Relevant?

When the President appoints an ambassador to a foreign country, that person becomes his personal emissary . The ambassador is expected to represent the President in all things, and communicating to the host country the beliefs and policies of the President and the nation. In no instance is the ambassador to interject anything that would be contrary to the stated ideas of his or her country. But the ambassador is expected to do this according to the culture and mores of the host country. In other words, he or she is expected to communicate the ideas of their country in a culturally relevant and meaningful way, without compromising the policies. Failure to communicate in a way that is understood is a failure to explain ideas and a failure to bring countries to your way of doing business.

In 2Cor. 5:20, the Apostle Paul tells us that as believers, we have been appointed ambassadors for Christ. That means that we are instructed to go and communicate the policies of Him who appointed us. And if we are to be effective ambassadors for Him, we have to be able to explain the love and saving grace of God in a way that is heard and understood. The church can be culturally relevant without compromising or watering down the Word of God. When Jesus talked to the woman at the well, He first established a relationship and then told her of the Good News He brought. We would do well to learn from Him.