The huge round table seated a dozen people and reminded me of King Arthur tales, except the décor in the room was predominantly red and distinctly Chinese. A Lazy Susan, slightly smaller than the table, was filled with dishes of exotic and largely unrecognizable food. The host slowly spun the disc to each guest and invited them to serve themselves from the array of dishes.

As plates whizzed by, something crispy caught my eye. I leaned over to a colleague and whispered, “Is that what I think it is?” He nodded and grinned as the tray of fried scorpions went around. I whispered again, “I don’t want to eat it.” He smirked and whispered back, “Neither do I, but you know we have to.”

Visiting a foreign country involves acclimating to certain cultural norms, not the least of which is food. In the case of the scorpions (and on another occasion, dog meat … but that’s a story for a different day), to have refused the dish would have been highly offensive to the host.

The apostle Paul surprised some folks at the early church in Corinth by his willingness to do whatever it took to get the message of the gospel across to non-believers. In 1 Corinthians 9, he explained, “I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!” (MSG)

Other translations say that Paul “became all things to all people” for the sake of the gospel. That means getting on their level and doing life like they do, even if it’s uncomfortable or awkward. We need to be willing to step out of our comfort zones and relate to people where they are at. (And I’m not just talking about foreign missions; this pertains to our local community, as well!) When we do that, then we begin to break down stereotypes from both directions: our worldview changes as we build relationships with people outside of our bubble, and the world’s perception of us/Christians improves as we turn hypocrisy on its ear.

The hypothetical Lazy Susan is heading your way … what are you willing to do for the sake of the gospel?

P.S. The best way (in my humble opinion) to eat fried scorpions is to chew twice (so you don’t choke) and gulp it down mostly whole, then chase it with several bites of something else crunchy.  🙂