Lighting Up Our City Video 2: Avoiding Insider LanguageSample

Some people naturally come alongside others as fellow travelers on the road of life. They’re not preachy or judgmental, yet they don’t compromise God’s Word either. Instead, they walk beside you and point the way forward.

The apostle Paul was like that. He didn’t speak to impress. Rather, he identified with his audience. He spoke their language. Gentile servants were as important as Jewish religious leaders. Paul allowed nothing to become a barrier to sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Weak or strong, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, all had the same need for salvation from sin.

Today, Christians are often known more for what we are against than what we are for. Our conversations may imply that those who don’t follow Christ need to clean up their act before they can become a Christian. Non-Christians can feel judged instead of loved.

This doesn’t mean we share or excuse their sin. Jesus came alongside tax collectors and adulterers and shared God’s love without beating them up for their sin, but also without compromising truth.

It’s not easy to meet others where they are: to share the gospel without judgment and yet without compromise. But with the Holy Spirit’s leading and equipping, we can follow Paul’s example “to win as many as possible.”

What obstacles do you face in becoming all things to all people without compromising God’s Word? How might God be calling you to come alongside someone who is different from you today?

By Ava Pennington