Christians: The Cultures and Our Response

Christians: The Cultures and Our Response   Kelly Durant 10-30-16

1 Cor 10:31-33

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God- 33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

 2. There is a phrase that was repeated to me a lot while I lived in South America. It was, “While in Rome, do things like the Romans”.  For example in Bolivia the buses were always full and it was the custom if you were one of the last ones in to ride with one foot in the bus step and one foot out, and I did this many times to avoid being crushed inside. Also, I could breathe fresh air! We all learn to adapt!

   Considering we are going through some adaptations with the culture of immigration in America, I want to focus in on the philosophy and traditions of the world, such as the one in the phrase about Rome. For example, would it have been appropriate for a Christian in Rome to act like a Roman and accept the entertainment of the killing of other Christians by lions in the Coliseum? Absolutely not! Romans 1 reveals what Christians are to reject about them!

  You can see my point; we should not accept everything about the culture of any certain nation! In reality none of us here are Roman but everyone has been influenced by a certain culture that has some Godly attributes and other ungodly perverse attributes. Thank God Rome’s culture of dominance by cruelty, their culture of enjoying blood and fights to the death has finished years ago! It ended when Jesus Christ’s teachings of love finally took over the leadership of the empire in 333 AD! But even then it was too late and they fell a hundred years later. But historically God’s love always wins despite the evil! But we still are battling bad influences!

3. Let’s return to verse 31: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. What does it mean for the glory of God? It means that you should do the things that promote the culture of the kingdom of God, sharing together with others. For the ‘glory of God’ implies to be done as it pleases Him!

Jesus said, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. In heaven all is pure, peaceful, and divine. In the presence of God the angels, (and in the future we will be there as resurrected humans), all is holy, without sin, full of pure love for God and others; and all have their being as like Jesus, in total humility, powerful, and beautiful!

32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God. This verse implies that if we do not do things for the glory of God then we will be doing the opposite promoting our own selves or Satan (which is often the same!). As a consequence we then will be causing others to not want to be a part of God’s fellowship and this is making people run back deeper into the culture of the world away from God.

4. If we just look at the word stumble in the Greek meaning, it means to offend, even to offend by hitting. All of us communicate. Our facial expression, our body language, our words, all communicate to others what we are feeling. All of these expressions can be like a strike or a blow, or they are like an embrace and a comfort to another person.

 Most people have never seen their selves video recorded. They are not aware of what they are communicating with their body language and for that matter many people offend others without even knowing it! For example, have you ever met person who says, “I am so happy to meet you!” but at the same time their eyes, or their handshake is telling you the opposite?

   If this person is in a church and we assume they are Christian, and then they are being conflictive in their message, and also are causing you or me to be confused. Remember this; God can only love through you!  You are his smile, his hands to serve. If people cannot see love in you, then how are they going to believe there is a God of love up there, someone that love’s them?

  5.So many times you have to forgive other people in the world and in churches that communicate to you that they really don’t like you and you feel they have no love for you at all. And what did Jesus say, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who sin against us.”

   Focus in on the verse 32, Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God.  Why does Paul mention the Greek and the Jews and the church? The culture of the Greeks and Jews had extreme major differences in accepting each other and accepting completely the teachings of Christ which were taught and practiced in the body of believers. What he wrote said that they needed more of Jesus and less our their own habits, ways, mind-frames, and culture!

   Who was getting offended in Paul’s day? It was between the Greeks, the Jews, and they both were in the body of believers, the church being Christians at the same time!

  6. Today we can compare this to Latinos, and Blacks, Anglos, Koreans, or to anyone and the race does not matter; the point is the same, all of these cultures being growing Christians and Paul requires, from God’s word, that we are not to stumble and offend one another! I can tell you there are many Christians who have never obeyed this, sad, right?

  Paul goes on to say he does things so he will be pleasant to others, even though he may not even like to be that way. Look at verse 33 ‘even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.’

Let’s repeat this verse together,

“For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved”.

 7. The lesson we are learning in this church amongst all people and all nations has always been in learning how to love those different from us and win souls to Jesus!

This is an issue that man with his culturally conditioned sinful nature will always struggle against. Just think how the Jews hated the Romans because they exploited them, and even enslaved them, but God called a Roman Jew Pharisee, Paul, to be the most powerful leader of the early church and all of his writings are considered to be the inspired word of God! Jesus did it but Paul was the first example of crossing the border lines of cultures.  

I want to tell you I find it is an honor for the Latinos to be called to win and teach the other cultures of the Blacks, Koreans, and Anglos to Jesus Christ in this melting pot of soup or salad we call America! God wants to raise up everyone and some cultures respond more in numbers than others!

8. Did I tell you a few years ago that the U.S. is not the leading nation in sending missionaries into the world anymore? Do you know which country it is? It is Brazil! The Latinos are being called to be the leaders in Christian evangelism. God’s spirit works through those who are the most willing! Christians must reject criticism and support!

So all of this begs you to obey as Jesus commanded in   Matt 5:44-45

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.

  God is asking you to mature to fully obey the command of        Matt 22:37-39

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 9. Come and pray God will empower you to have love for all people and tolerance towards the cultures! God gave me that inclusive love because I prayed for it and he can give it to you too! God can give you forgiveness, with the conviction that each of us can and must give up seeking our own good and proclaiming our own cultural identity. We can seek the greater good of others who are in our community and cross over into their world and mindset to win them as God is good! Jesus is the only one who can unite us all!

Maybe God is calling you to be more humble and to practice showing His love to another culture even when you are not getting any back any love from them. Forget about the color or country of the person, we all have human hearts the same!

Love loves anyway, despite how unlovely you think another is! Stop yourself if you perceive you are being rude or judgmental of another, remember we are all just strangers and foreigners passing through. That is the problem, some people do not care if they offend others by being rude: ask God to help you to repent and change! Be all things to all men so you can win some for Jesus! We want everyone from every culture to be saved and live forever with Jesus, amen?

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.