Universal Adaptor

“I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some”  1 Corinthians 9:22 
I am traveling to England right now. There’s always many things to consider while traveling to a different country. One thing I’ve learned from traveling with my wife is that you need the proper adaptor to be able to connect to electricity in the region you’ll be in. Otherwise you will have no power!
One of the complaints I’ve heard from Americans since I was little is how “snooty” people are in other parts of the world, particularly Europe (even more particularly, France!) I always just assumed this to be true (along with everything else I was told), until I actually travelled to other countries, and found out that it’s usually the Americans who are obnoxious! To be sure Europeans can be “snooty”, but it’s usually when an American makes absolutely no effort to engage or understand the culture! If there is a degree of respect and accommodation on the part of the American, the host will usually respond with kindness.
As stewards and ministers of the mystery of God (1 Corinthians 4:1), we are to be extremely adaptable in order to get God’s message across. As Paul put it, he was made “all things to all men”.
Does that mean Paul was watering down God’s truth to make it more palatable? Hardly. Read through any of his letters and you’ll find someone who was uncompromising in the truth of the gospel. We must do everything in our power, however, to “grease the skids”, so to speak. Any human element hindering communication must be removed if we are serious about spreading the gospel.
The truly successful missionaries over the centuries have been the ones who have made steps to understand the culture and adapt to it as much as possible without compromising God’s truth. I think of St. Patrick (who recent research has revealed to actually be a Messianic Jew) among the “barbaric” Celts who once enslaved him. Or Hudson Taylor, perhaps the most successful missionary ever, who adopted the dress of the Chinese (even going so far as shaving his head and sporting the traditional “queue”). These men laid down their rights and personal preference, so that men would be saved.
We should do the same, considering the lengths our Lord went to save us.