Page 14 - May 2025 - Truth & Tidings

Worldviews in Our Witnessing honesty of our walk with God.
Encounters Our Worship in Our Witness
Comprehending religious beliefs as Many followers of world religions firm-
worldviews rather than as pieces of ly believe in the transcendent, the mystical
practices allows believers to be aware of and the supernatural out of terror and
the overall picture surrounding a point doubt rather than trust and thanksgiving.
of discussion. World religions, such as In Acts 16-17, Paul illustrates how our
those originating from Asia, Africa and worship of God is the first impression-
the Middle East, have explanations and able testimony. To the women by the
codes of living for reality, for viewing life river, he showed acquaintance with their
and death, and for existing in the world worldview of prayers; with the damsel’s
that are fundamentally different from the deliverance, Paul was in the posture of
Judeo-Christian viewpoint. approaching God; to the prison warden,
A worldview determines what value the servants of God were singing psalms
judgments are made. In listening to the of the exalted divine Messiah; and to phi-
Lord Jesus, the Samaritan woman asked, losophers who limited their knowledge
“Art thou greater than our father Jacob?” of God, Paul proclaimed the infinite God
(Joh 4:12). The Athenians responded to of revelation and judgment. How God is
1
Paul’s preaching, “He seemeth to be a adored and accessed in our lives becomes
setter forth of strange gods” (Act 17:18). the ready witnessing “tool,” furnishing
Defying Moses, Pharaoh said, “Who is the us with both content and character that
LORD, that I should obey his voice to let are absent in the worldviews of religions.
Israel go?” (Exo 5:2). And in justifying the The second element in worldview think-
veneration of the statue of Artemis, the lo- ing is how we view humanity. Created in
cal official in Ephesus spoke of “the image the image of God, man is preeminently
which fell down from Jupiter” (Act 19:35). a worshipper. The fall of Adam brought
On Areopagus in Acts 17, the Spirit- about a sin nature. However, the born-
inspired message of the apostle provides a again believer has an eternal relation-
recognition of the elements in worldview ship with the Father and is a worshipper
thinking which he employed: 1) God, 2) waiting upon his God. In Paul’s message
humanity, 3) reality, 4) destiny and 5) mo- exposing worldly philosophy, he gave the
rality. A true worldview must be able to Christian worldview of humanity: “For in
satisfyingly deal with these five elements. him [God] we live, and move, and have
In witnessing to friends having religious our being” (Act 17:28). Life’s meaning,
professions, our approach in evangelism motivation and moments are a whole
where the elements of worldview are best new world.
expressed is, I suggest, in the heart of our The view that wrong desires can be
worship, our handling of the Word, and the denied by sheer willpower as the way to
“peace,” or the call to suppress humanity
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the in order to achieve “peace” are but two
KJV. sides of the same coin – both void of any

142 TRUTH kTidings May 2025