Christian Philosophy: Everyone Has a Philosophy. It's The Lens Through Which They View The World and Make Decisions. (29 page)

The world system that surrounds us is hostile to Christians. Living in the world, we need to have the same attitude that scuba divers have when they are underwater. I’ve only been scuba diving once, and even though I enjoyed it, I knew it was a hostile environment. I couldn’t just take off my mask and breathe underwater the same way I breathe on land. I had to take a special approach toward surviving in that environment.

Similarly, this world is not really our home. Christians have been born from above, and although we live and breathe on earth, this is still a hostile environment. If we don’t understand that fact and just go about our lives nonchalantly, then the world is going to have greater influence on us. You can’t watch television and sitcoms and think that sitcoms present a normal model for living. If you do, then you’re going to get caught up in the same casual sex, fighting, and nastiness portrayed in those shows. As Christians, we should be different.

You live in a hostile environment, and if you are just taking it all in the way the rest of society is, then you are being corrupted by the world’s way of thinking. We are different from past generations of Christians in that the world’s philosophy is being piped into our homes via Internet, television, and radio 24 hours a day. To keep those negative influences from destroying us, we need to have a philosophy that we are in the world but not a part of it, which is exactly what Scripture says:

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

2 Corinthians 6:15-17

This isn’t saying that we should hate unbelievers, but we are supposed to treat them differently. For instance, I don’t value the opinion of lost people as much as I value what the Word of God says. I don’t believe everything an unbeliever tells me; no matter what their credentials are. You can have 32 degrees and still be frozen. I interact with unbelievers, and I don’t think being around them defiles me in some way; that’s not what I mean. I just don’t embrace or accept everything they say.

This scripture is a command from God to come out from among unbelievers. Practically, I don’t think this means we are supposed to withdraw into the walls of our churches and completely cut ourselves off from the world. No, we are the salt of the earth, and unless we live in society, we can’t season the world. Christians should be in the public arena—running for political office, speaking on television, and publishing newspapers. The separation doesn’t need to be physical, but everyone should be able to tell the difference between Christians and unbelievers. One of the very first scriptures that God spoke to me says,

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:2

The Greek word translated
conformed
in this scripture means “poured into the mold of.” As you go through life, it has a way of heating up and melting you. You don’t reach old age with the same opinions and perspective you had when you were young. Things happen, and you lose the naiveté of youth. Yet, in a sense, you get to pick the mold that you are conformed to—but it takes effort, and you need to focus on the truth in God’s Word. Otherwise, you’ll be poured into the mold of the world, and you will end up being conformed to the world’s way of thinking.

People with a worldly philosophy don’t like it when Christians disagree with them, so speaking the truth inevitably brings persecution. Jesus spoke the truth and the world killed Him for it. Just like the world persecuted Jesus, it will use criticism to try to squeeze you into its mold, but don’t be intimidated. When you stand for the truth, God stands with you. You need to have opinions based on a godly philosophy, and you can’t be afraid to speak what you believe.

Also notice that the scripture goes a step beyond advising us to resist being conformed to this world; it tells us to be “transformed” by the renewing of our minds. The Greek word for transformed is
metamorphoō,
and it is the same root word for “metamorphosis” - the process by which a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly. In other words, you get total personal transformation by changing the way you think—which is why Christians need to have a godly philosophy that attempts to follow God’s way of thinking. The apostle John said,

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1 John 2:15-17

When you are filled with love for this world and all that it offers, then there is no room left for loving God. “The lust of the flesh” is talking about all of the cravings people have for emotional and physical satisfaction: fame, adoration, sensual gratification, and the rest. God created us with a need to meet physical and emotional needs, but the world makes an idol of those drives—which forces out love of God.

Christian values are vastly different. The Apostle Paul said that he counted all of his worldly accomplishments as dung compared to knowing Christ—and Paul was one of the most accomplished Pharisees of his day. He didn’t mean there is no value in natural achievements, just not in comparison with relationship to Christ.

A lot of Christians think it is over the top to say we are in a battle against the world system. They don’t think the world is a bad place, and they don’t think lost people are bad people. I agree that lost people aren’t bad in the sense of being malicious, but many of them are promoting a moral system that is completely contrary to the Word of God—which is obviously detrimental to Christians.

I believe one of the worst mistakes being made by the body of Christ is trying to relate to the world too much. Christians are adopting the ways of the world in an attempt to relate to lost people. Now we have seeker-friendly churches that have reduced their sermons down to 10-minute pep talks and they have filled their services with entertainment. It’s fine to try to relate to lost people, but not so much that the distinction between the world and Christianity is blurred. Unfortunately, I think the church has been negatively influenced by the world to a greater extent than we have been a positive influence on the world.

