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I’ve proposed that for cross-cultural understanding to take root, shared space leads to shared language, which leads to shared experience and values. So what happens when that process unravels?

We explored the Pentecost in Acts 2 as a defining moment for the early Church, specifically in how the Holy Spirit enables cross-cultural communication. There's a related moment in the Old Testament, way back in Genesis 11, where rather than acting to bring people together, God moves to pull them apart.

What's most interesting to me about this Tower of Babel moment: It's a near mirror opposite of the Pentecost, where people come together in one room and proclaim "the mighty works of God" in different languages. Let's have a look:

Genesis 11: 1-9

1 The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. 2 As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.” 5 Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. 6 Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. 7 Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.

Making a Name for Ourselves?

In this Tower of Babel story, people are pursuing their own priorities: "Come, let's make bricks …. Come, let's build ourselves a city … and let's make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth." No one seems to be thinking about God.

This is very different from the Pentecost story, where believers are staying in Jerusalem on the orders of Jesus, waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit before pursuing the Great Commission that Jesus gave them in Matthew 28. In the Babel story by contrast, the people are following their own lead and seeking their own glory: a city for themselves, a name for themselves — a mighty work for themselves.

Is it any wonder that when Yahweh (God) comes down to see that work, from what we can tell He is unnoticed by and unimportant to the people? They're busy. They lack either the focus to realize God is among them, or the ability to sense His presence. So He scatters them.

Now, when I was a child I always thought it was strange that God comes down to check out what the kids are working on, sees that it's going according to their plan and then ruins it. What kind of a parent does that? In my early readings of this story, I equated it with peeking in on the kids on Saturday morning, seeing the Lego set they're working on together and then smashing it to bits. Viewed this way God’s action seems not very productive and not very nice, but offers a fun story to explain language differences.

But now I'm a parent. And now I read this through the lens of the Pentecost, and I see God’s actions differently.

Babel Building and Screen Time

Now I think God's reaction in the Tower of Babel story is more like a parent who peeks in on the kids on a Saturday morning and finds their eyes glazed, their faces bathed in the glow of iPad games. They don't look up or notice that a family member has entered the room. They're connecting with strangers on the Internet without regard to the dangers; they're obsessed of what seems good to them, not what is good for them. When I think of kids getting a bit too lost in mindless games and unhealthy communication, it gives a new resonance to God's observation in verse 6: "Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do."

The kids have all this time, all this potential. And this is what they’re doing with it? They're wasting it because their priorities and values are off.

So in Genesis 11, God disrupts their iPad time. He cuts off their Internet connection. He sends them outside.

That's how I now read the moment when God confuses their language. It's not about ruining their plans — it's about making room for a healthier focus. It's not about separating them from each other, it's about giving them space to look up and notice God when He walks into the room.

You know what adds to my sense of this interpretation? Abraham.

The Example of Abraham

His name is still Abram at this point. But the very next action the Bible notes God taking after He scatters the people at Babel is speaking to a young man who, unlike the Babel builders, is not too busy to notice Him. God says to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3:

“Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

Do you see that? After God hits the reset button, He speaks and Abram listens. God says, "I will bless you and make your name great," unlike the people at Babel who wanted to make a name for themselves.

What does this have to do with cross-cultural communication? Well, by considering Babel alongside Pentecost, we can see both the importance of shared language and the importance of keeping God’s priorities at the center of things. Yes, there's the moment when God scatters the people from the Tower of Babel, a moment of confusion that mirrors the Pentecost. But there's also the promise in God's call to Abram afterward.

Abram, who starts with obeying God, represents the reset that God brings. Rather than have Abram make a name for himself, God promises to make Abram's name great. And in a statement that foreshadows the cultural unity that can come through the work of the Holy Spirit, God promises "All the families of the earth will be blessed through you."

Wherever they are, whatever languages they speak, those who were scattered at Babel because they ignored God now will be blessed through one who obeyed.

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If we’re really going to do this, we have to get closer. Literally.

Acts 8:26-39, World English Bible

26 … An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.” 27 He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. 28 He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.  29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.”  30 Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this,  “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.     As a lamb before his shearer is silent,     so he doesn’t open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away.     Who will declare His generation?     For his life is taken from the earth.” Isaiah 53:7,8 34 The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?”  35 Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus. 36 As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?”  37-38 He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.  39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing.

Four Steps to Crossing Cultures

In a fractured society and a vast world, it's hard to foster cross-cultural understanding. Where should we start? As I look through scripture, I see a series of steps again and again that seem to make sense: 

1. Find shared physical space.

2. Shared space can lead to shared language.

3. Shared language can lead to shared experiences.

4. And shared experiences can lead to shared values.

An example of the power of shared physical space as a first step to bridging culture comes to us in Acts 8: 26-39. In the passage, Philip the Evangelist has a significant encounter with a seeker from Africa, which is important enough that an angel and the Holy Spirit both intervene to make it successful. In this encounter, Philip's physical interaction with the Ethiopian convert is one of the most noteworthy parts of the process. I think it also offers an admonition to us that crossing cultures is an intimate business, and shouldn't be attempted at arm's length.

