How to Communicate the Gospel

Cultural Background 

The person that I chose to share the gospel with is a young girl who happens to be my colleague. Both of us did some part-time job at Starbucks some time back. Her name is Achara and she hails from Thailand. She came to the United States as a foreign student and eventually became a permanent resident of Atlanta, G eorgia. Starbucks is known for its rich diversity of employees. It was no surprise that Achara was my colleague despite not being of American origin. Achara better known as Achi to her family and friends grew up and schooled in Bangkok. I have interacted with Achara at the workplace and I came to learn, her background was Buddhism. Often I hum Christian music while working and also talks about Jesus. She has sparked some interest in the gospel as she keeps asking questions and gives opinions about Jesus. 

Cultural Systems 

Out of all the cultural systems, the four that I choose to share with Achara include education, marriage, and family, religious, and economic. Just like the United States the economic system in Thailand is capitalistic in nature. Usually, a capitalist society is characterized by the ability of people to make their independent decisions. From the standpoint of economic systems, my conversation would impact Achara if we covered issues such as the kind of occupations in our respective countries, rates of unemployment especially among the youth, and how Thailand ensures that the basic needs of its people are met. Furthermore, the organization of culture such that it is able to distribute its resources to its people is a revelation of quality cultural leadership in a nation 1 . It would be easy to communicate the gospel to such a person due to the similar economic believes we hold 

Notably, family is considered to be the foundation of most social life in Thailand. The general structure of the family is patriarchal with every household deferring to the oldest man. Often generations live under one roof. Also newly wedded brides can go back to their families until they have children of their own. A pregnant mother is expected to move back to her mother’s house or alternatively invite her mother to live with them 2 . However, this kind of family and marriage settings depend on which part of Thailand one is living in. In the western attitudes and practices a family consists of parents and children are common in cosmopolitan cities like Bangkok. On the other hand, rural areas are conservative whereby a household is made up of three or four generations. Achara and I have similar beliefs in the context of high level of respect bestowed upon the elders. In addition, a sense of duty and responsibility in terms of care is expected by all members of society towards elders. Furthermore the scripture in 1 st Timothy 5:4 states that “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God” (NIV). 

Our conversations vary when it comes to religious references and icons but somehow the diversity impacts each of us. Buddhism firmly hold to the beliefs of karma and reincarnation. Karma is a concept that explains how our past actions affect us either positively or negatively. Through agricultural metaphors, Buddhism explains how the sowing of good or bad deeds will result in the harvest of good or bad fruits 3 . The actions of followers of Buddha are based on an individual’s work and they determine if they are right or wrong. Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with Buddhists might be difficult because they do not have any concepts regarding God. People brought up from the Thai culture, particularly Buddhist religion do not believe in the existence of one God. Their worship is in the form of devotion to Buddha and Bodhisattvas. This is a violation of Christianity beliefs and God’s commands which require that people should have no other gods before Him. 

The education system in Thailand offers free education for children aged between six and fifteen. Also, children between three and five can attend nursery and preschool. Previously education was provided by Buddhist monks and was only available to boys. Currently, however, the Thai government both formal and informal education. The former is divided into early year’s education, basic education, vocational, and higher education 4 . On the other hand, informal education is offered outside the classroom through special radio and educational TV programs. Most students, however, have access to formal education. A conversation with Achara would help me understand the importance of informal education. Lately, education in Thailand has been affected by political and socio-economic factors. As a result there are high school dropouts and low education levels. The level of education, however, should not affect a conversation about the gospel. Talking with people and teaching them about Jesus can give them an overview Christianity which would sequentially impact their lives. 

Culture Value Orientations 

Different cultures have the varying core beliefs that govern human relationships with one another and their surroundings. In the context of gospel presentation, cultural value orientations range from cooperative vs. competitive, being vs. doing, power distance, universalism vs. particularism, monochromic vs. polychromic, neutral vs. affective, and individualism vs. collectivism. In Achara’s country of origin, culture is defined by collectivism while in the U.S. where I come from individualism is emphasized. Buddhists believe that Jesus Christ suffered because He had done something bad in life 5 . Despite being a collectivist, Achara is open to hearing the gospel. All it would take is for me to help her grow in the word after which she could communicate with her family about the gospel. 

Compared to the United States, Thailand has a high power distance culture. In Thailand, the less powerful members have accepted the unequal distribution of power. At Starbucks, Achara is the head of our department and sometimes she is unfailingly deferring the higher levels and feels relatively right to do so because it is the natural order of Thai culture. Due to cultural beliefs, there are still some things that are difficult to get over, for instance, the disregard for higher authority. 

