WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES - World Evangelical Alliance

74 WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES
A good way to learn about character is to study specific character qualities
from the Scriptures. Passages of Scripture form the basis of our convictions.
These convictions are deepened as a person discerns the importance of these
qualities and seeks to make them a part of his life. For example, younger disciples
may want to study the following: self-control, purity, honesty, faithfulness,
servanthood. Qualities such as patience, gentleness, contentment and a thankful
spirit are also helpful for any believer. Love and holiness are larger aspects and
take longer to study.
Certain qualities are particularly essential for cross-cultural workers,
qualities such as humility, perseverance and a love for people.
At the heart of any change in character is a person’s view of God and His
moral attributes. God is holy, we must be holy. God is love – we are commanded
to love as Christ loved (John 13:34-35). The Holy Spirit is the main agent of
change in the believer’s life. He reminds us of God’s attributes, He points to
the glorious character of Christ. We are changed into Christ's likeness as we
behold Him (2 Corinthians 3:18).
God is continually at work in changing our character. His ways are not
what we would choose. God uses trials, hardships, suffering and the pressures
of daily living to change our lives.
Much of character training initiated by the discipler has to be done on a
person-to-person basis. Because there are difficult areas, the discipler must be
very prayerful about how he instructs and counsels the disciple. Disciplers who
mentor others view their task as a special privilege of co-labouring with God in
the character development of disciples.
Paul saw himself as a wise and careful builder, with the foundation already
laid by Christ. He did not want his work of advancing the Gospel to be built on
“wood, hay or straw”, but on costly material so as to have eternal permanence
on the Day when God will judge and test his work (1 Corinthians 3:10-14).
The Gospel transforms lives. Christlike character will endure. It has eternal
value.
5 Fellowship and the Church
It is crucial for believers in Christ to be identified with a faith community
in their cultural context. The disciple grows in the context of fellowship with
other believers. The Bible is full of passages about relationships with fellowbelievers.
A study of the “one another” exhortations show the importance of
these relationships among believers – “encourage one another”, “instruct one
another”, “bearing with one another”, “love one another” 5 and many more.
5 Hebrews 3:13; Romans 15:14; Ephesians 4:2; 1 John 3:11