Language and Christian Life

One of the interesting things about language acquisition is that the student will soak in the vocabulary, accents and inflections of the teacher.  When I have a conversation with one of the students that is helping me with Thai, I understand and speak at an optimal level.  Put me out on the streets with some stranger and all of a sudden I can understand barely half of what they are saying.  On another point, my fellow co-workers in Sankampaeng and Hangdong teach children at elementary schools for their main ministries.  Dealing with mostly adolescent children, their range of vocabulary and grammar is perfect for commands (like sit down, pay attention, clean up) and words pertaining to school related things (scissors, glue, ruler).  On the other hand as I work in a university level Christian setting, helping with praise and worship and sitting through sermons and prayer times, I am exposed to and soak up all the Thai Christian-ese (words like worship, praise, prayer and phrases like "i feel thankful for..." or "praise God for...").  So when I'm placed in a children ministry setting, I'll do alright, but I'm not in my comfort zone with the particular phrases and vocabulary suited for such things.

On Sundays before worship, we go around the community of believers (church) and share things that we're thankful to God for.  The couple times I did raise my hand to share something, the Thai students pushed me to share in Thai.  When I did, I was amazed at the ease certain phrases came out or vocabulary that I thought I didn't know.  The first couple times I was like, "Whoa, it's God! He just put the words in my mouth!" Not saying that's not true to a certain extent, but now that I think back, I see that much of what came out of my mouth was due to what I was absorbing in my surroundings.

Those long hours of cryptic Thai sermons and Bible studies that I had to pinch myself to get through? It actually did something.  Missionary Daniel talks about how important it is just to sit and listen and soak in all the tones and inflections and words even if you don't understand any of it.  I now see why he put me through needless needful torture.  One day things start clicking and you try to do things on your own and it just comes out.

The point is that our Christian life and walk is no different.  We humans as societal creatures naturally soak up the things in our surrounding culture - attitudes, behavior, values, and worldview. Where else do we get all of our cool sayings, hip clothing styles, and time-passing fads? (before I left it was break-dancing, would someone like to inform me what's cool to do in the Korean American community now?)  Anyway, it should be pretty obvious why our walk with God stays superficial and shallow and the fruit we bear is meager and nominal when all we take in are the values and beliefs of our secular surroundings.  The world screams at us that every moment needs to be lived in the here and now, in pleasure, and in fun and entertainment.  A lot of people think that the Christian religion is all about denying yourself and they make fun of a belief system that denies "natural" desires in favor of a dry and stuffy moralistic lifestyle.  And we as Christians buy what the world tells us what Christianity is.  Thus we can't seem to bear Christ-like fruit in our lives because all we're trying to do is to negate the desires of our flesh.  We're not actually focused on abiding in Christ and remaining in the vine so that we can take in from Him all the values and beliefs and worldviews and attitudes that will really satisfy us and bear fruit that will glorify God.

In all of our fighting and running away from the flesh, we also need to be running toward something, that is, a personal living God in Christ Jesus. In Romans 12, Paul calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  He says in Philippians 4:8-9, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."  Our daily walk has to be about surrounding, immersing and soaking our minds and hearts in Christ and the things of Christ. Only then we can really start putting into practice all that we have learned and received and heard.

A fruitful walk with God also calls for us to have good teachers and a good surrounding community of people.  There's a reason I don't teach Korean here. It's what Jesus called the blind leading the blind.  I also don't learn my Thai from my American friends.  In the same way a student of language needs a teacher comfortable and fluent in the usage and theory of language, a disciple of Christ needs a shepherd, role-model, or leader who is consistent in his or her walk and grounded in his or her beliefs.  Sometimes (okay a lot of times) I make mistakes as I try to speak Thai. People around me laugh but in the end I know they are genuinely invested in my improvement.  I think a lot of times we're afraid to have someone further along in his or her life as a Christian discipling us because we think we may be judged, but in the end they're looking out for our interests in our own spiritual maturity.  A good discipler produces a good disciple.  We can't learn these things on our own.  I don't think anyone can get Thai tones on their own.  There's a reason why Paul continually exhorts his churches to be imitators of him as he imitates Christ.

The community add its own dimension to both language learning and spiritual maturity.  I have one main Thai teacher, but everyone expresses language in their own unique way.  The Thai I learn from one person may not be useful with another.  My teacher takes the time to speak slowly and use simple words but not everyone's going to talk to me like a 3rd grade Thai student.  Only going around and speaking with all types of people will I be able to better grasp the full expression and nuances of the Thai language.  As Christians we learn from everyone in the body as God has gifted each one of us to mutually encourage one another towards maturity in faith.  As an underclassman I learned about the rich beauty of praise and the true meaning of worship from Sam Kang, but I also soaked in the intellectually awe-inspiring value of theology and foundations of faith from Jonas Lee (now Pastor Jonas, haha...wait is Sam a pastor too? Worship Pastor Sam? I don't know).  As an upperclassman I was humbled by my own weaknesses as I tried to lead others.  In the end, we absorb the rich diversity of gifts and functions within the community of Christ to further understand Christian life and worship of God.

So take heed with what you surround yourself with, what you feed your mind and heart with.  Let your soul feed upon the unsearchable riches of God's grace and feast at the banqueting table of God.  Let your heart assent with all its emotion that it has tasted that the Lord is good.  Find leaders you admire and wish to be like and learn from them.  Imitate the strengths God has gifted them with.  Interact within a community of like-minded believers and run the race together.  Bear each others burdens and encourage one another.

And one day, you will speak Thai be a faithful disciple and a light to the world.