Involving the Audience in Culturally Relevant Gospel Witness

The concept of involving the audience in culturally relevant Gospel witness is rooted in the biblical understanding of God's universal plan of salvation and the methods employed by early Christian evangelists. This approach recognizes that the Gospel, while unchanging in its core message, must be communicated in ways that resonate with the specific cultural contexts of its hearers ^[2].

The Old Testament provides foundational imagery for God's desire to draw all nations to himself. Zechariah 2:11 prophesies that "many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day," indicating a future time when the Gospel would be preached universally, leading to the conversion of multitudes who would then "join themselves to the churches of Christ" ^[3]. This joining signifies an active participation and identification with God's people. Similarly, Isaiah 55:4 speaks of the Messiah being given "for a witness to the people," a role that extends to both Jews and Gentiles, demonstrating God's inclusive purpose ^[5]. The "testimony" in Isaiah 8:16, which refers to the prophetic word concerning Immanuel, is understood by some as the Gospel itself, bearing witness to Christ's person, office, and grace ^[4]. This testimony is not meant to be confined but to be proclaimed.

In the New Testament, the apostles exemplified culturally relevant witness. Peter, in Acts 10:43, declared that "To him give all the prophets witness," emphasizing the broad scope of prophetic testimony concerning Christ. This statement was particularly significant for his Gentile audience, forming a "noble practical conclusion" that underscored the universal applicability of the Gospel ^[7]. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 2:1, describes his own missionary approach, stating that he came "not with excellency of speech, not with arts of rhetoric," but declared "the testimony, the Gospel, of God" ^[2]. This suggests a focus on the substance of the message rather than on human eloquence or cultural sophistication that might obscure it. However, this does not imply a disregard for cultural understanding, but rather a rejection of superficial rhetorical flourishes that prioritize human wisdom over divine truth ^[2].

The early church's mission to the Gentiles, as described in Matthew 22:10, involved servants going "out into the highways" and gathering "all, as many as they found, both good and bad" ^[10]. This illustrates the expansive and inclusive nature of Gospel outreach, which seeks to engage diverse groups of people. The Gospel ministry is seen as the means of gathering souls to Christ and into his churches, acknowledging that those gathered will come from various backgrounds ^[10].

The concept of culturally relevant witness also involves the audience's active participation and identification with the Christian faith. Peter, addressing a primarily Gentile audience, applies descriptions of Old Testament Israel to them, indicating that they, "like all Christians—are truly God’s people in the new covenant era" ^[8]. This re-identification provides a new cultural and spiritual identity rooted in Christ. The "professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ" mentioned in 2 Corinthians 9:13, in the context of the Gentile churches' liberality towards the poor saints in Jerusalem, highlights how the audience's response to the Gospel, including their actions, glorifies God ^[6]. This "experiment of this ministration" demonstrates the practical outworking of their faith and their integration into the Christian community ^[6].

The involvement of the audience is not merely passive reception but active engagement and transformation. Jude 1:3 speaks of the apostle's design to establish "lately converted Jews and Gentiles" in the Christian faith, encouraging them in "a practice and conversation truly consonant and conformable thereunto, and in an open and bold profession thereof" ^[9]. This emphasizes the need for believers to live out their faith within their cultural contexts, even in times of opposition ^[9]. The challenge is to ensure that what is believed, professed, and propagated is genuinely the Christian faith, rather than merely "discriminating badges of this or the other" tradition ^[9].

The Old Testament also provides a precedent for the community's involvement in worship and testimony. Numbers 3:7 states that the Levites were to "observe quidquid ad cultum pertinet multitudinis coram tabernaculo testimonii," which translates to "whatever pertains to the service of the multitude before the tabernacle of the testimony" ^[1]. This suggests a communal aspect to religious observance and the importance of the people's participation in the worship and witness associated with God's presence.

