We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.  When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.  Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?  Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?  Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”  Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”  (Acts 2:5-12)

My dream for our community is that everyone we encounter, from all cultural backgrounds, will say of the Cranbourne Salvation Army, "We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"  

Today, I captured a photo of some of our Community Support Services volunteers representing six nations, different faith perspectives and diverse life experiences. Yet, each one of them identify with the mission of The Salvation Army in some capacity and voluntarily give their time to serve our common humanity.  In this space there are many messages being spoken by both our words and actions, but I wonder what part of our mission is most being heard and understood?  What is our primary witness - the works of 'man' or the wonders of God?  Is there a langauge of love that personifies the love of God and transcends culture?

The cultural diversity of our volunteers is reflective of the cultural diversity of our community.  My prayer is that the Spirit of God will move with such power through our ministry that everybody we encounter will be "utterly amazed" just like those gathered at Pentecost and will also ask, "What does this mean?"  When they do, may we be empowered to declare the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ in such a way so "that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:21).

Cross-Cultural Ministry

"The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian
Church.  Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission
is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."

The Salvation Army International Mission Statement

As a part of this international movement I not only see the internationalism of The Salvation Army expressed in various nations from a distance but up close through diverse cultural expressions in my own ministry context in Australia.  This creates a rich and complex cross-cultural mission field for me and my church.  

While I personally have a culturally diverse heritage, with Maltese blood and Italian and German grandparents, I am Australian born and was spiritually raised in an English speaking, mono-cultural church in a working-class suburb in Melbourne.  Yet, growing up, my best friend was Croatian and some of my class mates were from a Lebanese, Egyptian, Turkish and Greek background.

Our training as Salvation Army Officers was alongside an Indonesian cadet who trained with us in Melbourne. Our first appointment was in the Northern Territory where we engaged with the Indigenous community and hosted a number of YWAM discipleship training teams from south-east Asia and Europe.  Through successive appointments we have led short-term mission trips to Chiang Mai in Thailand, and Denpasar, Jakarta and Palu in Indonesia.  In our current appointment we have an active ministry to asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Egypt; conduct English classes for a diverse range of nationalities; participate in inter-faith dialogue with Pakistanis from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community; provide facilities for local Christian Indian prayer groups; and have a large multi-cultural volunteer base.

It is any wonder that God has birthed within us a passion for cross-cultural ministry!  However, despite our passion, how do we effectively lead and minister in this space?

Most of our cross-cultural ministry has been accidental, providing us with steep learning curves that have demanded far more intentional responses.  Our growing awareness of other cultures has led both me and my wife into formal learning pathways to educate and equip us to navigate this culturally diverse ministry landscape.

Recently, I was asked to make a presentation to our Growing Healthy Corps group about some cross-cultural ministry insights we have learned along the way.  We are far from experts and feel at times we have little clue about what we are doing in a very complex and fluid environment.  Nevertheless, our journey so far has instilled within us four fundamental beliefs and three missional convictions about cross-cultural ministry.

Cross-Cultural Ministry - 4 Fundamental Beliefs

1. The Creator reveals Himself to ALL humankind (Romans 1:20)
2. God's desire is for ALL to be saved (2 Peter 3:9)
3. Holy Spirit is preparing hearts for salvation (John 16:7-15)
4. Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation (Acts 4:12)

These four fundamental beliefs enable me to interact with different cultures and other faiths from a different position than from my evangelical upbringing.  First, we don't need to take God anywhere, He is already present, providing all people with a partial revelation of the Creator God through His creation.  Second, no culture or religion is outside of the scope of God's salvation.  Third, Holy Spirit is at work long before us, therefore, our role is to 'join in on a conversation that has already begun.'  Finally, a full revelation of God can only be seen through Jesus Christ.

