Questions of Faith - Part Four

What does God expect us to do for other cultures and faiths?


Last post, I talked about what we should do when confronted with other cultures, however, there is so much more that we can, and should, do for other cultures. In Matthew 28:19-20, also known as The Great Commission, God says. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This command has become a universal basis for missions when it comes to other cultures and faiths. God doesn't simply want us to accept other faiths, nor does he desire us to force them to change. However, God has laid out a clear message.


The message of Love, Grace, and Mercy, which are undying gifts from God, is coupled with his perfect gospel to teach and witness to the many lost souls of this world. God does not merely want his followers to reach out and teach the lost, but rather he expects us to do this out of faith. This call is not just an invitation, but moreover, it's a command. To some, this command is more clear and specific, much like the call that Don Richardson received to minister to the Sawi. 

Don Richardson knew that God wanted him to go teach and preach to the Sawi people, no matter how dangerous. He followed this call by blind faith in God. God expects all of us to do the same: Love others, preach his message of redemption, and make disciples of all others. With the Sawi, Don Richardson worked and worked, constantly in prayer, in order to effectively minister to the Sawi. First he had to put in an enormous amount of effort to learn the language, and after that, the gospel could not just be read. Because of the Sawi's preconceptions and idealization of treachery, Judas, the antagonist of the gospel message, became the savior. In order to fix this counter-cultural view of the bible, that the Sawi held,   Don Richardson had to pray and pray for a piece of the Sawi's culture to fit in with the Bible. Finally, God revealed the peace child, and after explained Jesus as the peace child, Don was able to show them the true savior.


God expects this kind of effort from all of us. He does not want us to be half-hearted and not give our full effort, but instead he requires 110%. God is a loving and merciful God, and he wants to use you to tell that to the unreached nations of the world. This instruction for preaching and ministering is not just a wish of an almighty God, but a duty that every Christian has.