Do You Have A Christian Worldview?

Just so we’re using familiar terms, a good definition of worldview is: A collection of presuppositions, convictions and values from which a person tries to understand and make sense out of the world and life. It’s a conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality—Ronald Nash, Faith and Reason

A Christian worldview begins with seeing things the way God sees them. Jesus said—Matthew 22:29—You don’t understand, because you don’t know what the Scriptures say, and you don’t know about the power of God. (NCV) Some startling statistics were released in a study by The Barna Research Group. It summarized that relatively few Americans have a biblical worldview. It suggested that a large share of the nation’s moral and spiritual challenges is directly attributable to the absence of a biblical worldview. A survey of 2,033 adults discovered that only 4% of Americans have such a view and only 9% of those who called themselves Christians have a biblical worldview. The research defined a biblical worldview as having a firm belief in six specific areas:

1—The Bible is accurate in all of its teachings.

2—God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He still rules it today.

3—Jesus Christ lived a sinless life.

4—Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned.

5—Satan is real.

6—A Christian has a responsibility to share his faith in Christ.

Do you agree with those six statements? Do you have a Christian worldview or is your worldview influenced by secular philosophies? Let’s take a look at those six areas used in the Barna study and try to see them the way God sees them. How do we do that? Simple…see what the Bible says about them starting with the fact…

1. You can fully trust the Bible.

The statement in the Barna study was “the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings” which translates to you can fully trust it. You have to begin here because if you don’t believe the Bible then you can’t refer to the Bible to make the other points. I believe the Bible. I’ve taught several courses on Apologetics where, using secular sources, I’ve proven that it’s completely true. So, I don’t have a problem going to the Bible to see what it says about itself—for example…

2 Timothy 3:16-17—16-17Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. (Message)

John 17:17— 17Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. (Amplified)

Proverbs 30:5a—5Every word of God proves true… (NLT)

A solid belief in the validity of the Word of God is basic to a Christian worldview. Without the absolute truth contained in God’s Word you could declare anything truth at which point truth becomes relevant to the situation. Thank God that His Word is truth and that you can fully trust the Bible which clearly says…

2. You are not an accident.

The statement in the Barna study was “God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He still rules it today.” If I believe this, then I must believe that man is not the result of random events—pond-scum to people or molecules to man which is the world’s view. Scripture says you were created by a direct act of God. You didn’t evolve into what you are you were created to be what you are. Scripture says—Genesis 1:1a—1In the beginning God created… (NASB) The Bible begins with a simple but profound declaration of faith—in the beginning there was only God—nothing else. Everything else that comes to be, comes as the result of the activity of God—nothing existed until God declared that it would exist. It doesn’t stop there; God didn’t create it then take His hands off and simply watch it like some cosmic science experiment. Exodus 15:18—18The LORD will reign for ever and ever. (NIV) God rules and reigns over His creation and everything that happens in this wide wonderful world happens with His permission. God’s never caught by surprise—He knows all, sees all and is all powerful. This fact is critical to shaping a Christian world view…you’re not alone and you didn’t just happen—you’re here because God wanted you here. God gives you a set of rules to live by and even though you often break His rules by sinning…

3. You have a hope to be with Him forever.

Let’s take two of the statements from the Barna survey and combine them, “Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned.” Some who hold to a secular worldview may say, “OK, so what? What does this have to do with me?” The answer is it has everything to do with you. Remember, God made this earth…to include you…and He reigns over it and the One who reigns gets to set the rules. But frankly, you and I break the rules everyday and that’s called sin and the result of our sin is death. The Bible says—Romans 6:23a—23Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death… (Message) So, because you sin you’re going to die both physically and spiritually. You can understand the physical part because we see it every day. It’s the spiritual part we have problems with. That means we’ll be separated from God forever in a place called Hell. You and I need someone who never sinned to pay the price for our sin and that’s where we come to the first part of the worldview statement. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life. Hebrews 4:14-16—14-16Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. (Message) What’s He ready to give you—salvation…eternal life instead of spiritual death. Romans 6:23b—But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. (Message) That’s the second part of the worldview statement. Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned. Ephesians 2:8-9— 8God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (NLT) Because of all of this you have a hope that you can be with God forever. All you have to do is ask God to give you this gift and He will. But there’s someone who doesn’t want you to have God’s gift. There’s someone who’d rather see you in Hell than in Heaven with God.

