Sharing information with someone from a different cultural background is not easy as you need to know their values and belief systems that shape and define the nature of the conversation. Jay, an Indian student, has shown much interest in knowing more about the story of God. I learned several things from him when he was briefing me on his culture and how he was willing to know more about forgiveness. Jay is open to new information; in particular, he was more concerned to know about God and the whole issue of forgiveness. Openness and willingness to learn were pegged on their cultural beliefs, which do not bar anyone from associating with others (Livermore, 2020). Moreover, Jay is not an active Christian; neither does he believe in Jesus Christ, but he is willing to learn more about God.
My interaction with Jay equipped me with knowledge about cultural systems that would define nature communication when sharing the story of God. The cultural kinship system forms the basis of his family structure, and this would determine the nature of cooperation we shall have when exploring the concept of God. Further, he believes in collectivism which is a virtue centered on teamwork in attaining a common goal. Since Jay has shown interest in knowing more about God’s story, it would be easy to achieve my intention of teaching him who Jesus Christ is and his role in bringing salvation to humankind.
However, I will only accomplish that by establishing good communication based on his beliefs and values. Language is very vital in passing an intended message. Effective communication would mean proper utilization of verbal and non-verbal cues whose meanings are grounded in the culture, beliefs, and norms of every community (Lindayana et al., 2018). My friend is well versed in four languages and also understands sign language. From my experience, I learned that Indians are too emotional and loud when conversing, contrary to many communities. In most cases, shouting is misconstrued to mean disagreement or a sign of rudeness. Knowing intonation is vital in effective communication with someone from a diverse cultural environment.
The effective narration of the story of God depends on the best strategies aimed to convince my friend to develop an interest in following Jesus. The book of Acts would be the best in helping me teach the mighty deeds of God. For instance, in Act 13:9, the book emphasized passing the good news to the gentiles (King James Bible, 2021). Paul was born and raised as a gentile and never knew Jesus, and through the plan of God, he miraculously converted him to serve as an example and bear true witness of the power of the Holy Spirit. Here, I will present the story of Paul, a gentile who knew God but did not believe in him.
After coming in contact with his mighty powers through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, he became one of the faithful preachers of his gospel. If Jay strictly would follow the grand narrative, he can emerge as one of the strongest believers and followers of Jesus Christ.
I will be begun by telling Jay how it is so easy for him to be converted. In the first place, he comes from a cultural background that already knows Jesus even though they do not believe in him. Second, he is open-minded, which means he is free to embrace Christianity at will since the beliefs of their Indian culture are not much strict about hindering him. Lastly, I will step by step take him through the story of God, emphasizing might events that happened in both the Old and New Testaments. For instance, the saving acts of God during the exodus are likely to convince him to follow Jesus.
Lastly, I will tell my friend to find a copy of the Bible since it is readily available in many languages and is likely to get one written in English or any one of the four languages. His mastery of multiple languages would be vital to him when it comes to interpretation as he can easily compare the verses. The comparison would him get a clear picture of the holy scripture and understand more about the story of God.
Jay has already shown interest in knowing more about the grand narrative; thus, my work would be employing clear language to help him internalize the entire story. The gentle approach would be fundamental for us to resonate well as such discussion will entail a question and answer method. A friendly way of passing a message is usually basic among Christians as it is based on collectivism and cooperation between believers and non-believers. More often than not, a friendly approach seeks to establish a rapport which is vital for effective learning. Once we have developed a good relationship, it may take a short time to convince him to follow Jesus.
References
King James Bible. (2021). King James Bible online. Web.
Livermore, D. (2020). The 6 cultural systems that form the basis of our cultural intelligence in leaders. Leadership Essentials. Web.
Lindayana, L., Arifuddin, A., & Mandala, H. (2018). Divergent principals of politeness in verbal and non-verbal directive speech act. International Research Journal of Engineering, IT & Scientific Research, 4(2), 41-51. Web.