Sources

Numbers “et observent quidquid ad cultum pertinet multitudinis coram tabernaculo testimonii, -- Numbers 3:7”
1 Corinthians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 2:1: When I came to you - Acting suitably to my mission, which was to preach the Gospel, but not with human eloquence, Co1 1:17. I declared to you the testimony, the Gospel, of God, not with excellency of speech, not with arts of rhetoric, used by your own philosophers, where the excellence of the speech recommends the matter, and compensates for the want of solidity and truth: on the contrary, the testimony concerning Christ and his salvation is so supremely excellent, as to dignify any kind of language by which it may be conveyed. See the Introduction, Section 2.”
Zechariah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Zechariah 2:11: And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day,.... The Gospel will be preached in all nations, and multitudes will be converted, and embrace and profess the Christian religion, and join themselves to the churches of Christ, which, in the New Testament, is expressed by being joined to the Lord, Act 5:13 see Jer 50:5, and shall be my people; shall appear to be so, who before were not the people of God; did not profess themselves, and were not known to be, the people of God, though they secretly were in the counsel and covenant of God; but now, being call”
Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 8:16: Bind up the testimony,.... These are not the words of the prophet, as Kimchi thinks, but of the Lord to the prophet, and are part of that instruction given him, Isa 8:11. By "the testimony" is meant the word of prophecy delivered to him; particularly that evangelical part of it respecting Immanuel, who was to be born of a virgin, and would be for a sanctuary to them that believe in him, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, to unbelievers; so the Gospel is called the testimony of Christ, it bearing witness of his person, office, and grace, Ti2 1:8 and "bind”
Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 55:4: Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people,.... That is, the Messiah, as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech rightly interpret it. This respects an act past in eternity, in God's eternal purposes and decrees, when he appointed Christ to the office of a Mediator; and this was an act of his grace, a free gift of his, flowing from his love to his people, both Jews and Gentiles, even all his elect, to whom Christ is a "witness", both of his father and of himself: of his father, of his good will to men, in forming the scheme of their salvation; of his love to sinne”
2 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Corinthians 9:13: Whiles by the experiment of this ministration,.... That is, the poor saints at Jerusalem having a specimen, a proof, an experience of the liberality of the Gentile churches ministered to them by the apostles, first, they glorify God; by giving thanks unto him, acknowledging him to be the author of all the grace and goodness which they, and others, were partakers of; particularly for your professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel of Christ is the doctrine of grace, life, and salvation by Christ, of which he is the author, as God, the subject m”
Acts (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Acts 10:43: To him give all the prophets witness--that is, This is the burden, generally of the prophetic testimony. It was fitter thus to give the spirit of their testimony, than to quote them in detail on such an occasion. But let this apostolic statement of the evangelical import of the Old Testament writings be devoutly weighed by those who are disposed to rationalize away this element in the Old Testament. whosoever believeth in him--This was evidently said with special reference to the Gentile audience then before him, and formed a noble practical conclusio”
1 Peter (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Peter 2:9: 2:9 Peter applies descriptions of the Israelites in the Old Testament (see, e.g., Exod 19:5-6) to his primarily Gentile audience, indicating that they—like all Christians—are truly God’s people in the new covenant era.”
Jude (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Jude 1:3: We have here, I. The design of the apostle in writing this epistle to the lately converted Jews and Gentiles; namely, to establish them in the Christian faith, and a practice and conversation truly consonant and conformable thereunto, and in an open and bold profession thereof, especially in times of notorious opposition, whether by artful seduction or violent and inhuman persecution. But then we must see to it very carefully that it be really the Christian faith that we believe, profess, propagate, and contend for; not the discriminating badges of this or the other ”
Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 22:10: So these servants went out into the highways,.... Turned from the Jews, and went among the Gentiles, preaching the Gospel to them; particularly the Apostle Paul, with Barnabas, and others: and gathered together all, as many as they found, both good and bad: the Persic version reads it, "known or unknown". The Gospel ministry is the means of gathering souls to Christ, and to attend his ordinances, and into his churches; and of these that are gathered by it into churches, and to an attendance on outward ordinances, some are good and some bad, as the fishes gathered ”

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