Pastor Kyle came today to our men’s Bible study and we were blessed and challenged by the word of God. Here is the premise and content of that challenge!

The foolishness of the cross in all 3 world views and the beauty of the redemption

BIC: 1/16/10: Pastor Kyle Mc Clellan, T-4 Global

Intro: Missions is tied very closely to our understanding of sin. Not every culture defines sin the same way. Westminster Shorter catechism for children: sin is not doing the will of God.

In Genesis 3, we see all 3 world views addressed:

1. Guilt & innocent

2. Shame & honor

3. Fear & power

Genesis 2:18, 25 the first NOT GOOD: Then the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Guilt: knew they were naked

Shame: 3:7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Eve misquotes the command from God to Satan argues the need for preaching role of the man

Fear: 3:8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

How do we share the gospel in a fear and power culture, and each of these 3 world views?

I. The Cross of Christ is foolishness and counter-intuitive to each of these 3 world views but for different reasons.

1. guilt: innocent man dies that is hard to swallow
2. shame: it is a curse to hang on a tree Gal 3:
3. fear: Jesus could stop his death by calling down angels (Matt __) but he doesnt

II. The resurrection: addresses and reverses sin in each world view the reversal that the foolishness of the cross brings

1. Guilt/Innocence: vindication; by doing this resurrection, God is saying that we are now innocent; the judge has seen what has gone on, the innocent died for the guilty and I am going to raise him to prove that all accounts are cleared and paid for those who believe. Parable of the tenants

2. Shame & honor: honor of Gods holiness restored, Jesus seated at the right hand of the father in the ultimate place of honor at Gods right hand; Jesus did not restore this honor to himself, God did it to him Phil 2; we were once slaves (worse than shamed family members) but now we are sons because we are in him (Gal 4) prodigal God

3. Fear & Power: real power – no longer have to fear death; power of God even over death; when Paul writes on the resurrection in 1 Cor 15, is he addressing overarching themes of reality or are there individual implications as well? Vs 56: we are the victors through God resurrecting Jesus; unforgiving, wicked servant who has been forgiven much but exacts much from someone else.

When working with indigenous partners, we start with, what is your world view? The west is largely guilt and innocent. However, RUF in Lexington observes a move to more of a shame and honor culture. Youth not thinking fornication is wrong, but why am I ashamed?

III. Which 30 Bible stories do we put on MP3s that most directly impact that world view?

Contextualization: This is where you start to get into their culture but the gospel involves all three world views and you grow with them.

How to safeguard still presenting a full orbed Gospel? As indigenous pastors read the word, they see all 3 interrelated world views in all of Scripture (i.e. Acts 2 of Peter preaching all 3 of these world views); the power of Gods redemptive plan addresses ALL these 3 world views.