The Value in Exile, Becoming Like Them

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of [the United States of America] who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance." 1 Peter 1:1

In the previous post, I wrote about the Great Inversion in which there is a stark change from the nations ("ethnos") becoming like us versus us becoming like them (1 Corinthians 9). This might sound confusing, because our initial thought might be: "but wait, won't that lead to immorality? And aren't we supposed to look different?" These are vital questions to be asked. We are going to look at this.

Paul answers this very question in 1 Corinthians 9:21, "To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law),so as to win those not having the law." We are never free from God's moral law, and in whatever ethnos we are exiled within, we are in need of consistent discernment as to not break it. However at the same time, in the context of 1 Corinthians 9, it is vital for us to discern the "ethnos" in which we find ourselves as exiles in order to fully immerse, sacrifice, serve, for the sake of the Gospel. For the sake of the Gospel, we are called to discern between Christian essentials vs. Christian non-essentials that are solely a specific Christian culture (and not the law of God). This wrestling match of discernment should always be at the lips of conversation of Christians, lest we fall into the trap of incidentally becoming a bubble within our greater "ethnos" or engage with our greater "ethnos" in less than effective ways.

Although I will not be fully addressing culture in this post (I will in future posts), there are some key realities to specify. First, it takes thoughtful awareness of the "ethnos" around us without any assumption and presumption brought into it. One of the most powerful influencers in the shaping of people is culture. It happens without us even being aware. This includes us - you and me. Culture even affects how we read or interpret Scripture unknowingly. Culture is one of God's beautiful gifts within His Created and ordered world. Without the ability to self-reflect on our own cultural underpinnings in our attempts to engage with other "ethnos," or without making the effort to understand them, we are bound to bring or impose our culture onto the other. We can sadly engage with an "ethnos" based off of dominance or imposition, and neglect the heart exposed by Paul in 1 Corinthians that speaks more to cross-cultural servanthood.

At this point I would love to recommend the book, Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility by Duane Elmer. There are other and more expansive books on the topic, also. This book does a fine job addressing it in a highly readable fashion. It helps us think through what it means "to become like them." One beauty of America is that the "ethnos," have literally come to us within our communities, and our communities have changed drastically where we as Christians truly are becoming more and more in exile within our own land. I believe that the Church in America needs to begin to see itself more through the lens of foreign missionaries coming to America. A difficult task to do, yet vital to engaging our communities and America as whole with the Gospel.

There are three key principles from this book I would like to share as they have been impactful for me in both profoundness and succinctness:

1. Learn About

2. Learn From

3. Learn With

These are progressive in order and follow a growing relationship in trust. In engaging any "ethnos," it is of upmost importance to take the time to learn about the people, their stories, their values, what they deem important, what they do not, etc. This begins more surface level but leads the way to greater depth. Imagine how people from a certain "ethnos" would feel by people taking the time simply to learn about them. Honored and appreciated might be two words that could characterize their feelings. Imagine the doors opened by this demonstration of love and servanthood.

Christians are always never meant to be above anyone, but instead below out of service and love. We are called to an approach of deep humility in service (coming from below) and never from a place of power (Philippians 2). Other people and other "ethnos," even non-Christians, certainly have something to teach us and there is much we can learn from them. So, during and after the process of learning about others, we allow others from this "ethnos" to be our teacher(s). We cannot assume to be "the teachers." This might make us cringe, but there is only anything to gain from this approach. Respect. wisdom, and open doors to deeper relationships and dialogue are but a few gains. This does not mean you never "share" but it is always in the context of invitation.

The culmination or mark of a truly immersed and trusting relationship is the ability to "learn with." After time of learning from one another (first us learning from others), there is still much to learn outside of ourselves from God in our journey of following Jesus. Within the confines of trusted relationships we journey with others and learn with others as we partake in the Gospel together. It is within "learning with" others that we can ever most fully ever "teach."

This is not a quick deal or quick feat. It takes following the Spirit's leading. It takes as much time as is needed. The totality of moving from learning about to learning with could take months or it could take years, maybe a generation or two. And unquestionably this sounds overwhelming. Nonetheless, the power is not in you or me ourselves, but in power of the Spirit and His Word at work in and through us. To disciple "the ethnos" is a process and on a continuum in which we can be patient, for it is Christ's work that we join Him in.

"Peace to all of you who are in Christ." - 1 Peter 5:14