It’s not really fair to expect unbelievers to act like believers. We are in this world as lights, not as adversaries to the world. We love our enemies as well those who are not our enemies (which I think covers everyone).
If we change our mindset then we won’t be so discouraged when our culture becomes destructive. Instead of thinking we have a right to live in the kind of place we want, it might help to think of ourselves as missionaries in our community and our world. As missionaries we need to understand the culture around us. Since there is such a diversity of views wherever we go, our lives are a constant cross-cultural experience. Even talking to our neighbor is often a cross-cultural experience.
We can think of our lives as a challenge to finding the right words and actions that will draw people to God. This is what Jesus did, and what Paul did when he went to Athens and Corinth which had a tremendous variety of philosophies. Paul didn’t condemn them; instead he used a poem from one of their poets to reach them.
Here are some questions to ask whenever we are interacting with someone who does not believe like we do. These are also helpful when putting together a strategy for presenting Jesus to a group in a different culture.
1. What beliefs do they have that fit with scripture?
2. What desires and hopes do they have that God would want to fulfill?
3. What fears do they have that God would want to calm?
4. What ideals do they have that fit with scripture?
5. What pain or shame do they have that God would want to comfort or heal?
If we spend time concentrating on these questions we can make much progress in connecting with those around us, regardless of how much they reject Christianity. We may not even mention God at first – just mention something from one of the questions. It’s just a matter of loving people enough to put the effort in to discovering how to connect with their heart.
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