Cross-Cultural Ministry - 3 Missional Convictions

The Apostle Paul's interaction with the men of Athens (Acts 17:16-34) has given form to my fundamental beliefs by providing a biblical framework that has produced my missional convictions about cross-cultural ministry:

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. (Acts 17:16-17)

Conviction #1 - Look for where God is already present

"Cross-cultural witnesses need to look for such indications of God's prior working in whatever societies they go to and work in continuity with them."

Charles H. Kraft, Anthropology for Christian Witness

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. (Acts 17:22-23) 

Conviction #2 - Listen for gaps in their revelation of God

"As we work with the people, we need to find out what kinds of questions they are asking for which they are unable to find answers within their culture."

Charles H. Kraft, Anthropology for Christian Witness

 

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:26-28)

Conviction #3 - Learn how to share a revelation of Jesus

"It is very significant to me that Jesus was a storyteller.  

We westerners are sermonizers, and there is a big difference between the effectiveness of a storytold message and a sermonized message."

Charles H. Kraft, Anthropology for Christian Witness

These three missional convictions are not only a three step process for sharing the gospel in a cross-cultural context but in any context.  They create a posture of looking, listening and learning that fosters what Clark Pinnock calls a dialogical relationship, which is foundational to effective cross-cultural ministry.

"We should watch for whatever Spirit may be teaching and doing among them.  This posture creates the possibility of a dialogical relationship.  We can enter into the faith of others and acknowledge truths and values found there.  These are our fellow human beings, seeking truth as we are.  God is reaching out, and people are responding.  So let us watch for points of contact and bridges of communication." - Clark H. Pinnock, Flame of Love

Paul personified a dialogical relationship with the men of Athens that enabled him to recognise where God was at work, identify a gap in their knowledge and evoke from them a relational response, "We want to hear you again on this subject" (Acts 17:32).  The result?  "Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed."

This has completely changed my approach to evangelism in all contexts, especially cross-culturally!  As a cross-cultural minister I should maintain the attitude of a fellow learner who is also on a faith journey.  As a cross-cultural minister I need to tune into the universal work of the Spirit and share it's unique expression in Jesus Christ.  As a cross-cultural minister my role is to join in on a conversation that has already begun.  

"We have to say both yes and no to other religions.  On the one hand, we should accept any spiritual depth and truth in them.  On the other hand, we must reject darkness and error and at the very least see other faiths as insufficient apart from fulfilment in Christ.  The key is to hold fast to two truths:  the universal operations of grace and the uniqueness of its manifestation in Jesus Christ." - Clark H. Pinnock, Flame of Love

Jesus Crossed Over Social Divisions

Today I preached the final message in a series leading up to Easter Sunday called "CROSS Cultures" where I explored how Jesus crossed over the ethnic, religious, political and social cultures of His day to fulfill God's plan of salvation for ALL of humankind. Below is an outline of this message from Matthew 28:1-10... 

On this resurrection Sunday we conclude our ‘CROSS Cultures’ series by looking at the final culture crossed by Jesus – Social Divisions. 

Every society is marked by social divisions that establish cultural classes, dividing people into a hierarchical structure based on economics, gender, politics, race, or religion, to name a few. People living at the bottom of this social hierarchical structure understand what it is like to be subject to prejudice or victimisation. One such class of people within Jewish culture living near the bottom of a Greco-Roman society was women. Women had limited rights and a low status in their society. A reality that has unfortunately plagued women ever since in almost every culture!  

What I find fascinating about the resurrection story, and the reason I have chosen to focus on women as an example of the social divisions crossed by Jesus, is how they are featured in this story. When you consider that something as significant as the resurrection of the crucified Christ, which had enormous political and religious implications, was first communicated to women - it should demand our attention!

