31 Days of Worldview Wisdom with Arturo Cuba

This is Arturo’s story of how he came to understand the idea of a biblical worldview and how this opened up his eyes to many things about his faith, his work, helping the poor, and all of life in general. Question: Arturo talked about having lunch with the mayor of a city and being asked some hard questions. How would you have responded?

Arturo shares more about what this biblical worldview idea has taught him and how it has impacted him and others. Question: Arturo introduces the concept of God promising Biblical prosperity and yet he says it’s not about money. What then do you think this phrase “Biblical prosperity” means? What does it include?

Arturo explains more about paradigms and why it is important that our paradigms are rooted in truth. We make decisions based on our paradigms and our decisions shape our lives. Question: Arturo says it is important that people have truths in their minds as subconscious paradigms so that they will make the right decisions as they walk through life. Let’s say you want a young person to make the decision to stay in school and apply themselves. What’s the paradigm they need in order to make this right decision?

Arturo explains more about paradigms and why it is important that our paradigms are rooted in truth. We make decisions based on our paradigms and our decisions shape our lives. Question: Arturo says it is important that people have truths in their minds as subconscious paradigms so that they will make the right decisions as they walk through life. Let’s say you want a young person to make the decision to stay in school and apply themselves. What’s the paradigm they need in order to make this right decision?

What is a worldview? It’s a word you will not find in the Bible but the idea is clearly there. It is Arturo’s experience that when people really grasp the concept they are immensely helped in their understanding and application of Scripture.Question: The challenge with a worldview is you don’t see it. You don’t even know you have it. It’s subconscious. Why is this also a benefit? Why do you think God made us to have a worldview?

How is a worldview formed? How does it shape a child’s life? Arturo answers these questions and why worldviews are so difficult to change.Question: Do you know someone who permanently changed some habit or way of thinking after joining the military? What changed in them? Why do you think this happened?

The culture we grow up in determines our worldview. Our culture determines how we see the world and life. It begins with the culture of our family.Question: Arturo says our culture determines our worldview. Can you give an example from your own culture?

What defines human beings is that we materialize ideas. This is what every person does. In so doing we materialize poverty and corruption. We also materialize goodness and flourishing. Question: Can you think of an idea that your parent or grandparent materialized that impacted the way you live?

Because we materialize ideas our ideas have consequences. In this episode, Arturo looks at the idea of “machismo” in the Latin culture and how this is materialized and the consequences that result. Question: What does it mean to be a man in your culture? What paradigm of manhood does your culture promote or reinforce?

Arturo talks further about how ideas have consequences and looks specifically at the idea of racism which plagues all cultures.Question: Arturo says that in every community he has ever worked or taught, race has always been an issue. Why is this?

Ideas have consequences. Truth produces a flourishing life and lies lead to injustice, corruption, and poverty. These are the fruits. Question: People seek wealth and power as ways to flourish or live well. Arturo told of a man who got wealthy and another who got power but both failed at living well. Why did they fail?

Christian believers are not well educated in how sin works and how it affects our worldview. We need a better theology of sin. Question: Arturo’s point is that a bad worldview is sin. It needs to be identified, repented of, and changed – and change comes through discipleship. Is this your understanding of sin? Is this understanding common in your church?

In this episode Arturo talks about the meaning of the word redemption because that’s what Jesus wants to give us. He explains the breadth and depth of this redemption.Question: Is your view of Christ’s redemption limited to forgiveness of sin and a restored vertical relationship with God and heaven after you die? According to Arturo, what is the wider redemption God wants to also bring to your life and the lives of others?

Arturo shares from his own experience about the important responsibility of the parent to shape their child’s worldview. Question: Are the children in your life growing in the worldview of the Kingdom? Do they consciously and subconsciously know what’s true and what’s a lie or a deception about God, about themselves, about others?

How do we change a worldview? A biblical worldview or worldview of the Kingdom is not an automatic result of our Christian conversion. It comes through a process.Question: What fundamental truth are you are currently working to internalize, to make it a natural part of your everyday view of God, and how you view life?

The very first command in the Bible is to be “Be fruitful!” What does that mean? Why is it central to God’s plan for our lives?Question: What does it mean to you to be fruitful -- at your workplace, in your relationship with your family, in your eating, your exercising, your rest, at your hobby, at your school? What does it look like to be fruitful in each of these areas of life?

Every child comes into the world invested by God with great potential. Arturo talks about how to help your child keep the first commandment -- how to help your child to be fruitful. Question: How are you encouraging the children you know to live fruitful lives?

Just as the farmer trusts that when he plants a seed and cultivates it there will be fruit, we can trust that when God blesses us and says “Be fruitful!” we can pray and he will help us develop and live fruitful lives.Question: What personal development potential have you not completed and left by the wayside? What would it take to go back and finish developing that potential?

The biblical view of human life is that all human life is sacred because we are made in the image of God and loved by God. Arturo gives examples of what happens when this view or truth is absent. Question: Human life is sacred. What impact has this truth had on your culture? What impact has the absence of this truth had in your culture?

God works. God created work as a blessing and not as a curse. Yet this is not the typical view of work. Question: Do you see the work you do as a blessing or a curse? Why?

Arturo gives more examples of how this truth impacts worldview and thus the way life is lived. He ends with some advice on how to teach this and other principles.Question: One person views her work as a way to produce and serve others well. Another views her work primarily as a way to make money. Let’s even assume both are equally diligent and do quality work. What difference does it make?

