Paul was a master at contextualizing the gospel message. When he was standing before a crowd of Jews, he would launch into a discourse about his Jewish heritage. In Antioch of Pisidia, Paul entered the synagogue and built a rapport among his fellow Jews by relating the stories of Egypt, King David, and Abraham (Acts 13:13ff). Later, Paul finds himself speaking to the polytheistic Athenians. His contextual instincts do not lead him to mention Israel but rather to contrast their pagan gods with the one, true God (Acts 17). The Apostle Paul was skilled at contextualization, but what exactly does the word mean? David J. Hesselgrave in his book, Planting Churches Cross-Culturally, teaches that to contextualize the gospel message is to find “ways of making the Christian message understandable to and effective for people in their specific religions, cultural, and linguistic setting” (37). Of course, this is to be accomplished without compromising the truth.
Learning to contextualize the gospel will be the purpose behind the second phase of our work: adaptation. This period will begin in the fall of 2009, when our team finally arrives in Cusco, Peru. Taking the time to adapt will accomplish many goals: honing our communication skills, getting our bearings and overcoming culture shock, building trust among the people, and fulfilling the Lord’s command of doing things “decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40). The team has already set some plans in order to arrive at these goals: we’ll begin an immersion program (i.e., language and culture study), build contacts within the city, form a relationship with the existing congregation, and work towards the establishment of our congregation.
The adaptation period will last for approximately one year. It is our hope that what we experience during this first year of adjustment will lay a foundation for solid Bible studies, a dynamic beginning for the Cusco congregation, and a strong presence of the church in the community. But it all begins with contextualization. When we discover how to best teach the people, then they will learn of a God “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).
Published in Seeking Things Above and at The Cusco Chronicles.