What Do We Believe?

Understanding How and Why We Forge Our Worldviews

• For a deeper understanding of living with a biblical worldview, read chapter 7 of Christians in the Age of Outrage.

• The teaching video for this week's session is available for purchase at https://edstetzer.com/christians-at-our-best.

Every Christian is called to live in the tension of being in the world yet not of it (John 17:14-16). We are to resist the temptation to believe and live as those who do not know God while also engaging culture rather than isolating ourselves or retreating from it. We are called to be both set apart (1 Peter 2:9) and lights in the darkness (Matthew 5:13-16). The primary way we live out this calling is by ensuring that our worldview is shaped by the gospel even as we speak into a hostile and selfish world.

In this session, we will examine how our habits, our daily routines, and the voices we allow to influence us shape our worldviews for either godliness or worldliness. These same forces also prepare us to either engage with or succumb to the age of outrage.

RECAP AND RESTATE

Use the space below for notes on the key takeaways from the teaching video.

A worldview is a set of __________________ __________________ that inform the way we ________________ and ________________ the world. It is the __________________ through which we interpret ________________ ________________ and _________________.

A worldview can be deformed or worldly if it is influenced by ...

Four categories of gospel-tempered voices that can shape our thinking according to God's truth are

1. __________________________

2. __________________________

3. __________________________

4. __________________________

The three "ancient paths" or spiritual disciplines that help forge a gospel worldview are

1. __________________________

2. __________________________

3. __________________________

CONSIDER

What is one practice you have adopted over the past few years that has affected your daily routine or outlook on life?

REFLECT

In his letter to the Romans, Paul encourages believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices to God. One practical way we do this is by ensuring that our worldview, the lens through which we see and interpret the world, is shaped by God rather than the culture around us.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

ROMANS 12:1-2, ESV

1. Paul mentions two qualities of our living sacrifice: "holy and acceptable to God." How can we ensure that our worldview is holy and acceptable?

2. Paul calls this act of living sacrifice our "spiritual worship." In what ways does shaping our worldview constitute worship? How can seeing it as worship motivate us to be obedient and faithful?

3. Why is Paul's contrast between conformed to and transformed by important in understanding the difference between worldly and gospel-shaped worldviews?

One way we conform to the world rather than being transformed by God's Spirit is by following worldly leaders. Scripture repeatedly warns against emulating leaders who serve some other agenda or purpose than God's Kingdom. These voices hold immense power in influencing our worldview, distracting us from the mission God has given to us. This is one of the major themes of the Old Testament prophets, who rebuked Israel for listening to foolish and worldly leaders:

This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says to his people:

"Do not listen to these prophets when they
prophesy to you,
filling you with futile hopes.
They are making up everything they say.
They do not speak for the Lord!
They keep saying to those who despise my word,
'Don't worry! The Lord says you will have peace!'
And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires,
they say, 'No harm will come your way!'

"Have any of these prophets been in the Lord's
presence
to hear what he is really saying?
Has even one of them cared enough to listen?"

JEREMIAH 23:16-18

4. How does this passage define false teaching? What common characteristics are there that can help us spot it today? How does worldly teaching differ from godly teaching? (For further background, see Ezekiel 13:4-7.)

5. How did this false teaching affect Israel's worldview? How did it shape the people's relationship to God?

6. This passage tells us the false teachers claimed to speak for God. How can Christians discern whether a leader is honestly speaking for God? What role can family, church, and small groups play in helping believers navigate this challenge?

7. In Luke 6:26, Jesus points back to these Old Testament rebukes to judge the Pharisees: "What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets." Why does Jesus focus on the popularity of false teachers? Why are we tempted to listen to popular leaders?

Our habits also influence our thinking and perspective. Where we spend our time and energy will either lead us deeper into a knowledge and love for God or conform our minds and behavior to the culture around us. In the video, I single out Scripture reading, prayer, and fasting as three crucial spiritual disciplines needed to combat the encroaching influence of outrage today. These help Christians ensure that their inputs and outputs are oriented toward God rather than this world, while also reminding us that we truly need God's presence and provision. Read through the following verses to discover more about each spiritual discipline. Then answer the two questions that follow:

Scripture: Joshua 1:8; Jeremiah 15:16; Romans 10:17

Prayer: Ephesians 3:14-17; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 John 5:14-15

Fasting: Joel 2:12-14; Matthew 6:16-18

8. What do these passages teach us about the disciplines and how God uses them in our lives?

DIG DEEPER

The apostle Paul exhorts believers "to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life ... and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self"...