For an American to have a ministry of grace in a foreign country, he needs himself to be full of grace. Many Austrians have a stereotypical picture of Americans as gun-toting, loud speaking, superficial, know-it-all, yet ignorant-of-international-issues kind of people. This stereotypical characterization is not fair or accurate (most of the time), but we still must live with it. Therefore, it is critical that we truly be a different kind of person than the stereotypical American. Our goal is a positive not a negative impression. We are not trying to avoid being viewed as Americans—this is not possible. We are seeking to live in a way that shows Christ to others and demonstrates our heavenly citizenship. To put it in other words, a Yankee in the Hapsburg domain needs to show his allegiance to the King of Kings. Our focus must neither be on America nor on Austria, but on Christ! When Christ is lived and proclaimed, He will build his church (see Matthew 16:18; 2 Corinthians 4:5-6).
Keep First Things First – Love the People
Foreign cultures are different, but not necessarily bad. Some variety is actually good. For example, the Austrian culture is a very loyal culture. Austrians don’t have many friends, but they are faithful to the friends they do have. “Out of sight, out of mind” is foreign to Austrian friendships. Americans could learn a thing or two from this way of thinking! So, if I as an American think “all things American” are better than Austrian, I’m showing a heart of ignorance, arrogance and superficiality. I need to value the good and be gracious regarding the rest. I had better get my ship in order and offload wrong thinking and learn how to love the people where God has called me.
The Lord does not send His servants to foreign countries to straighten those cultures out, but to love the people. First Corinthians 13:1-3 makes it clear that lack of love in my heart makes all my activity of no value. Lack of real love for people is readily obvious. Love your neighbors! Love your community! Pray for them. Find ways to show Christ’s love by serving your neighbors and community. Put the necessary hours into sufficiently mastering the language in order to effectively communicate your genuine care and interest in the people. If you have a critical spirit towards the people, culture, system, or anything else, pray and ask the Lord to change you! You are not called to be a critic. You are called to be an ambassador for Christ. It is Christ’s command to love your wife, family, neighbor, strangers, and even your enemies. This is your first priority!
Don’t Fall Into the Philosophy Trap
One of the greatest concerns my wife and I had when we arrived in Vienna in 2001, was how we would be able to reach Austrians and see an Austrian church established. This burden caused us to make some unintended errors in our approach to ministry. We had the idea that there was some sort of an “Austrian church” as compared to an “American church.” We were caught in the “Philosophy Trap.” It was as if the body of Christ were divided by cultural and national boundaries. Scripture is clear. There is only one church. The goal we have learned to pursue is not to seek to establish an Austrian church, but rather to be tools in the Lord’s hands to see His church established with Austrians.
The American religious experience is not the standard for the world. The standard remains the timeless truths of the Word of God, which predate the existence of the United States. The goal of any cross-cultural ambassador of Christ should be to proclaim the timeless message within its biblical context. To do this, we need to be able to discern what in our previous American experience is purely biblical and what is simply tradition. The goal is not to establish churches that look like American churches on the outside. The goal is to make disciples that look like Christ on the inside! The Great Commission calls for disciples of Christ to make other people in all the world into disciples of Christ. They are to be His disciples within their own culture.
Keep your focus on Christ, His Word, and prayer and you will not fall into the Philosophy Trap. The Philosophy Trap keeps you bound to traditions and expectations of gurus who think they have cross-cultural ministry figured out. They will give you a list of do’s and don’ts that may be acceptable but are not necessarily biblical. I rather doubt that John the Baptist was listening to the missiologists when he broke all the cultural integration rules (dress and diet) and preached a message that cut to the heart. It was the call to repentance. Yet Jesus called him the greatest of all prophets. Let Christ guide your ministry and seek only His commendation!
It is true, the Gospel is not an American idea. God is not an American God. The Bible is not an American book. Jesus was not an American. All these truths should not need to be stated. Do we need then to apologize for being American? The American disciple maker will always be an American. This is not a problem if he does not seek to promote his American identity along with his Christian one. We do not need to hide who we are. We need to focus on proclaiming who Christ is and on living as Christ would live. Hearts communicate to hearts. Don’t be an ugly, superficial, know-it-all American. Be an ambassador for Christ!