Lesson Overviews

How do you see the world? How do you explain what’s going on around you? How do you answer those who ask you to explain why things happen? We all want answers, we all want the truth. Living with a Christian worldview means living with God as your foundation for how you think, speak, write and interact with others. John 14:6 “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’” Without seeing the world as Jesus sees it, life just does not work.

None of these four worldviews offer any hope now or in the future. None of them believe in the grace of the biblical God who died on the cross for all people. Christianity offers, for those who believe in the Jesus of the Bible, life forever in Heaven with God. FOR EVER! The purpose of living, according to the other worldviews, does not produce true love, peace or joy. Only with the Spirit of God living in us can we experience that because He is love, peace and joy! This is the Christian worldview.

Everyone has an opinion about who God is. We mold our opinions from experiences we’ve had, things we’ve read, conversations we’ve whispered, or a personal belief of someone we trust. But who is He, really? Who is God? We want to know Him. We want to know what He thinks of us. We want to know of His promises. We want to know if we can trust Him. The answer lies in looking into His Book, the Bible, to see how He describes Himself.

Realizing the Bible is the reliable unchanging Word of God is more important to our relationship with Him than we might realize. The Bible is the foundation of the Christian faith. We must be very careful to never undermine the Ultimate Authority of Scripture. Everything in the Bible was inspired by God and is true. It’s just that simple.

There is an over arching message in the Bible. It’s not easily understood, but if you study Scripture and let the Holy Spirit guide you, it will surface. Want a hint? It has everything to do with God’s covenant He made with us. When we begin to understand the love and loyalty of a covenant, we begin to see clearly the incredible lasting love of our Lord. God wants us to know that He is with us always and will never, as His children, turn His back on us. In return, He wants us to love and trust Him more. Do you want to be more passionate about God? It starts with understanding His covenant.

Fact: Two out of every three teenagers today believe that Satan and the Devil are just symbols of evil (Barna). It is difficult for us to understand the reality of evil and the Devil in our world because we cannot see him, but we can see the path of destruction that he continues to leave in his wake. Getting a grasp of how Satan works is important, because we will not only be less likely to be pulled in by him, but we can warn others about how to protect themselves from him, too.

Do you ever wonder why our relationships mean so much to us? God is relational and because we are made in His image, so are we! God not only wants to have an awesome relationship with us, but He also wants us to build healthy relationships with others. Matthew 22:37-40 “’Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greates commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”

rEven as a Christian, living in the world is extremely challenging. Sadly enough, most of us don’t do very well in saying “no” to temptations. These enticements come in the form of lying, cheating, speaking poorly about someone, excessive drinking, eating disorders, sex outside of marriage, having an abortion and a multitude of other things. Couple this tension with the struggles we face because of our human flesh, and the lies that Satan is always trying to weave, and it’s no wonder that it is difficult to make good life choices. It is clear that God hates all sin, because it keeps us from living life to the full. The good news is that we worship a God of second chances! (1 John 1:9)

Those questions are on the tip of just about everyone’s tongue that has either witnessed suffering or has personally experienced suffering. It is perhaps the most difficult challenge that any believer faces in regards to their belief in the God of the Bible. We all need to reconcile our expectations with the reality of living in the world. We don’t like suffering, because it hurts: often physically, sometimes spiritually, and usually, emotionally. The truth is, suffering is a part of living and dying in this broken world with broken people. The good news is that in the midst of all the suffering, there is a God who loves and cares for us. John 16:33, Jesus says, “’I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’”

There are some who are leaders that have been recognized by others and hold leadership positions, be it in government, community or at the work place. Then there are the rest of us who don’t want to be president or an elected official, but want to move into action when God encourages us to make a difference. How can we do that?