Different cultures have different concepts of nature. Why does this matter? What is the biblical view of nature and mankind’s relationship to it?Question 1: In much of the world people have a superstitious way of seeing the material world and life around them? Do you know someone who is superstitious in this way? How does it impact their life?Question 2: For Arturo, having dominion over nature meant being willing to pick up the trash at a public event at his children’s school. How about you? Maybe you fixed a leaky faucet or created a spreadsheet or prepared a beautiful tasty meal? All of these are examples of obeying the first commandment – to rule over nature. How did you exercise dominion over nature today?

If you read Genesis and the first books of Moses, you are going to find a lot of things that can guide you to God's design for life. Arturo talks about the importance of reading Genesis as it sets the foundation for God’s design for our lives and the world, all that was lost, and thus all that needs to be redeemed.Question: Arturo says that when you look for the glory of God in creation, you are going to learn much more about God. Is that your experience as well? How do you look for the glory of God in creation?

You don't worship what you don't admire. God made creation for us to enjoy and so that we could know and admire him. When we see this connection between God and his creation we cannot help but admire and celebrate him. Question: Arturo says, “You don't worship what you don't admire.” How can being alert to the beauty of nature cause you to worship God?

Why do you give money to God? Is it so God will bless you? If so, Arturo says that to give money to God in order to receive favors is a paganistic form of adoration that is forbidden in the Bible. Question: The Bible says much about helping widows and orphans, the poor, and the vulnerable. What percentage of the money that you give to God goes to help widows, orphans, the poor, and vulnerable? Should you do more?

You can make history. This idea may sound simple to you but in many cultures, it is not well understood and the results are profound. Question: Are you making history? Are you working to change the course of someone else’s life? Who? How? May God give you his wisdom in this.

Satan is out to destroy the mind. He wants to make people weak of mind and weak of will.Question: In what way is Satan working to destroy your children's minds? With God’s help, what can you do to prevent this?

Arturo outlines five big issues we face today as a body of Christ called to pursue God’s kingdom.Question:Dualism: Do you subconsciously see parts of your life as more sacred and other parts more secular? The Kingdom: Do you pray “Thy kingdom come” but don’t really know what this means? Postmodernism: Is your understanding of truth increasingly shaped more by your experience and the world around you than by what the Bible says? Discipleship: Are you influencing your family more than your society is? The Church: What most defines your church? It’s location, size, budget, programs? Or is it more defined by the people in it and how they live?

Arturo shares some examples of people whose lives have been changed by their knowing God’s plan for all of life and living it. Question: Arturo says that if you give your life to Jesus and commit to following him, you will gain biblical prosperity. It will be an automatic result. What do you think he means?

Arturo re-emphasizes a couple of important points. The false distinction between the sacred and the secular and God’s very first command – to be fruitful.Question: Arturo reminds us that the very first thing the Lord commands man is to be fruitful and he says that from experience he has seen that whatever you do in life, the most important thing for you is to become fruitful. Are you becoming fruitful? Are you being fruitful?

Arturo emphasizes some other important points: God’s love for his creation, the meaning of coram deo, and the truth that work is sacred.Question: How would others in your workplace describe you as a worker? Do you work diligently during the hours assigned? Do you seek to do the highest quality work? Do you support your co-workers? This is to say, are you a Kingdom worker?

In this final episode Arturo goes into more depth on the importance of regaining the lost concept of discipleship. Question: Talking about discipleship, Arturo says “Faith or the Christian life is not attending and doing things at church. Faith is doing things to convince my children that God is alive, that God is real. If they are going to see a powerful God, they will have to see it with me!” Is this your starting point as well?This ends the Going Deeper section of this Worldview Wisdom podcast series of the Disciple Nations Alliance with Arturo Cuba.

Arturo goes into more depth on the postmodern worldview and its impact on both the general culture and the culture of the church. Question: Arturo says that one of the effects of postmodern thinking is that “We are believers who only go to church to look for a God that can give us a more comfortable life. That is becoming the Christianity we are living now and our children are learning that.” Do you agree? If so, how do you see this happening?

Arturo shares more on the issue of how we have lost a real understanding of the kingdom of God and the effect this had on us as Christians and as the church.Question: Arturo says, “While, the Jewish view would say, ‘Jesus has called me to extend his universal kingdom,’ the Greek mind would say, ‘No, no, I'm just waiting for Jesus to return. When he returns he will be a king but not until then.’” Which worldview or mindset does your church have? The Jewish or the Greek? Which mindset do you have?

Arturo goes into more depth about one of the big issues mentioned previously. This is Greek dualism or evangelical Gnosticism.Question: Arturo says that “Because of dualism I was so interested spiritual things that I was not able to see God's glory in nature and that was a great loss to me.” He says, “we talk about Jesus as my savior but we never talk about him as the creator.” Why do you think that is? What do we lose as a result?

Arturo talks further about how to disciple others in the biblical worldview.Question: Arturo says, “You need to understand that with regard to worldview you will be all always confronted by something in your family relations or in your personal life that needs to change. There will always be a biblical principal pushing you to change.” What is the biblical principle that is pushing you to change right now — that you need to fully embrace and live out?

How do we disciple others in Kingdom principles - in the biblical worldview? In the next two episodes, Arturo shares how he has done this. Question: Arturo recalls how a pastor once said to him, “Arturo, people don't live out of theologies. People live out of things that make sense in their lives.” If this is true, what does it mean for helping people learn and live biblical truth?