4. You have an enemy of your soul.

The Barna survey statement is point blank, “Satan is real.” Scripture gives many examples of Satan’s existence. For example—Job 1:6-7—6-7One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan, who was the Accuser, came along with them. God singled out Satan and said, “What have you been up to?” Satan answered God, “Going here and there, checking things out on earth.” (Message) Or how about this example—1 Peter 5:8—8Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. (Amplified) Satan is real and he wants you to go to Hell. Why? Because that’s where he’s going and he doesn’t want to go alone. Revelation 20:10— 10Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (NLT) One of the primary weapons that Satan will use against you is ignorance. If he can convince you that he doesn’t exist then you won’t watch for him. Another weapon is apathy, “Why should I care about all that…I’m just going to enjoy life.” If the devil can get you to deny or doubt his existence, then you’re his and you’ll buy into the secular worldview instead of doing what you’re supposed to do which is…

5. You must share your faith in Christ.

Again, the statement participants were asked to affirm in the survey was, “A Christian has a responsibility to share his faith in Christ with other people.” This is becomes evident when you consider the rest of the statements as a whole…

We can fully trust the Bible.

We are not accidents but creations of God.

We have a hope to be with God forever if we accept His free gift.

We have an enemy of our souls that wants us in Hell.

So, we must share our faith so others can share in our Christian worldview. If reason won’t work for you and drive you to the streets to share what God has given you, then what about a direct command from Jesus? Mark 16:15—15And then He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” (NLT) If part of your worldview is that Scripture is correct, then you must obey it and it doesn’t get any clearer than “Go and preach the good news to everyone.”

What about the other essential doctrines of the Christian faith…

The virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

The deity of Christ.

The person and work of the Holy Spirit.

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Or the future return of Jesus Christ…just to name a few.

The statistical numbers would probably much lower if we considered additional essential teachings of the Bible. People who don’t believe what the Bible says about these and other basic fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith don’t have a biblical worldview! Do you have a Christian worldview? If you think you see a flaw in the Word of God, you need to correct your thinking. God’s Word is flawless so the error is in your thinking. If you can’t hold to the statements I’ve covered in this entry, you need to go to God and ask Him to help in your understanding because you’re wrong.

I’m praying for you,

Pastor Greg

God Loves You!

The hour is late as I type this blog entry and this is about the fourth time I've entered a title and typed the first line of what was supposed to be profound. I type a few lines and then after re-reading it, I delete it all and start over again. So, this time I'll keep it simple and get straight to the point. God loves you and wants to be in a relationship with you. He loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for you. Scripture says it this way, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so whoever believes in Him doesn't have to die but will have eternal life." Don't ask me what version that verse comes from because, as I said at the start of this post, it's late and frankly I've probably combined a few versions. But I think you can get the point. You see, our sin--you know, the stuff we do wrong--separates us from God. The penalty for sin is death and that means both physical and spiritual death. We're all familiar with the physical part...we see it every day. But the spiritual part may be a little confusing. We are eternal beings. Some would have you believe that once your physical life is over you simply blink out of existence but that's not true. You will spend eternity somewhere after your physical life has ended. That's where the spiritual death comes into play. If you die without having entered into a relationship with God, then you will die spiritually and be eternally separated from God. However, getting back to the verse, God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for your sin and it's through His death that your sin can be forgiven. It's through His death that you can enter into a relationship with God the Father and then instead of dying spiritually you'll live eternally in Heaven with Him. Is this automatic? No...but it is free! All you have to do is ask for it. You simply ask God to come into your life and forgive you of you sin. Ask Him to take away the penalty of you sin and then you enter into the relationship with Him that He wanted all along. Why? It's all because He loves you and He wants to spend time with you. In fact, He loves you so much that He wants to spend eternity with you.

Have you accepted the sacrifice that Jesus made on your behalf? Have you entered into a relationship with God the Father? Do you know how much He loves you?

I'm praying for you.

Pastor Greg

Fair Evangelism

"Can I give this to you for later? Just put it in your pocket and read it later on." I said that phrase hundreds of times last night and plan to again tonight. In fact, I'm participating in a fair evangelism outreach sponsored by our association of churches this week and I'll be saying that phrase all week long. It's what I say to someone as I hand them a Bible tract about Jesus. My thought process is that the individual is at the fair...the last thing they want while they've come out to have fun with family or friends is to have some old guy try to take some of their precious time for a conversation. So, "Can I give this to you for later? Just put it in your pocket and read it later on."

