Chameleon for Christ
1 Corinthians 9:16-23 and Mark 1:29-39
by Rev. John Murray
Have you ever seen a chameleon? If not
there is a very good reason. Not many get to see them, because they can
blend right into their surroundings. They have a reputation to be master
at the art of camouflage. Chameleons are fascinating animals; they
actually belong to the lizard family.
The first time I saw a chameleon in nature was during my recent vacation
in Aruba. There, lizards pop up everywhere, in the rocky stretches along
the coasts, alongside the streets and even in the pool area of the
hotels. Chameleons are special kinds of lizards that have the ability to
change the color of their skin to pink, blue, red, orange, green, black,
brown and yellow.
For a long time it was assumed that chameleons change colors for the
purpose of camouflage, in order to escape their natural enemies.
However, recent research found that the primary function and purpose for
their color changes is communication, including to make themselves more
attractive to potential mates. (1)
That’s interesting, especially since this is exactly why the apostle
Paul changed his “colors.” When he said “I have become all things to all
people, that I might by all means save some “ He was talking about
adapting to social and theological circumstances for the sake of better
communication with those who didn’t know the gospel of Christ.
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, when a person is described as
chameleon, the reference to the animal is generally a commentary on the
person's ability to blend into various social situations, often to mean
the person has no true values, or that he quickly abandons them in
company if it's convenient to do so. (2)
When Paul speaks about becoming like others in some ways, he is not
talking about abandoning values or giving in to peer pressure. No, this
is not the kind of chameleon behavior Paul is talking about. Paul had a
strong sense of identity. In fact, he has shaped church practice and
theology more so than any other person besides Jesus.
Paul’s willingness to adapt to other people’s theology and social
standing was for the sake of evangelism. You see, Paul has such a burden
for the least and lost in this world that he was willing to become weak
to those who were weak, to become all things to all people—just so he
could bring the good news and salvation to as many as possible.
His heart burned with a desire for those living in darkness. Few people
in the history of Christianity have shown such a burden for the
salvation of others; one of them being John Knox, a Scottish pastor and
evangelist who was quoted as praying: “Lord give me Scotland or let me
die.”
Paul’s approach to evangelism is different from what I observe around me
today. When I turn my TV to the religious channel, I am surprised how
many of the TV evangelists and preachers speak a language that must be
foreign and perhaps even confusing to people that have not grown up in
church or Sunday school. They surely don’t talk the common folk’s
language.
I’m assuming that these evangelists spend thousands of dollars for
airtime for the purpose of reaching those who are not already attending
church. If I put myself into the shoes of an un-churched person I wonder
whether they understand phrases like: “we must be washed in the blood of
the lamb.”
So how exactly did the apostle Paul do evangelism? Fortunately, there is
one good example in the book of Acts (17:22-30). Paul arrived in Athens
and after walking about the Acropolis, found a statue dedicated to the
“unknown god”. Paul found a bridge to the culture of the Athenians. He
preached to them saying: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things
you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the
objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO
THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing,
Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it…”
(Verses 23-24).
He even quoted Greek philosophers in his sermon. He became like one of
the many philosophers on Mars Hill who spoke about their beliefs and
thoughts. The result: the first church at Athens was born.
What about our church services? What if an un-churched person wandered
into our sanctuary this morning, would they understand our language? Let
me rephrase that: “do we talk their language?”
If they opened out worship program for instance, would they know what
the “Doxology” is? Or what about the “prelude or the postlude” Would
they know the words to the Lord’s Prayer, or would they feel totally
embarrassed about being the only person not saying the right words?
My feeling is that an un-churched person would feel very uncomfortable
in our midst—perhaps almost as though they were in a strange land. The
people look like regular Americans, but they sure have a hard time
understanding our language and practices.
I guess that brings up another question: Is what happens here in our
worship hour, just between us and God, or is it also about reaching out
to others outside of these walls?
Early in his ministry, Jesus had a choice of either building a “mega
church” or to continue to reach out to “outsiders.” In our gospel lesson
from Mark 1:29-39, Jesus had a good thing going in this town in Gallilee;
people were showing up in droves to hear him teach and heal the
inflicted. He could have just stayed there to build a profitable
ministry. But Jesus had other plans. His heart burned for those on the
outside that hadn’t heard the good news. (When they found him, they said
to him, "Everyone is searching for you."He answered, "Let us go on to
the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also;
for that is what I came out to do.")
Conclusion: let us examine what we’re doing here as a local church, as a
congregation. What is our divine purpose? Jesus command for the church
is simple; it is summarized in Mat 28:19 “Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,…”
Paul understood this mission and made it his own with an unparalleled
passion.
Brothers and sisters, we need to pray! We need to pray to God to set our
hearts on fire for the least and lost. Pray for the heart of the apostle
Paul.
Lord, give us a burden for bringing to Jesus all those who are
searching, who are at the end of their wisdom, all those who are longing
for a Savior. Amen.
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(1) Stuart-Fox, D., & Moussalli, A. (2008).
Selection for social signaling drives the evolution of chameleon colour
change. Public Library of Science Biology, 6, e25.
(2) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chameleon
