The Lunchroom Comes Before the Legislature
ARPA Note: This commetary was written by Tim Bloedow, of ChristianGovernance.com, under the title “Are you a biblical worldview faker?”
There is so much talk in our circles about “big picture” worldview thinking and reformation, but I have seen more and more need lately for very personal worldview thinking.
If we can’t and won’t apply God’s law in our closest relationships, if we won’t live out the Word of God in the daily mundane decisions of life, if we live as though there are any parts of our lives too unimportant to interest God, if we think we can honour Him in the “big” areas of our lives when we are living with broken relationships where we contributed to the harm, when we are seeing logs in the eyes of our husbands and wives, children and parents, siblings and co-workers, employers and business partners, and only the tiniest specs in our own eyes,
Then where do we get off thinking that we are ready to influence the world – or even our own nation, or our own province – for Christ.
If I’m not advancing the kingdom of God in the bedroom and bathroom of my home, I’m not ready to advance the kingdom of God in the boardrooms of the nation.
If you’re not advancing the kingdom of God in the lunchroom of your workplace, you’re not ready to advance the kingdom of God in the legislatures of the land.
If not advancing the kingdom of God in your kitchen, then you can’t advancing the kingdom of God effectively in the courtrooms.
Elders for God’s Church must first prove themselves in their own homes: “He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect” (1 Timothy 3:4).
A popular saying used to be that the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world. You don’t hear that saying as much anymore. I think it’s because we don’t have enough faith to believe it. And we don’t have the patience for the multi-generational perspective necessary to see that vision realized.
We live in a day when the Church desperately needs a renewal of faith, hope and love. Is it going to start with you or with someone else?
If it’s going to start with you, then it has to start at home, it has to start locally, among those you know best, those who know you best. That is the circle of your true influence. What is the nature of your influence?
It’s not one or the other. Some people will read my comments that way. In fact, it’s many who want to change the world, or their nation, or province, who have acted as though it’s one or the other because they haven’t been working hard to make sure they are applying God’s law – biblical worldview – at home, at church, in the homeschool room, at the local restaurant, or in their workplace.
This is the way my thinking on worldview has been consolidating over the past year or two. Working this out has been taking up much more of my time, which is a big reason for why you haven’t been hearing from us at ChrGov as much lately.
The investment of time and energy in this level of personal engagement with others is real. And in many cases, the mentoring to make such efforts easier is just not there due to condition of the modern western church. But this is an essential and exciting reorientation of life. This is why true biblical counseling has become a key component of our biblical worldview emphasis – because the Bible is wholly sufficient in that sphere as well as for our understanding of marriage, education, parenting, economics, law, politics, and every other area of life and godliness..