In the cultural value orientation of being vs. doing, Thailand is in a mix of both while the United States is a doing culture. The being culture is people-oriented while the doing culture is task-oriented 6 . Communicating the gospel to a person that is in between is beneficial because the person is able to gauge which direction they want to follow. For a person like Achara who is open to hearing the gospel of Jesus, it would be easy for her to adjust to Christianity and lead others to Christ. Even though Thailand is in between, people tend to lean more on the culture of being than doing. 

It is also worth noting that the United States is universalistic while Thailand particularistic. In Thailand, unique sets of rules and standards are expected to govern the way people relate with one another. Being particularistic means flexibility is allowed while. In Christianity, however, flexibility can be difficult because the Bible commands that there is no changing the contents. Deuteronomy 4: 2 states “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God.” (NIV). Compared to particularistic people, universalistic individuals are more committed just like Christians are to abiding by the word of God. Therefore, it can be difficult to communicate the gospel to an individual who is particularistic due to how culture has oriented them. 

Thailand is a mix of cooperative and competitive cultural orientation while the United States is mainly the latter. It is worth noting that globally, Thailand is ranked as one of the most cooperative cultures 7 . Achara is a reflection of the people of Thai. She is very caring and cultivates meaningful relationships. I recall at one point I was in an emotional turmoil and she did everything in her power to get me back on my feet. She is willing to do anything for anyone. Communicating the gospel to such a cooperative person would be easy because all Jesus Christ requires from us is that we form a relationship with Him. 

There is also a way in which people are culturally oriented to express their emotions. As an umbrella term, such orientation falls either under neutral or affective. Achara comes from a culture that is a mixture of the two. Thais are taught how to mask their emotions and feelings even in tough situations. However, after we became close, I gained and her trust and she could share with me a lot of issues. In addition, we built a relationship where we would talk and listen to each other. This kind of communication enabled me to share with her about the gospel including personal testimonies. 

On the final cultural orientation is monochronic vs. polychronic. Monochronic cultures like to do one thing at a time while the latter can do multiple tasks. Thailand is a mixture of both. The people of Thai can work and maintain their personal lives privately or can combine the two. In either, however, moderation is observed. Communicating the gospel depends on which side one tends to lean more on. As for Achara, living in the U.S. has made her polychronic. However, one thing she is keen about is spending quality time with her family. Preaching the gospel of Jesus to such a person is easy because they will put everything aside to hear the Word of God. In addition to her family, she also likes to spend time with her friends. The gospel of Christ has no timings and deadlines. As long as one is willing to follow him and be in a close relationship with Him, he has promised to make everything beautiful in his timing. 

Elements of Communication 

Thailand and America have a difference in regards to elements of communication. People in Thailand greet one another by placing the hands palm to palm and raising them to the face. This form of communication is known as the “wai” and is mainly for adults 8 . Children are greeted by a smile. Also, a lot of regard and politeness is accorded to elders and people in higher authority. Therefore in the process of communicating the gospel, it is important to treat people with a lot of decorum politeness and respect. Thais also do not love conflicting. 

Body language is considered one of the most regarded forms of communication. Holding of hands as a display of affection is allowed even among the same sex. It is not interpreted as homosexuality display like it is here in the United States. Instead it is a revelation of how people are. In the process of conversing friends are allowed to touch one another and also use hands as gestures. However, the pointing of index fingers is not allowed. Feet are not to be used as gestures because they are considered low. While communicating, it is rare to see Thais confronting each other. Achara is always smiling even when angry. In Thailand anger should never be displayed publicly. Even the Bible itself encourages Christians to keep watch over their mouths to avoid outbursts of anger that could affect the influence of a person over others. While preaching the gospel to the people of Thai, a person should not disrespect them by talking ill of their monarchy or Buddha. If this occurs, they will reject the gospel. 

Strategy for Communication 

To articulate the gospel with a person from Thailand, I would first make sure I know about their family because of the strong ties revealed in their culture. I am aware of these because of being close to Achara. I would then work on my confidence. For communication to be effective, it has to be accompanied by boldness to allow us to dig deeper into the gospel. My third strategy would be to be keen on the communication elements which are very specific among the people of Thailand. I would also ensure that I am not offensive in my language about the Buddhist religion. My plan would be to discuss important aspects of the gospel, but not giving in-depth details unless she requests. I would begin from the creation story in the Old Testament and up to the New Testament and talk about the life and works of Jesus. 

