The Secret Battle of Ideas About God Session 1 - Invisible Warfare - WATCH: Session 1 Video - Invisible Warfare - SCRIPTURE: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2 - EXERCISE: Name all of the sources of ideas in your life. - The Big Questions Am I loved? - If I were to disappear, would anyone miss me? Why do I hurt? - Bad things have happened to me. Can I overcome them and find Joy? Does my life have meaning? - Is it possible for me to find direction in life? Why can t we just get along? - What will it take for us to stop fighting and find harmony? Is there any hope for the world? - So many things seem to be going wrong. Are we doomed? Is God even relevant to these questions? - Is their a creator is the universe, and if there is what does that mean for me? QUESTION: Are there any other big questions in your life that you need to have answered? - QUESTION: Do you agree with the analogy that ideas are like a virus? - QUESTION: How do we guard against picking up faulty ideas? 1
- QUOTE: A worldview monitors the ideas we are exposed to and isolates the ones that appear to be destructive. But it s possible to have a worldview that is porous, letting through some of the most damaging ideas. Or a worldview might be skewed in some way, welcoming ideas bend on doing us harm. - Dr. Jeff Myers, The Secret Battle of Ideas About God, Pg. 23 - QUESTION: If a worldview is a person s collection of ideas and values that filter their life experience through, do you believe you fully understand your worldview or is it something you don t spend much time thinking about? - QUESTION: Is it possible that you have picked up faulty ideas that you aren t even aware of? - QUESTION: What are some ways you think ideas the world has have infiltrated the worldview taught by Christ? - QUESTION: What do you believe are the long term consequences of this blending of ideas? - QUESTION: What are the advantages & disadvantages of building your worldview into a reflex and habit? - Faulty ideas/worldviews we will be discussing in this study: Secularism (Secular Humanism) New Spirituality Postmodernism Marxism Islam - Core worldview concepts? QUESTION: According to Secularism, what is the problem: - ANSWER: God is the problem. QUESTION: According to New Spirituality, what is the problem: - ANSWER: We don t realize we are God. 2
QUESTION: According to Postmodernism, what is the problem: - ANSWER: Obsession with truth is the problem. QUESTION: According to Marxism, what is the problem: - ANSWER: Rich people are the problem. QUESTION: According to Islam, what is the problem: - ANSWER: Rebellion against Allah is the problem. - The Declaration of Five Freedoms of the Christian Worldview Christian answers to the big questions. - Am I loved? Yes, you are loved. God s love for you is boundless. (Psalm 36:5-10) - Why do I hurt? Your suffering will be overcome. (1 Peter 5:10) - Does my life have meaning? Your life is filled with meaning. God has a specific plan for you life. (Ephesians 2:10) - Why can t we just get along? You are meant for community. One of the two most important commandments from Jesus is to love your neighbor. (Mark 12:28-31) - Is there any hope for the world? Yes. Jesus is the hope of the world. If we believe in Him then we will spend eternity in His presence. (John 14:3) - Is God even relevant to these questions? God is the foundation of the answers to these questions. - QUESTION: Why should we think that the Christian worldview is correct when we are saying that all these other worldviews are wrong? - QUESTION: Are non-christian worldviews ultimately incorrect? 3
- QUESTION: Has capitalism and corrupted Christianity ever led to atrocities and unnecessary death of innocent people? - QUESTION: Is it possible that non-christian worldviews contain elements of truth? - QUESTION: What worldviews do you see in the people around you? - The Source of Faulty Ideas QUESTION: Is there a source of faulty ideas? QUESTION: How long have faulty ideas been with mankind? SCRIPTURE: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. - EPHESIANS 6:12 - Combatting Faulty Ideas QUESTION: Are faulty worldviews obviously incorrect to people who aren t analyzing them? QUESTION: When or how do they recognize ideas and worldviews are faulty? QUESTION: Is the Christian culture and worldview proactive in combatting bad ideas and faulty worldviews? Using the four I s to combat faulty ideas: - IDENTIFY: Discern good ideas from faulty ideas. What do you mean? What does that word mean to you? How did you come to that conclusion? What is your source for that information? Do you believe that is the entire story? How do you know that belief is true? 4
- ISOLATE: Once a faulty idea is identified then ensure it is clearly labeled and separated from good ideas. - INFORM: You need to share the truth in love. That means not only showing others the truth of Christian ideas but the error in faulty views. - INVEST: Those who are struggling with faulty ideas cannot just walk away from their worldview without support. You will need to take the time to help them see how to use good ideas to answer the big questions in their life. IDENTIFY, ISOLATE, and INFORM are are proactive efforts to combat faulty worldviews. INVEST is a reactive effort to combat faulty worldview. 5