How well do you communicate across generations? If you are a few decades old, can you speak the language of the teenager? If you are a teenager, can you speak the language of the elderly? Is it important to you to be able to communicate across generations?
Communication is the key to relationships. If communication is poor, the relationship will be poor. It does not matter if we have wonderful things to offer, if we don’t communicate well. That applies to generational and cultural differences in communication.
The Apostle Paul knew that communication was important to building relationships. He knew that building relationships was how he could spread the gospel. He states in today’s passage that he became all things to all people, so that he could save them through the gospel. He made it a priority to learn to identify with and communicate with people of various backgrounds.
We would do good to learn this lesson from Paul. Learning to communicate with different generations and cultures will allow us to build relationships, which can lead to spreading the gospel and saving people. After all, each of us has been given the great commission, even if we are not all evangelists.
This may mean learning to speak with people we work with in a way they understand our meaning. It may mean we learn cultural values, so we can effectively relate to their situation. It certainly means we must set aside our own preferences, put ourselves in the other persons shoes, and have conversations that are meaningful to them. If we are unwilling to do that, we are unwilling to carry out Jesus’ command to spread the gospel.
I pray we all decide to learn to communicate with all people. I pray we seek to understand their culture and language. I pray each one of us desire to spread the gospel effectively to all people. Learn the language. Learn the culture. Seek to understand. Spread the gospel. Save people.
1 Corinthians 9:22b-23 I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
Marty Pressey 