What does it mean to gather one-to-one for sermon application? Simple—listen to the preaching at your church, and then meet with another member and talk about it! Here’s what to listen for and how to do it.

Part 1: Listening To The Sermon

Here’s what to do at the Sunday service before you meet:

1. Pray. Ask God to make you humble and eager for the Word, and to help you understand and apply the sermon.

2. Write down the sermon text. Get the book, chapter, and verses. And read it before the sermon if you can!

3. Write down the sermon outline. Listen for it–or copy it from the bulletin!

4. Write down the sermon’s main point. Try to summarize the preacher’s overall message in a sentence.

 5. Write down the preacher’s applications.

Part 2: Gathering For Sermon Application

Here’s an outline for your meeting for sermon application:

1. Open in prayer. One person thanks God and asks for help understanding and applying the passage.

2. Follow-up from previous session. Ask each other how each of you are doing applying the last sermon’s lessons.

3. Read the sermon text aloud. Either take turns meeting-by-meeting, or break up the passage so each person reads.

4. Review the sermon. Take turns asking questions like: what was the overall message? What were the preacher’s points? What “hit you hard”? What encouraged you?

5. Review the preacher’s applications. Take turns talking about the preacher’s applications. What should each of you know, believe, or do in response?

6. Other applications. Take turns asking if, in either the sermon or text, there’s anything else you should: know? understand? hope in? trust? confess? repent of? change? do?

7. Schedule the next meeting. Date, time, and place!

8. Close in prayer. The person who didn’t pray to start thanks God and asks for help applying the passage.

 

(NEXT PAGE: Want to go deeper with sermon listening? Find more resources here.)