Missionary Mindset
John Nicol Farquhar, a Scottish
missionary to India, noticed something about Indian culture that was pretty
much identical to our contemporary world. Thanks to the efforts of his senior
missionaries, Christianity in India by that time was seen as something compelling
and engaging. But Christianity was beginning to be no longer seen as culturally
relevant and intellectually credible to the broader culture in India. “Just
preach the gospel” approach didn't work anymore. To help people take
Christianity seriously again, Farquhar emphasized rigorous intellectual and
cultural training.
I think the same thing is happening in our world today. There are so many questions to be addressed before Christianity restores credibility. How do you reconcile Christianity and science? If God is good, why so much suffering and pain? Why is the church so messy and divisive? What impact does the gospel have on our pluralistic society – on politics, peacemaking, and the public sphere? Barna research group refers to the current U.S. culture as “churchless.” As many as 70 percent of younger people do not find the church either relevant or meaningful and therefore see no reason to attend. As Christians, we are surrounded by a culture estranged from the Christian context. So in this spiritually foreign context how can we love our neighbors and help them to come to the faith?
Becoming All Things
In fact, the Apostle Paul had the same
question we have, and he had a strategy for that. I would call it "the strategy
of love.” In verse 20 Paul says:
To the Jews I became as a Jew, in
order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though
I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To
those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free
from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the
law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that
I might by all means save some. (vv. 20-22, NRSV)
Although Paul is free from everyone’s expectations, he has voluntarily become a servant to all of them to reach out to a wider range of people. It doesn’t mean that he took on their way of life – “to the thief I become like a thief,” or “to the adulterer I become an adulterer.” No! He kept his bearings in Christ, but he entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. The essence of the gospel is incarnation – God became man to be with us and to save us. Paul didn’t just want to talk about it; he wanted to be in on it. As a missionary, Paul cultivated two types of mindsets: a steward mindset, and an Olympic mindset to win more people.
Self-Awareness: “A Steward Mindset”
First of all, Paul had a strong sense of self-awareness as a steward. Before reaching a wide range of
people, Paul was well grounded and deeply rooted in Christ. He was keenly aware
of his own religious tradition (Pharisee), his past sins (persecuting the
church), his conversion (Damascus experience), his calling (apostle to the
gentiles). He knew who he is in Christ. We can summarize Paul’s reasoning this
way:
1. I am free from all; I am subject to none.
2. But, I am under the lordship of Christ.
3. Therefore, I choose to be a servant of all, subject to all willingly and freely.
Paul had a steward mindset: “I own nothing, Jesus owns everything.” Some in the Corinthian church doubted and challenged Paul’s apostleship. Some were saying, “Paul is not a true apostle, because he is not paid. He is just an amateur.” Some were saying, “Paul is not good enough to be an apostle.” Some were saying, “Paul can’t be an apostle because he did great harm to the church in the past.” Responding to those harsh accusations, since Paul has a clear sense of self-awareness (who he is), Paul is able to stand firm and say, “Although I am Christ’s apostle, I choose not to make full use of my rights, so that I might win more people.” (cf. vv. 18-19) On another occasion Paul also says, "By God's grace I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not wasted. Instead, I worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I, but God's grace that is with me.” (1 Cor 15:10). Paul found his identity, deeply rooted in Christ alone.
