Paul and Cross-Cultural Mission
During this last week Bruce and I were traveling across Alabama, from Albertville to Tuscaloosa to Birmingham and then home again. Many of you know we work with Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, a mission training course and I am an instructor. Perspectives isn’t a course solely about world missions. It’s a study program rooted in scripture, clarifying each believer’s opportunity to join God in His global purpose. Last week, I was teaching a Perspective class, lesson 10, the cultural lesson, “How Shall They Hear?” in four different classes in Alabama. This particular class refers to the sensitivity that is required to convey the message of the gospel across cultural barriers. The gospel spreads powerfully within a culture, but does not jump easily across cultural boundaries. In this lesson students explore what culture is, and how they can better jump across cultural barriers that have long obstructed the advancement of the gospel. They also explore how to communicate the culture at the deep level, the heart level, and why it’s important to look for keys or unique ways to bridge and communicate God’s truth.
Paul often ministered cross-culturally. In fact, he said that “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ has not already been named” or known. (Rom 15:20). I heard one theologian describe Paul as a sort of Hudson Taylor meets Jim Elliot with a dash of Indiana Jones adventurer, heading off to the Black Hole of Calcutta to be tortured regularly for preaching the gospel. However, honestly, I don’t think being beaten and ship-wrecked was part of Paul’s ministry strategy. Certainly, those were things he didn’t choose but he endured on behalf of the gospel. He was also willing to step into challenging areas of cross-cultural ministry.
In one of the few episodes in which Paul is seen traveling alone, the apostle chooses to engage with philosophers in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). He observes the city’s many idols and distressed by them, he first joins a theological discussion at the synagogue. Afterward a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with Paul. “Others took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean” . (Acts 17:19-20). Having piqued their interest, Paul stands up to address the Athenians at the Areopagus (or Mars Hill), the center of Greek religiosity. Notably, Paul takes a positive approach. In his opening remarks Paul reminded his audience of how religious they were and how he had noticed a statue with the inscription, agnosto theo, “to the unknown God” (Acts 17:23). This opened the way for Paul to declare the true God. Wisely he did not denounce Athenian idolatry which would only have closed the minds of his hearers to his message. Strategically, he used commendation rather than condemnation. Then later, in God’s timing, he would provide the powerful story of the gospel, that it may cleanse and reform the society. Paul intentionally opts not to begin his address by pushing his own beliefs (scripture) or attacking the Athenians’ views (idolatry). Instead, he seeks common ground. Paul neither attacks the Athenians nor condescends because he knows he has knowledge to which they are not yet privy. He didn’t describe them as bad people. Rather, he states that because of their ignorance about the “unknown god”, they simply are unaware of the good news of the true God as yet.
Paul began his speech by identifying what was missing in their Greek religious worldview. The fact that the Athenians had built an altar to “an unknown god” (Acts 17:23) indicated that there was a sense of inadequacy. They could not give a name to this “unknown god” because they did not know who he was. This provided Paul opportunity to address “the unknown god” with the positive content of the gospel. (Acts 17:27-29). Paul showed great sensitivity in quoting, not the Old Testament, as he always did when speaking to Jews, but he used quotes from Greek poets who were familiar in the Greek culture in order to bridge with them. Notice that without compromising the gospel, Paul determined a way to bridge with non-Christian sources typical of the Greek culture to establish some common ground.
The Athenians had taken the first step toward knowing God in that they were supernaturalists (belief in an invisible higher power) (Acts 17:22). Their unusual respect for deities is indicated by the fact that “the unknown God” was also worshipped. This worship assumes that they have at least a knowledge of a greater god, the existence of one. Paul makes use of this: “Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. “(Acts 17:23-25). Paul bridges with the Greek audience by way of “the unknown god”; but his point of contact is their ignorance. It would have been impossible for them had they denied God’s existence to ever know Him, since “he who comes to God must believe that He is” (Hebrews 11:6). No one will search for a path to a destination they believe does not exist. And they must have believed there was a god (among all their deities) whom they did not know yet.
As Paul’s strategy continues, he quotes two other key scriptures to his Greek audience.,
1) “in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) Interestingly, philosophers seem to always be discussing topics like “man’s existence” and his “state of being”. Paul, with the Holy Spirit’s leading, strategically chose that particular scripture to bridge and connect with his Greek audience. Then Paul continued with….
2) “for we are indeed His offspring.” (Acts 17:28) Here Paul is stating that if we live and have our being in this “unknown God” then we cannot possibly be offspring of lesser gods for we could only be offsprings of the superior God, this “unknown God” that Paul was proclaiming to them.
At the Areopagus the “unknown God” speech of Paul remains before us as a perfect example of witnessing the Gospel in a cross-cultural setting. Paul reminds us that the cultural sensitivity in preaching to people from different backgrounds is a must in our missionary endeavors. He takes a respectful and humble approach; he does not simply conform to their worldview and beliefs, rather he seeks to correct and transform the Athenian’s understanding of God. Sharing the gospel is not a matter of a packaged
step 1, step 2 and so forth. Steps are merely guidelines for witnessing, but ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit’s guiding wisdom upon which we must be dependent. Paul’s approach teaches us that cross-cultural ministry and discipleship must be alert to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and ready to adapt quickly to unexpected situations.
Let’s pray:
1) “And I will ask the Father, and he will give our children another advocate to help them and be with them forever.” (John 14:16)
2) “May the God of hope fill our children with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit they may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)
3) “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26) May our children depend on the Holy Spirit and lean into His teachings in all that they do.
4) “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever.” (1 Peter 4:11) May it be true for our children.
5) “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) May our children be follow hard fast after Jesus all of their lives.