular movie network would choose to produce movies about Biblical characters. Lifetime recently aired a movie entitled The Red Tent, depicting the story of Dinah from Genesis 34. The movie did not get the story right by a long shot, but it did raise awareness. I'll trust you to read the entire chapter in your Bible; do not depend on script writers for theology or Biblical content. Here, for the sake of time and space, I'll summarize.

Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah. The Bible tells us that she "went out to see the women of the land" they lived in. While she was out, Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite,  the prince of the land, saw her, seized her and raped her. He then said he loved her and asked for her hand in marriage.

Her father waited till her brothers came in from the fields, then told them what had happened. They were angry, and rightly so; their sister had been raped. Shechem continued pursuing Dinah's father for her hand, then pursued her brothers. Shechem's father, Hamor, pled with them on his behalf.

Finally, Dinah's brothers came up with a plan. They deceitfully agreed to give their sister to him in marriage and promised to "become one people" with the people of that city (verse 16). The one condition was that the men of the city get circumcised, saying it would be "disgraceful" to give their sister to one who was uncircumcised. So, Hamor and Shechem agreed to this plan and convinced the men of their city to agree to it as well. They wasted no time.

All the men of the city had agreed to be circumcised and were lined up to get the deed done. It takes time to heal from such a thing and on the 3rd day, when they were too sore to fight back, Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, killed them all, took their wives and children and plundered their city.
They got justice for their sister.

Read the entire account, including how their father reacted to the brothers' acts of justice, in Genesis 34.

In studying this passage, I decided to do something I don't normally do. I decided to read a few commentaries on the passage. I read them for one reason and one reason only; I wanted to see what male commentators had to say about the rape of a woman.  (I do not consider commentaries to be Bible study tools and am actually amazed that some people do.) The tragedy of this story is the rape.

I was absolutely astounded that the vast majority of commentators blamed the rape on Dinah! In chapter 2 of the Alphabetical Exposition of the Bible published by Zondervan in 1988, one unnamed commentator said, "Had Dinah been content to remain a 'keeper at home' (Titus 2:5), a terrible massacre would have been averted, but her desire for novelty and forbidden company spelled disaster." No. This commentator is completely wrong. #1, Dinah could not read Titus 2:5 because it was not yet written, nor does it apply here. This is a gross misuse of Scripture. #2, the Bible does not indicate on any level that Dinah's going out to see the women of the land was wrong or sinful. It simply states that she went. #3, this commentator had the nerve to even blame the massacre on Dinah! She didn't massacre these men, nor did she come up with the plan to do so. #4, The sin here was rape! 

Matthew Henry said, "Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They are their own enemies if they desire to go abroad, especially alone, among strangers to true religion....Indulged children, like Dinah, often become a grief and shame to their families. She went to see the daughters of the land.....yet that was not all, she went to be seen, too." While Matthew Henry might seem to wax eloquent here, he's dead wrong. The Bible does not tell us she went to be seen. The Bible does not tell us that her parents objected to her going. The Bible does not tell us that Dinah was indulged. The sin here is rape!

The Pulpit Commentary states, "Dinah paid the full penalty of her carelessness." NO! The Bible does not tell us she was careless. She suffered rape. She was not responsible for what happened to her. She was a victim. The sin here is rape!

Why do these and other commentators blame Dinah for what happened? This tendency to blame a woman when she is raped is not confined to the 20th and 21st centuries. Many of the commentators I read wrote their works hundreds of years ago. Nearly all of them blamed Dinah in some way.

People, this has to stop. The Bible does not chastise Dinah. There is no record of her parents chastising her. For all we know, Dinah went out many times in the same way and no rape occurred. The sin is rape. Dinah is not responsible. Shechem is responsible; the commentators should be condemning him, not Dinah.

This way of thinking, to blame the victim in some way, fuels a culture of rape and it's even happening within the church. Women are not taken seriously, are minimized and set aside, them blamed for the sinful, disgraceful acts of men. Shame on these commentators. What I discovered through this brief research on what they had to say about Dinah is completely disgusting.

So, what's a girl to do? Stay inside her parents' house until her wedding day? Wear a Burqa with a screen in front of her face so she won't "tempt" a man or dare to be seen? Are we women such a threat to men that they cannot control themselves on any level and we are to be blamed if some man rapes us? Are we to believe that we bring shame on our families if someone commits any other crime against us? What about women who don't marry? Are they to be treated as undeserving spinsters and locked away in their father's house until he dies, then go live with a brother or uncle? Oh, my, how far this awful thinking could go.

