Mission Emphasis Month: Week 3 with Rev Tony Thomas

The Apostle Paul, one of the most prolific missionaries in church history, traveled all over the Roman world spreading the gospel. The Holy Spirit led him into deeply divided communities. In Jerusalem, the dominant Jewish community resented the occupying Romans. In Roman territories, the Jewish minority was nearly closed off to Gentiles. But in each town, Paul engaged both Jew and Gentile with the gospel, creating a new community known as the church.

Paul had such an understanding of the gospel, that he was able to enter the highly religious Jewish community without distorting grace. At the same time, he could engage the Gentile community without succumbing to temptation or changing the gospel message into accommodation. He says, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 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 not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-21)

Paul’s ability to navigate both communities was aided by the fact that he was a Roman and yet a trained Pharisee in the Jewish community. But that ability was the result of the present Holy Spirit rooting him in gospel truth. We need this ability! We need to learn cultural wisdom so that we can minister to the different cultures represented in our community. We need the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to help us develop wise interactions that can lead to gospel opportunities. Join us Sunday as we consider the development of cultural wisdom.