Weekly Bible Teaching

Spiritual Worldview

By Rev. Vince Finnegan on 10/08/2006

Notes

Ever since the eighteenth-century "Enlightenment" movement, Western Christianity has participated in the rationalism, materialism, and humanism of the surrounding secular society, We, like secularists, have learned to focus on the material world and to largely ignore spiritual reality, even thought we are theoretically committed to a biblical view of invisible beings and power.

Rationalism - is the formation of opinions by relying upon reason alone. Truth and knowledge are attainable through reason.

Materialism - is the doctrine that everything in the universe is reducible to matter and can be explained in terms of physical laws.

Humanism - is the attitude of thought or religion in which human ideals and the perfection of human personality are made central. Theology and metaphysical are ignored.

Our worldview is not shared all over the world. In Africa and India for example the people are very spiritual minded and expect the supernatural to be apart of their daily lives. Hence we hear about great miracle that we can only wish for.

Matt 8:14 -17 did they know they were demonized?

Mark 7:24-29- This gentile woman who had little understanding about Judaism understood her daughter was demonized.

Mark 9:14 -29 -- The Father knew his son was demonized and did what was necessary to get him help. How many people today would consider that someone who is mute and deaf is so because of a unclean spirit?

Luke 13:10-17 -- The physical problem this woman endured for 18 years was caused by a spirit.

Matt 12: 43-45 -- So common was the understanding about unclean spirits that Jesus used it as an illusion.

Matt 9: 1-ff -- His physical problem was caused by his sin.

Do we think that things have changed? Did the demons go out with the apostles? In our society that roam freely because so few believer or acknowledge that they even exist. The man from the tombs have legion which in their day was 6826.

Acts 8:4-24 - Unclean spirits have to be given the authority to enter a person. The devil can not violate free will but can manipulate a person to exercise their will to allow entrance without even realizing it.

Unclean spirits can gain entrance into someone a number of ways.