OR YEARS THE CHURCH REQUIRED people interested in accepting Christ to forsake their culture and their relationship to their family. The record is clear: the results were meager.

There is a new respect today for the cultures and traditions of people around the world, accompanied by the realization that the gospel meets people within their cultural context. With profound respect all must appreciate a person's culture and the richness of that person's way of life. The world will be a better place when there is respect among all peoples.

The teaching of the prophets and apostles is clear. We are all one before God. God has made of one blood all nations. The human family under the Creator-God are brothers and sisters. All men and women are equal before God, and God accepts each person within their culture.

The early church came to the realization in Acts 15 that people could come to a belief in Jesus and join the fellowship of believers without in every way being extracted from their cultural context. The new believers were rather transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit within their culture.

As I have traveled around the world to about 100 countries, it has been my privilege to fellowship with God's children in many cultural settings. Today, there is diversity in the cultural expression of Adventist faith while there is unity in accepting the guidelines of Holy Scripture.

In Thailand
During a trip to Thailand I visited a building patterned after the assembly hall of the local Buddhist cultural center. With others I took my shoes off at the base of a ladder. We all climbed the steep entrance. A service was about to begin. Families sat on the wooden floor. The leader sat cross-legged on the platform 12 inches above the main floor. And while the leader spoke with power from the Scriptures, the attendees felt comfortable following the style of meeting from their youth.

In Korea
On another occasion I was invited to meet with a small group in Korea. They were longing for the day when they would be able to erect a permanent building. The winter winds howled outside the meeting place, but everyone had removed their shoes at the hallway before entering the room, and I joined the members sitting on the cement floor. The local leaders having lit the furnace under the floor, it felt good to feel the warmth coming from below as we fellowshipped together.

In India and the Philippines
On several occasions I was privileged to visit chapels in villages of India, where volunteers (local Indian leaders) led out in the services. A grass mat covered the cement floor. Women sat with their children on one side, while men sprawled on the floor on the other side. Everything was new to me.

One youth was pumping a hand organ while another held a drum in his hands. Another gentleman was striking two sticks together. The rhythm of the music helped the group to keep in time. The words and the music were such as I had never heard before. Children and adults reverently clapped their hands as they sang.

In a remote village of the Philippines student volunteers and villagers had cut wood and bamboo for the construction of a building. I had a bit of a challenge to find the most comfortable position in which to fit my body on the uneven bamboo logs that made up the bench. Their loincloths and colorful clothing made the experience memorable as they sang in a language I did not know.

With Jewish Believers
It's encouraging to see that 12 new synagogues have recently been formed in North America. It's a precious experience to participate in a worship service that has its roots in a service similar to the type Jesus attended during His life on earth.

I watched as the rabbi reverently took the Torah from its place in the ark. Placing the large scroll on a table, he reverently opened the 400-year-old leather document, the worshippers listening to the Hebrew words of Scripture and his English translation.

This was followed by a message that wove words from both testaments of Scripture together. In the Messianic service the worshippers joined in praise to God for Yeshua the Messiah. As the service ended on that particular day the rabbi walked among the congregation as worshippers reached out to touch the Torah with a silent prayer of thanks for the sacred Scriptures. As Jews from the community visit the Adventist synagogue on special occasions they feel at home in the service.

With Muslim Worshippers
The great challenge of today is for each person to reach out in acceptance and love to all the Muslim people living in our communities, even if a few radicals are doing a great deal to destroy the opportunity for friendship and acceptance.

I have visited a large number of mosques in three countries. I thank God that I have seen the godly lifestyle of a true follower of Allah. This is what I've learned: Muslims are a people of prayer who attempt to surrender their lives totally to the God of Abraham. Their main concern is to learn how to live so they will be ready for the final judgment. They are eager to be ready for Jesus to return in the clouds of heaven. A Muslim gentleman recently asked a friend of mine, "Do Adventists believe that Jesus will return to the earth very soon?" There are many spiritually minded Muslims who are looking for Jesus to return and daily attempt totally to submit to the God of heaven in order to be ready for the return of Jesus.

A godly Muslim is in earnest about a regular prayer life, and I've had the privilege of worshipping with those who have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. In addition, I have met with groups of Muslims in their homes and in their mosques and have prayed with them. We have taken pains to support aspects of their culture that are in harmony with Scripture. The believer maintains their relationship with family and community while following the Torah, prophets, and Injil (Gospels), and also accepting Jesus as their Messiah. I have sensed a new dimension in my prayer. It has been a moving experience to prostrate myself before the God of heaven.

Questions for Reflection or for Use in Your Small Group 1. How's your comfort level with people of other cultures? What strategies have you found most effective in getting close to them? 2. As human beings we sometimes go too far, other times not far enough. Where would you place the present article on that score? Or has the author struck just the right balance? 3. How would you like your life to change because of your encounter with the issues raised by this article?

There are more than 72 different Muslim groups. A growing number are following the counsel of the Koran to study the Torah, the Prophets, and the Injil, and are studying the Koran and the Bible together. An imam recently told me that he has discovered from his study of the two sacred books that the two are about 95 percent in agreement.

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James H. Zachary, who died suddenly in April 2004, was the coordinator of cross-cultural relations for the North American Division.