The Power of Our Worldview

Worldview is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual encompassing the whole of the individual’s beliefs, knowledge, culture, and point of view.

I was blessed because of my parents.  They established in me some fundamental truths that went to make up my worldview.  There was a God and He was sovereign.  He was to be feared because He not only held our lives in His hand, but He determined where we would spend eternity.  He was also a loving, gracious, and merciful God who had provided a way to be reconciled to Him through the saving work of Jesus on the cross and His triumph over death through His resurrection.  Our rebelliousness to His rightful authority and the fact that He was the Creator, and we were His creation was called sin, and it had produced separation between God and ourselves and would put us under judgement if not forgiven.

This was my worldview, even before I repented of my sins and surrender my life to Him.  This was true because of how I was raised.  We read the Word of God and prayed every morning.  To have spending money as a child, I memorized scripture (the best investment of that money).  We discussed the Word of God.  We saw two people’s (my mom and dad) example of serving God and putting Him first. Sunday worship in the morning, Gospel meeting at night, Bible study and prayer at the church on Wednesday were non-negotiable. Here we learned the doctrines of the Bible. Our lives centered around Jesus and His Word.

When I went to High School and college, I knew these institutions were of the world and were opposed to God.  They attacked and belittled my beliefs.  However, if your beliefs represent your worldview, and you know who your enemy is, it is very difficult to dislodge that worldview.  This was the case for me.

Why I am sharing all this? Well, over the last 10 years in Nicaragua I have seen somethings which greatly impacted the direction of our ministry. 

Here are a couple of those things: 

Very few men in church, and an easy deduction from this is a lack of male spiritual leadership in the home. 

Pastors with little or no foundational teaching.  People with a lack of doctrinal (simply the teachings of God) knowledge, and without that doctrinal knowledge, they are being deceived and following false doctrines because they sound good. 

The Jesus only movement is becoming big here, which denies the doctrine of the trinity and focuses on works of the flesh.  Other movements, such as universalism (everyone is going to heaven because God is love and wouldn’t send someone to hell) is yet another one.  Then there are all shades of legalistic teaching that you will go to hell if you don’t follow their rules and the charismatic movement with its so-called apostles and apostolic powers.  Not to mention the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who proclaim themselves to be Christians and would like to start a Bible study in your home.

The church is under attack.  Families are under attack.  Secular education is attacking the youth.  We are at war, spiritual war.  Without men to lead the church in the future, I wonder about the future of the church.  We are called to be leaders in our homes, communities, and local church.  We, through the power of the Holy Spirit, are the ‘common grace’ of God which stands against sin running rampant.

To fight the war, you must be equipped and trained. 

We have looked for ways to make a difference.  We are doing Bible study groups that focus on doctrine.  I am leading a group that teaches male leadership in the home, community and the church.  I am but one person; so, how do we break this pattern?

I believe it is establishing a strong worldview in the home.  This is the starting point.  God was very clear in Deuteronomy; it is to begin in the home.

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9

This is where the responsibility belongs.  Here is where the child’s worldview is established.  It might be easy to differ to the local church, but it is certainly not what God laid out.

Even the world knows that if you claim the minds and the hearts of the children, you change the future.  And they have acted on this knowledge.

It is to this end that we have begun to prepare a men’s retreat for local pastors and male leadership in February 2024, Lord willing.  The facility has been reserved.  We are looking for sponsors that will help support this endeavor to make a difference by paying the cost for the participants ( $50/each for a three day, two night event).  This is a lot of money due to the extreme poverty here and is the reason we are looking for sponsors to make this a possibility.  We are hoping to have somewhere between 50 and 100 men.

Also, we are looking for people to come and join us in facilitating this event and seeing what is happening here in Nicaragua.  We want to invite you to join us in a monthly Skype prayer time in preparation for this event.

The focus of the retreat is, the responsibility of the male leaders in the home, the power of worldview and the future impact this will have on Nicaragua by being faithful to teachings of God. 

This is discipleship in the home.  It will impact the future.

Please join us in prayer about this very great need of male leadership in the home, everywhere.

With love and concern and for His Glory,

Stephen Goff
Stephen.Goff@N-Response2.com
www.N-Response2.com (currently being updated)

P.S.

If you have questions, please contact me at Stephen.goff@n-response2.com or Sean Hildebrandt at sjhildehouse@outlook.com

To help sponsor, you can give tax-free in one of these three methods:

ONLINE:               https://allegrosolutions.org/give
( account: N-Response2.003)

PHONE:                 1-713-874-1519
( account: N-Response2.003)

MAIL:                      NR2 Giving – Allegro Solutions
( Make checks payable to Allegro Solutions
and put the following in the memo section: N-Response2.003) 

Note:  Please use the account code ‘N-Response2.003’ and specify Men’s Retreat.  Thank you.