When this story begins in verse 26, an angel of the Lord tells Philip to get moving:

“Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.”

This echoes scriptural passages like Genesis 12, where the Lord gives Abram a command to move but doesn't tell him why. In this case though, God's directive is more specific than the one he gave Abram. As we'll see, there's a  reason for Philip to be in that place at that time; he wants him to meet a man who is ready to hear about Jesus.

The Importance of Getting Close

By verse 29, Philip is within sight of the man. That's not close enough. The Holy Spirit, who we've seen acting as a cross-cultural translator, tells Philip to:

"Go near, and join yourself to this chariot."

It's a call for Philip to be bold and close the space, both physical and cultural, between himself and the Ethiopian. When Philip does, he's close enough to hear what the man is reading and to strike up a conversation. That shared language quickly leads to a potential experience: The Ethiopian invites Philip to come closer — up into the chariot — and explain the scripture.

This is similar to Paul's experience in Athens in Acts 17. Just as Paul had to physically go into the synagogue and marketplace to "reason" and "converse" to learn shared language, Philip has to join himself to the chariot. And just as Paul's conversations lead to an invitation to speak at Mars Hill, Philip's acts of crossing the physical distance to the Ethiopian's chariot and listening to him — Philip listens before he speaks — lead to an invitation to share an experience. Philip's encounter progresses further than Paul's; the Ethiopian seeker hears about Jesus and believes, and asks to be baptized. The encounter moves from a shared experience to shared values.

At the end of Philip's interaction with the Ethiopian, something happens that we might mistake for a throwaway miracle. In verse 39 the Holy Spirit seems to whisk Philip away. But as I look at this in the context of cross-cultural communication, I think, “Well, that teleportation stuff sounds useful. Why didn't the Holy Spirit just teleport Philip into the chariot seat next to the Ethiopian in the first place?” It would have saved a lot of directions and running on Philip's part. And a miraculous manifestation of a scripture teacher might have been a dramatic and easy way to get the Ethiopian's attention.

But maybe that would have been too easy. Maybe the effort it took Philip to “go near” and get into the chariot was important, not just the fact that he got there. Once Philip went near, he could listen, speak, engage, understand. And after that effort and that encounter, maybe it mattered a lot less how Philip got to his next destination.

It should be elementary, but we as the Church seem to struggle with the "go near" part. Often our communities can be monolithic, and we get used to that. Time and again though, scripture seems to suggest that it's not enough to shout from a distance or to send a sacrificial offering if we want to open up cultural understanding.

We have to "go near" and "join" ourselves to an unfamiliar group if we want to begin to truly engage.

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Paul’s Cross-Cultural Example at Mars Hill (video):

Our divided world is in desperate need of Christians who will reach beyond our comfort zones and engage with others. This video has some reflections on how Paul did it.

From the video: “It occurred to me that the encounter Paul had in that spot, engaging with the philosophical and the curious, provides an example of how we might engage with other cultures as followers of Christ. Paul didn't just get off a boat in Athens, hike out to Mars Hill and start preaching. He did his homework.”

• Paul’s Cross-Cultural Example at Mars Hill (text)

If you’ve subscribed since the first edition of this Cross Cultural newsletter, you might have missed that first emailed post, Race, the Holy Spirit and the Great Commission. If you’re one of the original subscribers, you might have missed the video version of that post. Here are both:

• Race, the Holy Spirit and the Great Commission (text)

• Race, the Holy Spirit and the Great Commission (video)

Coming up in the newsletter: A closer look at what the Bible shows about what it takes to bridge cross-cultural divides.

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Sunrise on Mars Hill. Athens, Greece. Photo by Jon Fortt.

Our divided world is in desperate need of Christians who will reach beyond our comfort zones and engage with others. Here are some reflections on how Paul did it.

Acts 17: 16-32, World English Bible

16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?”

Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

19 They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which you are speaking about? 20 For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, I announce to you. 24 The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands. 

25 He isn’t served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. 26 He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 

28 ‘For in him we live, move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ 29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man. 30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked.

But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”

Paul’s Approach: Reasoning, Conversing, then Presenting

A couple of years ago I went to Greece on vacation with my wife and two boys. We visited the Areopagus, also known as Mars Hill. I was awestruck. I've never been to Israel — that's on my bucket list — but being at that spot in Athens gave me that feeling of stepping into scripture.

