An experience of Spirit and Truth
by Unknown [+/-] show/hideToday at chapel was the beginning of Christian Worldview week. It was probably one of the most explicit times in my life, when I could feel God saying - "This is worshipping in spirt and in truth."
I have so often wrestled with that phrase from John 4:23. What does it mean to worship in spirt and in truth? I long to become a worshipper that God seeks. How amazing is that? Your worship is so pleasing to God that He seeks after it!
I feel like that was close to being accomplished today at chapel. It was nothing really special. There was a nice time of worship through song - we sang some new praise songs, some older praise songs, some hymns. I could just feel God being pleased by the worship.
Then came the message (still part of the worship). The head of our Christian studies division introduced the topic of Christian Worldview and worldviews in general. His focal passage was
2 Corinthians 10:5.
He spoke about how back when he was younger, the phrase "Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship" began to take hold. He said that Christianity was more than a religion, it was even more than a relationship, it was also a worldview. It has something to say for every facet of our life.
He called on churches to cease being weekend retreats and become training centers for tearing down those wrong philosophies and then taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ through our Biblical Christian Worldview.
Looking at the verse (2 Cor. 10:5) again, I like how the Message version phrases it: "We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ." That fits right with what a Christian Worldview is to accomplish - fitting every thought, emotion and impulse into the structure of a life shaped by Christ.
He gave two illustrations of what a worldview is:
1) It is like a pair glasses. It brings things into focus. It shapes how we view things. Different people view things differently - because of their worldview. He gave the example of a plane crash some years ago. They interviewed three different people. One guy said that the crash had no effect on him personally. He did not see any type of god in this and didn't see any reason to change the way he viewed the world. A woman said she saw God in this accident. She heard him call to her through the pain to ask her to live more for Him and be about His business because you don't know how long you would be here. Another man said the reason the plane went down was because there was too much negative psychic energy on the plane. Everything is simply a creation of our own mind. Those were three very different ways to view the same thing. They all had different glasses, different worldviews which impacted the way they viewed and reacted to circumstances.
2) It is like a spiderweb. Everything in our minds is connected. We don't have isolated thoughts flying around unrelated to everything else, but some things are like strands on the outside of the spiderweb. If they are damaged not much happens to the entire web. We don't have to reevaluate our entire reason for being, if we find out that we had been misspelling someone's name. We thought we were right, but we weren't. That didn't destroy our entire framework of life. But if we go to college somewhere and they attack our core beliefs, causing us to go from a Christian to an atheist that changes everything. Now you must examine and question everything. It is not a simple matter.
He then spoke of the implications for a Christian Worldview: in our personal life (living consistent with what we believe); educational pursuits (developing our Christianity intellectually as well as spiritually); vocational plans (knowing that God has called you to whatever profession you may be in); evangelical missions (instead of "winning people to Christ," be part of the Great Commission and make disciples); and cultural transformation (it can't be a political movement, but a change of the heart, a change of worldviews).
He closed with something that really moved me. He told us that yes, our faith in Jesus is a personal matter, but it can not be a private matter. No where in the Bible do you see an example of a private believer (especially true after the resurrection). Then he asked for forgiveness on behalf of his generation, for not being the kind of example that the current (and my) generation needed in the area of Christian Worldview. Then he concluded by challenging us (I guess I still group myself with the students, even though I am now at least four years removed from them) to grow in our Christian Worldview by articulating it and displaying it.
To me that is worshipping in spirit and in truth and I long for much more of it.
posted by Unknown at
1:16 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Nice post. I've wanted to write about worldviews for a long time, but haven't had the chance.
(By the way, let me point people back down to the "was Jesus gay?" thread from a few days ago for my latest comment. I was a bit late getting to the thread, but I think what I said has some merit.)
By
LotharBot, at 4/11/2005 1:34 PM
(1) Cool Phrase
I love the phrase "personal but not private." That's something to think about and expound upon.
(2) Reviewing Total Truth
Since I am reviewing Total Truth (see sidebar item), which is about applying bibical truth to all of life (i.e. applying a biblical world view), I hope to post much on this exciting subject
(3) Bibilcal Government
For a biblical view of government, see my posts on The Five Spheres of Govt, and The Five Functions of Civil Govt, Conservative v. Liberal Views of Rule of Law, and Presenting A Thorough, Intellectually Appealing Biblical View Of Government.
(4) Francis Schaeffer
It's about time for some of us to digest and talk about the works of one of our greatest Christian thinkers. I also love the works of his son Franky, who wrote about Xianity and the Arts.
By
danielg, at 4/11/2005 4:49 PM
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