Embracing The Culture

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. (1 Corinthians 9:19)

HUDSON TAYLOR, the well-known missionary to China in the late nineteenth century, ruffled feathers among his fellow British expats when he wore Chinese clothes and grew his hair to match Chinese styles. Some of them found his behavior scandalous and scolded his attempts to fit in. They assured him he would never be seen as Chinese because his fair complexion and facial features would always mark him as a European. Even so, knowing the limitations, Taylor did everything he could to connect with Chinese people culturally. Why? Because the gospel is enough of a spiritual stumbling block on its own. Removing cultural stumbling blocks goes a long way toward opening hearts to its message.

Taylor was only following the lead of the apostle Paul, who had become “all things to all people” so many centuries earlier in order to win the hearts of some (1 Corinthians 9:22, ESV). Paul, in turn, was only following the lead of the Father, who became an insider in the culture of his own creation to reach those who had ears to hear his voice. God made quite a few major statements with the Incarnation, one of them being the lengths he would go to in pursuing the love of human beings. Jesus was God’s strategy for removing cultural stumbling blocks between heaven and earth—for overcoming barriers and making the message heard. The prophets had spoken truth and been rejected; Jesus embodied it and, though rejected by many, was embraced by others. Some people are drawn to truth only when it is dressed in familiar clothes.

In being light, recognize the value in whatever connections you have with the world’s ways. Don’t adapt to its philosophies, but understand the opportunities of being an insider. Remove as many unnecessary obstacles as you can. The most transforming cultural influences are often those that come from within.

{Father, you have set me in my context for a reason. Help me use my similarities with others in order to make a difference in their lives. Clothe me spiritually in Jesus and culturally in the places that need your love. Amen.