As Christians it is our God-given duty, to evangelize. We have this assumption that we have to be
like the people we are trying to reach for Christ. Yet, if I’m not mistaken, it’s supposed to
be the Light in us that shines; showing we are new and different-- not the
same. Yet why do we think God wants us to “act the
same” to reach the world? Why would I
want to choose Christ if He looks like everybody else in my life that has
failed me?
People say, “Well Jesus hung out with Pharisees, prostitutes,
and tax collectors.” That’s true. And so should we-- but we don’t have to look
like, talk like, and act like, Pharisees, prostitutes, and tax collectors. Something not often stated is that Jesus didn't
try to ‘fit in’ with the Pharisees, prostitutes, and tax collectors. He
didn't change His wardrobe, or the way He spoke, or the way he acted when He
saw them.
I don’t see Jesus dressing up like the secular pop culture and
offering “Christian” substitutes for their lifestyle just to get ‘in’ so he
could speak truth. No way! It’s
ridiculous! Yet, that’s what many of us
try to do, in order to appeal to the non-believers we are trying to save.
Obviously we live in this world and in this culture, but we
ARE NOT supposed to become the culture.
Paul warns us of this in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
I know what you are thinking, “True, but don’t forget what else
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9: 20-23 – ‘To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win
the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I
myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not
having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from
God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To
the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people
so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of
the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.’”
That is true, but if you look closely Paul is not compromising
his beliefs—he is not conforming. He is
not going to encourage behavior that does not glorify God.
This is the difference:
Paul is talking about a matter of debate-- not conforming to
culture. You can see that as he writes
different to the Romans than to the church in Corinth yet the Truth is still
the same.
All things prove of God’s existence whether that is proven
through Jewish, those under and those not under the Law, or the weak’s theology
the Truth remains the same.
When you talk to a scientist do you not talk about
science? Therefore to the scientists you
become like a scientist. That doesn't
mean you wear a lab coat and work with chemicals and such, it just means you
start off on a common ground so you have something relatable. The same is true with Paul in 1 Corinthians 9.
So, in light of these truths, let us heed Paul’s warning to
not conform to the world. Let us test
everything and discern whether what we do compromises our beliefs or shines
brightly. How do we do that? By “…be[ing] transformed by the renewing of
your mind.” (Romans 12:2) How do we
renew our minds? By studying Biblical
Truth and acting upon it.
