day 33- the vision to transform my mind’s thoughts (pt. 2)

How are we to replace the ideas and images that move us away from God and his ways? We take an active role in our thinking, joining with the influence of the Holy Spirit and seeking the truth for ourselves. There are two parts of our thinking that make this possible.

Information
1 Thes. 5:19-21 (NLT)
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. [20] Do not scoff at prophecies, [21] but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.

Jesus encourages us to put him to the test. The Christian faith is based on our ability to examine the evidence. We are expected to seek the information that is available to decide for ourselves. The Spirit guides this process, but we are to take the initiative. Putting the Christian worldview to the test as opposed to other religions and philosophies is encouraged. Christian schools, colleges and universities have historically been centers of learning to compare and contrast in the search for the truth. Also, God’s desire for us to know is made ultimately clear in the Bible and it’s centrality in our faith.

The Bible has been translated into 2,287 languages thus far, according to the International Bible Society. Christians want people to read God’s Word for themselves and examine the evidence. The information is there.

Now compare that to a religion like Islam, where the holy book, the Q’uran, is technically only truly the Word of Allah in Arabic. There is not a great movement to compare and contrast what the Q’uran teaches as relates to other faiths and philosophies. In many countries where Islamic law reigns, Bibles are not even allowed to be examined, and it can be a crime to talk about the Christian faith.

Other religions have secret books written in obscure ways that make it very difficult to understand their meaning. The God of the Bible wants people to understand. Seeking the truth of Jesus is an active pursuit.

Intelligence
Reason is a gift from God. As we examine the information available in his Word and in the world around us, we have the capability of understanding for ourselves that the Christian worldview is the best view of reality available. God doesn’t demand our allegiance through blind faith, “…because he said so.” No, God invites us into relationship and creates us in his image so we have the ability to relate. He invites us to use the intelligence he gives us to begin thinking why the bad ideas and images that are Satan’s strongest weapons ought be replaced by the truth of Jesus.

What are aspects of Christian teaching you have a hard time understanding?