It was an experience of a lifetime. A commercial airline pilot invited Tammy and I to go through the new assimilator at the DFW Airport. I piloted the plane into various airports, under varying weather conditions, through night and daylight situations. Never have I been so grateful for an experience. Never have I been so grateful it wasn’t a real plane!

The pilot warned me, “Don’t touch this button.” He showed me how it would send the plane into a nosedive. Pointing to other controls he said, “You may touch these.”

In piloting people in evangelism, there is a control you dare not touch. It’s called the gospel. That gospel is defined in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 and can be reduced to ten words: Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. That gospel is so close to God’s heart that He gives a severe warning to whoever tampers with it. Galatians 1:8 says, “But even if we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” In other words, “Let him suffer the discipline of God.”

However, methods do change. When it comes to the message, no change allowed. When it comes to the methods – be creative, think, brainstorm, and use variety. Change is allowed and even encouraged.

Global warming, neo-Darwinism, casual sex, homosexuality, drug-addiction, moral relativism, abortion, pornography, instant gratification…the list goes on and on. These examples of “hot-button” topics illustrate a few of the issues that Christians deal with intellectually and emotionally every day at work, school, church and other social interactions. News stories center on these topics and how they impact American culture.

This word culture signifies something of importance to everyone, yet has many definitions. Of all the definitions for the term “culture” the following three best summarize the idea for discussing what all these issues mean today:

1. A particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period. (Greek Culture)
2. The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. (youth culture, drug culture, pop culture)
3. The sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another. (Anthropology)

Differentiating between Western, Eastern, and developing cultures is no longer practical in certain applications. The world is fast becoming a global society. Although major differences still exist and need to be understood, when it comes to issues of morality and lifestyle - isolationism is a thing of the past. Therefore we must be aware of what impacts a culture and how to respond.

How do we do that while operating through a biblical worldview? The answer is deceptively simple. We follow the example of Jesus and his disciples.

Throughout the New Testament, the gospel is the consistent solution to what ails the world. Jesus did not organize a protest. Paul did not advocate dissent and rebellion to the governmental authorities. The writers of the New Testament clearly state that the power to change the world was in changing individual lives with the gospel—Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.

Christians can be reasonably involved in society with grace and truth. However, believers can be most effective by exercising leadership within their sphere of influence; sharing the gospel to change hearts and minds one at a time…

Join the discussion at the Redeeming the Culture blog.

How did Paul adapt to his culture? Did he give each person he met a “piece of his mind”? Did he talk about the wickedness of the society and engage in a pious people pity party? Did he talk about the evils of idol worship? No! Acts 17:16-21 tells you what he did. Two things are striking.

The first is that he took the offense, not the defense. To Paul, false worship and foolish philosophy were opportunities, not obstacles. Verse 17 says, “Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.” Paul knew that when people are talking, we can talk. So he met the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogues and the philosophers in the heart of the city. But he led the discussion.

We need to be willing to tell people where we stand on current issues, such as abortion, homosexuality, immigration, etc. – right after we tell them, “Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead.” We need to take the offense, not the defense.

The second noticeable thing is that he kept the message clear. His methods varied, his message never did. Paul preached about Jesus and the resurrection, because that was the message he had received from God (Galatians 1:12).

Our message transcends all generations and cultures and can be reduced to ten words: Christ died for our sins and rose from dead. People may misunderstand some things we say. But there is one thing we should say so loudly and clearly no one misunderstands. Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.

Do you want to be relevant to your culture and adapt to changing times? Do what Paul did. Take the offense, not the defense and keep your message clear.

2008 – What a year of opportunity. Go for it!

What does it mean to “contextualize” the gospel to reach other cultures?

To “contextualize” does not mean to change the gospel message: “Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead!” That message has reached cultures around the world for the last 2000 years and will stay the same until Christ’s return.

Instead, “contextualize” means “to place into context.” In regard to the gospel, it means to communicate the good news in a way that is relevant. This is vital in evangelism. Each culture looks at the world in a specific way. If we ignore a person’s background and worldview, we risk communicating a gospel that is misunderstood and distorted.

One of the most effective ways to reach other cultures for Christ is to use appropriate illustrations. Because the unsaved mind is not accustomed to thinking in terms of Scripture, illustrations can clarify biblical truths. However, it is important to use illustrations that relate to your audience. An illustration about a home run would make no sense to someone who is unfamiliar with baseball.

Research the culture you are trying to reach in order to understand their point of view. This will help you select illustrations that your audience will understand. Jesus provides a great example of this. He used simple illustrations and stories about fishing and farming; two subjects with which His audience was familiar. In the same way, we need to find illustrations that speak to the culture of our audience to make the terms of the gospel as clear and simple as possible.

Join the conversation with David at the Worldwide Hope blog.

“The benefit of what God is doing is already evident. Church leaders are being re-energized to reach more and more unbelievers, not just fellow Christians. EvanTell’s new resources for children are enthusiastically received by the leadership. The demand is great. Thanks for your prayers.”

To impact non-Christians in 2008 through the local church, every message a pastor gives cannot be directed to non-Christians. If it were, he would have a church full of infant Christians – people who know how to enter the Christian life but have never learned how to live it. But at the same time, if believers have genuine relationships with non-Christians, unbelievers should be frequenting church services on a regular basis.

How does one appeal to lost people in a non-evangelistic setting such as a Sunday morning service where the message is directed towards believers, not unbelievers? Articles two through five in this series on “Effective Evangelism through the Local Church” offer several suggestions that pastors throughout the nation have found beneficial understanding that the sermon is not the only place to make the appeal to the lost.

One time a pastor said, “In a moment we are going to take up the offering. If you are visiting with us this morning, we request that as the offering plate is passed that you not place anything in it. Instead of giving a gift to the church, we would like you to receive a gift Christ has for you. Jesus Christ paid for our sins on a cross by dying as our substitute, taking our punishment and rising again the third day. Therefore, through personal trust in Christ we can receive His free gift of eternal life. Instead of giving, just sit there and meditate upon what God would like to give you. Right here this morning you could receive that free gift. Would the ushers please come to take up the offering?” Be creative. Try this approach. Try your own.

“I enjoy speaking from the book of 1 Corinthians because the person God used to write this portion of Scripture was a man named Paul who, prior to coming to know Christ, called himself a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violently arrogant man. He had every reason to think, I am too big a sinner for God to save. But he recognized that on the cross Christ did not die for some people, He died for everybody. Because He paid the price for our sins by dying in our place and rising again, God can now extend the free gift of eternal life to anyone who will simply put their trust in Christ. So if you think you are too big a sinner for God to save, rest assured that as we study this paragraph in 1 Corinthians, that is most certainly not true.”

Have someone else read the passage of Scripture. Represent every generation in those that read the Scripture and coach them on referencing the gospel during the reading of Scripture. It is a very effective way to share the gospel.

Then in a most effective way you can say to lost people in the audience, “My message this morning has been to believers. But maybe you are here today and you do not know for sure if you were to die you’d go to heaven. Before you think about how you can serve the Lord, may I encourage you to think of how the Lord has served you? Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, died on a cross to take the punishment for your sins and rose again the third day. Because the price for sin has been paid, you can receive eternal life as a free gift. If you have not received that free gift, I would love to talk with you and help you arrive at that point where you know beyond the shadow of any doubt that if you were to die, you’d go to heaven. But do not even think about you can do for Him until you have first received what He has done for you.” Now that is a powerful message!