Paul said, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22 NIV
Do you ever wonder how you could effectively share the Gospel with friends and colleagues without making them want to “run for the hills?” This article by Matthew Hyde is fresh and insightful. It will certainly give you something to think about. Love, Cindy
ADAPTING TO SHARE THE GOSPEL By Matthew Hyde
Growing up, I didn’t care for Halloween. A large part of that is because, when you don’t have much money, you only have so many options for costumes. You can be a hobo or a ghost, but that’s about it. One year, my cousin’s grandmother had some face paint, I think. She decided she could make me look like a werewolf by using brown face paint on my entire body. Looking back, I looked like a racially insensitive hobo. I can look back an laugh now, but at the time I was very embarrassed to be poor.
The other reason I didn’t care for Halloween, though, was because I wasn’t very good at playing pretend. I was so bad at it that when we had imaginary friends, I had an imaginary imaginary friend. As in, I was pretending to pretend. I thought it was dumb, but my friends were into it, so I did it to make friends.
Later, I wanted to fit in to a group, so I started playing paper-based role-playing games, you know, like Dungeons and Dragons. I didn’t care about it. In fact, I thought it was dumb pretending to be something that I wasn’t. But, that’s how I made friends. I certainly wasn’t going to do it on the football team; I had the athletic prowess of a baby giraffe.
So, that’s how I made friends growing up. I spent time around people with whom I shared no interests. We’d have conversations that I thought were pointless and stupid because I was so desperate to make friends.
There’s a point to the story. I recently had a conversation with a friend that made me think about this. Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” The point to Paul’s statement was that rather than trying to present the Gospel to a Gentile using Jewish tradition and Scripture, he reasoned with them in a way that they would understand.
Paul became a social chameleon because he knew what it would take to present the Gospel in an easily received way. One example of that is was his time in Athens, Greece. There, he preached at a place called the Areopagus. That’s not the important part. As he preached, Paul explained that he noticed different gods throughout the city.
To be clear, Paul did not believe in any of these gods. But in Acts 17:22, Paul says, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious.” This statement put the men at ease because in Greek society, the smartest men studied religion and philosophy. In their society, religion was the way they provided for their families. Religion, in Greek eyes, meant intelligence and dignity.
Did Paul lie? No. In fact, he stated a fact. The Greeks were heavily religious. What Paul meant as a back-handed compliment was received as high acclaim. What’s more, He used their gods to present the one true living God. He said, “I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” This was the open door Paul needed.
Paul used the unknown god as a segue into the Gospel. But he could not have done so if he had gone into Athens convinced that the only way to present the message was through the Jewish Scripture. The Greeks wouldn’t have a grasp on what any of it meant. Paul became like the Athenians, but he did not abandon his beliefs to go all-in.
I still don’t like playing pretend. But, when my daughter asks me to play with her, who am I to say no. Yes, it’s silly to pretend that you’re something that you aren’t. But playing pretend with my daughter allows me to pour into her life and teach her things that she’d otherwise never know.
But that’s not the point to Paul’s message. He wasn’t telling the Corinthians that he was pretending to be like the rest of the world because he wanted to fit in. He did what he could to fit in to the rest of the world without compromising the Bible that that by his influence, one or two might come to Jesus.
I try to apply that to my life. Unfortunately, more often than not, I end up being affected by the world rather than being a light in it. However, I find that the more that I try to fit in to circles because of Jesus Christ, the less burdensome it becomes.
I never really enjoyed sports. But, I still hung out in a group of sports fans and listened to the conversation because my discomfort is far less important than someone else’s eternal salvation. So, yes, I talk sports occasionally. But I do it because I thoroughly believe that everyone should hear the Gospel so they can decide whether they want it.
Once I got into the practice of talking about stuff I wasn’t interested in, it stopped being a chore and I started enjoying it for what it was. It was a conversation between two people who wants what’s best for one another.
We Christians all have a responsibility to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Sometimes that means getting in the trenches with people we have nothing in common with. We may have to talk about movies, video games, music, or other things that we don’t like. But what this does is build trust between the two parties. Building that trust is a strong bridge to deeper conversations that might one day save their eternal soul.
So, get out of your head. Look at the person as someone God wants to save, a person He loves. When you shift your perspective, it’s far easier to place your desires aside and walk in the love and admonition of Jesus Christ our Savior. It eventually stops feeling like a chore and becomes a blessing in both lives. And if it doesn’t, remember that one awkward conversation may mean the difference between gaining or losing a new member of the Christian family.
Adapting to Share the Gospel Message
In His Love, Cindy
Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
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