These commentators are wrong. Young men, beware, commentators like this are trying to seduce you into thinking that if you lose control of your impulses, it's perfectly fine because it's a girl's fault. You have the power; she bares the shame.

This makes me want to throw up. I have raised five honorable sons. They all respect women, defend women and treat women as equals. They do not think they are better than women or superior to women, nor are they threatened by women. My married sons are married to strong women who can hold their own and they do not need to depend on their husbands, my sons, for their womanhood or validation as a person on this planet, nor their spiritual go-between in their relationship with Christ. My three daughters, two of whom are married, are strong women who will speak their mind and hold to their own opinions even if they disagree with their husbands, or their dad, or anyone else. As their mom, I will forever defend and applaud them for doing so.

Parents, raise your sons to respect women and treat them as equals. Not "equal but different," but full equals. Raise your daughters to be strong women who take no nonsense from anyone. Never berate a little girl for being too bold or outspoken or independent. Jesus surrounded Himself with strong women who not only traveled with Him, but supported Him from their own independent resources. He was not afraid to talk to women and have friendships with women. He did not tell women what to wear or what to feel, nor did He hold women responsible for the sins of men.

If you want to study your Bible, then put the commentators away in a box out of sight, for they are not enhancing your study; they are hindering it and polluting it with the religion of Secular Humanism. Study your Bible, using the Bible as your Source. Then you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free. John 8:31 & 32 says, "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" He did not say, "If you faithfully read commentators." 

It's the Word of God that changes lives, not someone's comments on the Word. 

Get this. Understand this.

Settle for nothing less than the pure Word of God. 

~Tricia

Hang Up Your Dishrag and Pick Up Your Bible

I am struck by Mary's behavior in her sister, Martha's, home. Luke 10:38-42 describes a scene that most people who have ever read the Bible are familiar with. Jesus, along with a number of His disciples, was traveling and came to the home of Martha. Her sister, Mary, was also there and the Scriptures tell us that Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard His Word. Martha, however, was distracted with much serving. No doubt she was a good hostess, wanting to make sure all her guests were fed and taken care of.

We think this is necessary. As a veteran hostess, I have served hundreds in our different homes over the years. I love entertaining, cooking, preparing for guests and making their stay in our home as comfortable and pleasant as I can.

I have observed that, in the church and in Christian circles, women are often relegated to the kitchen to prepare, serve and clean up while men often enjoy fellowship around the Word of God. I attended a pastors & wives fellowship a few years ago. Before going, I was told by the hostess that the women generally stayed in the kitchen, talking, while the men studied a specific doctrine. My interest was piqued at what the men might be studying and I asked her for more information. She didn't know, but said that the women don't attend those sessions.

When I got to the meeting, I saw an outline of the day's study and really wanted to sit in and learn. So, when things started, I walked to the men's meeting with my husband. The hostess told me, again, that the women usually stayed in the kitchen and talked, then helped put out lunch. I honestly couldn't bring myself to stay in the kitchen. While I felt a little bad for her, I ended up leaving her in the kitchen alone, wishing she would join us in the study.

The study was excellent! It was an expository study, complete with an exegetical guide that we all got copies of. None of the men seemed to think it strange that I was there with them, and, in fact, there was another woman there, too. I attended several more of these meetings, and by the 3rd one I attended, all the women were sitting in on the sessions rather than hanging out in the kitchen. Score! Amazingly, lunch was still served and everyone ate and was satisfied.

Mary sat at Jesus' feet, learning from Him. Even at Martha's pleas to do so, Jesus did not tell Mary to get up and help. What He did say is surprising to our culture. He said that Mary had chosen "that good part which will not be taken away from her."

As a woman, I do not feel that my place is in the kitchen. I feel that my place is at the feet of Jesus, learning of Him and teaching others of Him. Even as a hostess, I have intentionally tried to ease the preparation of food so as not to miss out on opportunities to learn of Jesus from others, or participate in a study. Jesus said this is "the good part" and that it "can't be taken away" from us.

Why do we women often allow this to be taken away from us? We need to hang up our dishrags and pick up our Bibles and take a stand against traditional roles that exclude us from deep Bible study and participation. You have permission from the King, Himself. You have His approval to stop being sidelined when it comes to deep Bible study. Mary not only had His approval, but His praise. Imagine being praised by the Savior, Himself.

