Cultural Lesson # ∞ + 7

The Greeting
Upon arriving here we were told that greeting the Paraguayans when entering a situation is very important. And we noted very quickly that this is true. When Paraguayans enter a room, a property, a place where they will be involved in any type of social interaction they will greet, more or less, everyone personally. This is a correct, a good, and an acceptable behavioural norm here in Paraguay.

The attempt to change my cultural disposition in this regard has been a battle. Upon reading this Paraguayan cultural norm you may be tempted to say, "That's great, and it should not be too difficult a thing to do." However, if you can be honest with yourself and think about the learned cultural greeting aptitude you possess, you "must" agree that this would not be as easy as it sounds (especially if you are from the Northeastern part of the U.S.).

When you enter a smaller church setting do you make a point of greeting every person that is present with a verbal "hello" and a firm handshake? Do you do the same when you are entering a less known setting, let's say like a new church where you are a visitor? Probably not. If you did the folks would wonder, "Who is this aggressive person that has switched roll from visitor to host. However, in the same situation here in Paraguay if you don't do it, people will tend to wonder who is the rude new-comer who has not greeted me.

Currently I'm teaching a class at a local seminary. I visited the campus a few weeks prior to beginning the class. The day I visited I walked from my car to the director's office. There were a few people on campus that day, but no one I knew and no one in my direct path. I taught my first class this past Friday (btw, it's Cultural Anthropology), and I was commenting on the differences between Paraguayan culture and my own (U.S.). One of my students then commented, "That's why you were so 'cold' the first time I saw you on campus about two weeks ago. You went to the director's office, spoke with him and then left. You never greeted me." This student was absolutely right. I acted "cold" comparatively speaking. Had I been culturally relevant I would have greeted everyone within eye contact.

It's important to learn these nuances of the culture and to make the transition as soon as possible. When we don't we can be categorized as being "cold," or some other unwanted characteristic trait due to an unwonted cultural idiosyncrasy.

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Baptism

I have a friend who likes to think through spiritual truths. He once made the "mistake" of asking me what I thought about something he was working through. Now I'm beginning to ask him, "Hey whacha' chewing on?" Last night he sent me his current thoughts on baptism. I responded with my own.

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Good to get your message last night.

"John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" Mark 1:4.

Baptism (for me) is the time-and-place physical demonstration of repentance. Its when the individual stands forward and proclaims their change of attitude towards sin and publicly aligns themselves with the person, of Jesus Christ, who can change their sin-nature, enabling them to choose to live righteously. This is an act of obedience. Christ's desire was that we baptize (Mt. 28:18-20), therefor we should be baptized.

Baptism is not a once and for all forgiveness of sin (1st John 1). You do not need to be baptized to be saved (ask the criminal on the cross). However, it is a step of obedience that will enable you to experience the victorious Christian life. If we are not obeying Christ in every area we will not experience the power of God in our lives. He won't bless those who are willingly disobeying Him.

"I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" Mark 1:8.

Alliance Perspective on [Sanctification]: “It is both a crisis and a process, a decision and a development, a turning point and a new direction, it is a continual experience marked by an altar and a road. ‘It is a crisis, a willful event, a decision. It may be emotional or rational, behavioral or aesthetic but it is a turning point, a moment of exchange, a definite and thorough surrender, an altar’” (www.cmalliance.org).

I believe there is another baptism. In the Alliance we call this baptism the CRISIS. Many of those outside of (and even some within) the Alliance will take issue with this as they don't see the word CRISIS in the Bible. But it is a word that is used, such as TRINITY, to describe a biblical (Alliance) doctrine. Christ now baptizes those who depend completely on Him with the Holy Spirit. Don't take me wrong... we all have the Holy Spirit living in us at the point of Salvation. However, all are not walking in the Spirit... totally surrendered to Him. There are those Christians who are grieving the Holy Spirit for lack of a habitual dependence upon Him in their lives. That dependence upon God is the difference between the man in Romans 7 and the man in Romans 8: the man living in constant failure and the man living a victorious life.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit" Romans 8:1-4.

I just got finished reading a good book about this experience. It is an autobiography of a Pakistani woman who came to Christ and immediately experienced the Victorious Christian life. It is a good experiential story of what a normative Christian life should look like. The name of the book is "I dared to call Him Father," written by Bilquis Sheikh. (This is what I would consider the Baptism of the Holy Spirit).

Let me know what you think about what I've written here.

Tu amigo y hermano,

J

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I'm back

In one of my blog posts I explained why at times I would not blog consistently. I gave the following reasons

1. I would be on vacation
2. I would be so busy that I could not communicate
3. I would be overwhelmed in the midst of a trial

This past hiatus was due to reason #3. Without going into the details I'll say that this trial increased my faith, my trust, and my prayer-life. If you are reading this entry and you are prone to pray, I would ask that you pray for:

1. Karen and my ability to manage the added responsibilities we currently have.
2. The healing of wounded people in our ministry context.
3. The unity and growth of the Asuncion Alliance Church.

Thank you for your support. WE are TEAM!