A New Year, A Renewed Worldview – Part 3

/ erinelainestrahan

SAVING FAITH –> DAILY WALK OF FAITH –> IN CHRIST

In part two I ended with describing these components of ‘ministry’ as being like a chain of hose connections that the life of Christ flows through.

I like it when metaphors come together, and there is clarity. But I was still struggling to see how Worldview fits into this framework and metaphor of ‘ministry’. So I asked Paul, because he has a great way with words and fitting things together and I love hearing his take on these sorts of things – he often has a unique perspective!

He said something to the effect of, “Well our worldview is a filter of 1. Biblical Truth and 2. Fellowship with the Holy Spirit through which our daily walk of faith is obtained, maintained and fountained (he made up this word lol).”

I needed sometime to process that…and come up with a diagram (surprise, surprise!).

Ministry Model

OBTAINING

  •  The ways in which we obtain and soak in the world around us. Things we listen to, read, watch, smell, and experience. The things that Paul refers to as ‘putting on’. We obtain information about how the world was created, or developed, or came into being.
  • Biblical truth filters these things that we obtain, and orientates them to the cross.
  • Biblical truth directs us to ‘put off’ falsehood, to ‘lay aside’ the foolish thinking of the world that does not align with God’s truth. It is our main tool of discernment.

MAINTAINING

  • How do we maintain, look after, feed and allow to thrive this biblical truth we have obtained?
  • Do we remain in Him – Christ – whose mind we now have?
  • Philippians 2:1, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and purpose.”
  • We become like those we spend the most time with. Do we spend time with Jesus? Do we spend time in God’s Word?
  • Fellowship with the Holy Spirit filters and transforms, renewing our minds.
  • Romans 12:2, “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.”

FOUNTAINING (another made up word, thanks to my husband, Paul! ha!)

  • If you look through a red lens, what happens? Everything in the world you look at through that lens is tinted with red, right?
  • This is the same with a Biblical, Christ-centred worldview. Everything we now look at, is tinted with God’s truth. Everything changes. We look at the value of life differently, we look at the value and place of culture and history differently – but again, in a way that is orientated towards Christ.

  • This is the exciting part – because whether you are doing your grocery shopping, going on an aeroplane, going to the park, eating your breakfast, the fountaining is the expression of the Life of Christ, it is the result of the way in which you view the world through the filter of Biblical Truth and Fellowship with the Holy Sprit.

  • This is where ‘ministry’ is outworked, where it is lived.

Continued in Part 4 (Final Part of this New Year series)… PART FOUR

2 thoughts on “A New Year, A Renewed Worldview – Part 3”

  1. Pingback: A New Year, A Renewed Daily Walk of Faith In Christ Jesus – Part 2 | Ephraim House Moree

  2. I’ve also adopted a similar but not the same point of view or metaphor of Christ centred life, and it comes in the form of a tree:

    A tree can’t thrive without a root structure beneath it that is buried in soil, this root structure is faith in Jesus and the renewing of ones mind through God’s word.

    The branches are your works and what people can see above the surface.

    The trunk is your being and uniqueness of person and what connects God to the works and people around you.

    Pruning is the process of refining your works and gifts to better serve the lord and help show people the way to Jesus Christ, as any tree that is pruned correctly will always come back better and a better ‘tool’ for the God’s plan.

    The bigger your root structure, the more reach and gifts and works you can grow into (more branches and bigger).

    The trunk isn’t what the fruit comes from, that is the branches and so the focus isn’t and shouldn’t be on the trunk, as the same as we are not meant to be the focus, we are just meant to be the visual representation or guide to Jesus Christ, and the roots is for his saved people to grow to become their own tree through Christ.

    The fruit that comes from the branches of the tree could be considered the people you have encountered and seen comzing to Christ or even just the lasting effect you have had through Christ on the people and works that surround you.

    In the same way that you could try to learn from other worldly things about how to live your life, this could be simply seen as trying to grow your roots in concrete or other non-nutritious ground. It just won’t get you anywhere and will just lead to death.

    Ever since I had this explained to me, it’s has made so much sense, but it also makes any tree that I see in the day to day remind me of how good is God and who we are in him.

    Anyways, your posts have reminded me of this again and how God is so great with how he lets us figure it out for ourselves in our unique ways and find our own ways to help him on his mission and where we are in that plan.

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