In my preparation for a global ministry, I have had lots of training on cultural sensitivity. Our culture is our culture and because of it we are often unaware of how it influences how we see the world around us; how we live life and the choices we make. It’s easy to go into a new culture with a judgmental heart because they do things so differently and through our lens it seems weird, foreign and sometimes just wrong.
Being culturally sensitive when stepping into new cultures is a vital part of my ministry. Entering with a heart of love and not judgement is vital. Bringing a learning spirit, rather than a know-it-all spirit or my world-is-so-much-better-than-yours spirit opens the doors to understanding and seeing the good in the different culture I’m in.
I have worked really hard at setting aside my need to be right and to have my ideas and ways of doing things validated. It’s harder than you might think! Pride always likes to raise it’s ugly head.
Stepping into a new culture in a culturally sensitive way is the way Jesus lived. Think about it, He came from the splendor of heaven to this broken and messed up planet. He chose to enter as a baby, not as a righteous King ready to bring justice down on the heads of those He had created. Instead of wrath and justice, He brought humility and sacrifice. He lived in the culture and became one of us, while still remaining God!
But Jesus didn’t let the “norms” of the day dictate how He would live and love the Father. He went against culture when it was wrong. He went out of his way to meet and sit with a Samaritan woman. He stopped where He was going to acknowledge the faith of the bleeding woman (someone in the eyes of the culture who would’ve made Jesus unclean). As a Rabbi, He washed His disciples’ feet. He was humble, when humble wasn’t even a word in their dictionary. He reached out to Zacchaeus, a hated tax collector and brought hope to his life. He threw over the tables of the men conducting business in the Synagogue. Jesus often went against the cultural norms when those norms clashed with what was right and He calls all those who follow Him to do the same.
Our culture must not be our authority. It is God’s Word and it alone that should guide our lives and behaviors. And when culture and God’s Word clash, God’s Word should always win!
In recent months, I have seen this clashing so clearly.
Southeast Asia: Church planters adamantly declaring they couldn’t look their wives in the eye and say they were sorry. That just wasn’t acceptable in their culture.
Kenya: Ethiopian pastors saying they beat their wives and their wives beat them and that is just how their culture is.
But when does God’s Word trump culture? When do we let go of allowing the culture to define our behaviors and life?
When it runs head long into God’s Word.
So if culture is culture and hard for us to see how it influences us, how are we ever to get out from underneath it? How are we ever to stop it from having power over us?
What is your measuring stick?
Is it God’s Word or the opinions of people around you? Or your own performance? Or what is culturally acceptable?
It’s not just Southeast Asia church planters and Ethiopian pastors who struggle with allowing the culture to dictate their lives, we too, have the same problem.
We let the fear of what others might think over-ride our true authority, God’s Word.
Jesus always went against culture when culture went against the Truth and we must do the same!
It’s how we show the world we’re different. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5.14-15)
And this difference draws others to THE LIGHT!
Spilling His Grace,
kristi
What if Lazarus had chosen to remain in his graveclothes instead of letting someone unwrap him? What if he said, “If you unwrap me I’ll be naked. Let me live with them?”
I walked among giants. Giants of the faith. Are they perfect – no! Do they struggle with sin? Yes! Does busyness tend to distract them? Always! But they are giants just the same. These spiritual giants have sacrificed ALL to walk in obedience with God. They carry the light into extreme darkness. Often, they are isolated and alone, in a community that rejects them and what they represent. They walk with care, never knowing if someone will report them. They worry for the safety of their children. And yet they continue on . . .
Moses and Daniel holding the banner? Were the angels singing? Was there a line of people waiting to greet him, anxious to tell him that they were there in part because of His obedience and servanthood? Were people dancing and praising God for this surrendered servant who had finally come HOME! Because I know for sure, it wouldn’t have been about Billy Graham. It would’ve been about God and his miraculous work in the heart and life of a man totally sold out to Jesus!
As we have journeyed down into the dungeon of my soul I’ve found God so ever present. As we have looked at the darkness of my sin, I have found Him not condemning but illuminating. Whispering, “There’s a better way to live, Kristi. It’s what I died for . . . you’re no longer a slave but my daughter and you are FREE.
roots growing deep into the water, finding life and love and joy! I’m discovering He is ALL I need. I find my heart rejoicing in the middle of my struggle. Words like fortitude, tenaciousness and strength have become my prayer as I ask God to do His work in me. I feel Him preparing me for what is to come. Chiseling me into His masterpiece. I’m realizing I need Him like I need air to breathe. I’m learning what it means to place my complete trust in God and I want Him to be my hope and confidence! He is who I look to, He is who I depend on and He is where I put my hope – a hope that, Paul says in Romans, DOESN’T DISAPPOINT! (Romans 5.5 NLT)
