Do as They Do

“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

There is often a great barrier between Christians and unbelievers.  To some degree that is to be expected, because we view things from a different perspective, and live by biblical principles often rejected by the world.  Many times, however, this barrier is in place because Christians have so far removed themselves from unbelievers that they have absolutely nothing in common with them.

Paul wasn't like that.  He worked to find areas of commonality with the people he wanted to win to Christ.  He did this without compromising his integrity or falling into sin.  He looked at what was good or morally acceptable in people, and then attempted to adopt a similar lifestyle.  His sole motivation for doing this was to win people to Christ.

Consider how this might look in today's world. There are people who periodically provide food, clothing, for the poor, which is an important ministry.  There are others with a desire to reach the poor, who take it a step further; they move into the low rent district, so they can live among the poor to which they want to minister.  Although both approaches to reaching out to the poor are valid, the second way is more effective.

We spent several months each year living in India, and one of the highest compliments our Indian friends paid us was, "Russ, you are just like Indians.”  That, of course, was not completely true, but it made the point that our decision to do things the Indian way as much as possible had not gone unnoticed.  We became like the Indian people by wearing Indian clothing, removing our shoes before entering a home, Alice worshiping in church while covering her head and sitting on a mat on the floor, eating gooey, messy food with our bare hands, and doing our best to learn to speak the Telugu language.

You may not be called to reach the poor by moving into a housing project, or by going to a foreign country and living like the nationals.  That's fine; we all have a different calling on our lives.  God may be calling you to reach athletes with the truth of the gospel as you participate in the local softball league.  Maybe you're a stay-at-home mom who could develop an interest that can be shared with unbelievers.  Whatever you do, look for God-honoring ways to build bridges with the unbelievers you are attempting to reach.  

Let’s take Christ to the world around us! 

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