Think Like Jesus:
Make the Right Decision Every Time
Part 3: Practicing A Biblical Worldview
Chapter 11: When the Rubber Meets The Road
Chapter 11 is quite different than the preceding chapters in that it is simply a ten page record of a conversation between “Ted” and “Bill.” The conversation starts on the subject of tithing, but points out that while both Ted and Bill are active members of their respective local congregations, Ted is way ahead in understanding and living a biblical worldview. Some key points from the chapter follow:
Bill’s church has the “annual dollar plea. It’s the start of the church’s fiscal year, so the pastor did his usual guilt trip on us about giving money—‘generously, cheerfully, sacrificially.’ He’s on this tithing kick, trying to get everyone to give ten percent of their income. Ten percent! What planet does this guy live on anyway.”
After listening to Bill go on about how impossible it is to tithe in today’s world, and how outdated it is anyway, Ted says, “I tithe you know….Yeah, I’ve been doing it for probably five or six years now…Frankly, I can’t imagine not tithing.”
Ted then goes through an extensive explanation about how his church has helped him gain a biblical worldview, and that tithing is simply one part of an overall biblical worldview, that he does it not out of legal obligation or to get a reward, but because it is part of his loving response to God’s prior love in his life.
How do you respond to Ted’s contention that tithing is not a legal obligation or an opportunity to receive God’s reward, but simply part of his loving response to God’s prior love in his life?
During the conversation Ted points out that while God is there to support him in the process of being a faithful steward of everything God has entrusted to him—reminding Bill that it’s all God’s anyway—Satan is constantly seeking to distract him and to get him to fail.
Why do you think Ted thought it important to bring up the subject of Satan in the course of a conversation that seemed to be about tithing?
Ted emphasized that the key to developing a biblical worldview is to accept the bible as true and as the source of truth.
What significance is there in accepting the bible as God’s word and as the source of truth?
Ted makes the following comment, “I agree with you, Bill, there’s nothing in the Scripture that mandates giving exactly 10 percent of your income for kingdom purposes. But my interpretation is that the Old Testament gives me a sense of what God is seeking, and the New Testament gives me the leeway and encouragement to exceed that standard because I am no longer under legalistic requirements. I give a tithe—and some years we wind up giving more—because I believe that’s what God would want and it gives me pleasure to do simple things—like giving away what is His anyway—in the believe that He is honored by such behavior.
How do you respond to Ted’s understanding of the use of the Old Testament and the New Testament? Why?
Ted quote: “If my purpose for living is to love God with all my heart, strength, mind, and soul, and if I do that by knowing His principles and desires and by worshiping and serving Him every moment of every day, then I’m not driven by the preacher’s guilt sermon or by the pressing budget of the church or by the need to keep up with the people sitting next to me in the pew. I do it out of love, respect, and obedience in the hope that this small act will be taken as a demonstration of love for the God whom I want to be like and whom I want to please.”
How practical are Ted’s comments here in relating why he tithes (or more than tithes) out of love for God?
Ted quote: “You know, Bill, the beauty of thinking this way is that it applies to everything. We’re just talking about tithing, but whether the issue is cloning, homosexuality, divorce, poverty, voting, responsibility, media content—doesn’t matter, pick any topic that requires you to make a moral, ethical or spiritual decision and it’s all covered when you start thinking this way.”
How do you apply a biblical worldview to every area of your life? What areas are the hardest for you to apply?
FOR NEXT WEEK: Read Chapter 12: Pages 175-188 in Think Like Jesus
Back to the study guide for Barna's Think Like Jesus.