Let’s take a closer look at Matthew’s account of the resurrection story…  

"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb."  (28:1)

• Out of all the people in the life of Jesus, the women were first at the tomb

"There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."  (28:2-6)

• Out of all the people in the life of Jesus, the angel spoke first to the women

"Come and see the place where he lay."  (28:6)

• Out of all the people in the life of Jesus, the women were invited to “come and see”

"Then go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.” Now I have told you.’  So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said."  (28:7-9)

• Out of all the people in the life of Jesus, He chose to appear to the women first

"They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him."  (28:9)
 

• Out of all the people in the life of Jesus, the women were first to worship the resurrected Christ

"Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’"  (28:10)

• Out of all the people in the life of Jesus, He chose the women to tell His closest followers

The women received a revelation of the risen Christ when they were told to come and see.

The women received a commission by the risen Christ when they were told to go and tell.  

The women were liberated from any social divisions by being chosen to be witnesses to the single most important event of human history that is foundational to Christian faith! This is something that seems to have been overlooked by those who continue to deny women the right to lead, minister or preach in the Church! It defies logic and biblical credibility to me!!  

Just as the resurrection of Jesus Christ tore the veil in the temple, crossing religious barriers, giving all of human kind access to God; the resurrection of Jesus Christ also crosses social divisions affirming Paul’s message that, “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).  

By crossing social divisions, Jesus is saying to each one of us, regardless of our position in the church or society, come and see the resurrected Christ and go and tell others the good news!

Who Is Taking Whom?

This week I embark on a new semester of study for my degree, focusing on Cultural Anthropology.  Already, as I dive into the pages of the prescribed text book, I am captured by this study of human behaviour from a cross-cultural perspective and how that shapes the way Christians give witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The author of the text Charles H. Kraft relays a story illustrating some of the misperceptions that are experienced by the messenger and receptors of the gospel when there are differing views of reality.  He shares the prayer that was prayed for three missionary recruits who were preparing to go to Nigeria:  "Oh, Lord, help these young men to realize that it is You who are taking them to Nigeria, not they who are taking You."

What a powerful prayer that somewhat challenges the paradigm of many missionaries and evangelists who genuinely believe they are taking God to not-yet-saved people.  To believe that we are taking God anywhere is to assume that God is not already there.  In contrast, this prayer affirms that God is already present and that He sends us to go and join in where He is already at work.  This radically changes the context, content and conversation of mission.

To go where God is already present opens our eyes to a partial revelation of God, opens our ears to interpret what God has already spoken and opens our mouth to speak appropriately into the conversation a full revelation of God through the person of Jesus Christ.

Maybe we need to remind ourselves of this prayer before releasing anybody, anywhere into an evangelical mission so we don't allow our preconceived cultural perceptions to get in the way of what God is doing among all cultures on earth. 

The Paradox Of Care

Over the past five days I have found myself dealing with an unexpected time of incapacitation caused by a random medical situation.  While dining out with a group of people from our church, a piece of steak got lodged in my oesophagus, resulting in extreme pain and vomiting a lot of blood.  After a number of non intrusive attempts to dislodge the steak in the Emergency Department at Berwick Hospital, I was transferred to Dandenong Hospital where I required a gastroscopy to remove the blockage, which also revealed a couple of significant tears along my oesophagus.  Four days in hospital, excellent care from medical staff, the love and support of family and friends, and faith fueled prayers for healing have led to a full recovery.  Praise the Lord!!

During my stay at the Dandenong Hospital it was interesting to observe the ethnic mix of medical staff, reflecting the cultural diversity of the greater city of Dandenong.  I was cared for by doctors, nurses and orderlies from a variety of Asian, Middle Eastern, Islander and African nations.  Beyond the obvious differences in appearances and accents was a universal professionalism and level of care that transcended these cultural differences.

As a sick and vulnerable white Australian laying in a hospital bed in an Australian public hospital, I couldn't avoid noticing the paradox between the care I received from culturally diverse health professionals and the care that is given by Australian political leaders to vulnerable people seeking asylum in Australia.

While our circumstances are very different the contrast in care cannot and should not go unnoticed.  Vulnerable and desperate human beings who cannot help themselves should be treated with dignity and compassion by those who can, regardless of their nationality and circumstances.  It was humbling to be cared for in my time of vulnerability by people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who experience racial discrimination and may well have family or friends being rejected by a government they are serving through their medical expertise.