Rabbi Edwin Friedman tells the story of the bridge. There was a man who started on his journey. After starting across the bridge, he noticed someone coming from the opposite direction. The stranger began to unwrap the rope as he walked. Just as the two men were about to meet, the stranger said, “Pardon me, would you be so kind as to hold the end of the rope for me?” The man agreed without a thought, reached out, and took it. Then all of sudden, the stranger jumped off the bridge. He yelled over the edge, “Why did you do this?” “Remember,” said the other, “If you let go, I will be lost.” “Why did you do this?” he asked again. “Don’t you see what you have done? What possible purpose could you have in mind?” “Just remember,” said the other, “my life is in your hands.” Finally, the man devised a plan. He said to the stranger, “I will not accept the position of choice for your life, only for my own; I mean, simply, it’s up to you. I will become the counterweight. You do the pulling and bring yourself up. I will even tug some from here.” “You cannot mean what you say,” the other shrieked. “You would not be so selfish. I am your responsibility. Do not let go of me. Do not do this to me.” After a long pause, the man on the bridge at last uttered slowly, “I accept your choice.” In voicing these words, he freed his hands and continued his journey over the bridge.[i]
This story tells us the importance of self-awareness and self-differentiation. In reality we face these kinds of dilemmas all the time. Paul was not any different from any of us. But he was able to differentiate himself from the other apostles, his past, his wounds. And he was able to gain self-awareness in Christ. “I am not Peter, but I too am called to be an apostle to the gentiles. (v. 5)” “I am an apostle, but I don’t want to make full use of my rights. (v. 18)” “I am free from all, but I want to be a servant for all. (v. 19)” A steward mindset.
Self-Control: “An Olympic Mindset”
The second mindset we can learn from Paul is an Olympic mindset. In verse 25 Paul says, “Athletes exercise self-control in all things… So I do not
run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and
enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be
disqualified.” It’s so much easier for a Christian to stay in the church, stay
in the comfort zone instead of staying in the world. It takes a lot of work and
intentional focus to know our neighbors and the broader culture – to know their
struggles, their hopes, their questions. It requires discipline. That’s why
Paul compares it to the rigorous training. We need an Olympic mindset.
To cultivate an Olympic mindset, walking can be a great start. Gracy Olmstead describes walking as “a ritual of love”: “Walking is a slow and porous experience… To walk is also to be vulnerable: it forces us into physical interaction with surrounding streets, homes, and people. This can delay us, annoy us, even put us in danger. But it connects us to community in a way that cars never can.”[ii] While Jesus was here on earth, he always walked at 3 miles per hour. Jesus walked 3 miles per hour to see a Samaritan woman – her pain and brokenness. Jesus walked 3 miles per hour to see Zacchaeus – his loneliness and thirst. Jesus walked 3 miles per hour to touch the sick, to chat with widows, and to meet children. We never see Jesus running anywhere. But he was able to say on the cross: “It is finished!” Jesus redeemed the entire world at three miles per hour. There are hurting people all around us. Now is the time to slow down enough to walk along with them from where they are at 3 miles per hour.
Recently, I read an article about how the Amish community puts faith in God’s will and herd immunity over vaccine. In Ohio’s Holmes County, home to the nation’s largest concentration of Amish, just 14 percent of the county’s overall population is fully vaccinated. The Amish often rely on family tradition and advice from church leaders, and a core part of their Christian faith is accepting God’s will in times of illness or death. Most now say they have already had the virus and believe their communities have reached herd immunity. So they don’t see a need to get vaccinated. For example, Mark Raber, who is Amish in Daviess County, Indiana, said, “As long as everything stays the same, I don’t think I’ll get it.”[iii]
It’s not just the Amish story. It is our story. There is a lot of confusion, hesitancy, misinformation, and distrust among us. And it’s so politically charged. In this case what won’t work is bombarding people with statistics and confrontation. What we need is to walk along with them, listen to them, and build trusting relationships. If we get vaccinated, we do it in order to love our neighbors. If we wear mask, we do it in order to love our neighbors. If we read the news, we do it in order to love our neighbors. Love is our aim. May our faith be deep enough to stand firm in Christ no matter what. May our love be wide enough to reach a wide range of people and lead them to Christ. Amen.
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[i]
Adapted from Edwin H. Friedman, Friedmans
Fables (New York: Guilford, 1990), 9–13.
[ii]
Bilbro, Jeffrey. Reading the Times (p. 167). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
[iii]
John Seewer, “Amish put faith in God’s will and herd immunity over vaccine,” Christian Century (July 12, 2021)
