Religions and Worldview

Worldview Shapes People

Worldview changes a person’s direction in life

*As early as age 2, a child has already started developing their worldview.By the time they reach the age of 9, a person’s moral foundation is generally in place. And by the time they turn 13, their worldview is practically set in stone. (Additionally, 85% of those who get saved do so by the age of 13). There is tremendous opportunity in young people. -George Barna

Understanding Worldview is About Understanding People

Understanding different people’s worldview is important because understanding people is important. Knowing the why behind the questions people might ask to a Christian is essential information. It doesn’t matter where you go in the world, there are certain types of thought that are inevitable. For instance, Islam is a very large religion across the globe. Appealing to people who hold to this worldview and religion is important because they need the real Jesus.

Just as Jesus related to the worldview of the agrarian society by using parables that related to farming, so we should find it necessary to do the same thing.

appealing to worldviews/culture can make a big difference in the way a person can witness to other foreigners. For instance in Thai culture the way they revered the king was to the point that you have to give honor to the money and not step on it or crumple it up. Something as simple as respect can make a large difference in the witness of a person.

Understanding Religion is About Understanding People

Studying religions is important when dealing with ministering to other countries because ministry is focused around people, and people coming to Jesus is a shift in worldview. Worldview is a belief system or ideology. If you believe the Earth is millions of years old, you have a worldview that affects every area of your life. It interprets the Bible. It interprets what you prioritize as important. It affects how you see evil, and how you see the spiritual.

We can see an example of this by Paul when he addressed people in the Areopagus

Acts 17:22–31 NLT

So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about. “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

Acknowledge their worldview and their understanding

Correct it with scriptural worldview using their own understanding

Top it off with the Gospel

exposit the goods

Paul, having been born a Jew and not a gentile knew much about the worldview of these people. For instance, he knew that they believed they could serve God with their hands as though the God was in need. They believed that the God lived in temples. They believed that a God existed. Paul knew what was necessary to reason with these people.

(apologetic video about Christianity and Islam)

https://youtu.be/N6dkexljCiU

How can we use this information to bring Muslims to Jesus?

Keys to winning Muslims

“Not all Muslims believe that, but some of their writings say that.”

I want to emphasize when Frank said “not all muslims believe that. But some of their writings say that.” This is one of the keys in winning people to Jesus from other religions. When dealing with people of false religions, it is important to know the individuals perspective.

For instance, when I went to Thailand, another group was going to Egypt. This group described Egypt as having a mosque practically everywhere. About the frequency of churches in our areas, so were there possibly if I can remember exactly, more mosques. They were everywhere. Most people are muslim. Isaac and Bri were the married couple that went as leaders, and they said that a lot of their evangelism or ministry was targeted towards women because in the Qur’an and in many practicing Islamic countries, men are permitted to marry multiple women. while on the other hand, women are not allowed to marry more than one man. This problem made the Muslim women more open to the gospel because they were not only told what the Bible teaches about a man and a woman marrying and how they are to be treated equally with all dignity, but they also saw an example of a loving marriage in Isaac and Bri. Recognizing that you’re dealing with individuals, not always with overarching ideologies, makes witnessing to different religious groups more productive.

Listen to Them

Secondly, you have listening to them. Similar to the first one, listening to them and letting the person speak from their own understanding and their own ideas can be a great way to connect. Talk about the Muslim in Qatar that was at the extremely expensive candy shop.

Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Thirdly, you have the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Not that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is second place, but because the order worked better that way. As long as you are going to be on a mission to see the lost come to Jesus in whatever form they come, there will always be certain types of things that are forever constants, and things that might not be specific to certain types of people. The ministry of Holy Spirit is one of those things. As long as you are doing ministry without the Holy Spirit being your guide, it is as good as pointless, and no more value than a scripted performance with no compassion. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not just the Lord leading a person throughout the experience of witnessing, but also the effect that prayer has for the individual when you are praying with them.