Is it really right to try and fit into a culture of a place, knowing full well that life as a Christian is alien to the unbeliever. Do we need to “know the language” to effectively reach the people?
To be honest I had just as many successful discussions before I understood the language and culture of my foreign home, as I did after language and culture study. I believe this is because God’s Holy Spirit in me could testify truth effectively no matter my weaknesses. I would go so far as to suggest that those conversations may have been even more effective because they were seasoned with much more prayer and much less of myself than, later conversations , when I felt I had a grasp on the language and the people.
As I thought about this, a picture came to mind that I wish I could paint. Hopefully my words will paint it for me.
Imagine a New York from above. Moving closer toward the crowded streets you see masse
s and masses of the living dead... “Zombies” to the lay person. Scattered amongst them here and there are perfectly healthy people. Color in their cheeks and a spring in their step they walk with purpose. Some of them however, not as easily noticed, are imitating the strange and halting lumbering of the zombies. Some are applying make up, dirtying their clothes and painting themselves to look like the dead around them. Some are so successful that they are almost indistinguishable from the dead but for the eyes, that just can’t quite look that vacant.
I’m sure you can already see where this is going. We are alive in Christ! He has transformed us, we are no longer “dead men walking”. Why would we then would we feel it’s right and acceptable to dress up and act like the rest of the world... even in part?
Imagine a New York from above. Moving closer toward the crowded streets you see masse
s and masses of the living dead... “Zombies” to the lay person. Scattered amongst them here and there are perfectly healthy people. Color in their cheeks and a spring in their step they walk with purpose. Some of them however, not as easily noticed, are imitating the strange and halting lumbering of the zombies. Some are applying make up, dirtying their clothes and painting themselves to look like the dead around them. Some are so successful that they are almost indistinguishable from the dead but for the eyes, that just can’t quite look that vacant.I’m sure you can already see where this is going. We are alive in Christ! He has transformed us, we are no longer “dead men walking”. Why would we then would we feel it’s right and acceptable to dress up and act like the rest of the world... even in part?
As a missionary in a foreign country it was my differences that attracted a crowd. I could show up in a village and get swarmed by people. Why was I there? Who was Jesus? Opportunities arose because I stood out from the crowd. Opportunities that believers in those tiny villages had longed for... but they were so much like everyone around them that their voices were often not heard, or even appreciated.
I’m reminded of the missionary Nate Saint. Maybe you know of him. He went as a missionary to along with 4 others (Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCulley, and Roger Youderian) to the Auca Indians in Ecuador. Sure they attempted to learn the language, they thought or ways to reach out to these tribes. What eventually worked to reach them? Their martyrdom.
These men were killed by the very tribe they were hoping to eventually reach for the gospel. God chose to use this tragedy for his own glory, and as these men died the tribesmen report seeing someone that could only have been an Angel, amongst them. God worked in the hearts of the killers. God transformed their lives. God spoke conviction and truth into their hearts before the missionaries even reached them in person.
Okay, let’s look closer at the zombie painting shall we? There just in the corner, on a side street – Zombies doing what they do best, swarming the healthy man, and attacking ferociously... further down the street, is that a baby? Still in diapers? Crawling through the dirty streets toward the ferocious mob?
There is an unhealthy push in the western church to make friendship evangelism the only viable form of reaching people in our society with the gospel. I’ve seen youth not only encouraged but pushed to spend as much time as possible with their non-believing friends. With the question ringing in their ears. “How else will they hear the gospel.” I felt the same pressure while a teen... I must witness, I have no idea how, but I must. I was a strong believer, since the time I was a baby I believed with my whole heart and soul that Jesus is God, that God loved me. That I could have eternal life and a relationship with the Creator of the Universe... all that separated us was my sin. I could repent, and be his child. It was simple and I embraced it. I have not looked back.
God has been my best friend, and most trusted parent for as longer than I can even remember. I had an intense desire to share this with my peers (it was easier in Kindergarten than it was in High school, but I never gave up.) That said it was incredibly challenging, there was temptation from all sides, despite “strict” and involved parents. By Jr. High my friends already were dealing with drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and pregnancy scares!! I was abnormal I stood out. 
