Practical Application Exercise: Home

Introduction

So it has been a couple of weeks since we have been in this series, so I want to recap our series so far with your help. So let’s do some review. Before we do this, I need everyone to have a copy of the 99 Truths sheet and the Questions for Contextualizing Work.

Before we do our review, I’d like us to watch a video that will help us understand what exactly it is that we are trying to avoid as Christians by studying this important concept of eliminating the sacred/secular divide.

It is a video with subtitles, but the subtitles do not exactly match what is being said. I want you to listen to the words that the man in this video is saying, but I want you to carefully read the words that are on the screen. You’ll note that the subtitles are what is really going on in the man’s heart as he speaks words that do not always line up.

[Show Plastic Jesus video]

This is the type of thing that we are trying to avoid as Christians. We want to be genuine in the things that we say and do, and the only way to do that is by eliminating this sacred/secular divide concept that we have been indoctrinated with.

Review

Before we review the content of our previous sessions, let’s look at the Theme Verse first.

Theme Verse

Who remembers the theme verse?

Let’s read it all together.

Matthew 5:13–16 KJV 1900

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

God’s Purpose for Creating Mankind

Why did God we looked at four major reasons why God created people. What are they?

For His glory

To reflect His image

To steward creation

To love and worship Him

Sacred vs Secular

If stewarding creation, ruling/governing/exercising dominion over it (as Genesis 1 says) is part of the reason we are created, then that goes shows us that there is no part of this life that can be called secular. The definition of sacred is “something that is set aside for the worship or service to God.” So if we are created to glorify God (and by the way, we are to do it every waking moment), then that means that every part of our existence is sacred. Church is sacred, work is sacred, families are sacred, school is sacred, hobbies are sacred, entertainment is sacred, food is sacred, rest is sacred, and everything else that our lives encompass is sacred because it is all meant to honor and glorify our Creator.

That means that nothing is secular. So, if our definition of sacred is “something that is set aside for the worship or service to God,” then what is our definition of secular? Secular is "a perspective that excludes or ignores the presence and significance of Christ, or treats Him as irrelevant.”

Four Major Truths Recognized by a Biblical Worldview

Starting with creation, we study that the Bible tells us that

God created all things, owns all things, and sustains all things. This truth reinforces the fact that everything is sacred. God is relevant in every part of creation. His authority extends to all creation whether it is recognized or not.

God has a specific role and function for people. We all have a God-given purpose for being created.

Secondary creation glorify God when done well.

Earth-tending (the stewardship of creation) is God’s assignment for mankind.

Opposing Worldviews

Who remembers some of the opposing worldviews?

Secular Humanism/Humanism - “any system or mode of thought or action in which human interests, values, or dignity predominate.”

Materialism

Naturalism

Deism

Atheism

And the list goes on.

What Is a Worldview?

We also looked at the definition of the word “worldview.”

A worldview is defined as a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world, especially from a specific standpoint.

It refers to an individual's or society's fundamental cognitive orientation, encompassing their knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can be seen as a set of answers to the big questions of life, influencing how one interprets and interacts with the world. Merriam Webster

We have rephrased this to give us a working definition that fits easily in one slide. Who remembers it (or has it written down)?

A worldview is a “big picture” of reality shaped by conscious or subconscious assumptions about the following five areas: God, Creation, Humanity, Moral Order, and Purpose.

The Importance of Our Worldview

If you needed to communicate why a person’s worldview is very important, how would you put it into words?

This diagram might help you remember why our worldviews are so important and why we need to be aware of them. Here we see 3 concentric circles. What do these three circles represent?

Behavior that is driven by

Values that are grounded in our

Worldview

What Questions Does a Worldview Answer?

Every worldview answers five basic questions.

1. Who or what is the ultimate authority or highest power, and what is the nature and role of this force or entity?

2. What makes up all the stuff of the universe, how did it get here, and is there more to it than meets the eye?

3. Who are human beings, what gives them value, what happens when they die, and how do they know what is true?

4. How do people determine right and wrong?

5. Is there a reason and purpose for all that exists?

Looking at the 99 Truths sheet, give me some answers for these questions from a Biblical Worldview.

Questions and Answers

Last session we started to get into practical application eliminating the Sacred/Secular divide. We looked at the 99 Truths and we used that to help us fill out an Awesome Activator. I think I may have tried to go a little too fast in doing all that at once. So, as the saying goes, “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”

So right now, we are going to slow things up a bit. I want you to think of your life at home. Maybe you live your spouse and/or kids, perhaps you live with your parents. Maybe you live alone or live with roommates. Wherever you live, we will be calling that “home” tonight.

This evening, we are going to go through the sheet that is titled Questions for Contextualizing _______. But instead of applying these to work, we are going to do this in the home setting.

What I want you to do is if you are married, I want you to apply this as it relates to you being a husband or a wife. Regardless if you have children or not, your primary commitment is to your spouse, so that is what I want you to relate this to.

So, for those that are married, you will fill the blank at the top of the page with the word “Marriage.” E:g.: Questions for Contextualizing Marriage.

If you are a single parent, you will fill in the blank with the word “Parenting.”

Single and living at home? You will write “Living with Parents/Family.”

Roommate? Write “Living with a Roommate/Roommates.”

So, let’s go ahead and work on these. Answer as many questions as you can, as thoroughly as you can. If you can’t answer a question, move to the next one. I want us to take a good amount of time working through this.

[Give time for people to answer questions. Prompt them to move to different sections as time passes so that they will have at least some answers in each section. After a good amount of time passes, go over answers that people may have.]

Homework

For parents with children at home, take a blank copy and complete it as Questions Contextualizing Parenting.

Next week we will be using this to complete the Awesome Activator that we tried to do last session. I think maybe I pushed for that a bit to quickly...