Communicating With Our World: Part 4

Our next consideration when Communicating With Our World is to Consider Culture.

Getting back to John 3:16, we read “…God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him…”

The key word in today’s post is “…whoever…” Whoever means whichever people group, whichever culture; any nation, tribe or tongue.

I posted about this a month or so ago in a post-series centred around Outreach and Evangelism. I highlighted that Canadian culture is changing. Your town or city is changing. In any given day, we may interact with cultures from all over the world.

And if God’s message of love and salvation is available to anyone, then we as Christians should never shy away from communicating with anyone.

My Experience With Our Church

I pastor at Whitehorse Baptist Church in the Yukon Territory. We have some incredible folks who are having a huge impact on our world. I’m so proud of their efforts to bridge cultural divides.

We have Northern missionaries who have a deep desire to serve First Nations People and repair the damaged relationships from days gone by. And not just in the City of Whitehorse, but in the communities and villages that are too often ignored.

The Syrian Refugee Crisis is big news these days. We have a couple who are opening up their rental property to house a family of 10 Syrian refugees here in Whitehorse. Then we’ll be joining community churches to facilitate a number of support initiatives.

Like many other churches, we also have a missions portfolio. The support for our missionaries is raised in a number of ways. Even our children’s ministry is raising money for Fellowship Aid & International Relief (FAIR) around the world.

It’s Not Always About Money

Just in case you thought considering culture was just about the missions and money, let me share a short story with you.

A number of the older gentleman in our church frequent one of two establishments: McDonald’s and A&W. Well one day a month or so ago, I found myself in line at one of these establishments.

Lo and behold, here was one of these gentlemen. (He shall remain nameless.) I said hello and we chatted a bit. Then it was his turn to order. Then he surprised me.

When he received his order, he replied with a strange word. The Filipino gal behind the counter beamed and the woman filling a coffee order behind her perked up and smiled as well.

When I asked him what he said, he replied “Thank You” in Tagalog, the native language of the Philippines. After he left, she said,

“It’s so nice to hear people speak my language!”

Small Act, Big Impact

This little interaction clearly made this woman’s day. I was impressed. And I was proud to have this man in our congregation. Saying hello in another language may seem insignificant, but it made a huge impact on this woman.

This man didn’t just bridge a gap generationally, by being a kind to this young gal behind the counter. He bridged a gap culturally by learning one small word in another language.

If God’s plan is to extend love to whomever, regardless of culture, then our plan should be to communicate with whomever, regardless of culture.

Can I Get Your Feedback?

Consider Culture: In what ways can we as individuals cross cultural boundaries to bring about more communication with our world?

Please comment below or share your answer on Facebook or Twitter.