Already by Jr High, I had teachers that would call me “idiot”, “goody two shoes,” under their breath, because of my Christian beliefs and I didn’t even have classes with them! Once when I challenged a teacher in gr. 7 for speaking about Jesus in a derogatory way, my church attending classmates looked embarrassed by me and only one person, a non-believer, stood with me to say that these are not things that should be taught in the classroom. It was an incredibly lonely time, I thank God that we had a strong and healthy youth group by that point, but was it enough? I daily walked through all sorts of temptations. I would liken that time of my life to the baby crawling up to those attacking Zombies. I had so much to learn still about who God is and just what he is capable of. I had a lot to learn about how "God would fight for me, I need only be still." (ex 14 vs 14) I was fighting to fit in while still retaining my relationshipt to the Saviour. Very confusing for a 13/14 year old. Even one that had already been walking and talking with God for a decade.
Already by Jr High, I had teachers that would call me “idiot”, “goody two shoes,” under their breath, because of my Christian beliefs and I didn’t even have classes with them! Once when I challenged a teacher in gr. 7 for speaking about Jesus in a derogatory way, my church attending classmates looked embarrassed by me and only one person, a non-believer, stood with me to say that these are not things that should be taught in the classroom. It was an incredibly lonely time, I thank God that we had a strong and healthy youth group by that point, but was it enough? I daily walked through all sorts of temptations. I would liken that time of my life to the baby crawling up to those attacking Zombies. I had so much to learn still about who God is and just what he is capable of. I had a lot to learn about how "God would fight for me, I need only be still." (ex 14 vs 14) I was fighting to fit in while still retaining my relationshipt to the Saviour. Very confusing for a 13/14 year old. Even one that had already been walking and talking with God for a decade.I thank God for parents that chose to protect me as much as they could from what really is an increasingly depraved world. I am astounded now (although at the time I thought they were more normal than my own) by parents that willingly let their children attend parties with non-Christian friends? Do they feel there is an acceptable amount of temptation for their children? Don't they realize that, at these parties, no matter how nice their friends are, they will be faced with temptations to drink excessively, or smoke, or do drugs, or engage in heavy petting, or watch pornography, or .... fill in the blank.
Even parents that let their children go to movies without checking the rating surprise me. Is it alright for them to be exposed to so much sex, violence, and vulagrity? Are they really so much stronger than the common person, that these things will not stay with them in their minds? How much temptation should we willing embrace!?
Those same parents of my christian friends were okay with their children experimenting a little, after all, everyone does, don’t they? So how much sin is appropriate for the Christian? How much baggage is good to carry into your marriage?
I would suggest that to allow ourselves to fit into "our culture" makes us lose our real selves. We lose sight of the masterpiece that God is working on. We have to admit, that as Christ followers our western materialistic, sexually charged, self serving, independent culture doesn’t fit... it can’t fit. When we are clothed with Christ, it’s a perfectly tailored ensemble, there isn’t room under there for the world.
After several months of living in a foreign land, things changed for me. A lot of my friends that had been from North America had left back home, and I had found new friends amongst the locals. I really loved it. I loved the people, I loved the land, I loved the work... but there was something missing. People that knew and understood me, without interpretation.
I could have looked for more friends from North America, but that was hard work. I had friends that I enjoyed being with and that enjoyed being with me. I was surprised to find loneliness increasing. I came to a point where I was so desperately lonely, I warned God that I would do something incredibly drastic and He wouldn’t like it!! I was tempted during that time, like you couldn’t believe... It was incredibly dark. I felt lost. I didn’t know who I was and my understanding of who God is, was getting a shake up as well.
God in his mercy met me where I was at, saved me from that loneliness and provided me with friends that could speak to me in my native tongue. That could understand me because they understood my culture!
Christians have a culture... some think of this as something that hinders the spread of the gospel... that it could be offensive to non-believers. But guess what!! The gospel, which is the good news about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and his redemptive power... is offensive!! It’s part of the battle we are in. No matter what words we dress it up in, and no matter what media we now use to present it, the gospel in and of itself can offend. How many times I tried dress up the gospel to fit the culture and was shocked to find that depite hearing the truth and being interested in Jesus they were content to carry on just as they had been. But why was I surprised, I hadn't offered them anything really different!
Our culture, believe it or not, is fascinating to those that are searching!