I dare say that if Jesus came to my house in the flesh, I would have someone order take-out because I would not leave His side long enough to even make a phone call to place the order, let alone cook something. I don't want to miss a word.

~Tricia

Dem Dry Bones

What do you really know about your bones? We know we need our bones. we know our bones carry nutrients through their marrow. We know that marrow can be replaced, curing disease. We know that bones can be broken, then fixed. We know much more than this about bones. Did you know that dead, dry bones can live again?

God talked about bones in His Word. In Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel talks about being taken to the Valley of Bones where he saw many, many bones....and they were very dry. Not just dry; very dry.

Several years ago, one of our daughters was diagnosed with severe scoliosis. She had to wear a tight, form-fitted body brace 20 hours a day for an entire year. She became very adept at putting it on and pulling it tight enough by herself. She faithfully wore it as instructed by her doctors.  

At the end of the year of the brace, she was to face major surgery to repair the sharp curves in her spine. The bracing only served to stop the progression of the curves; surgery was inevitable to repair the curves or her life would be compromised, landing her in a wheelchair in the not-too-distant future. At the time of her surgery, the doctors had long, detailed meetings with us, and each other, to decide the right course of action. It was decided that two 18" titanium rods would be attached to her spine, after it was straightened (literally by hand) and the rods would be secured with screws, bolts and brackets. After the rods were secured, bone would be grafted over her spine and she would be sewn back up.

I had one question, "What bone is used for this grafting?" The doctor said they could take a 4" piece of bone from her hip - an action requiring additional surgery on the spot. OR, they could use cadaver bone.

Intrigued by this idea, I asked for an explanation. The doctor said there are warehouses holding cadaver bone from people who have donated their bones to medicine and they could use them for her procedure. I said, "But, what about the risk of rejection?" 

The doctor replied, "There is no risk of rejection. The bones are dry; they are dead. They have no living cells in them. They are very dry. Once we graft them onto her spine, they will live again. They will regenerate and grow in her as though they have always been her bones. As she grows, they will grow, and be strong and full of life again."

We chose the dry bones, avoiding the trauma of additional surgery for our daughter. She's fine now; her back is straight and she even got a little taller on the operating table. She has had no sign of rejection and her health is perfect.

They were dead bones.

They were very dry.

Just like the bones Ezekiel saw in the Valley of Bones. God had asked him, "Can these bones live?"  

Ezekiel was careful to answer only, "Oh, LORD God, you know." 

Dead. Dry. Bones.

While it is widely believed Ezekiel's experience was symbolic, the truth of the matter is, those dry, dead, very dry bones can live!

Dem Dry Bones came back to life and they are living now in my daughter. 

Talk about our bodies being fearfully and wonderfully made! 

Our God, Who can make dead, very dry bones live again, can surely solve the worst problem you have today.

~Tricia

Why I Don't Use SOAP

I don't use SOAP. I never have and I'm not about to start. SOAP is a popular acronym widely used in Bible study. It stands for

Scripture
Observation 
Application 
Prayer

The problem I have with SOAP is the application portion. This trips us humans up every time because we simply cannot apply the Scriptures to our lives. We can't; it's not our job. Every single time we do, we become built up with pride and that application portion becomes our all-in-all. We don't stop with the mirror, either, but we take what we've applied to our own lives and project that onto others.

The minute any Bible study becomes about our response, it is no longer about Jesus Christ. 

When it is no longer about Jesus Christ, it is no longer relevant. 

Here are a few reasons I won't use SOAP, or any other Bible study method that uses application as a step in its process:

1. Human application of Scripture falls through human filters. These filters are not inspired, making them dangerous. Every single cult that started from a religious standpoint, started as a result of someone applying Scripture out of context as a means to control others. This was done through a human filter. Jesus tells us to learn from Him (Matthew 11:29). He does not fit through human filters.

2. Human application is nothing more than behavior modification. Behavior modification is not of the heart, it's out of a human effort to be righteous. This goes against Scripture since Scripture says "there is none righteous, no not one." (Romans 3:10) Beware of behavior modification. Lots of people have behaved well all the way to Hell.

3. Human application leads to legalism. Legalism is not only dangerous in that it focuses solely on human behavior, it also leads to spiritual abuse. Every single time.

4. Human application is not about God. As soon as we take it upon ourselves to apply things the way we see them, we take God out of the picture. His Word does not need human application. If you become driven to share the gospel more, that is NOT because you are applying God's Word to your life, it is because His Holy Spirit is working in you to create that drive. When you find yourself responding in grace to something that might have made you mad in the past, that is not because you have applied God's Word to your life, it is because His grace is at work in you through His Word. It is all by Him, through Him and for Him.