In transit between Casey Hospital in Berwick and Dandenong Hospital I met an Indian taxi driver who is studying a Degree in Commerce and drives taxis part time because he is not entitled to the same study concessions as other Australians.  In the ward at Dandenong Hospital I met an Islander male nurse who showed a particular interest in my case because of his training as a doctor back home but who is not qualified to practice medicine in Australia.  Yet, in the bed next to me in the Day Treatment Centre at Dandenong I overheard the phone conversation of a young drug affected Australian making racially critical comments about the staff and service of the hospital.

The experience of being hospitalized this week, while unwelcomed on many levels, gave me a deeper respect for people from culturally diverse backgrounds and a stronger resolve to bridge the growing gap of misunderstanding between Australians and those who seek to call Australia home!

Cultural Revelation

Today, I had a cultural encounter at the office that has deeply touched me.  An Indian woman and her father arrived with a food donation for our Community Support Services.  When I enquired if the donation was personal or from another organisation, she explained that it was a family fulfilment of a Hindu custom when a close relative dies.  Her father-in-law died in January and every month on the anniversary date of his death for a year, they donate food to assist the poor in honour of their loved one.  She has lived in Australia for 30 years, and has found a way to honour her Hindu culture in the context of Australian culture.

It is hard for me to articulate why this has impacted me so much, except I was the recipient of an act of grace that transcended religious barriers and expressed the very heart of humanity.  The words of an old Salvation Army song took on flesh today: 

Except I am moved with compassion,
How dwelleth thy Spirit in me?
In word and in deed
Burning love is my need;
I know I can find this in thee.

Too often when we engage with other cultures or religions our focus tends to be on what divides us rather than what unites us.  As human beings we share a common humanity that is a reflection of our Creator.  While the brokenness of creation has distorted this reflection, the same Spirit who breathed life into us is drawing ALL people to a restored relationship with their Creator God, through the person of Jesus Christ.  The way in which Christians engage with other cultures will determine what reflection of God we project and whether or not that image reveals Christ who is "the way, the truth and the life" or a Church that is a road block to a revelation of Christ.

Do You Speak My Language?

While attending a Disaster Relief training conference in Hong Kong a few years ago with The Salvation Amy, I found myself in a very challenging learning environment.  I was one of three English speaking western delegates amongst representatives from every Asian country in the South Pacific East Asia zone. The trainer was from England and the course was presented in English, but the class discussion and workshop participation took on the flavour of the diverse language groups represented.  

Despite having a clear advantage of speaking the same language as the trainer, I became very aware that I represented a minority culture in this context and faced my own language barriers in processing and contextually applying the knowledge learnt when participating in small group discussion.  Most of the other delegates spoke multiple languages and connected easily with the dominant Asian culture (despite the diversity within the dominant culture), yet struggled to present back what they had processed in their familiar language groups in a clear and coherent manner through the unfamiliar language of English.  However, what the trainer did next was one of the most culturally intelligient things I had seen in such an environment.  She invited each participant to present to the class in their native language.  Even though she could not understand their language of origin, she observed a sudden change in their body language and confidence as they "organised their thoughts" and "constructed their knowledge" in the "language they dream in" (Trudgen). 

Trudgen's article, "What Language Do You Dream In?", helps us to make sense of the linguistic challenges of cross-cultural communication.  I am currently trying to learn bahasa Indonesia and have discovered that even though I have a growing vocabulary of words, sentence structure and phrasing is very different to English.  I recognise many words in conversations with my Indonesian friends, but have to work hard at trying to construct my thoughts in a very unfamiliar language structure.  In a small way, I identify with the frustration illustrated by Trudgen," English makes me tired" when people from non-English cultures (including indigenous Australians) are attempting to communicate in a second language.

We need to take language seriously if we want to effectively bridge the linguistic gap in communicating the Gospel cross-culturally.