You'd be surprised how effective that approach is. It's not 100% as some people won't take it no matter what but for the most part they say sure and tuck it away for later. Some people would tell me that I'm not actually witnessing for Jesus or that my approach is a cop out because I'm not telling them they need to be concerned about God right then and there. I disagree. I think that it's better for the person to read the Bible tract when they actually have time to read and think about it instead of in the fast paced, hectic environment at the fair grounds. When they get home and empty out their pockets they'll pull out the "little book," read it and then God can speak to them about their life. My approach is not the only approach...it's just my approach but it's been my experience that it works!

Also, while we're at the fair we're making balloon animals, salvation bracelets and even trying to get people to register for a drawing for a Bible. I call all of that bait! It brings people in so we can give them what they really need...an introduction to the Savior of the world. Do you know Him? If not, you can. If you come to the Lenoir County Fair Grounds tonight it would be my honor to introduce you to Jesus.

I'm praying for you,

Pastor Greg

Do You Know Your Neighbors?

This week I attended a conference at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall Texas. The conference was to equip church leaders in establishing a small group ministry among their members. I received a lot of good information and beleive this is the next step for the congregation I serve. That's not, however, the message of this post. I said all that to ask a question that God placed on my heart during the conference. Do you know your neighbors?

The lead presenter, Steve Gladen, said, "You need to cross the street before you cross the sea." That really hit home for me. I've gone on many international mission trips where I was able to preach, minister and witness for Jesus without regard for what the people thought of me. The goal was simply to make disciples of Jesus Christ using whatever Biblical means were available. But, when Steve suggested that we map out our neighborhoods I was ashamed to admit to the guy sitting next to me that I couldn't do that. You see, I don't know my neighbors. Don't get me wrong, I live on the end of a street so I only have one family living next to me and one person living across from me. I know them...the family living next to me are all Christians and we have often prayed together and "had church" in our dirveways that are side by side. The person living across from me is my Aunt and I pray every day for her to accept Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. But that's it. I don't know the rest of them. Oh, I know some of their names and I can even tell you when some of them cut their grass but I don't KNOW THEM. I have not taken the time to cross the street and get to know them.

Right about now you may be saying, "So what. Do you need to know them?" The answer is yes I do. The people living in my neighborhood are all people that Jesus Christ died for and I don't know if most of them have ever even heard of Jesus much less accepted Him as their Savior. For that...I'm ashamed and I will do something about it. Jesus said as He gave the Great Commandment that we should love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. I got the first part right...I love the Lord...but how can I love my neighbor if I don't even know them? I could make a bunch of excuses for why I don't know them but then we could all do that. The bottom line is we make time for what's important to us. I plan to make time for my neighbors. I want to get to know them. If any of my neighbors are reading this...this is fair warning: I'm coming across the street!

Do you know your neighbors?

I'm praying for you,

Pastor Greg

What's So Amazing About Grace?

Have you ever heard the song Amazing Grace? We sing it all the time in churches in traditional and comtemporary versions but have you ever stopped to consider what's so amazing about grace?

I did that this week...in fact I've consider grace over the last several weeks and, frankly, I'm overwhelmed! Countless books have been written in an attempt to explain grace. Songs have been composed, classes have been taught and thousands of individuals have been counseled on the subject of grace but still, I beleive, people are unaware of just how amazing grace really is. We often overlook it and even worse abuse it by continuing in our sin and simply relying on God and His amazing grace to forgive us.

Tomorrow morning I get to speak about grace and I plan to cover three points: You are saved by grace, you are secured by grace and you serve God by grace. Scripture is very plain when it comes to the subject of grace. In fact, let me give you some passages that relate to each of these points and we'll let God's Word be the last word. Just read the passages and let them minister to you.

1. You are saved by grace.

• Ephesians 2:8-9--For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (NIV)

2. You are secured by grace.

• 2 Corinthians 1:22—He (God) has identified us as His own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything He has promised us. (NLT)


• Hebrews 7:25a—Therefore He (Christ) is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him… (NASB)


• Jude 24—Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. (NLT)·


• Psalm 37:23-24—The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. (NLT)

3. You serve God by grace.

• 1 Corinthians 15:9-10—For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. (NASB)

I'm praying for you,

Pastor Greg

What Will You Do?

The Apostle Paul said that he became all things to all men so that by all possible means some may be saved. What will you do that some may be saved? Are you willing to step outside your comfort zone and talk to a stranger about Jesus? How about travelling to a foreign country to show the love of Christ to someone less fortunate than you? I know, what about inviting someone to come to church with you this Sunday. Will you do that?

