Are You a Little Tipsy?

“My life is a Bible for some folks to see,  

I wonder just what they are reading in me.”

 

One of the Ad Council’s most effective public service commercials is the “Don’t Almost Give” campaign. One ad shows a man with crutches struggling to go up a flight of steps. The narrator says, “This man almost learned to walk at a rehab center that almost got built by people who almost gave money.” After a pause, the narrator continues, “Almost gave. How good is almost giving? About as good as almost walking.” 

  Another ad shows a homeless man curled up in a ball atop a pile of rags. He’s covered with a ratty bed sheet. The narrator begins, “This is Jack Thomas. Today someone almost bought Jack something to eat. Someone almost brought him to a shelter. Someone almost gave him a warm blanket.” Then after a pause the narrator drives his point home, “And Jack Thomas? Well, he almost made it through the night.”

  We know this yet far too easily forget it. It’s not enough to “almost” love for Jesus. As D.L. Moody said, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.” Knowing without doing is worthless. Yet, before you can do, you must know.

  A term often thrown around in the Church is “Biblical Worldview.” But what does it mean to have a “Biblical Worldview?” A biblical worldview is essential for having a successful Christian life. A biblical worldview is essential if you want your life to count for eternity. A biblical worldview is essential if you want to truly make a difference.

  As we enter 2021, may we all determine to grow in a biblical worldview. A biblical worldview is like a three-legged stool. Each leg is vital.  

  The first leg is knowing. Knowledge is like med school for a doctor. It demands reading and studying. But in American culture we value doing, not knowing. Knowing must always precede doing or you won’t know what the right thing is to do. God gave us a mind and we’re to use it.

  Christians should be the most voracious readers. We must be committed to study (2 Timothy 2:15). God has given us a written revelation. We must faithfully read His Word. Study demands reading books about the Bible and about God. It means digging deeper. It takes time and discipline.

  Can you imagine having an appointment with your doctor, you describe your symptoms, and he says, “I think it might be…but I’m not sure. I’ve never been much of a reader. I just go with what feels right.” How fast would you run out of his office?

  Think of the top five areas of your life, those areas that consume most of your time and focus. God’s Word speaks to each of them. Yet, if you don’t know God’s Word, if you don’t know how to think through the grid of a biblical worldview, then you will stink at all of them because you’re using man’s wisdom. A biblical worldview means that you must read and study.

  The second leg is talking. Just for a moment stop and think about all that you talked about this past week. Was any of it significant? Yet why is that we’re so uncomfortable talking about matters, well, that really matter? That have true significance?

  A healthy conversation that helps us grow must be a dialogue, not a monologue. The emphasis in our culture is wrongly on sharing what we think, yet failing to listen. And too frequently, we only talk with those who agree with us. But to have a biblical worldview we need to have deep conversations. We must have our assumptions challenged. Reading, studying and thinking should precede talking. Talking then helps us to grow and stretch, especially when our assumptions are challenged.

  The third leg is doing. American culture skips ahead to doing and jumps over reading and talking. Doing is essential. Truth needs work clothes. Yet when we get the order wrong, we do the wrong thing because we simply don’t know what we’re doing. Successful Christians know it takes all three: reading, dialogue and then doing.

  Our culture wants to rush the cycles and shoot from the hip. The outcome is that we become frantic doers and not even sure why we’re doing what we’re doing. All three legs are necessary. Knowing without doing is empty and sterile. Many Christians know what’s right and what they should do. They just never get around to doing it.

  Then, talk by itself is cheap. It takes deeds to validate the talk. But deeds by themselves are ambiguous; it takes words to explain their meaning.

  God, throughout history, has been gracious to provide His people with all three—deeds powerful enough to show He’s not just someone who promises. He’s revealed Himself to us in His Word because He wants us to know Him. His words are clear enough to keep us from misunderstanding what His deeds are all about.

  Recently, I heard about a factory worker who longed to see one of his fellow laborers become a believer in Christ. His witness was to befriend this fellow, to treat him kindly, not just to see him as an object but very much as a person. Theirs became the epitome of a relational witness.

  Some time later, the unbeliever became a believer—but it happened through someone else. Coming back to the factory, he spoke of his new faith to the man who’d been a Christian for many years. “That’s wonderful,” said the first fellow. “I’m a believer too.”

  “You are?” the new Christian said, incredulously. “Did you know that I’ve put off becoming a Christian for months just because of you? To me, you were the very embodiment of someone who could be a good person without Christ. I thought maybe I too could become that good without becoming a Christian.” So much for works without words as a witness.

  As we celebrate our Lord’s incarnation, it’s what He’s called us to be as well…we’re to be incarnational. We’re to be Jesus in our world. You can’t be Jesus without knowledge. Study His ministry. It included talking and doing. A biblical worldview has all three. Determine to make 2021 your year to commit to balancing them out in your life. Read, talk and do!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.