Common Ground

 "When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some." I Corinthians 9:19-27

So, how does a Caucasian, English-speaking, middle-class American talk about Jesus with a group of hut-inhabiting, indigenous people in Panama who do not speak English? That was the question I was talking with the Lord about all day before the evening gathering where I was slated to preach through an interpreter. During that day, I noticed one of the family matriarchs had placed an old pot with fresh water at the bottom of the ladder that led up to her hut. No dirty feet were getting into her house! That familiar picture allowed me to share with the people that Jesus came to take our dirt/sin away so we could come into the Heavenly Father's house.

Paul faced the same challenge everywhere he went with the Good News of Jesus. His audiences were as diverse as any. Different races. Different socio-economic statuses. Different languages. Different religious backgrounds. Different countries. Different everything. He was convinced that the messenger should make every effort to not be a distraction to the message, the message of Jesus. He described the intensity with which he sought to find common ground with people as the same as an athlete training for the Olympics. He wanted more than anything else for people to come to know Jesus as their Savior.    

Our culture attempts to position us as adversaries. People who are unlike us are to be opposed, or at best, ignored. There's "us" and there's "them." It's so hard to find a way to connect with people who are unlike us, especially when they are antagonistic towards us. So, what do we do? Pray. Serve. Watch. Wait. Share. Looking at Paul's life, we see how hard this was, how costly it was to find common ground. It's so much easier to simply pool up with people just like us, because like water we most often look for the path of least resistance. How different would our lives be if we like Paul, "did everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings"?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tested

"He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do." John 6:1-13 Test day. I remember all too well the feelings of discomfort connected to that expression from my school days. I was so thankful the last time I had to take one. Tests felt so much like a cruel game of, "Guess What I'm Thinking?" with the author of the test. During one particularly grueling test, I noticed one of my classmates cheating like there was no tomorrow. Predictably, he aced it and I let's just say, didn't. It occurred to me later that I was actually being tested in two different ways that day. By God's grace alone, I passed them both. Philip was in the hot seat that day. Jesus, out of the twelve disciples, decided to single him out for testing. From all appearances, there was a massive resource shortage. Five thousand men plus women and children all hungry up against whatever money Judas had in the money bag. Philip was apparently incredulous as he emphaticall
Read more

Nothing Left

"'What do you mean what's the matter?' Micah replied. 'You've taken away all the gods I have made, and my priest, and I have nothing left!" Judges 17, 18 Unaware of some purchases that my wife had made earlier in the day, I didn't even hesitate to use my debit card at the checkout line. However, our bank was fully aware of all those purchases as well as the one I was attempting to make at the present moment. Clearly, the math didn't add up. Something from nothing is something less than nothing and that, as it turns, is frowned upon by our aforementioned bank. In short, the bank told the merchant there was nothing left and the merchant told me, "Declined." Micah was one panicked individual. His personal little self-directed and self-centered religion was coming apart at the seams. He had idols. He had priests. He had a shrine and even a sacred ephod (a priestly garment). All this, he thought, secured the LORD's blessing. When the warri
Read more

Who is Jesus?

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15, 16 NIV) What are your thoughts about Jesus? Every major religion on earth has an opinion on who he was. Mostly they say that he was a good man, a powerful teacher, and a peacemaker. All of that is true. But what about him being the Son of God? Peter, after being with Jesus non-stop for 4 years was confident of his identity. He was assured that Jesus was God in the flesh, the Messiah that was to come. You essentially have three options when it comes to what you believe about Jesus: 1) He was a Liar 2) He was a Lunatic (out of his mind) 3) Or that He was Lord If he was, and is, Lord, then he deserves our worship and our entire lives. If Jesus is Lord, it is true that we have access to God by His sacrifice on the cross. Join us Friday night at 7, as we reflect on Jesus going to the cross for the sins of the entire world (Good Frida
Read more