5. Human application leads to guilt. As soon as a preacher says, "we should" or "you should" I tune out. I'm not interested in what he thinks I should or should not do. Not everyone is in the same place in life. Not everyone can live in the same way. I was at a ladies retreat one time when the speaker tried to lay guilt on us because she felt that some of us were not grateful enough to be there. She had decided that ungratefulness was the sin of the hour and railed on us to be more grateful and compared us to the grumbling children of Israel in an attempt to warn us of God's impending judgement upon us. But, she was totally wrong. I had been going through a rough time in my life and was so, so thankful to be able to go to the retreat. She had decided everyone needed to be hammered about ungratefulness and she took Scripture out of context to try to prove her point. Guilt is not a fruit of the Spirit.

6. Human application nearly always requires Scripture to be taken out of context. Entire cults have been built around this fact. Study up on a few cults; the ones which were started by religious followings were started with Scripture being taken out of context. This is not true of just cults; it's also true of many, many movements we've seen throughout history. Modern day movements are no different. They are built on mankind's ideas, false interpretation of Scripture and wrong applications of Scripture. Pick a movement, any movement, and hold it up to the Light of Scripture. You will find it is full of holes of non-contextual application.

7. Human application fuels human pride. This fact is clearly evident all over social media. We see people taking pictures of their Bible study time and posting it online for all to see. No more closet prayers done in secret. That scares me since God said He resists (opposes) the proud. (James 4:6)

8. Human application blinds us to the Truth. I once knew a preacher who constantly said things like, "I will not sacrifice godliness. I will not sacrifice righteousness." while his own behavior wasn't godly at all. He was busy not sacrificing "godliness" while he was (and still is) lying to and misleading his congregation on even small issues. All in the name of "godliness." He is blind to the Truth because he is wrongly applying things to his own life without the Holy Spirit. We are commanded to worship God in spirit and in truth. Human application blocks the way. Men like that declare themselves godly, outside the context of God, and people, fearful of disagreeing with what they perceive as God's anointed, allow this to happen. This is really an example of spiritual abuse. When someone tells you they will not sacrifice godliness, they are intimating that they have already attained godliness. Beware of those people. Do not sit under their teaching or follow their leadership.

9. Human application shows lack of faith. Because it's His Word, all fruit from His Word is His. Isaiah 55:11 promises that His Word will not return void, it will accomplish what He sends it to accomplish and will prosper in what He sends it to do. What's interesting about this verse is that it promises His Word will accomplish what He intends; it says nothing about our human intent or our human intervention. Be wary of people who tell you God can't do what He needs to do in your life without your cooperation. He gives no conditions to the accomplishment of His will. It will be done. Jonah's story is a good example of this.

Insist on studying God's Word in purity and Truth. A system like The Priscilla Principle, which does not include application at all, is better suited to unaltered Bible study. My life was transformed, but not by my application of God's Word to my life. It was transformed by His Word, alone. I had nothing to do with it. There were things He conquered in my life that I had no idea needed conquering. How would I have applied anything to them? The Priscilla Principle method does not include application. Rather it operates on the Scriptural promise that God's Word does not return void. (See point 9 above.)

Beware of books that insist you have an application step in your Bible study process. Applying His Word to our lives is not our job. I am seriously surprised that this is such a popular thing for people to do. But, I see it all over social media. I also see the results. I see people taking pictures of their Bible study time and posting it online. Farewell to the closet prayers we're commanded to have. I see people naming a ministry after themselves. Farewell to the humble servant who exalts Christ.

Any fruit we have in our lives is fruit of the Spirit. Having the fruit of the Spirit is a result of His work in our lives, not of our decisions to do/say/think/feel the "right" way. We cannot produce godly fruit. It's impossible. We have to stop trying. Perhaps one thing pushing people to try to apply God's Word to their lives and the lives of others is impatience. There is so much incredible power in waiting on the Lord. David says repeatedly in the Psalms, "Wait on the LORD." Isaiah (40:31) told of a great promise to those who wait. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary; they will walk and not faint. I think I should add waiting as a Bible study step in The Priscilla Principle, for in the wait is strength.

Read the Scriptures > Observe without Speculation > Interpret  > Pray > Wait
Not an acronym.
Nothing fancy.
Study, then wait on the Lord. When He wants you to act, you will not be able to be still.

~Tricia