Editor’s Note: Josiah Smith serves as Associate Lead Pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Tewksbury, Massachusetts and is an adjunct faculty member at Northpoint Bible College & Seminary. His book, Along the Way: A Beginner’s Guide to Journeying with Jesus in the Kingdom, and other resources are available at his website josiahsmithonline.com. Josiah has been a member of Journey since its inception and continues to champion the Journey values in the ministries he leads.

WORLDVIEW AND MENTAL HEALTH

Worldview. Everyone has one but few can articulate what it is. 

Like tracks laid out before a train, our worldview goes before us and guides the course of our lives. It’s the lens by which we see the world. The matrix of perception, the framework of our core beliefs, the unseen scaffolding of our souls. 

Cultural researcher George Barna contends that the lack of a biblical worldview in America is a large part of the reason for the mental health crisis the nation is currently experiencing. 

Based on a report from September 24, 2024, one in every four (23%) American adults has a mental illness, the majority of illnesses being associated with anxiety disorders. That number increases to one in every three (33%) when accounting for just Millennials and Gen Z.¹

Barna found there is a notable correlation between a person’s worldview and the levels of anxiety, depression, and fear that person experiences. Individuals whose worldview veers far from biblical tenets are far more likely to struggle with common mental health issues. 

Without a strong sense of belief, individuals are more prone to anxiety and poor decision-making. Society at large tends toward moral decay. One would be hard-pressed to list any benefit at all for this lack of focus on worldview. 

If, as Barna says, “We do what we believe,”² and our worldview acts as the subconscious rudder of our behavior, why do so few prioritize thinking about what they believe? Parents advocate academics, sports, and other extracurricular activities, but few prioritize helping their children develop a biblical way of thinking about the world. 

Consisting of values and core beliefs about God, people, purpose, etc., a worldview is essentially the way we see the world. It doesn’t come prefabricated; it is built and developed through learning, life experiences, and community.

DID JESUS PROMOTE A WORLDVIEW?

One of the key themes of Jesus’ teachings is encapsulated in the word “kingdom.” This is not a word that many today, even among believers, would list as foundational for their worldview, but it ought to be. 

When Jesus entered the scene of humanity and began His public ministry near the start of the first century, His first and primary message was, “Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”³ Talk of this kingdom continued to be the subject of Jesus’ stories and teachings. Nearly all of his parables began with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” He would then go on to teach about the kingdom through an analogy or allegory. Jesus actually said the most important activity of a person’s life is to “seek first the kingdom.”⁴ Everything else is secondary. 

Imagine, Jesus comes to you and you ask Him what it is you ought to be doing with your life and He answers you, “Seek the kingdom!” What do you do? What does that mean?

A kingdom is a place of dominion, a realm that sits under the governing authority of a king. For Jews of Jesus’ day they anticipated a literal kingdom to be established on earth similar to what they had experienced under David and Solomon centuries earlier. However, the Jewish leaders were disappointed to discover this wasn’t quite what Jesus had in mind. 

Theologian Anthony Hoekema defines God’s Kingdom as “The reign of God… the purpose of which is the redemption of his people from sin and from demonic powers, and the final establishment of the new heavens and the new earth.”⁵ Another theologian, Graeme Goldsworthy, defines God’s kingdom more simply as “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule.”⁶ We might even simplify it and say that God’s kingdom is God’s rule, God’s way. 

To seek God’s kingdom is to seek His kingship, His reign, here on the earth. It is to say, “not my will, but Yours be done.”⁷ The first step in seeking God’s kingdom is to remove Self from the throne and place one’s life under the king’s rule. 

What would happen if this concept of God’s kingdom became our primary way of thinking about life and the world around us? How might it shape the way we live and behave? 

We’d be a lot less anxious. We’d be less stressed. We would be more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, and so on. Society would be less corrupt. The mental health crisis wouldn’t be what it is. Why? Because we’d see the world differently and our behavior would follow accordingly. We’d interact with the world on a different plane.

THE KINGDOM & ME

According to the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, “Seven out of 10 people under the age of 40 lack a sense of purpose and meaning in life.”⁸ That’s 70% of young adults who don’t sense that their life has meaning! This is astounding. Devastating. In contrast, the Bible teaches that each person is uniquely designed, intimately known, and pre-ordained for a specific work in the world.⁹

At the same time, while 70% of young people feel their lives lack meaning, our culture is as self-absorbed as ever and a frightening number of people view themselves as their own ultimate authority. When we have a majority of the population lacking purpose, suffering from depression and anxiety, and claiming themselves as their own ultimate authority, the results are disastrous. 

Looking at Jesus’ teachings and the kingdom worldview, we find that most of us tend to grossly overestimate or underestimate our importance in the world. Tracing the concept of kingdom all the way back to creation, we find God’s original intent for humankind. Upon creating the universe, Genesis tells us God gave the man and woman dominion—rulership—over the earth. 

