Medical Ambassadors International and Global CHE Network

WORLDVIEW AND DISCIPLESHIP

God’s Word as the Basis of a Christian Worldview

Date: 06/01 (rev. 10/12) (1 HOUR)

OBJECTIVES: 1. Participants will be able to understand the basis of a Christian worldview

2. Participants will understand the need to tell the whole biblical story

OVERVIEW FOR TRAINERS: This is the fifth in a series of lessons that lay a theological foundation
for wholistic ministry. These worldview lessons are adapted from The Vision Conference, developed
by Darrow L. Miller and Bob Moffitt. For more on the Vision Conference, please visit the Disciple
Nations Alliance website www.disciplenations.org. Used by permission.

METHOD TIME KNOWLEDGE

Role Play:
1st Why do you take so much time 10”
studying the Old Testament with
people before you tell them how
they can have their sins forgiven?
People are dying every day. All
they need to know is that if they
will believe on the Lord Jesus,
they will be saved?
2nd If that is all people need to know,
then why did God give us the Old
Testament?
1st There is a lot of good stuff in the
Old Testament, but the one thing
that people really need to know is
how to receive forgiveness of sins
and eternal life.
2nd They certainly need to know that,
but they also need to know the
nature of man and his world, as
well as the purpose and direction
of history.
1st Now you are starting to talk like a
philosopher. The Lord did not
command us to do philosophy. He
commanded us to do evangelism.
2nd He commanded us to make
disciples of all nations.

----SH questions---- The two people were debating how much of the
S = What do you See?
H = What is Happening?
Biblical story needs to be told.

I. Discovering how the biblical story 20” I. The Biblical Story

shapes a person’s worldview.
- Break into three small groups
and have each group discuss
what the Biblical story teaches
about one of the following
questions:
1. What is man?
2. Where is history going?
3. What is the nature of the
universe?
- Report back to the large group
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WORLDVIEW AND DISCIPLESHIP
God’s Word as the Basis of a Christian Worldview

METHOD TIME KNOWLEDGE

A. What is man? A. What is man?

1. Genesis 1:26a 1. Man is made in the image of
God.
2. Genesis 1:26b 2. Man has been given
stewardship over the earth. He
is co-creator with God - he is to
develop the earth. God made
the animals, but Adam named
them, and God called them by
the name that Adam gave.
3. Genesis 1:27-30 3. Men and women stand equal
before God in dignity and worth.
The differences between men
and women are to be celebrated
as part of the full expression of
who God is.
B. Where is history going? B. Where is history going?
1. Genesis 3:14-19 1. We live in a fallen world that that
is in need of restoration.
2. Acts 3:21; 2. The goal of Christ’s mission is
Romans 8:20; 21. the restoration of all things.
3. Genesis 12:1-3; 3. God’s intention is that all nations
Matthew 28:19, 20. will be discipled and all nations
will be blessed.
4. Revelation 21:1-6. 4. The end of the story is the City
of God where God dwells with
man, and all pain, sorrow, and
suffering have passed away.
C. What is the nature of the C. What is the nature of the universe?
universe?
1. Genesis 1:3,6,9,14,20,24; 1. The universe was created by
Hebrews 1:3. God. Resources are created,
not limited to what is in the
ground.
2. I Thessalonians 5:23; 2. The universe is both physical
Matthew 10:28 and spiritual, material and non-
material.
3. The universe is an open system
– open to God, to angels, and to
the creative abilities of man.

II. Compare the story of the Bible with 20” II. Comparison
the stories of animism and
secularism.
- Return to the same three small
groups. Give each group the
set of pictures corresponding
to the question they discussed
earlier. Ask them to compare
the answers the Bible gives to
the answers given by animism
and secularism, and to put
them on a chart. Report back
to the large group.
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WORLDVIEW AND DISCIPLESHIP
God’s Word as the Basis of a Christian Worldview

METHOD TIME KNOWLEDGE

A. What is man? A. What is man?

1. Animism: Man is a spirit
2. Secularism: Man is an animal, a
mouth and a stomach, the
consumer of resources.
3. Theism: Man is created in God’s
image. He is a living soul,
material and non-material. He
has a body, mind, and heart. He
is the steward of the earth,
responsible for its development.
Men and women are different,
Source: D. Miller, The Power Story but equal before God in dignity
and worth.
B. Where is history going? B. Where is history going?
1. Animism: History is on a wheel,
going around in endless cycles.
2. Secularism: Time is running out.
3. Theism: History is going
somewhere because God has a
purpose.

Source: D. Miller, The Power Story

C. What is the nature of the C. What is the nature of the universe?

universe? 1. Animism: The system of nature
is unimportant; it’s passing
away, we just need to wait to get
off of it.
2. Secularism: Nature is a closed
system with limited resources.
Matter is all there is.
3. Theism: The universe is an open
system created and inhabited by
God. It is both material and non-
material. The immaterial
produces the material.
Source: D. Miller, The Power Story

III. Discuss the following: 10” III. Implications for Discipleship

What are the implications of what A. It is important to study the whole
we have just studied in the process Bible and not just the message of the
of making disciples? forgiveness of sins.
B. The process of discipleship is a
process of changing a person’s
worldview.
C. Changes in a person life and in the
life of a community are the direct
result of a change in worldview.
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WHOLISTIC WORLDVIEW: WORLDVIEW AND DISCIPLESHIP
God’s Word as the Basis of a Christian Worldview

References:
This lesson was adapted from The Power Story by Darrow L. Miller. Copyright, Disciple Nations Alliance
www.disciplenations.org. Adapted with permission of the author.

ATTITUDE: Facilitator understands how worldviews affect how we view others and the world
around us.

SKILL: Participants will be able to understand the basis of a Christian worldview and will
understand the need to tell the whole biblical story.

EVALUATION: Facilitators will know participants have learned the content of this lesson when they
display a Christian worldview and are able to tell the whole biblical story.

MATERIALS: -Newsprint
-Marking pens
-Masking tape
-What is Man picture
-Where History is Going picture
-Nature of the Universe picture
This lesson is used in: Wholistic Worldview and Analysis, Samaritan Strategy; Program Trainings – SALT, Urban TOT – Extra,
Vision, Vision – Mobilizing the Church
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What is Man?

Source: D. Miller, The Power Story

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Where History is Going

Source: D. Miller, The Power Story

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Nature of the Universe

Source: D. Miller, The Power Story