Personal and Community Application

During this next step in the Application process, I will ask you to process at least 4 of these questions listed below. Choose the ones which are most relevant to the answers to the text-driven question you worked on during your interpretation. It may seem a bit mechanical but it will keep you focused on the connection between INTERPRETATION and APPLICATION. Between THEN and NOW. Between HISTORY and CURRENT EVENTS. Here is my advice, 

1. Re-read the final answer that you posted at the end of the Interpretation module. Try to hold in your mind the most tangible elements which you discovered
2. Ponder how the OT passages shone new light on the meaning of Mark. Maybe where the parallel NT teaching to Mark has helped you grasp it deeper. 
3. Now, carefully read through each of the Application questions below which might assist you to categorize your findings. I want you to make a direct connection between the Interpretation and the Application. Do not make generalities such as “God is Good.” Yes, it is true. But make direct correlations and applications which are specific to your passage. 

Choose four (4) of the application questions below and summarize the application you have discovered. For example, with regard to question #1, a new revelation. In Mark 8, Peter says to Jesus, “You are the Christ/Messiah.” Then Immediately, Jesus “corrects” Peter’s human understanding with the statement “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected…and must be killed.” Jesus reveals to the disciples that Jesus’ mission is to die. As you know from the passage, Peter rebukes Jesus. And by inference, all the other disciples agree with Peter. From an application perspective, what do we do when we discover (new revelation) that our opinion is in opposition to Jesus’? We must re-calibrate our internal compass to the voice of Jesus. We must say YES to Jesus. 

Now, begin with your Interpretation “Final Answer” as you read through these questions. Equally, keep the “Jesus Round-table” discussion in mind. How does the rest of the Bible help give understanding to how your biblical truths will be applied. Finally, notice how I have worded them both to you as a person but also to the community in which you serve the Lord. Remember, these questions can be found in Chapter 10 of True^North or on the back page of the True^North handout. 

1. What is new to me/us that we did not know before? This question is referring to a new revelation. Can you be specific? What has this biblical text taught you that is new and fresh? Also, how will you recalibrate your life according to this new understanding?
2. What does the text teach me/us about the nature and character of God? This question pursues a theological question as well as its ethical component. You should ponder the nature of God but equally ask, “What are the personal changes and actions that flow out of the character of His heart?”
3. What does the text teach me about how I/we are now different and become more like Jesus? This question is pushing towards what we call “redemption,” coupled with “transformation.” Be specific about life change with your biblical text in mind.
4. What does the text teach me about the new relationship we have “in Christ”? How am I included in a new relationship with God Himself? What happens to sin and shame when I am “in God” and He is “in me?” Through these questions, we can ponder the reality of biblical reconciliation. This question relates to our vertical relationship with God. The first commandment is this, “Love the Lord you God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Matthew 22:37).
5. What does this text teach me about how I/we should relate to one another? Let’s call this true community as we practice living in a new family with shared values discovered in the Word. This question is focused on our horizontal relationship with one another. The second commandment is this, “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).
6. What does the text teach me/us about this new “me-ness” or “we-ness” as it is embodied in me/us? This question is closely related to the prior one, but it is still worth considering on its own. In part, we find this in the Body of Christ imagery. This idea is leaning into the Spirit-enabled nature of our relationships together. Another way of stating it is this: What does it look like that Jesus is calling us to be “one?” (John 17:11, 20:22-23; Ephesians 4:1-5).
7. What about the divine-human problem is solved? This question asks you to be aware of a robust Gospel definition of salvation. Salvation is not merely a ticket to heaven but the beginning of the curse’s reversal and the welcoming of the New Creation into our midst. Another way to ask the same question is this: “How is God’s solution so different from the way most human solutions might appear?” What does the Kingdom look like as it becomes a reality in my/our midst? How does this change my actions, thoughts, and beliefs as a follower of Christ?

Make certain to write out your answers in detail. As I said above, no generalities please. Make each application text specific. Make sure to examine and describe the application related to at least 4 of the 7 questions. I would assume approx 200 words per question or application point. 

Finally, out of this exercise, fashion a new prayer (True^North calls this “Praying in Jesus’ Name”) What course corrections are you asking the Lord Jesus to bring about in your journey of faith? Shape your application into the form of a prayer. Thus, we come to the end of the True^North process which flows directly back into the practice of prayer. Full circle Prayer-Observation-Interpretation-Application-Prayer... 

Now, submit the 4 application points, well written and clearly drawn from the text of Mark 1, 8, or 15. Also, include with that the corresponding prayer for each point of application to the Discussion center for this module. Would you please respond to one of your classmates, choosing to comment specifically on at least one of the application points.

Here is the grading rubric for both parts of Application.