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”¹⁰

The Genesis account goes on, 

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”¹¹

God created man and woman, blessed them, and told them to reign over His creation. These are king’s terms. Humanity’s God-given role was and is to live with and under the Creator-King as children and co-rulers, partnering with Him to bring the earth in line with His intentions and good purpose. 

The implication here is the universe doesn’t revolve around us. We are not the focal point of existence—the King is. However, it also means we are profoundly significant. We have a part to play—a role and responsibility to fulfill in bringing about God’s kingdom on the earth. We should be neither narcissistic nor nihilistic. Neither self-centered nor self-deprecating. We are neither too big nor too small for God’s grand purposes.

SEEING THE WORLD RIGHTLY

Consider again Jesus’ teachings on the kingdom. There are too many truths to be mentioned in a brief article, but let’s catch a glimpse of some of these kingdom concepts. Through these teachings, Jesus reintroduced the ancient truth of God’s kingdom and invited (and invites!) us to see the world and how we fit into it in a new way. 

Whereas the rulers of this world vie for power and seek to lord over one another, playing an unending round of king of the hill, the way of Jesus is to lead others through service.¹² Those who wish to be first are last and those who humble themselves are raised up.¹³ The kingdom of Heaven brings down the proud and elevates the lowly.¹⁴ The poor, the rejects, those on the fringe of society have a place at the King’s table.¹⁵ 

The kingdom does not come in pomp and pageantry. Rather, it shows up in seemingly insignificant ways, often among unlikely people in overlooked places, in streets and soup kitchens, living rooms and small churches, and steadily grows to become a prominent place of safety and rest for the downcast.¹⁶ Likewise, the kingdom of Heaven is unseen at the start but slowly and subtly permeates both the invisible and the visible realm like leaven throughout dough until it is revealed to have transformed everything around it.¹⁷ This kingdom is subversive. 

Think about many of the concerns plaguing Americans today: economic uncertainty, housing, healthcare, mental health, social and racial inequality, strained relationships, substance abuse, political tensions, to name just a few. The kingdom speaks to every one of these issues.  To those concerned with the economy and rising costs (think housing, clothing, groceries, etc.), Jesus said, Don’t worry… The birds are fed and flying. The flowers are blooming and blowing in the wind… if God your Father takes care of them, won’t He all the more take care of you?¹⁸ To those who leaned into ungodly prejudices and biases, Jesus taught extreme love and unreasonable care.¹⁹ To those who feared the political powers at work, Jesus reminded them of their citizenship and where the true power lay.²⁰ Regardless of the circumstance, Jesus sought to give people the proper lens through which to see reality. 

Not long ago, many Americans had the opportunity to see a partial eclipse. Interestingly enough, one’s natural eyesight could only see in part what was really happening. Some regions experienced a slight dimming, some experienced shadows, and some could hardly notice a difference at all. But for those who purchased the special sunglasses, the curtain was pulled back and one could see clearly what was happening. The sun was being blocked. It was quite the sight! What the natural eye could not see, these lenses gave the ability to behold. Similarly, God’s kingdom gives us a context by which to properly see the world and all its happenings. God is king. He sovereignly reigns over all. We who follow Jesus are His children, as well as co-laborers and co-heirs with His Son.²¹ If this God and King cares for us, we really have nothing to worry about but to seek and see His kingdom ever more clearly. Don’t worry, don’t panic, don’t be afraid. Just seek and see Jesus enthroned.

So what kind of king is God? 

WHO IS THIS KING?

It is important to note that a kingdom is only as good as its king. To live under a devilish dictator is no good at all. To entrust yourself to a pillaging pirate you’d be a fool. But to serve a loving and faithful father is better than most of us can imagine! Whether God is good or not is a really big deal. Not only that, but how we view God has radical implications for how we view the world. 

David beautifully describes God as king in Psalm 145. In this song of praise, David describes God’s kindness towards His people and the only appropriate response to God’s kingship.

I will extol you, my God and King, 
and bless your name forever and ever… 
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your saints shall bless you!
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

David goes on to describe God as faithful and kind, “satisfying the desire of every living thing,” righteous, near to those who call on Him, and a protector of those who love Him. 

If you had a choice in who rules the universe wouldn’t you want someone like that? Who better to be ruling over the universe than this God? And lest you think this is simply poetic and lacking hard evidence, the Old Testament (yes, the Old Testament) provides real examples of God’s gracious character in action. 

A phrase often repeated in Scripture describes God as “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” The first time we see this description of God is in Exodus 34 when God reveals himself to Moses on Mt. Sinai. What makes this statement more significant are the events surrounding this self-disclosure. While Moses had been on the mountain speaking with God, the people of Israel had grown restless and decided they needed a god they could see with their eyes and feel with their hands. They cast a golden statue in the image of a calf and made it the object of their affection. In just over a month’s time, Israel had abandoned the God who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and begun worshiping a molten jewel. God’s response? Yes, there were consequences, but instead of abandoning these people the way they had abandoned Him, He responded by revealing Himself as YHWH, YHWH, the everpresent God of mercy and grace, faithful forever to love and care for His people. 

