17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
EXEGETICAL IDEA (what it meant): Subject: What illustration does Paul give the Ephesian Saints concerning understanding the will of the Lord? Complement: Paul gives the Ephesian Saints an illustration of being under the influence of the Spirit instead of wine.
CONTEMPORARY IDEA (what it means): Subject: What illustration does the Bible give Believers concerning understanding the will of the Lord? Complement: The Bible gives Believers an illustration of being under the influence of the Spirit instead of wine.
Bumper Sticker Idea: Know the Lord’s Will; Know Filling; No Understanding of the Lord’s Will; No Filling.
Doctrinal Category: Doctrine of the filling of the Spirit
Exegetical Outline
I. Paul exhorts the Ephesian Believers in two ways. A. Paul exhorts the Ephesian Believers to not be foolish. B. Paul exhorts the Ephesian Believers to understand what the Lord’s will is. 1) Paul commands the Ephesians to not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery (asotia). 2) Paul commands the Ephesians to constantly keep being filled with the Spirit.
Contemporary Outline
I. The Bible exhorts Believers in a couple of ways. A. The Bible exhorts Believers not to be foolish. B. The Bible exhorts Believers to understand what the Lord’s will is. 1) The Bible commands Believers not to get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery (asotia). 2) The Bible commands Believers to constantly keep being filled with the Spirit.
Pastor Ryan covers Romans 5:1-5 in 10 minutes using the CHECK DISC method.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Last night we finished up the chapter entitled, "A Transformed People." In one section, Dr. Hendricks addresses Ephesians 2:10 using the observational questions of who, what, where, when, why, and wherefore. This approach helps one stay true to the text and should be used alongside our Check DISC hermeneutic.
We also addressed the passage in Galatians 6:6-10. One verse that had everybody somewhat confused was the reaping of everlasting life. As mentioned last week, I believe that it refers to the quality of life of a believer. But what I did was tighten it up a little using the harvest imagery that Paul used in this verse.
There is no passage in all of Scripture that cannot be interpreted for today. The CHECK DISC technique makes this possible in five easy steps. The need for this hermeneutical tool is based on the fact that the majority of contemporary Christians who study the Bible are guilty of “RTC syndrome;” They find themselves “Running to Commentaries.” Bibles now come with an abundant amount of footnotes that seek to explain the text. There is no substitute for spending time in the Word in order to extrapolate the intended meaning. Although footnotes may be helpful, they may produce laziness.
CHECK DISC is the simplest approach to Bible study. CHECK DISC is the art of interpreting the text in it’s original context using only the original words and surrounding text to establish the basis for a contemporary meaning. Furthermore, the CHECK DISC technique forces the interpreter to stick with the text only. That means, one cannot add any of foreign thoughts, ideas and theology into the text. With the CHECK DISC formula, there is no room for eisegesis (i.e. reading ones own thoughts into the text).
Step 1 – CHECK yourself (i.e. confess your sins – 1 John 1:9 and restore fellowship with God). Step 2 – DISCOVER the context of the passage (i.e. surrounding verses, chapter, book, genre, etc.). Step 3 – IDENTIFY the key words, which capture the big idea of the author (i.e. what is he getting at?). Step 4 – SUBJECT – Create a question that captures the big idea of the passage. Step 5 – COMPLEMENT – Answer the question using the text/context only mentioning the original audience, author and situation (i.e. dead people only!).
The key progression in CHECK DISC is observation → interpretation → application. Prior to interpreting the text for today, one must concentrate on observation (exegesis) and once the “big idea” of the passage is captured (i.e. the subject and complement) stop exegeting!
Many Pastors and Teachers spend most of their time exegeting the text and in worst cases they are exegeting until Sunday morning! This is a terrible feeling. The Subject-Complement method is the tool that saves time, energy and stress. Without the right tools, the job takes twice the amount of time. For instance, if the goal is not set at capturing the big idea, all of the side issues serve as distractions and the message becomes unclear. A lot of people walk away from Church saying, “Wow. That was a great message.” Ironically, they could not tell you the big idea of the message.
Once the exegetical idea (subject-complement) is in the “bag” then contemporize the idea and communicate/apply it to the people today. This is connecting what it meant with what it means. STAY FAITHFUL TO THE TEXT!
There is more to this 5-step process, but that is it in a nutshell. This notion cuts bible study prep time in half and allows for ample time of contemporizing the message. If believers cannot apply the Word to today’s problems, they remain in defeat.
As a rule of thumb, remember that the more time spent in Observation, the less time is needed for interpretation. Have fun CHECK DISCing through the Scriptures!
Angels are seen almost everywhere - on TV, the web and in stores. What the Bible says is noticeably different than what is seen. Watch the Doctrine of Angels in 10 minutes .
Mission: To reach and teach others for Christ, to build up, equip and train Believers in Christ with Sound Doctrine. Vision: We seek to accomplish our mission by the steadfast study of God's Word. We cannot apply what we do not know and we cannot know what we haven't learned and we cannot lean what we haven't taken the time to Study. Thus, the #1 priority for COH is the STUDY of God's Word. Please join us as we open up the Word to Study!
