The Jesus Way

“Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” Matthew 15:1-3

There are many believers that think and act as if we have to be at war with all parts of our culture. Many missionaries realized that to effectively communicate the Gospel they had to be among the people and be like the people when being like the people did not mean they violated what God said. One of those missionaries was Amy Carmichael. Here is a description of her ministry to the orphans in India:

Amy Carmichael loved and respected Indian culture, insofar as it did not conflict with biblical principles. All members of the Dohnavur Fellowship wore Indian, not European dress, and the children were given Indian names. Amy often traveled long distances to rescue even one child from suffering. In 1904, Amy had 17 girls under her care. By 1913, the Dohnavur Fellowship was home to 130. In 1918, the family expanded even more, adding a home for young boys, most of whom were children of temple prostitutes.

Amy also wrote reports back home that did not romanticize the work but spoke about it plainly. Likewise, we neither have to be at war with the culture nor romanticize the difficulties of the work we are called to. The Jesus way is to be obedient to the heart of God, going to great lengths to reach the lost. We do not follow human traditions. We walk in our world like Jesus did, in the world but not like the world. And in doing so, we communicate the Gospel in a winsome and powerful way.

The fourth question we have to ask is this: Do we love and respect our culture insofar as it does not conflict with biblical principles? And are we honest about the task, depending on the Lord to provide all that we need to see the work accomplished?