Last year our church had its first ever “Harvest Party” event on October 31. After announcing the event a few times during our church service, a couple people expressed concern that we were doing a church event on October 31st. They were afraid we were endorsing Halloween and celebrating that holiday.
I appreciated people sharing their concern with me because it meant I had poorly communicated the purpose of us starting that annual event. As a result I started telling those people and our church that we were doing a Harvest Party on October 31st as a way to engage our community. It was a way to have families come to our church so we could get to know those living nearby our church. While it often is hard to invite people to attend our church, doing an event on October 31st where we organize games and giveaway candy to kids was a way to have people come to our church.
The apostle Paul modeled this “engagement” of the community around him as described in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” (NASB)[1]
The apostle Paul traveled more than 3,000 miles by foot and boat to share the gospel with anyone he could get an audience with. He went to Jewish synagogues, he went out to people on the river (Acts 16), and he discussed religion with the philosophers (Acts 17).
Paul used people’s cultures and backgrounds as an entry point to talk with them about the gospel. He used their history and culture to draw those people into a relationship with God. And that same principle that Paul used for ministry can be used by us today. We can take national holidays or local events and use them as entry points to draw people close to God.
[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.