Why Context Changes Everything: Reading with Clarity | Ep. 106

Context can rescue faith from slogans. In this episode, we explore how culture, audience, and assumptions shape what we notice in Scripture—and how a few simple habits can clean the lens so God’s Word can speak clearly. Using Philippians 4:13, we reframe “I can do all things” from hype mantra to humble contentment. You’ll learn a who/what/why framework for any passage and discover how context transforms confusion into clarity. This is Bible study that frees you—not flashy, not shallow—just steady confidence rooted in truth.

Chapters

• 0:00 Framing The Theme: Context Matters
• 1:03 Lenses, Wounds, And Perception
• 2:34 Culture’s Grip On Interpretation
• 4:15 Philippians 4:13 In Context
• 6:48 Dirty Water, Clean Water: The Filter
• 8:23 Guarding Against Hype And Error
• 10:41 Simple Tools To Read Clearly
• 10:48 Action Steps And Free Resource

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

This is episode 106, and I'm your host LaToya, and this is Equip the Next, where you get equipped to lead, disciple, and move the mission forward. Gotta talk more about context because it's important. You don't want to miss this. And if you are new, hey, I'm glad you stopped by. Hopefully, you'll like something that is said here. But um, today I want to talk about why eat why I'm sorry, why context changes everything. And I want to focus on culture and audience and how it shapes interpretation because that is key and that's very important, especially in the times we're living in. See, depending on the lens or the how did my one of my teachers say it? How you process things, it will determine what you see or your view. I'm gonna give you an example. Say you're suffering from rejection. You have an issue with rejection that has not been dealt with, you haven't gotten delivered from, and you see somebody you know across the street, next by, out next door. I don't know. You see someone, let's say you see them in church, and they walk right by you and they don't speak. You might think that they're rejecting you because that is the lens in which you're viewing it. When they probably didn't see you because maybe they're far-sighted. I don't know. You know what I'm saying? It's stuff like that. Or maybe you lived, you had a bad upbringing growing up. Your culture, where you're what you're around, can also shape your interpretation when it comes to reading the Bible, when it comes to life in general, but we're talking about reading the Bible. This is why it's important to know how to study the Bible effectively and to not put yourself in the scriptures because it's a different time, different people, different place, different thing. And so what happens is that if you are, I'm sorry, if you don't know how to flush out that stuff and flush out your lens, I think if I don't wear context, but I'm pretty sure like I've seen people wear context and they have to flush it out with a little solution. Like if you don't flush it out, your your perception, your interpretation will be faulty. Unbeknownst to you. A great example of this would be Philippians 4. I'm gonna pluck out one verse because that's what we do, right? We we pluck out one verse and we run with it. That one verse is verse 13. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. That's what we use. We rock with that. Want a car? I could do all things through Christ with strengthens me. Who strengthens? Some say which. Sorry. You got you, you know, um, you started a business that you know nothing about. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, or it's through him who strengthens me, right? I don't know nothing about business, but I can do it because he strengthens me. That's how we leave, that's how we use that verse. I'm not trying to, it's funny, but it's not funny. Because that's what we, and when I whenever I say we, it's because I don't want to pick on anyone. I've I'm guilty of it too. I used to do that. I didn't know any better. Nobody taught me how to study the Bible. And I went to church every Sunday. Sometimes I went three times a week. So it's not something, you know, I laugh about it, but it's it's something that happens over time because we're all learning and we're all growing. But if you've listened to this, then guess what? You got a team of people that are here to help you to actually open the Bible with confidence. That's my goal, is to teach you how to do that and to encourage you. So, but back to context and why it's important is because if you are, if you had a bad upbringing, um, if you've been going through something and you try to read the Bible through that lens, you're gonna think it's talking to you. You're gonna think that this is about you, you're gonna think that you're still cursed, you're gonna think all of these things because of your circumstances, and sometimes we gotta flush those things out. So if we read this, it says, not, um I'm going to Philippians 4, gonna go to verse 11, not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content, I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. What this is saying, what Paul is saying is that he's learned how to be content in it all. That is it. It is not a badge that we pluck out and then we put it on the stamp and we say, Yeah, now don't get me wrong, like I have scriptures and stuff around the house. I'm not saying that. But hopefully you understand what I'm saying as far as how we can take we can take context out of things, and depending on the filter that we have in our life, whether it be culture or our audience, it can shape our interpretation. My teacher in um a class, I wish that I can show you this. Hopefully, you you have a great imagination and you can picture this. He had a water bottle with like, I don't know, chocolate or something in it. And then he had a water bottle that was just water. And so what he was saying is that like the water bottle with the chocolate in it, it was dirty and it was, you know, it looked dirty, dirt, whatever, it looked dark and black. That's all the stuff that you're going through and culture and audience and what people are saying and so forth and so on. And then he took the water bottle with the water in it, just the clear water, and he poured it in to the water that was looked dirty. And what he was saying is that it's still it's still dirty in there. It's it's still it's still dirty. See, you can get the truth, but if it goes through a dirty lens, a filter, it's gonna come out dirty. And you, you know, because you don't because we're looking at the culture and we're looking at our audience and it's shaping our interpretation. It's not until you allow the Holy Spirit to fill you, so if I were to take that water, and I was were to continue to pour it until all of the dirt came out or chocolate or whatever that made it dark come out where it's now clear, that would be the only way that I would be able to have clean water again. All that junk gotta get out, and so when you're reading the word, read it with a clean slate, read it where you're not putting yourself in it, but you allow the Lord to minister to you, you allow the Lord to reveal Himself to you, and this is this is how you know doing this pr really can protect us against false teaching or in error. Because I mean, some people aren't like trying to be false teachers, some of them are just in error and they literally think that they are doing the right thing. It really helps you once you understand how to, you know, context, it really helps you to see past the fluff, the feeling, and the emotions, all the hype, all the titles. Strip the titles, strip the position, strip you being on on a pulpit. Let me hear the message. See, a lot of times we idolize people in high positions and places, and that can get us trapped as well to where we are believing what they say instead of being like a Berean and really looking at this at the text for ourselves, we are all gonna make mistakes. I've made mistakes, everybody gonna make mistakes because we're all in this together. But if you can learn just simple basic techniques, I shouldn't say techniques, but just simple tools you can learn when you read the word, where you can strip your culture out, you can you can take out your your audience and who who's around you and who's you can take all that out. You can be the eye in the storm. I believe it can really help you to understand more about the text. So listen, before you start studying, write down the who, the what, the why for one passage. Apply it, grow. Another thing, don't forget to download that Bible, study guardrails for confidence at equiphetenext.com forward slash freebie. It'll help you grow in God's word and live boldly.