I have been thinking a lot on mission lately and I am constantly burdened by the fact that many Christians don't recognize themselves as missionaries in their everyday contexts. Many people in the church believe that missions is what those people who go overseas do when in reality being a missionary is part of the identity of every believer. This is a truth I have had to learn and am still learning, but the old "mission field right outside your door" cliche is so, so true. I was helped and encouraged by a blog post on contextualizing the Gospel yesterday and thought I'd share it. You can read the post below or check it out at http://www.edstetzer.com/
"How can they hear?" might be the most appropriate question related
to contextualizing gospel communication. Those who would respond to the
gospel must have some basic understanding of what they are being asked
to consider. Understanding something of the environment in which the
original action took place and how the gospel impacts the conditions of
their own setting is essential for a person to respond to the gospel
message. It is not what the gospel means
to them, but what the gospel means
for
them, as it is the objective, real work of the Son of God. This is
something that Paul understood clearly. When the Apostle stated his
willingness to become "like" a Gentile, express weakness or much more,
the purpose was so that his hearers could grasp the implications of the
gospel where and "when" they were.
I have said it many times, but it always seems to bear repeating--
contextualization is not watering down the message. In fact, it is
exactly the opposite. To contextualize the gospel means removing
cultural and linguistic impediments to the gospel presentation so that
only the offense of the cross remains. It is not removing the offensive
parts of the gospel; it is using the appropriate means in each culture
to clarify exactly who Jesus was, what He did, why He did it, and the
implications that flow from it. Oftentimes, it is unclear communication
(and a lack of contextualization) that contributes to some rejecting
something they do not understand. If the feet of those who bring the
gospel are beautiful upon the hills, it is at least partly due to the
fact that those who hear the gospel understand and appreciate its life
transforming truth. This often occurs through critical
contextualization.
Christan contextualization has to include and understanding of the
work of Jesus, in His incarnation, life and teaching. Incarnated as a
first century, Palestinian Jew, Jesus was so thoroughly a part of His
culture than, when being betrayed by Judas, He had to be identified by a
kiss. He didn't levitate above the earth or have a perpetual light
emanating from Him. He came to earth fully man. He ate the same foods as
the disciples, walked the same roads, grew tired, slept and prayed. His
teaching consisted of familiar to the people in his context: farmers,
widows, fields, crops, money and heaven. Jesus didn't merely bring
heaven to earth; He taught about it in earth's terms from a very
specific cultural environment.
Paul followed this method. Whether Athenian philosophers, the
libation or heathen poets, he used culturally familiar and appropriate
markers as bridges to cross, communicating and clarifying the gospel's
truth. Being weak meant that he humbled himself to bring the gospel to
those society viewed as weak. To the strong, he presented his
credentials of apostleship to garner a hearing. Before Jews, he
refrained from legally offensive behavior. Before Gentiles, he exercised
his freedom in Christ. In whatever situation he found himself, he used
whatever way possible to bring and communicate a clear gospel to as many
as possible, even if only a few responded. He did not allow context to
become a barrier to the gospel; he even used cultural cues as a bridge
for effective gospel communication.
So, contextualization matters because clear gospel communication matters.
