It seems to me that the artificial division between evangelism and missionary outreach has handicapped our evangelism due to our too often making the assumption that we know our own culture. All outreach ought to be considered cross-cultural. In this way, we come into any conversation assuming that we know absolutely nothing of the person with whom we are conversing, and we must ask questions in order to come to know the individual. Asking questions—learning—is a humble approach. And are we not seeking that the grace of God which is offered to all humanity be further spread by our lives? Of course we do! Since grace comes only to the humble (Jas.4:6), we become the best emissaries of grace by receiving it liberally for ourselves.
The secret ingredient in successful cross-cultural outreach is total helplessness. Consider Paul’s statement to the Galatians that, “…it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first” (Gal.4:13). Lots of people set out with schemes to reach an unreached culture that involve teaching superior agricultural processes or establishing medical clinics. On one hand, it is hard to throw rocks at these efforts; after all, how else are we going to secure visas into hostile territory? But the other part of the equation is, sending experts in to supply what “those poor people” lack is pretty humiliating for those whom we seek to reach with the gospel of Jesus. So I recommend helplessness. I remember being laid low with malaria in Indonesia for a couple of weeks. Being ministered to by my host family while I stayed in bed was the method through which I acquired the most of their language. As it turns out, people also oppose the proud and give grace to the humble.
That which impels us to go to all the families of the earth (Gen.12:3) with the good news of the blessing that is theirs is more than the weight of Jesus’s commission; it is the certainty that God created all human beings to reflect His image (Gen.1:26) and that that image is worth perfecting and preserving. With all this being said, what should our approach be?
Knowing that human beings are made in the image of God should move us to a process of discovery: learning about people and relating what we find to what we know about God. This may well be a lifetime project, sketching out who God has revealed Himself to be in His word and relating that revelation to what we discover about people. The net result should be something of wonder in us who make cultural discoveries—something to the effect of, “I see the kindness of God in you; the reflection of this aspect of His glory is so exceptionally clear. Oh friend, you are incredibly valuable! What I see in you is worth perfecting and worth preserving. Did you know that God has a plan already in place to accomplish both your perfecting and your preserving?” (And if you did not notice yet, that is a perfect set-up for presenting the gospel which flows naturally from getting to know people). I believe that this approach would work just as well for getting to know individuals as it would for crossing cultures.
But this gets really complicated. How do we isolate the shape of a culture from the personality of the individual people? How are we to differentiate between those aspects which need to be reformed (or eliminated) from those aspects of a culture that are virtues which God intends to preserve? I am reminded of Paul’s speaking of the grafting in of branches onto the root of Israel (Rom.11:16-24). In the process of grafting branches from one fruit tree to another, the foreign branch retains its genetic identity while it begins to take its sap from a superior source. Jesus is the root and offspring of David (Rev.22:16). He is the superior source of life to which a “branch” may be attached and live forever! It is He who said, “Abide in me and you will bear much fruit” (Jn.15:4,5).
It is important here to avoid complicating something that God intends to be fairly straightforward. We do not have the responsibility to determine which aspects of a culture need to be reformed or rejected; our responsibility is to get people attached to Jesus by faith. As that Source of life begins to perfect the branch and the fruit becomes good, we can take notes on what He is doing and become more discerning regarding what needs to happen in a culture based on what He does in and through an individual.
This has been a bit of a ramble. More questions have been raised than have been answered. In future days I shall attempt to address more of these questions.
Pastor Steve Ross 
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