Observation: What Am I Seeing? | Dr. Ernest Grant, II | Accelerate Church

Main message: Read the Bible carefully: begin with patient observation before jumping to application. Using Romans 12:1 as a case study, the preacher gave practical steps for Bible reading (before, while, after) and specific observation tools to let the text speak and to see Jesus at the center.

Key points:

• Don’t skip observation — prescription without careful observation is "malpractice"; the process is Scripture → Observation → Interpretation → Application.
• Before you read: pray for illumination, choose and stick with a reliable translation, and do simple pre-work (who wrote it, genre, historical context).
• While you read: make concrete observations (look for lists, contrasts, cause/effect, repetition, commands paired with promises, connecting words, and emotion).
• Use Romans 12:1 as an example: notice the hinge word "therefore," the call to "present your bodies as a living, holy, pleasing sacrifice," and how Paul moves from gospel theology to practical ethics.
• Always look for Jesus and the gospel as the central interpretive key.

Scriptures mentioned: Psalm 119:18, Romans 12:1, Romans 3:23, Romans 6–8, Romans 9–11, Romans 1–11 (overview), Isaiah 53, Luke 24, Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Daniel, Joel, Revelation, (also general reference to the Samuel passage "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening")