PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN UNFAMILIAR PLACES
Romans 1:16 & Genesis 3:7-10
Big Idea: How a people understand themselves and their world goes far in determining how we should present the Gospel.
INTRO:
In Romans 1 the Apostle Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
The Apostle Paul was a champion of the Gospel. He preached it in every environment he was in. He was also a champion communicator. Even though he had the same message wherever he went (Christ crucified and risen from the grave) he conveyed that message differently to different people groups.
For example: When speaking to the Jews he would sometime start with the promised coming of their messiah and sometimes with the need for someone to fulfill the law. But with gentiles he used entirely different starting places; neither a promised messiah nor keeping the law were part of their ethic; or even their responsibility. For example, while in Athens, Greece he started by talking about “the unknown God” (Acts 17).
The point is, his message never changed but where he started and how he communicated it varied widely from people to people.
In America we have, for too long, assumed we are still a static people and the old ways of presenting the unchanging Gospel will still work. Hence we give everyone “Four Spiritual Laws” tracts etc., when it may be so far off their radar that they cannot relate. It can almost seem like we are trying to “sell” someone a car who is trying to buy food.
Roland Muller is a CMA missionary who served in the 10/40 window. That is a portion of the globe that is very resistant to the Gospel and also happens to be primarily Muslim. Muller is of the opinion that one reason most of our Gospel proclamation fails there has more to do with our communication that with our message or the hearts of the people.
With that in mind; I would ask you to turn with me to Genesis 3:7-10. I want to show you something important from this passage about human need and the Gospel’s proclamation. This passage picks up after Adam and Eve have eaten the forbidden fruit.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
This passage gives the account of man’s fall and the consequences of sin. To use words from Rev. Muller, there are three “big emotional reactions to sin” recorded here. We will also discover that these three reactions to sin serve as cultural influences in every human society. A different one may dominate each society or people but all three are present.
1. Guilt (3:7)
• 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
• Guilt comes with the knowledge of sin. Guilt comes when we recognize we have “fallen short” of God’s expectations for us. That we have “missed the mark” (which is the actual definition of sin).
• Western culture has traditionally been influenced by guilt and innocence / right and wrong. Therefore, our approach to the Gospel centers on this “reaction” to sin. For generations most of our evangelism has started and stopped here. We emphasize God’s holiness and our violation of God’s standard (our sin), hence there is judgment for guilt.
• That is all correct – as far as it goes. But America is no longer a static culture and the other “cultural consequences” need to be understood.
2. Shame (3:8)
• 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
• When we think of “shame” most people think of something akin to “being embarrassed because we were caught at something.” But shame is more encompassing. Shame, as a consequence, involves rejection, forfeiture, demotion or exclusion (i.e. being “cast out”).
• Shame, like guilt, passed to all humanity as a consequence of sin.
• It brings a sense of unworthiness. It is a sense that one has been cast aside and removed from a place of honor.
• Spiritually, humanity is now in a shameful and estranged position before God. And this can be a significant starting point for sharing the “Good News.”
• Shame is often addressed in the Scriptures. You can find references to it and imagery of it in the temple, the stories of the Joseph, the message of the prophets, the death of Christ on the cross, and the epistles of Paul.
• It is as much a spiritual problem as guilt but our culture works from a guilt and innocence paradigm so we don’t often feel this one as acutely.
• Many other world cultures, however, focus more on aspects of shame and honor than on guilt and innocence. Honor and shame become paramount to understanding their world views.
• Many of the shame-based cultures of the world are located between Morocco and Korea; what I referred to earlier as the 10/40 window.
• These are the cultures that Roland Muller served and he found that once he started showing the power of the Gospel to restore us to fellowship (we have been cast out) that many became receptive to the Good News.
• In America shame-based cultures are on the rise. They can be found among:
1. Some Native American tribes who have been disgraced and “cast out” as unworthy and another has been given their land and standing.
2. Inner city gangs who feel no sense of ownership or esteem. The quickest way to get killed is to “disrespect” a gang member. In order to restore their sense of dignity and position they will take revenge.
3. Some Appalachia sub-cultures.
• Did any of you see the mini-series by Kevin Costner on the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys? This feud was about shame and honor. It was prompted by an insult / disrespect. Every time someone was disrespected the family came to their aid to restore honor … to get revenge. That is a mirror of many world cultures and one reason we have a hard time understanding the worldview that they work from. Guilt and innocence (right and wrong) are not the primary emotional responses that have shaped them, shame is.
As our culture becomes more pluralistic we will have to learn to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to a shame-based culture.
But there is one more reaction / consequence to sin found in Genesis 3.
3: Fear (3:9-10)
• 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
• A motivating factor in many cultures is fear. There is no sense of confidence in God’s power and this, naturally flows into every other aspect of their culture.
• Christian theology has often missed this point – but missionaries have long ago talked of fear-based cultures. They are often referred to as “animistic” which means they believe natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself is possess souls or spirits. They live in fear of these spirits.
• Fear-based cultures can be found in Africa, the Far East, and Meso-America (which includes central and south America and the Caribbean).
