YOUR NUMBER ONE WEAPON AS a Christian is not prayer, love, faith, or the Bible: It is your understanding of prayer, love, faith, the Bible. Your worldview is your number one weapon. It is the filter that translates what you read into what you understand; your understanding then translates into thought, word, and deed. That is why two "Christians" are able to read the same Bible drawing two contrary conclusions. For example, one might conclude that sodomites should not be ordained as Christian workers while another that sodomites should be allowed to be Christian workers; or that abortion is not a sin while another concludes that abortion is a sin.

For two people to read the same writings with two contrary conclusions is not the fault of the author, but the worldview which the reader brings to the writing. What happens is that the understanding comes from within the reader and not from the author. Your worldview becomes the judge over the information you receive. When your worldview is faulty, so will your conclusions be faulty.

A faulty worldview is developed through immersion in the culture at large, the educational system, and the political system under which you live. In order to not be influenced by these, there must be an authority that is recognized as higher than all these and to whom we submit all our life. As Christians that authority is the Bible...the absolute, unchanging Word of God given to us by the very hand of God.

Developing a strong worldview based upon the Bible is your number one defense against the numerous erroneous ideologies and practices permeating our culture today. Or perhaps I should say...developing a strong worldview based upon your ability to read, meditate, memorize and come to the Bible in expectation of what it will teach you, not what you can bring to it, is your number one weapon. Our goal is to discover truth, not define it.

THE VERY BASICS

The very basics of any worldview begins with being able to answer the four basic questions of life:

1. Where did we come from?

Were we created? Did we evolve? Was there a big bang?

The Bible has the answer. The Christian worldview is to go to the Bible to discover what God says about our existence. If you believe something contrary to the Bible, you do not have a Christian Worldview, but a worldview mingled with paganism.

And what answer does the Bible give? It reveals that you did not happen by chance but were created by an absolute being called God. We were not ignorant, neither millions of years old, nor did we live in the "stone age" with Neanderthal man. Read Genesis chapters one through three, it gives us the answer to these questions.

2. What went wrong?

Are the problems of our world caused by genetics? Bad politics? Bad people? Mental illness?

The Bible has the answer.

It reveals that the world's ills are caused by an invading force called sin. Read Genesis chapter three...the world went wrong when sin entered in. The world continues to go wrong because sin continues to permeate all mankind. Sin will continue to rule until Jesus Christ returns to eradicate all sin from out of the world. Sin is the source of all wrongs, corruption, and bad.

3. How can we fix the wrong?

Can the wrongs be made right through our best laid plans...the right political leaders...the best education...more social service agencies?

The Bible has the answer.

It reveals that there is one God who created us, knows how we work, knows how to fix us, and has revealed Himself and His instructions for life to us through Jesus Christ. The solution for all of life is found through Jesus Christ alone. Read 1 Corinthians chapter fifteen versus twenty-one through twenty-two.

4. What should be my response?

Can you make a difference? Do you have a responsibility for someone besides yourself?

The Bible has the answer.

It tells you that our hope is not found through politics, education, or best-laid-plans...our hope is found only through Jesus Christ. He is God! He made us. He knows how we work. He certainly is able to fix the wrongs. Our response is to spread the good news that there is hope, answers, and solutions through Jesus Christ. Read Matthew chapter twenty-eight versus nineteen through twenty.

BEYOND THE BASICS

Once these four questions are answered, we are ready to lay the foundations for developing a solid Christian worldview.

Let us lay these foundations:

1. Creation Foundation
2. Moral Foundation
3. Doctrinal Foundation

Let us understand these timelines:

1. The Biblical Timeline
2. The Dispensation of Christ.

Once you've developed your worldview on these foundations, you are ready to think like a Christian.