What We Think We Are

Truth & Transformation / Introduction of Worldview / Speaker Emmanuel Entee

"What is the truth? How do I know that I know? Who am I? What is valuable? What is my purpose? What does it take to transform a City?"

Truth and lies really matter when it means giving significance and values shaping our lives as they should be. Post-truth is disintegrating our worldview, leading the world into chaos and darkness. The centrality of light has been negotiable. In the name of love, we have stepped out of the truth. We have entered into darkness to embrace tolerance, diversity, and freedom. Values and now concepts that have a completely different meaning. We have fallen short. Our broken society is reinventing itself, instead of finding our way back home. We lost the structures that the Protestant Reformers established 500 years ago. There is no more "good or evil" clearly defined. Confusion and relativity have taken over our society. The core values of society have changed.  Today what is transcendental is "what is best for me"? in different circumstances.

Definitely "the way we see the world" ... can bless us or curse us in life.

We can say that Worldview is like a pair of lenses, through which we look and interpret the world. People with different WV can observe the same fact but interpret it very differently.

"People behave in regards to what they believe." 

Our beliefs shape and drive our thoughts, attitudes, values, interpretations, decisions, and actions. A WorldView is more than interpretative lens, it's a perspective that shapes, influences, and direct a person´s destiny.

Who are we? What things have shaped the way a culture, social group, a persona, a family thinks?

Our existential experience shapes us: our personal group story, the experience of life and history. Oppression, sickness, death, financial, struggle, terror, broken relationships, injustice, war, desolation, post family history, cultural history, security, prosperity, strength, joy, will influence our way of thinking.

Also, the "ideas" that we received through the formal Teaching of Authoritative texts of the religious and educational system_taught formally in a classroom by professionals guided by a curriculum_,  will affect the way we think too.  They provided comprehensive answers to the big questions of life: the universe and everything that includes the origin, future, truth, ethics and the meaning of life. These are normally the domain of organized religion or education. In many of these contents, we find big tensions, between folk culture (that is shaped by the way things are done normally that is seen as morality right) and high worldview (our formal educational system).   Sometimes between religion and education too. 

The "invasive ideas" that comes from the "outside culture": fashion, music, pop culture, will absolutely influence our way of thinking. Most cultures where we live in, are influenced by other nations, colonialism, occupations, missions, businesses, global & popular culture.

Be prepared because the external influence will always bring tension and confusion, _to a person or group of people_.

One of the marvels of our existence as human beings is that "we people" are unique  (genetic heritage) and wonderfully made in all aspects. 
We have the ability to love, create, to give life, innovate and stewardship all things. Our actions don´t define our essence, but it does speak where we are at.

Compassion, honor, and hospitality are the highest values that "we" as human beings can achieve. Only integrity will permit we have a voice if it takes place. Our eyes should stay focused on the personhood of Jesus Christ. Only He gives consistency and authority. 

There are three main foundational components for what we are made for: 

For creation - Stewardship - and Service

The creator God created the "creators us". 
We were created to create. We were given "creative abilities" to create. 
We were also given "creative ideas to innovate". 
We have the capacity and ability to create new things... 
Why are you still copying?

What are in your hands to create?

We are stewards of everything entrusted to us. 
All that we have has been given as a gift, and it's our responsibility to take care of our relationships, our resources, even those new opportunities that have been given to us. 
Take responsibility!

Are you developing what has been given or taking care of what has being entrusted to you?

Service validates the value of our essence. 
We were made for the good of others. Service is an honor base action, not an entitlement. True leadership is based in servanthood.

Are you developing selfless devotion to others?

How do we respond to a culture which is consistently self-centered and far from the truth?

Freedom v/s Rights    Faith v/s Doubts      Tractability v/s Independence

Freedom is not the autonomy on doing what we feel like doing with any constraints. True freedom has boundaries. Involves structure, healthy rules, and policies. Freedom without structures or clear referents to follow is dangerous. 

Bondage to Christ _the Perfect Love_ allows us to be free in who we were created to be. Involves love for God,  love for others & love for ourselves. Laying down our lives for His purposes: reconciliation, justice, dignity, care for all his creation, prioritizing human beings.

Faith in Jesus Christ builds up people lives. Gives identity and dignity. 
Doubt does the opposite: denigrate, blacken, abuse.
Faith "is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  Trust is actually relying on the fact that the something is true, that things will work out. Intellectual assent is recognizing that a chair is a chair and agreeing that it is designed to support a person who sits on it. Trust is actually sitting in the chair.

Tractability (submission) is an attitude of reconciliation and unity. 
In all aspects, "we" as human beings, have been lead into rebellion instead of submission. Just looking at our world, reading the newspapers, watching TV, hearing any conversation. We can see there is a lack of conflict resolutions between the nations, society, families. 
Why don't we challenge ourselves to practice tractability (submission) in our closest relationships?

The Bible presents clear answers to all the questions we can face in life. It says that the origin of all that exists is God, its Creator. This simple biblical statement, which we confess when we say "I believe in God Almighty Father, Creator of heaven and earth," has a deep and tremendous vision of the world and practical implications. 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it." John 1:1-5

"We can´t have a Worldview if we are not in the world". Sometimes it looks like Christianity lives in a bubble. Instead of engaging the spheres and the non-believers, it wants to create a subculture or parallel sphere that currently never succeeds.

The traditional posture of self-defense of Christian culture, commodity, and many times hunger for domination over spheres, instead of taking a posture of humility and service as Jesus did: "He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" is embarrassing and out of place.

I truly believe that when "We Christians" or "Followers of Chris" start to live out the word and not only speak the truth & teach it, the fulfillment of preaching the gospel to the End`s of the World will take place successfully. I can see this has already started, and we are about to live one of the biggest times in history. Where Heaven and Earth kiss and Revival and Reformation will sweep the nations in a deeper way until our Lord returns.

By the mean time, "We have been sent by God to inhabit modern Babylon with a purpose, but we have to maintain our incorruptible identity by keeping the principles and precepts of the covenant, the same that God established with Adam, and that by grace comes to us through the gospel ..." Jonathan Muñoz


 Sources: Emmanuel Entee, Jonathan Muñoz, Bob Roberts