A lot of Christians say it's the job of the preacher to tell people about Jesus or the job of the missionary to visit the foreign countries. Well intentioned believers in the Son of God would never even think of inviting someone else to come to church with them. After all, that's someone else's job.

Well, the truth is that we're all ambassadors for Christ after we enter into a personal relationship with Him. He has left us here in this world to represent Him among the unsaved. Are you doing that? Are you representing Him or are you simply relying on someone else to do it? Yes, it's the job of the preacher, missionary and "average Joe" Christian to tell about, show and live Christ before a watching world. So let's start small...this Sunday when you leave your house to go to church, invite that neighbor of yours that's always out working in the yard. They watch you leave for church week after week (assuming you go that often) but you've never even bothered to invite them to go with you. Who knows, they might just surprise you and say give me a few minutes to get ready or I'll meet you there. In any case you will have represented the One that gave His life for you.

Once you start inviting people to go to church with you then you may get bold enough to start telling others how Jesus has changed your life. Then it's on to foreign countries and...OK, that's wishful thinking on my part but I think you get the point. Paul became all things to all men--what will you do in order that some may be saved?

I'm praying for you,

Pastor Greg

You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

I've never tried blogging before but I suppose if it's another way to reach someone for Christ then it's worth the effort. Our Webmaster asked me if I would begin blogging for our website and I consented. I'm sure as I attempt to keep up with the weekly postings you'll very quickly learn that I'm not that computer savvy and I don't know all the correct terms to use but there is one thing I know very well and that's how to become a Christian. I've decided that will be my aim in doing this...to introduce someone to Jesus Christ so they can change their eternal destination from a place called hell to a place called heaven (and yes, I believe both are literal, eternal destinations).

It's really simple--do nothing and end up in hell; accept Christ as your personal Savior and end up in heaven. Now, I think everyone knows how to do nothing so I really don't have to talk about that but you may not know how to accept Christ as your personal Savior so let's consider that option. Again, it's really simple but before I tell you how to do it I have to give you the reason why you need to do it.

A long time ago, in a place called the Garden of Eden a man named Adam broke a very clear command that God had given him. God said, "Don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Adam, on the advice of his wife (Eve), decided to go ahead and eat some of the fruit from that tree anyway. He thought he knew better than God so he broke the one rule that God had given him. That's called sin...when we break the rules that God gives us. Well, Adam's sin had severe and immediate consequences. That sin brought disease, destruction and death into the world. The death caused by the sin is twofold: it's a physical death...you see evidence of it every day; and it's a spiritual death...sin causes a separation from God. That's the ultimate consequence of sin, you can't go to heaven to be with God unless your sin has been forgiven. Oh, I forgot to mention that becuase Adam sinned and we all come from Adam's seed (I think we'll skip the biology lesson for now) then we all have a sin nature and we all sin. Think about it...God says in the Bible that we should always tell the truth. When you tell a lie--and I'm sure you have--you sin and that sin has to be paid for by someone who's perfect. Well, that's not you because you're a sinner and unless a perfect person pays for your sin then when you die you wind up in hell eternally seperated from God who's in heaven. Get the picture? You need someone perfect to pay for your sin so you can be forgiven and be restored to a relationship with God. Here's some great news...that person's name is Jesus and He's already paid for your sin when He gave His life on the cross at Calvary. All you have to do is accept Jesus as your personal Savior and that's where we started.

How do I accept Jesus as my personal Savior? I've already told you it was simple and here it is...ask Him to save you! Call out to Him in prayer and ask Him to come into your life and forgive you of your sin. Now before you freak out and say, "I don't know how to pray." Prayer is just talking to God. If you're really ready to enter into a relationship with God...to accept Jesus as your personal Savior, pray this prayer or one like it: "Dear God, I'm sorry for all the bad stuff I've done in my life. I'm sorry for all the times I've broken the rules you gave me. I'm sorry for my sin. Please forgive me and show me how to live the way you want me to live. I want to get to know you better and I know this is the first step. I don't understand it all but I want Jesus as my Savior. Thanks for listening to me and thanks for saving me."

If you pray that prayer or something similar to it, then congratulations you're saved! Jesus just became your personal Savior. Go tell someone--right now--what you just did. You need to share with someone...anyone...that Jesus saved you. Who knows, maybe they'll want to have Jesus as their Savior, too.

I'm praying for you,

Pastor Greg