• Haiti is a fear-based culture. It permeates their entire worldview and their entire understanding of civic and private life. Voodoo is practiced by 40% of the population and there are voodoo temples and voodoo shamans even in the tent cities. Just as we would erect a church promptly after a natural disaster –so they erect their voodoo temples.
• That is why we do not bring certain gifts with us to Haiti. Trinkets like dolls and mirrors are tools for communicating with the spirits so we do not bring such gifts for children.
As our culture becomes more pluralistic we will have to learn to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to a fear-based culture.
WRAP-UP
In His Book “Shame and Honor” Roland Muller asserts that every culture in the world operates from one of these three cultural responses to sin. Granted, all three responses reside in every culture and person, but one tends to dominate. As we share the Gospel’s solution to each there is a strong possibility that more hearts will become receptive to Christ.
We Americans thoroughly understand the guilt and innocence paradigm. It is in our DNA. In asking questions about right / wrong, etc. we show how deeply it is engrained in us. We can effectively communicate the Cross’ answer to our guilt and restoration through Christ.
But we get tripped up in other regions of the world because it does not resonate with them as strongly.
Again, as an example, Islamic cultures do not relate to the guilt-based Gospel presentations. Guilt and innocence, right and wrong do not register with them like they do us. They are motivated by honor and shame.
• That is why Muslims who relocate to America can adopt lifestyles that are not permitted in their home country and not feel like hypocrites. They work from shame and honor. Revenge, for example, is a virtue because it satisfies the deficit created when one is shamed and needs to be restored (in order to regain honor).
• That is also why a Muslim can lie “honorably” to protect the honor of a family or they can lie for purely selfish reasons and it be shameful. In our guilt-based culture telling a lie is “wrong” … period. Think of the energy we have burned is philosophical discussions about whether it is ok to lie if, for example, someone breaks into your home and wants you to tell them where the rest of your family is hiding.
As Jesus’ church begins to emphasize the power of the cross to restore us to fellowship and the image of God, we will be able to connect with the hearts of those who work from a shame and honor paradigm. I will leave this for a sermon topic of another day but stories like: Joseph’s restoration to honor, Moses’ deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery, and Adam and Eve’s banishment from the garden (an act of shame), all make sense in a shame based culture.
Fear-based cultures also require the church to communicate the power of the cross differently; namely we must emphasize the resurrection and divinity of Jesus. It is as they discover the victory of God’s son that they can be delivered from fear of spirits and loosed from their power. It was exciting to see this happening in the churches in Haiti. For example even though we do not bring mirrors as gifts there is one or two in the orphanage because as Christians they now know spirits cannot possess them through the mirror because the resurrection of Jesus Christ has defeated Satan’s power. There is anecdote after anecdote of their discovery that Jesus is stronger than evil.
Loving people enough to understand them and where they come from greatly increases the potential we have when sharing the Gospel with them.
How would you begin to share Christ’s good news in each of these three scenarios?
1. For our guilt-based scenario, let’s say we are in Atlanta, Georgia. Jimmy steals a trinket from the store. Daddy finds out. Daddy scolds Jimmy for breaking a law and takes him back to the store where Jimmy must confess his theft, return the item or pay for it.
2. For our shame-based scenario, let’s place ourselves in Dearborn, Michigan, the largest Islamic population in the U.S. resides there, (you thought I was going to say somewhere like Afghanistan didn’t you?). Adbul steals a trinket from the store. Daddy finds out. Daddy and Abdul take the trinket into the back yard and bury it. Daddy looks at Abdul and says “we must never speak of this again.” Daddy knows that if it is discovered the whole family will lose standing in the community.
3. For our fear-based culture, let’s place ourselves in … New Orleans or Montreal (you thought I was going to say Haiti or Africa didn’t you?). Garradio steals a trinket from the store. Daddy finds out. Daddy pays a visit to the local mambo (priestess) who offers a sacrifice in order to release the grip (pay for the freedom of) they now have on Garradio.
Each scenario is addressing a “sin” and attempting to resolve it’s consequence in a different way. Each gives us an opening to share Christ’s love and victory over our sin.
I have said all of this to: first, give you insight into the culture and worldview of Haiti. Haiti is, most definitely a fear-based culture. But it also gives us insight into the challenge of sharing the Gospel where we live doesn’t it? Our pluralistic society sees these cultural responses to sin every day.
It may also strike a nerve with you.
• Maybe you acutely sense your guilt before God today. Maybe you grasp His holiness and your sinfulness and know the two cannot cohabitate. Jesus paid the price for your sin on the cross, you can be clean as His blood can wipe away every stain.
• Maybe you are filled with fear and sense something else controls you or seeks to control you. Jesus defeated that enemy when He resurrected from the grave. In Christ you can experience freedom from evil’s grip.
• Maybe you feel unworthy, ashamed, rejected, cast out and unloved. Jesus went to the cross because He LOVES YOU! Whereas sin has kicked you out and broken your fellowship with God; the cross of Jesus has of restored you to a place of fellowship, value, and closeness.
Regardless of the consequence of sin you feel, coming to Jesus will meet your need and set you free.
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This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
