Food For Thought

Food for Thought:

“Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralist, loose-living immoralist, the defeated, the demoralized – whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ – but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all of this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!”
1 Corinthians 9: 19 - 23

I read these verses the other night and they made me stop and think. I am entering the world of global missions and if I don’t have this attitude I’ll find myself ineffective. If I don’t understand or at least try to understand and respect the culture of the people I want to share Jesus with how will I ever effectively communicate the gospel?

I believe this verse doesn’t just apply to global missions. How many people have you met in your state, city, community and church that have a radically different worldview than you? How many times have you said they are just too different than me or judged someone because they look different or don’t dress like you? How many times have you laid down your own opinions and preferences and tried to enter someone else’s world? How many times have you laid down the differences to find the things you have in common?

Trying to experience someone else’s worldview is not easy. I believe for many of us it is a lifelong learning process. For some of us it goes against our personality and our self-taught learned behavior. I believe that through prayer, God’s help, determination and many uncomfortable moments that we can all become better at becoming servants and entering someone else’s world.