Worldview

As we close out our Worldview series, let's pause and reflect on what God has done and rejoice in what we trust he will continue to do. In this message, we pray through our three main worldview questions (What does the Bible say? How do we respond in humility? How do I love as an ambassador of Christ?). As we do, we posture our hearts before God to take next faithful steps in not just seeing the world but loving the world.

Maybe more than anything, money and possessions reveal your heart. The world, flesh, and even the Christian culture pull us into believing that more earthly wealth or material goods will satisfy us. God is in the business of creating dependence and can use money and possessions to convict us to where we truly find our hope, joy, and dependency. Money and possessions are not evil. They are simply a tool that can be used to make much of you or much of God and the advancement of the gospel. The choice is yours. So let's take a step in growing in our ability to steward what God has given us.

What is the right perspective on politics? It's easy to forget a biblical lens when viewing politics when everything today is drenched in a political perspective. As believers, we must remember that God is sovereign, we have one king (though we live in two kingdoms), God created government to promote good and restrain evil, the government, church, and family have distinct roles, and the enemy would love nothing more than for Christians to put their trust in government and not God. When we have this perspective, we can examine our own hearts but also engage well with others. So when it comes to politics, let's pray, learn, vote, engage, and ultimately trust that God's got this.

Culture is downstream from the family. So goes marriages, so goes families, so goes communities, so goes cultures. God has designed marriages to be a firm foundation that leads to flourishing. When we continually confess and repent of our sins, forgive, and celebrate one another, we are able to walk in the fulness of what marriage was meant to be.

God made man and woman united in their humanity, equal in their dignity, and yet distinct in their sexes. The design is beautiful. The definition is simple. This makes the distortion of manhood and womanhood all the more devastating. Jesus has come to redeem everything, including biblical manhood and womanhood. Let's embrace, celebrate, and model God's design as he restores the beauty of manhood and womanhood in our lives and our culture.

How do you see groups of people? We have a tendency to group people based on externals and then assign stereotypes and value. This is the sin of partiality. Partiality is a rebellion against God. As Christians, we are called not to show preference based on externals but to serve people since they are made in God's image. God is creating a new family of God with people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, classes, and cultures. As we mimic God in reaching all people, the church becomes the beautiful mosaic it was meant to be.

As we continue our worldview series, we unpack our first topic: the dignity of life. We all have a tendency to see others through our own lens. When we see others through the lens of the world, we tend to value people based on what they can do for us. People then become a problem to solve, a point to validate your worldview or a pathway to your own self-advancement. But when we see people through the lens of God's word, we see people, not made in our image, but in the image of God. This means that they have dignity, value, and worth. When we begin to see people through the lens of Christ, we can love people in the name of Christ.

Cultural topics come and go. With all the various issues that can capture the cultural conversation, we need a consistent lens to see any and all topics. As we continue our worldview series, we look at three questions to ask any issue of the day: (1) What does the Bible say about it? (2) How do I respond in humility? (3) How do we love others as ambassadors of Christ? With these three questions, we can not only see the world clearly but love the world as Christ does.

How you see the world impacts what you think, feel, and ultimately do. The lens of the world is a denial of God that leads to a destructive life. The lens of the word is a trust in God that leads to a transformed life. God wants you to see himself, yourself, others, and the world around you in a way that brings life. Only when we see Him rightly can we see the world rightly. By the grace of God, he has given us eyes to see. So let's seek truth, speak truth, and love others well in the name of Christ.