Outline of God’s Story 

All verses are from the NIV 

Creation: This will reveal how the earth and the life that is in it came to be: Genesis 1 

Fall-Sin: The Scripture of the fall of man is extrapolated from Christian Exegesis of Genesis 3. God created Adam and Eve and they fell for disobeying God through eating the forbidden fruit. 

Promise-Covenant: God made promises to Abraham. Genesis 15: 18 says “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants, I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates” 

Prophecies: Isaiah 9: 6-7 states “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom. 

Virgin Birth: Luke 1: 26-38 reveals the visit of Angel Gabriel to Mary who was a virgin and would become the mother of Jesus. 

Incarnation: John 1:14 - Jesus was born as human flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

Deity: The Father and I are one. (John 10:30) 

Jesus Life and Person Works: Luke 24: 19 And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people. 

Jesus ’ Death: Matthew 27:32-56. The verses reveal the crucifixion of Jesus. 

Resurrection: Luke 24: Jesus rose from the dead. 

Ascension: Luke 24: 31 

Return: After His ascension, Jesus will return to take those that accepted him as Savior in their hearts. 

Reincarnation: The dead will rise and they will be reunited with Christ Jesus 

Kingship: Jesus sits at the right hand of God where He will forever reign and his Kingdom will never come to an end. 

Presentation 

The story of God begins with creation. Genesis 1 reveals that God commanded and breathed life into all things. Then on the sixth day of creation he made man and named him Adam and woman Eve. This story is an explanation of the origin of humanity. God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and ordered them not to eat from the tree of God. They disobeyed God and were thrown out of the tree. God gave Adam and Eve sons Cain and Abel. Cain killed Abel. However, God was not done with them and he gave them another chance to change. They became descendants of Abraham and were given the land of Israel. Through Abraham God gave them a promise that they would be a source of blessing to other nations. Even though they broke the promises of God, he delivered them from slavery and hunger in Egypt and led them through the wilderness into the Promised Land. 

After all the people of Israel had been through, they demanded a king to rule over Israel. God gave them King David who was in the lineage of Christ Jesus. However, since he was a descendant of Eve and Adam, David disobeyed God by sleeping with the wife of Uriah when he went for battle. After Davis followed other kings. God sent prophets who spread the word that there was one true King who would come and his name is Jesus or Yahweh. This prophecy was fulfilled when Mary a Virgin gave birth to Christ Jesus who turned out t be the Messiah. Prior His birth, God sent Angel Gabriel to Mary to tell his son would be the king of the world. Luke 1: 31-32 (NIV) states “You will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him Jesus. He will be a great man and will be called the Son of the Highest. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David”. 

In the form of human flesh, the son of God came to earth and lived among fellow works. His works were teaching people the ways of God, performing miracles, raising the dead, rescuing and healing the sick. One of his greatest works was his death on the cross. Mathew 27: 32-56 gives a summary of how Jesus was going to die for all the sins of mankind. The death of Christ Jesus was a price he paid for humankind to be set free if only one accepts him as their Lord and Savior. Following his death, Christ rose or rather resurrected from the dead. In Christianity this is domination over death. Next He ascended into heaven where he sits on the right hand of God. He declares his kingship and reigns over the world. All Jesus wants from us is to ask for forgiveness and allow Him to rule over our lives. 

So Christ has died on the Cross for mankind ’s sins will return a second time not to deal with sin but to take those who accepted him to be king of their lives. He will reconcile with them and will take them with him to heaven where they will receive an eternal reward. They will be reincarnated and reign forever with Christ Jesus. 

Bibliography 

Cooper, R. (2019).  CultureShock! Thailand: A survival guide to customs and etiquette . Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. 

Dhar, S. (2018). Cultural Relativity of Leadership in Business Organizations of West Bengal.  Review of Management ,  8 (1/2), 27-39. 

Livermore, D., & Soon, A. N. G. (2015).   Leading with cultural intelligence: The real secret to success . Amacom. 

Pasawano, T. (2019). Vocational Education and Training in Thailand—Current Status and Future Development. In  Vocational Education and Training in ASEAN Member States  (pp. 207-228). Springer, Singapore. 

Whitsett, G. P. (2016). Making Disciples in Buddhist Asia.  Journal of Adventist Mission Studies ,  12 (2), 242-260.