Our culture, believe it or not, is fascinating to those that are searching!
Have you seen the movie ‘I am Legend”? In it, Will Smith’s character is living a solitary existence. He is the only healthy man amongst a city of diseased, zombie like, people living in darkness. Will’s character lives in the light. He travels around in the day, gathering supplies and making a plan of attack. He created a bomb shelter and lab in his home and works diligently in a cure. He is at war... not against the zombies, but against the disease that is ravaging them. He would not effectively have found a cure if he had decided to move in amongst them. In fact when he does venture into their “home” in order to rescue his dog that ran towards them the entire audience holds their breath knowing he is in danger every moment he stays in that place. The danger is becoming one of them.
Which brings me to the title of this, somewhat lengthy, blog. Bombshelters.In this same online sermon the pastor preached about the danger of Christian’s who are so focused on Christ’s return that they are in effect say “to Hell with everyone else”. He called them bombshelter Christians, those that build walls around themselves to keep the world out. But wait a minute. Isn’t a bombshelter a good thing?? Doesn’t it protect us from certain death! I lived in a country full of bombshelters. You were foolish to build a home and not consider incorporating the safety of a bombshelter. Are we not supposed to live lives that are focused on Christ? Are we not supposed to live with an expectancy of Christ’s return?
I have found that the more focused I am on Christ’s return the more eager I am to share my faith, the more aware I am that the life I live now is not for myself but for Christ. The more I recognize my sanctification, that Christ has set me apart with a purpose, the more I devote my thoughts to searching after God, my love for the lost INCREASES! The opposite is true when I embrace our western culture. The more I live like those around me, the more selfish and self centred I see myself becoming.
Many times in my life I have had to separate myself from my non-believing friends because I was allowing sinful thoughts and temptations to have my attention. I needed to build walls, as this pastor put it, in order to refocus and once again strongly desire their salvation. His point was that the walls separate us. I find that the lack of walls, the increasing lack of boundaries create a separation between myself and God. Which is more dangerous, a seperation from God and an understanding of Him, or a seperation from this culture and an understanding of it?
I was reminded of Ezra and Nehemiah... the work of building walls to protect the city of Jerusalem had come to a stop. Marauders were stealing and breaking in, carrying off treasures from the temple. God placed in on their heart to see that the work of rebuilding the wall was finished and that the law was restored to the people. As they built these walls the people turned back to praising God, they turned back to prayer. Was there opposition? Yes! From within and without! But despite the opposition they carried on. What rejoicing there was when the wall was in place and the city began to be returned to it’s former glory. It pleased God and the people knew it. The temple and the city could now be repaired without the risk of their enemies stealing and destroying it. The walls lead to a security and to a country finally returning to the people promised it. It allowed for MORE peace within the walls and even with the people OUTSIDE the walls.
Is it wrong for us to build some walls to protect our churches, our families, our children, ourselves??
Is it wrong of us to embrace protection?
But we always try and figure things out for God in the context of the culture we understand don’t we?
I was reminded of Lot... he welcomed the Angels, sent to rescue him and his family into his home. When the townspeople came beating on his door, demanding he turn over these “men” so that they might have sex with them, Lot in an attempt to protect these messenger’s of God and still appease the townspeople instead offered up his daughters to be raped by them!! I believe Lot’s heart was right. He was trying to honour these men and honour God, but in the context of the culture he lived. He could offer up his daughters and that would be a little less loathsome. Did God need Lot to do this? Of course not. In fact, in the end none had to be given up to the lustful desires of the townsfolk. None of them were expected to give themselves over to the depravity of the town.
Have we done this? Do we give ourselves over to a little depravity in order to appease people and protect God’s good name? Do we find that we do embrace an “acceptable amount of sin”?
Even if only in our thought life and conversation? Jesus didn’t.
He says that we should be one with Him even as He and the Father are one. It is by this unity that people will know we are his disciples. Our likeness to Christ and difference from the world, will be enough to bring those that are seeking, to question us... and it says that we should then “always be ready to give and answer for the hope that we have.”
It will also be enough to invite persecution... I don’t know about you, but when the bombs are dropping I’m happy for a bomb shelter – which in this case I would call the full Armour of God! The armour is our protection and our weapon is the Holy Spirit.