Mars Hill is an incredibly smooth rock slope where Greeks have gathered for thousands of years. They'd been gathering there for centuries already even at the time when Paul stood there, in the moment Acts 17:16-32 records, so I imagine the rock was smooth even then. In my visit, on a spring afternoon, I brought my family close, pulled out my phone and opened the Bible app to read them this passage. It gave me chills to be a traveler in Athens, speaking the words of Paul in the place where he himself spoke them as a traveler 2000 years ago.

It occurred to me that the encounter Paul had in that spot, engaging with the philosophical and the curious, provides an example of how we might engage with other cultures as followers of Christ. Paul didn't just get off a boat in Athens, hike out to Mars Hill and start preaching. He did his homework.

First he paid attention: He saw that the city was full of idols.

Then he had diverse conversations: He reasoned both in the synagogue with his fellow Jews, and in the marketplace with people outside his own religious background. On top of that, he talked with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, people with very different ideas about the ultimate goal in life, pleasure or virtue. Paul wasn't just giving speeches; he was reasoning, having conversations. He was learning about Athens by having peer interactions with Athenians.

Only then did Paul get invited to give a TED Talk.

I'm kind of joking, but kind of not. That's the equivalent of what it was. In the first century, before the Internet, Paul went viral in Athens. Through small social interactions, cultural incursions, he got enough “likes” to win an invitation to the big stage: Mars Hill, to talk to the Council.

The speech Paul gives at Mars Hill shows real cross-cultural intelligence. The altar to the unknown god gets most of the attention, but that's not the only thing. When Paul says in verse 28 that in God "we live, move and have our being" he's likely quoting Epimenides. When he says, "for we are also his offspring," he's quoting Aratus. Paul is showing respect for the cultural touchstones of Athens to introduce Athenians to Christ. As he writes in 1 Corinthians 9, to the Greeks he's becoming a Greek, "for the sake of the Gospel."

That should challenge us today. What are we willing to listen to, think about, incorporate in this atmosphere of racial division? Are we willing to see people, converse with them and earn the right to explore deeper truths, as Paul did?

In this time of battling slogans, are we willing to get close enough to "become" someone from a different perspective for the sake of the Gospel?

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Here is a video version of this message:

• Paul’s Cross-Cultural Example at Mars Hill: Acts 17 (video)

If you’ve subscribed since the first edition of this Cross Cultural newsletter, you might have missed that first emailed post, Race, the Holy Spirit and the Great Commission. If you’re one of the original subscribers, you might have missed the video version of that post. Here are both:

• Race, the Holy Spirit and the Great Commission (text)

• Race, the Holy Spirit and the Great Commission (video)

I’m also creating some shorter Cross Cultural posts that don’t go out as separate emails, as a way of introducing people to the newsletter and community I hope we build here. (And I don’t want to overwhelm your inbox.) Here’s one from last week:

• The Culture of the Church and Partiality: James 2 (text)

If you want to get those posts as soon as they come out, follow Fortt Media on Twitter or LinkedIn:

• Fortt Media (Twitter)

• Fortt Media (LinkedIn)

In the Church, we reflexively know that “partiality” is a bad thing; it’s unfair bias favoring one person or group over another. That brings us to James 2.

I’ve tended to read James 2:1-4 as a warning about favoring people with money in church, but maybe I’ve been too simplistic. Now in reading this, I also hear echoes of Peter in Acts 10:34-35:

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. …”

These writings suggest to me that from the beginning of the church, God was very concerned about making sure we didn’t stumble over man-made distinctions such as class and nation of origin.

In this verse, the demonstration of partiality is pronounced and obvious: A poor person walks into the church and gets treated badly. But what about today’s American churches, sometimes physically situated so far from where “different” people live that none would likely wander in? Is that also a show of partiality? Again, here’s the text:

My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. 2 For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue,[a] and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in, 3 and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing and say, “Sit here in a good place;” and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool” 4 haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

What happens if we in our churches become partial to our way of life and point of view?

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Here’s a different frame for how we as Christians can think about these issues of race and culture and understanding.

Rather than adopt secular ideas of intersectionality, diversity and inclusion, I argue that we can go directly to scripture to find guidance for the type of impact we should seek to have. The uncomfortable possibility: This means that if we are going to answer the call of Jesus and fulfill the Great Commission, if we are going to steward our resources not just for secular efficiency and economic impact but for the Kingdom of God, a fundamental requirement of us is that we enter into the cultural experience of other people.

Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:4-5, Acts 2:1-12 and 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. World English Bible.

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I don't like the way we talk about race as the Church these days. I also don't like the way we don't talk about race as the Church these days.

Here's an example of the disconnect: Let's start with White Christians and race. Barna Group last week reported that in the summer of 2020, 33% of White adult Christians said our country "definitely" has a race problem, 4 points less than White adults overall. And lower than 2019 levels.

