Page 55 - Homiletics I Student Textbook
P. 55
Example from Acts 1:8
The followers of Jesus were to wait and then work.
They were to wait for God’s Spirit to come to them and
empower them.
They were to work by testifying of Jesus to all people in all
places.
Measuring the Width of the River to Cross
With Step 3 of the three-step process for studying the Bible in view, the student must now
examine the differences that exist between what the original biblical audience was experiencing
then versus what the contemporary biblical audience is
experiencing today.
Example from Acts 1:8
Followers of Jesus today have a relationship with Him but
have not seen Him.
Followers of Jesus today receive God’s Spirit at the moment
of salvation.
Crossing the Principlizing Bridge
The meaning of the text summarized as a single statement with both a subject and complement in
this step is restated as a theological principle or timeless truth. In other words, what principle was
true not only for the biblical audience, but also for all audiences of all time? Because this theological
principle is universally true it should be stated in the present tense.
Example from Acts 1:8
The followers of Jesus, having received God’s Spirit, are to be
confident and working
They should be confident because God’s Spirit has come to
them and empowered them.
They should be working by testifying of Jesus to all people in all
places.
Grasping the Text in Our Town
Now the student must wrestle with what kind of response the text demands from him.
The abstract theological principle must now be applied to his personal current life setting.
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