PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS.
Chapter 1: THE ENVIRONMENT.
Environment includes physical, social, cultural and spiritual factors which surround a person. Environment affects the efforts to fulfill the challenge of the great commission given to the church. The physical environment includes the visible material things which surround a man – things like country, city or village, all that can be seen with the natural eyes – buildings, land, animals, trees, mountains, material possessions and others. The social environment refers to people who live in any physical environment, the people among whom you live, work and minister. The way people are organised in the environment is called the social structure. The cultural environment refers to the accepted patterns of life and behaviour within a group of people – language, manners, Customs and material standards of living. The spiritual environment refers to things affecting the soul and the spirit of man. There are spiritual forces of evil under the control of satan. There are spiritual forces of good under the control of God. These spiritual forces are constantly warring for control of the soul and spirit of man. Satan is the spiritual force behind all sin, all acts of unrighteousness and everything evil in the world. When God first created our world, it was a perfect environment. When God created man in His own image, man eas also perfect, sinless and in spiritual fellowship with God. Adam and Eve were to populate the world with other sinless, godly people like themselves. Eden was a beautiful environment filled with the wonderful creations of God. God created a perfect environment but satan caused a terrible change yo come to this perfect environment in which man was placed by God. Man fell from righteousness to sin, having been given the power of choice – he could obey or disobey God. Satan led them to disobey God. Sin brought a terrible change to man and his environment. Sin and death came on all men. Because of the basic sin nature and individual act of sin, all men face physical and spiritual death. The very world itself became polluted by the sin of man. Out of sin, man’s environment changed. Man changed spiritually and physically, and earth itself was cursed. The present environment of the world in which man lives is still evil. The three spiritual enemies in operation against man are the world, the flesh and the devil. Through Jesus, man can also be saved from the eternal effects of physical death. The sinful world in which we live will someday be destroyed, and God will create a new heaven and a new earth. Believers can be freed from the curse of the world and live abundant life through Jesus Christ. You are in the world for the purpose of spreading the gospel to this evil world. The environment is important to the mission of the church to reach all nations with the gospel.