Now, Black Christians: 81% of Black adult Christians said our country "definitely" has a race problem, 5 points higher than Black adults overall. And higher than 2019 levels.

That's two parts of the same body, starkly divided and getting further apart.

A Biblical Frame for Addressing Racial Divides

With that being said, my goal here is not to make an argument either way about whether the country has a race problem, or whether the Church should talk about race less, or more. What I want to do is offer you a different frame for how we as Christians can think about these issues of race and culture and understanding. Rather than adopt secular ideas of intersectionality, diversity and inclusion, I'm going to argue that we can go directly to scripture to find guidance for the type of impact we should seek to have.

I want to begin the way my father would begin many of his sermons when I was growing up, with this prayer from the Book of Psalms:

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Here's the frame: Within the Great Commission, Jesus gave us an assignment that demands we rise to the challenge of this divided culture. And it's so important, God equipped us to do it.

Let's look at four passages of scripture today. All of them will be familiar, but taken together they might hit a bit differently than they have in the past. I hope so. They are Matthew 28: 19-20, Acts 1: 4-5, Acts 2: 1-12 and 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23. The first is words of Jesus. The next two are defining moments for the early Church. The last is from Paul.

I've been walking with Christ for 20 years now. During that time I've embraced the Bible as my life guide and not just an intellectual, religious or philosophical resource. Because I view the Bible that way, one of the most important passages to me is Matthew 28: 19-20. We refer to it as the Great Commission. These are my marching orders:

The Great Commission

Matthew 28: 19-20

"… Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

Wow. Jesus is finishing his earthly ministry, and in one sentence sums up the mission of the Church writ large and every individual member. (There are two sentences there, but the second is a confidence booster.)

It's a big commission. How are we supposed to do it? Thankfully God gives us reinforcements:

Wait for the Holy Spirit

Acts 1: 4-5

Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

God, as always, makes good on His promise, as we see in Acts 2:

The Holy Spirit at Pentecost

Acts 2: 1-12

Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. When this sound was heard, the multitude came together and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans? How do we hear, everyone in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

Entering the Cultural Experience of Others

What does this mean?

In the Great Commission, Jesus told us to "go" to "all nations" and make disciples. But then in Acts 1 he said not so fast. Before you go, "wait for the gift" of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes on the day of Pentecost, how does it make itself known? There's a sound. There's a sight. But when the Holy Spirit goes to work, there's a change.

What does this mean?

The Holy Spirit could have caused this group of people to do all sorts of things if the goal were simply to amaze and perplex. It could have had them fly around the house where they had been sitting. It could have had them go around the city and heal people. Turn water into wine. It did not do any of those things. Of all the miracles the Holy Spirit could have done to amaze and perplex, it turned them into cross-cultural communicators. It gave them the gift of speaking the language of others.

What does this mean?

The uncomfortable possibility: This means that if we are going to answer the call of Jesus and fulfill the Great Commission, if we are going to steward our resources not just for secular efficiency and economic impact but for the Kingdom of God, a fundamental requirement of us is that we enter into the cultural experience of other people.

Not simply allow others into our space. That's inclusion. Not just teach them our language and assimilate them into our culture and organizations. That's secular diversity. But to "go" into their space. And to go with a level of communication and cultural connection that is so profound that it is perplexing. Amazing. And impossible without the power of the Holy Spirit.

So what does this mean for us as Christians today, particularly in this atmosphere of racial division?

Helper, Advocate, Translator

I offer this: In the Gospel of John, in Romans and 1 Corinthians, scripture describes some of the Holy Spirit's functions as a helper, an advocate and a translator. That's the spirit's role both in our engagement with God, and in our engagement with the world.

In this time of division, the impulse, the political call, is the opposite. It's to be an observer, not a helper; a judge, not an advocate; a gatekeeper, not a translator.

The observer says: I observe that you're making claims about disparities and discrimination, but I have some philosophical problems with the way you're expressing that. I'm not going to help you.

The judge says: You're making this noise about race and pain, but in my judgment you haven't done all the work you could to better your own situation -- or to understand mine. I'm not going to advocate for you.

And the gatekeeper says: Before I engage with you deeply, here are the terms to get through the gate: the language you need to speak, the tone you need to adopt, the flag you need to salute or the fragility you need to admit. I'm not going to translate your experience.

I suggest to you that there's a better way, a Biblical way, the Holy Spirit's way, outlined in scripture and described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 9: 19-23:

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Helper, advocate, translator. Specifically in the realm of cultural division, those are powerful roles of the Holy Spirit. And if we're going to be who Jesus called us to be, fulfill the Great Commission our savior gave us, we must heed the spirit's call to spend our time, talent and treasure entering into the cultural experience of other people.

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