When it comes to truth and culture, I’ve found it helpful to use the analogy of the lyrics and melody of a song. Here’s what I mean:
Truth= Lyrics
Cultural Expression = Melody
In this analogy, the content of the gospel is the “lyrics” of the song and cultural expression is the “melody” of the song. The “lyrics” (gospel content) should never change. Truth transcends language, ethnicity and cultural expression. The gospel is the same whether it’s proclaimed in China, the Sudan or the Bronx.
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”- 1 Corinthians 15:1-5
The objective facts concerning Jesus Christ’s atoning death for sinners and glorious resurrection have always been a part of the gospel message and always will be. When these things are missing, the gospel is not being proclaimed. In addition to this, we would add the truth that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone. This content would be the “lyrics” of the song in our analogy. If we are to faithfully proclaim the gospel, the lyrics must not change, regardless of the context.
At the same time, cultural expression varies. Cultural expression is the “melody”. The sound of the “song” will be as varied as the amount of languages that are spoken. I should not expect the melodies of a Japanese gospel song to necessarily sound the same as the melodies of a gospel song in Trinidad.
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”-Revelation 7:9-10
The beauty of God’s design is that He is drawing a people to Himself that represent a staggering amount of diversity (vs. 9). And yet, the “lyrics” to the song are the same-”Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb!” (vs. 10)
Of course, we have a tendency to prefer our own “melodies”- the cultural expressions which are familiar to us. In turn, we look down on unfamiliar “melodies” and even attempt to make our “melodies” seem righteous compared to others. Some even try to make a case that certain “melodies” are inherently sinful- even without Scriptural support. But at the end of the day, the key question is if the “lyrics” match up with what the lyrics have always said. If so, Christians should at least be able to rejoice in that, even if the “melody” is strange or unfamiliar to us.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Ray Angelo Leal
We continued studying the Essentials of being and understanding what it means to be a Christian. I am definitely blessed to be a part of this group whether the Lord sends me to the Philippines or not. The overall goal is to develop a solid and unified grasp of the Christian tradition as dictated by God in the Word. Many of the members in the group have already covered the Essentials. I on the other hand have not and was blessed with the reaffirmation that I received.
One of the activities that we participated in to illustrate the concept of trust, unity and obedience was the blind trust walk [for the lack of a better description]. In this activity, Denise was my partner and she did not gain my trust fast because she wasn’t telling me what to do. Needless to say I walked slowly and deliberately while grabbing at the open air in front of me in fear of falling. I instantly thought about how paper thin my faith in God can be at times. The inability to see over the next precipice of life and foolish faith in my own ability distract me from placing my faith in God.
The activity takes a different turn. Denise now is the one that is blinded. I guide her the best that I could from the fellowship hall to the field. From the field to the tree surrounded by concrete blocks and then back to the sanctuary. This time I adopted a new role and was focused more on her safety. I could only imagine that God thinks about us this way as well. It does say that God’s positive thoughts on his children are numerous. The reason I say this is because I instructed Denise to sit on the block, then step onto the block and eventually walk around the tree and jump off. She did all these things faithfully, exceeding my own expectations. The entire time I was prepared to catch her if she fell. She reminds me of my own sister Sarah, whom which I have a lot of experience being ready to carry.
Ate Gem presented the concept of Unity which will be important in the mission field. Most of what is covered has been memorized on my notes, but the presentation alone gives a sneak peak at what is in store for those of us selected to go. The idea that discord and disagreement in the group are inevitable. Other ideas such as being in close quarters with each other and possibility of being annoyed with each other. Ate Gem having had the blessing of being conscripted to other mission trips had described some of the pitfalls and obstacles that the Devil may place in our way to lose focus.
God is good.
Once a month we will feature a member of the BRBC Youth group. We’ll create a video introducing them and have them answer a few questions. Here is our first attempt.
Today we are learning and going through the Essentials. Some of us have gone through this a few times but it is needed so that we may build the foundation of our faith. This is what we will share not only when we are at the mission trip but also when we are sharing our faith to others.
Before we started studying the essentials we learned a few more tidbits about what our roles will be during the mission trip. It is possible or more likely that we will be traveling from school to school leading worship to young college aged groups. It is also possible that we will be teaching a Vacation Bible School during the time in between. We also may be going to two different areas of the Philippines. One area will be at Sta Rita, Pampanga and the other is at Bicol.
As part of our training also includes us learning new songs along the way. Today’s song is Mighty Is The Power of The Cross by Chris Tomlin.
Mighty, Awesome, Wonderful
Is the Holy Cross
Where the Lamb laid down his life
To lift us from the fall
Mighty is the power of the cross
During the first day of the training for our Mission Trip 2011 we took a few videos and put them together during the first day. We received our first materials and initial plans for the mission trip. Here is what we have documented that first day.