We see this description of God again in the shocking story of Jonah. God had sent Jonah to preach a message of repentance and change to the brutal and wicked citizens of Nineveh. These Assyrians were the very people Israel reluctantly paid tribute to at the time. They were the evil world power and were known for their brutal wartime tactics. Many were likely murderers, rapists, and thieves.²² Godliness was not a priority here. But by the end of the story, we see that Jonah did preach, the Assyrians did repent, and God spared the people of the city. Jonah’s very human response was to be irate. He wished the city had been destroyed. The book closes with Jonah complaining to God. But look at what Jonah’s closing statement to God reveals. He says, in essence, “I knew it! I knew you would have mercy on these terrible people. I know You. I know Your character and reputation—a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. I knew You would have mercy and that is precisely why I didn’t want to come here.”²³ While Jonah does not serve as a good example of someone with God’s attitude or heart toward the world, his story does show once again the radical love, mercy, and grace of our Father-King.

LIVING AS AMBASSADORS OF THE KINGDOM 

What God called Jonah to do (though Jonah did very poorly) is what He calls us all to do. We are to be His representatives to the world. Apostle Paul says we are the Messiah’s ambassadors, conveying His message of the kingdom to a watching world.²⁴ 

Jesus told many parables along the same line. The King has made us stewards of His domain. He has entrusted not only His domain to us, but His message of reconciliation and restoration for the world. But before we seek to change the world, we must be sure we see it rightly. 

Does a Jesus-centric, kingdom worldview rid you of all troubles and malaise? No. In this world we will have trouble.²⁵ However, it does contextualize our troubles. It gives them meaning and purpose.²⁶ It changes the way we see people. Rather than trying to wipe out the wicked we feel compassion on those who “do not know their right hand from their left”²⁷ and pray to see them rescued and transformed. It changes the way we interact with our anxieties. We are not victims but overcomers. We are not helpless; we appeal to the Most High God.

Who better to be king than our God?

Who better to rule the world than our King? 

Who better to trust than our Father? 

The only way to see the world rightly is to see it as God has made it. He has created a kingdom and has invited us into partnership with Him to oversee it. Let’s use the lens He gave us and seek to make things right in the world. 

In the end we will say as George Frideric Handel said in the infamous “Hallelujah Chorus,”

For the lord God omnipotent reigneth…Hallelujah!
The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ… 
and He shall reign for ever and ever.
Hallelujah! 

Indeed.

HALLELUJAH!

_________

Saddled with large student debt, just beginning to set up homes and start families, and serving in low paying first and second positions, Millennials are those who most desire but can least afford to pay for pastoral coaching.

We are able to do so thanks to the faithful and generous support of individuals and churches like yours who want to see young leaders not only enter the ministry, but remain in the ministry. 

Now, more than ever, we need your help. 

If you or your church would like to help Millennial ministers across the US and overseas build strong for a lifetime in ministry, please click here to support Journey monthly or with your one-time gift. Thank you.

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“Of all vocations, surely the gospel ministry is the one whose paradigm is most radically formed by the dynamics of godly mentorship.” 

Stephen Baldwin

1. https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CRC-Release-AWVI-5-Sept-24-2024.pdf ↩︎
2. Ibid. ↩︎
3. Matthew 3:2,Matthew 4:17,Mark 1:15 ↩︎
4. Matthew 6:33 ↩︎
5. https://tifwe.org/your-role-in-the-final-battle/ ↩︎
6. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/the-pattern-of-the-kingdom-gods-people-in-gods-place-under-gods-rule/ ↩︎
7. Luke 22:42 ↩︎
8. https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CRC-Release-AWVI-5-Sept-24-2024.pdf ↩︎
9. Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139 ↩︎
10. Genesis 1:26 ↩︎
11. Genesis 1:28 ↩︎
12. Matthew 20:25-27 ↩︎
13. Matthew 20:16; 1 Peter 5:6 ↩︎
14. Luke 1:52 ↩︎
15. Matthew 22:1-14 ↩︎
16. Luke 17:20-21; Mt. 13:31-32 ↩︎
17. Matthew 13:33 ↩︎
18. Matthew 6:25-34 ↩︎
19. Matthew 5:44; Luke 10:25-37 ↩︎
20. Mark 12:13-17 ↩︎
21. Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians 3:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 ↩︎
22. Cf. Nahum’s prophecy against Nineveh. ↩︎
23. Cf. Jonah 4:2 ↩︎
24. 2 Corinthians 5:20 ↩︎
25. John 16:33 ↩︎
26. Romans 5:3-4 ↩︎
27. Jonah 4:11 ↩︎