As Christians, we should be skeptical of the attitudes and opinions that prevail in the world. We should be different. Scripture refers to believers as “the church,” which in the Greek literally means “called out ones.” Being separate isn’t about being physically isolated. It’s about being detached in our philosophy and opinions, so just because people in the world have credentials, doesn’t mean we should adopt their way of thinking. We shouldn’t exalt the opinions of secular scientists, journalists, politicians, or other leaders above the Word of God—no matter what qualifications they have.

In 1999, many experts were predicting widespread computer problems when the date turned over to the year 2000. They were all claiming that the internal clocks in computers had not been programmed to count to 2000 after 1999, and that major computer malfunctions were going to result. The experts were predicting a major crisis that could lead to food, water, and power shortages, and they nicknamed the impending disaster Y2K.

Some Christians were saying that Y2K would be the beginning of the tribulation period. They thought the world was going to descend into total anarchy. People were stockpiling food and weapons—so they could kill their neighbors if they tried to steal their food. Preachers were actually teaching on self-defense and killing others “in the name of the Lord,” in order to protect their families.

I didn’t agree with what was being taught about Y2K for a number of reasons. First, the Lord had told me to go on television and my program wasn’t scheduled to start until January 3, 2000. If everything that was predicted to happen actually occurred, then I wouldn’t be on television, and so I just felt in my heart that Y2K wouldn’t result in disaster. Second, I have a philosophy that God doesn’t want me hoarding food while my neighbors starve, and He sure doesn’t want me to kill them. Third, Christian philosophy says “give and it shall be given unto you”—it doesn’t say withhold to save yourself.

I didn’t have a word from God that Y2K was a hoax, but my Christian philosophy showed me that what was being said by the experts and taught in some churches was not consistent with Scripture. People were being motivated by fear, not faith. The Bible says,

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

James 3:17

There was no joy in any of the so-called wisdom that people were sharing about Y2K. All of those teachings on hoarding food and weapons were extremism based on terror. It violated everything I knew from Scripture, so I rejected those teachings publicly way before Y2K was near.

Of course, the world didn’t end, and nobody ran out of food or water. It was just like the craze in the late eighties when former NASA engineer Edgar Whisenant wrote the book
88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988
. The book sold 4.5 million copies, and generated a message that was preached throughout the world. When the Rapture didn’t happen, Whisenant wrote three more books predicting why the Rapture would occur in 1989, 1993, and 1994.

It amazes me how gullible Christians can be, but they are that way because they don’t have an established philosophy. They don’t believe in the infallibility or inspiration of God’s Word. They view the Bible as a book of wisdom containing vague suggestions that aren’t necessarily relevant to their lives. But trusting in the accuracy and inspiration of Scripture will keep you from falling for all of the misinformation and fear that is being promoted by the world; having a Christian philosophy will protect you from all of that.

The world’s wisdom is not working. People are taking pills to go to sleep, pills to wake up, and pills to get them through the day. Christians need something stronger to hold on to than “expert” opinions. God’s Word has been proven true over thousands of years; it is reliable, and it needs to be the foundation of our lives.

We need to get to a place where we trust the Word of God more than the opinions of men. If an expert says something that contradicts God’s Word, then we shouldn’t exalt their opinion—no matter how many credentials they have. There’s an old saying that if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Most people are living their lives in a state of flux; they bend with the wind and follow whatever opinions are dominating society. Trusting in the Word of God, on the other hand, will give you firmly established truths by which to anchor your life. You won’t be tossed to and fro, carried about by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning of men who lie in wait to deceive (Ephesians 4:14).

Everything in this world is going to pass away, but the Word of God will never fail. It is forever settled. Scripture says that God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence, and He holds all things together by His word. When you build your life on the Word of God, you are building on a foundation that will never fail.

I challenge you to begin reading the Bible with the openness to believe it is accurate and inspired. Read the New Testament and ask God, “Are these things true?” Ask God to reveal Himself to you. I believe that when you do, you will reach the same conclusions I have: The Word of God is true, it is accurate, and it is relevant to our lives. Once you start basing your philosophy on God’s Word, it will completely change how you see and experience life.

Receive Jesus as Your Savior

Choosing to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the most important decision you’ll ever make!

God’s Word promises, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9,10). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

By His grace, God has already done everything to provide salvation. Your part is simply to believe and receive.

Pray out loud: Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Savior. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me.

The very moment you commit your life to Jesus Christ, the truth of His Word instantly comes to pass in your spirit. Now that you’re born again, there’s a brand-new you.

Receive the Holy Spirit

As His child, your loving heavenly Father wants to give you the supernatural power you need to live a new life.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened…how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?