Big Idea - According to a recent survey of pastors, only 37% were found to have a biblical worldview as defined by those doing the research. If they do not hold a biblical worldview, then what worldview are they believing in? And more importantly, are these church leaders even true Christians? It is very possible that they are not, for in Christianity, what you believe is everything! It is all about having the right understanding of who we are, how we got here, what is wrong with the world, and what can be done about it (world view). If those pastors are not answering those questions from the teachings of Scripture, then they are not really Christians at all. They are deceived. They think they are Christians. They think they are following the truth. But they are not. They have been fooled into believing and following something very different. This should be very unsettling for all of us and should force us to ask the question, "how do I know that what I believe and the 'truth' that I am following is really true?" Others might be thinking, "does it really matter? As long as I am trying to find God, what difference does it make?" John would say, both that it matters very much what your belief system is, and he even gives us a way to put our worldview to the test to determine if it is really true or not.

What we believe does matter for two very good reasons. The first is that what we believe determines and shapes how we live. Every worldview answers the question, “what is wrong with the world, and how can it be fixed?” Many of us stand absolutely perplexed at how things are unfolding in the world today. But, we wouldn't be surprised if we had a better understanding of the worldview that is being held by a post-modern society. What we believe directly shapes how we live. But secondly, it matters because the Bible says that there is only one true way to know God, and if you are not following that truth, then you are in the grip of the evil one and doomed for eternal judgment. Therefore, it is vital that we test our belief system and make sure we are following the truth and not a lie because we can so easily be deceived! How then can we test our worldview to see if it lines up with the bible? John gives us three tests to check our worldview: 1) the sin test, 2) the culture test, 3) the revelation test, 4) the who is Jesus test, and 5) the idol test.