Worldview: How Disciples Interact with the Worldview

In the previous two devotionals, we have been looking at what the worldview is and how worldview people get it wrong. In this daily devotional, we look at how we should deal with worldview issues.

Devotions in the Self-Discipline Review series

All year, we’ve been looking at self-discipline. We looked at self-discipline as the operational plan for self-control because it talked about improvement.

We are reviewing everything and hopefully putting all of the building blocks together. What I am doing is going through all of the devotions for the year and pulling out the nuggets.

I am formatting this as a glossary page. If I already have one, I will combine them later.

Our Response to the Worldview

We are called to live differently from worldview people. That will put us in direct opposition to what is considered norm by possibly the majority of those with whom we come into contact (How Do Disciples Escape Persecution?).
I think it all boils down to the fact that Balaam was a typical human. Unfortunately, there can be times we have a touch piety along with a touch apostasy. There are times that we all are lured away from God by the worldview (Who Was Balaam?).
Every day, we have to depend on the Spirit. We can’t do it on our own. God doesn’t want us to, anyway. He wants us to come to Him in the big things and the little things. This has to be a daily dependence. We don’t take care of the little things and run to Him with the big ones. This is a total dependence. I know. That goes against the worldview, which says we are supposed to be independent (Characteristics of Disciples’ Lives).
God doesn’t give us just one chance. He gives us multiple chances. He will forgive us when we don’t perform perfectly. That doesn’t give us license to not do the job description. We have to tell others about Him and make disciples. We have to love others His way (not according to the worldview) (When We Settle for Less than God’s Promises).

The Disciple’s Job Description

Complete Job Description

The church at Ephesus lost their first love. Were they compromising with the worldview in their hearts by questioning God’s laws and commandments? The Ephesians could have been doing things for the wrong reasons. They could have been sliding toward the worldview. Oh, look at we are doing. We don’t need God to do this (How Do We Lose Our First Love?).
Worldview people sometimes believe that disciples are sticking our noses into their business to force them to be like us (How Are Disciples Merciful?).
Worldview people are quick to bite on us for pointing out their need for a Savior. That being said, disciples shouldn’t compromise our beliefs (How Are Disciples Peacemakers?).
Peacemakers work to foster peace and reconciliation. I think most of the worldview people think this means no conflict. I don’t think it does. Oh, yes. I don’t think disciples should be confrontational. I think this means reconciliation with God and spreading His peace to those who need it (How Are Disciples Peacemakers?).
We know Satan is going to bite on us because we are no longer following the worldview (Patience as a Virtue).

