God's Prophetic People - A People of Passion, Purpose And Power

God's Prophetic People

I. THE Lenses WE LOOK THROUGH (John 13:39-41)

Lens = A piece of glass or other transparent substance by

which rays of light are made to converge or diverge.

Eyeglass = Any lens used to assist vision, to bring into

focus that which once was blurred. 3

A. Historical Lens We often look through a historical lens to make sense of the present. This lens speaks of what has been recorded in the annals of our history — how people lived in the past, and how culture and people have evolved over time, both in us individually and in the world around us. History is where we were taught to see what we see and understand our present culture as we do. This is both collective (societal) and individual. Our historical lenses can either help us or hinder us from developing a godly perspective for life and ministry. worldview. What started out as a supernaturalistic perspective has predominantly shifted to a naturalistic perspective. Where did this start and how did this worldview gain strength? Many say it happened during the centuries following the Reformation. When institutionalized religion stood against any expression of supernaturalism. By the end of the eighteenth century, the so-called Enlightenment was in full force. Immanuel Kant stated the following in 1784: “The enlightenment was man’s coming of age. It was man’s emergence from the immaturity which caused him to rely on such external authorities as the Bible, the church, and the state to tell him what to think and do. No generation should be bound by the creeds and customs of bygone ages. To be so bound is an offense against human nature, whose destiny lies in progress.” 4 B. Worldview Lens Throughout the years we have seen quite a shift in

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A People of Passion, Purpose, and Power / © Brian Daehn