Translating The Gospel

Recently I’ve been blogging some key points to effective witnessing.

The first point was to check our attitudes.
- see the post “Attitudes In Witnessing” at
http://pastorkensnotes.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/attitudes-in-witnessing/

The second key point was:
“Ask more questions than you make statements.”
- you can find the post “Questions, Questions, Questions” at
http://pastorkensnotes.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/effective-witness-questions-questions-questions/

The third point we considered was:
“Don’t dump the whole load at once.  Plant seeds of the gospel instead.”
- please read the post “A Bit Here, A Bit There” at
http://pastorkensnotes.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/a-bit-here-a-bit-there/

One last point….
Some time ago a parishoner said to a friend of mine, “Don’t bother me with questions of culture, or frameworks.  I just want to get out there with the gospel.”
I appreciate that person’s hunger to share Jesus.
But I worry about how it will go.
Because the reality is that the culture in which Jesus walked, and in which the Bible was written, is rather different than the world in which we live today….. somewhat anyway.  There are other ways in which it is amazingly the same – like peoples’ ability to get into trouble, or become confused, or sin, and worry about death, despair about meaning, etc; not much ever changes there, it seems.

I’m amazed every time I open up two bibles and place Acts 13 beside Acts 17.  Please do the same.
Notice how DIFFERENT the gospel presentations are as given by St.Paul.
At first that may seem strange.
Can’t he stick to one “script”?
Did he get knocked “off message”?
Actually – it is the audience that is different.  And hence the way Paul presents the same timeless truth about God’s salvation through Jesus also changes.
He reads his audience and presents accordingly.

Which we need to do, also.
Build bridges between ourselves and the culture in which we live.
Understand it.
Affirm what we can.
Take or leave other parts of it.
And perhaps see some parts of culture that we simply cannot affirm or accept.
But never, never, never just IGNORE the culture around us.

The challenge that St.Paul provides for us  is to become just as comfortable living, learning and sharing the Gospel in the marketplace of ideas out there in our city as we are discussing it when we are in the safe, comfortable setting of Calvin Church.

Part of that is in the language we use.
Words like “sanctification”  “redemption”  “grace”  – how would you put those great terms into language that non-religious, non-Christian people can understand?
Practice speaking your faith WITHOUT using “church-ese” talk.
That’s challenge one for this week.

And here’s another challenge:
Can you discuss your faith in Christ over a pitcher at your favorite sports bar?
How about in a university classroom?
Can you use their thought systems?
Can you speak their language?

Do you know at least some of the basic brush strokes of major world religions? If not, are you willing to ask? To ask your Islamic neighbor to explain the core teaching that she holds to? To inquire of your Hindu coworker about her spiritual passion? Questions, remember. And when you find points of contact, build on that. Perhaps the Spirit will give you a chance to drop a seed or two of faith into their life. Doing it all with an attitude of respect and gentleness.

If you want to see one website where fellow believers are working hard at having some sort of a St.Paul like presence online, check out www.veritas.org
They encourage debate about performance, film, lectures and more. The idea is to raise up dialogue in a public forum where people can bring forward claims of the Gospel.  I’m not saying they get it all right. None of us who are involved in the messy world of evangelism and witness ever do.  But they are trying hard in the spheres of art, and literature, and government and science and law.

As should we.
Without fear!
For if we honestly believe that Christ is truly the Head of all things, and is reconciling all things to Himself, things on earth and things in heaven (check out Colossians 1:13-2:9), that he is head over all literally, then you can engage all sorts of philosophies and thought systems.

We do, of course, work carefully lest we be swallowed up by them!!
Just because there is some measure and glimmer of truth in what others think, doesn’t mean that we swallow it all. Then we’ve jumped ship – leaving Paul’s ship of the Gospel, and landing in with the agnostic syncretism of the Athenians…. mushing all world beliefs together.
Beware of that, friends!

The Bible remains our rule of faith, thought and life – our canon. And Jesus remains the only Saviour, and Sovereign Lord of all.  So we join Paul in publicly affirming the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – and our hope of a New Creation that will come through that same Jesus!

And we won’t blink if people call us foolish…. or worse.
They did the same to Paul (cf 1 Corinthians 3:18-23).
We stand with the apostle and hold our ground.
Praying that some will come to see and believe.
And looking for further opportunity to build bridges and witness and plant seeds for Jesus.

Thoughts on this? Love to hear from you.
See you at Church, Lord willing!

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