Children can be the exact opposite of their parents. Children raised in a horrible situation can use that situation as a catapult to a better life in adulthood. Children raised in a Christian household can follow the worldview, instead (Getting Obedience to the Heart Level).
God wants us to imitate His character. That is totally different than worldview (The Ministry of Reconciliation).
The perfect church is not focusing on our needs and desires. We don’t look to our biases and opinions. We focus on God. We need to focus on our spiritual life, not our physical life. That includes working to ensure the church is functioning as God intends. It is showing worldview people what life as a disciple of God really is like (The Perfection of the Church).
All we do should promote unity, not division. Unfortunately, human nature is in us, so the divisions do come. We have to watch how we handle those times because the worldview people are watching (Asking for Prayers).
Unfortunately, we may start to compromise our beliefs when we try to please people. Yes, we do want to build relationships with worldview people so that we can witness to them. No, we cannot change God’s laws and commandments to make them more palatable to worldview people. We have to follow God’s laws and commandments to His standards (The Rewards of Faithfulness).
Sometimes, we are going to lose our allegiance to God because we do start compromising with worldview people. We let the bright shiny sins tempt us until we give in and sin. When that happens, we need to ask God to forgive us. We need to work on getting ourselves more in line with imitating Him (The Rewards of Faithfulness).
We can’t be following the worldview fad of the moment (Are We Proactive or Reactive?).
We also have to be careful because the ability to govern ourselves is not always based on wisdom. We have to make sure that we govern ourselves through God given abilities, not through the worldview. That is one reason why worldview people think they don’t need God (How Is wisdom Righteousness?).
We have to be careful – even as disciples that we fully believe in God’s sovereignty. We can’t be lured into apostasy by the worldview. Apostasy isn’t just the unpardonable sin (Sometimes, War Is Judgment).
If we know God’s will and don’t do it, we earn the punishment we get. The worldview people have a problem with this. This flies right in the face of their ability to make their own choices. Oh, God lets them make their own choice. They are just going to suffer the consequences for making wrong choices. As we are all God’s creation, we will all be judged (Expectations of a Steward).
We have to keep ourselves disciplined when we are in between assignments to use our gifts. We can’t let them go — unless God is moving us to use a different gift. How does all of this tie in with witnessing? We may have difficulty convincing a worldview person that God also presents us with the secular one (Are Spiritual Gifts Different?).
I see two reasons God wants us to look within ourselves. The first reason is we are taking our focus off the worldview. The second reason is because within is where Jesus and the Holy Spirit reside. We focus on Him instead of conflicting desires (What Does Delight in the Lord Mean?).
Disciples impact the world when we exhibit the purity God wants. We need to witness through words, too; but worldview people have to see how we are different. Words aren’t going to mean anything if our actions are consistent (What Is Chastity to a Disciple of Christ?).
We don’t need works to be saved. We need works to prove our salvation. This faith is on promises from God’s Holy Word. It isn’t based on worldview promises or knowledge. It is solely based on the Creator of the universe (Faith of the Unseen).
Disciples have to look different than worldview people. Yeah, that is difficult in society right now, which tries to browbeat us into thinking their way (Does God Really Call Us to Give Up Everything?).
Religion and its rituals are not what God wants. God didn’t want the circumcision without the holiness. He doesn’t want baptism without the holiness. There is no purity in the artificial or that which is designed to impress the worldview people (The Nominal Disciple).

Divine Intervention and the Worldview

Some worldview people may think that because God is love and they are made in His image, that is enough to gain them salvation in the end. It isn’t. Salvation only comes through Jesus (Forever Worshiping Our Lord).
Jesus’ love is different from the worldview’s love (How Is the World’s Love Different from Jesus’ Love?).
We will face persecution if the worldview people see evidence of our faith in God. Luckily, we won’t be fighting the persecution alone. God will fight for us. He will go before us, with us, and behind us (How Do We Escape Persecution?).
God wants to bless His disciples, and He wants worldview people to become His disciples so He can bless them (Who Is God?).

Worldview and the Churchy Words

The Bible is a vital book, but worldview people may see it as that — just a book. We have to think about how we are going to show them that this book is a guidebook for eternity (The Scriptures Last Forever).
Remember, good isn’t the worldview definition of good. Good, in the biblical sense, is the workings of God within His people (Who Can Learn God’s Truth?).

We can have the purity without the holiness. But it won’t get us anywhere. Well, that shoots down the worldview people’s assumption that they can just be good and get to heaven. There is no purity in the artificial or that which is designed to impress the worldview people (How Are Disciples Pure in Heart?).
It is sometimes believed that the Holy Spirit is our conscience. He is not because worldview people also have consciences (What Does Made in His Image Mean?).
Worldview people today don’t want the boundaries associated with God’s laws and commandments. They want the freedom to do whatever they want. What worldview people don’t recognize is that God’s laws and commandments bring the goodness out of us — and give us a peace (Goodness as a Virtue).
Whatever peace the worldview thinkers believe they have, it is a false peace (Peace Starts with Getting Right with God).
We have to show the worldview people how we are different than they are. We do that by showing them the peace and joy we find in God (Salvation in a Nutshell).
Only disciples are going to be willing to navigate down Sanctification Road. Worldview people are going to steer way clear of that route (How Does Predestination Fit In?).
When we are sanctified, there is evidence of the Holy Spirit working within our lives. It is shown in our desire to do God’s Will. Those around us can tell we are not following the worldview. Instead, we are obeying God’s laws and commandments. We aren’t just giving lip service. We are following God’s call for our lives (What Is the Relationship between Righteousness and Sanctification?).

Seeking to imitate God in our lives