This issue, therefore, is brought to you by a small pre-clinical team still fortunate enough to have lengthy summer holidays. So lengthy, in fact, that Neil Fisher also found time to go to Ghana. He reports on his trip with CMF and World Vision on pages 6-7 which can be found by clicking here. Closer to home, I was fortunate enough to join an IFES (International Federation of Evangelical Students) team and the local Christian Union in Paris for two weeks’ street and friendship evangelism. Morning training sessions helped us to cope with the language and cultural barriers. Despite this, attempting to share the gospel clearly with a Muslim from Algeria using my GCSE level French was a challenge to say the least!
If you had to study or work this summer, but would like to be involved in cross-cultural witness, don’t despair! In Britain, the international mission field has come to us. In most cities where there are medical schools there is a diverse mix of nationalities. Indeed, we need look no further than our year-groups to meet overseas and UK students who have worldviews that are completely incompatible with Christianity.
Whilst the exclusivity of the gospel will offend some even when it is explained graciously, we must be sure that we do not generate offence through ignorance of the worldviews others hold. For example, if we want our Muslim friends to discover the truth about Jesus, we need also to get to grips with Islam. In the second instalment of our series How to reach your neighbour Mark Pickering helps us to do just this (pp30-38). We will be far better received if we make an effort to get alongside people and understand where they are coming from. Respecting others in this way, as Paul did, will also help us to ask the right questions to reveal their deep need for the Saviour.
‘Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible... I have become all things to all men...’ (1 Cor 9:19,22)
