BEYOND BORDERS, TOGETHER TOMORROW

Session 1 : Beyond Borders

ENCOUNTER & TRANSFORMATION

PREFACE

I'm delighted to have young adults, mentors, and pastors from various churches
gathering together to share their faith and ministry experiences, and to explore
possible directions for future communication and cooperation.

I used to be the Executive for Youth Ministry of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan,
and my subsequent service work has always been closely tied to youth ministry. Or,
to put it another way, the core value of Youth Ministry, “Youth are the
consciousness of the church”, has always been the motto of my service career.

DEFINITION OF BEYOND BORDERS

The definition of Beyond Borders is this : transcending physical, social, or political

boundaries imposed by a particular place or situation, so as to expand knowledge,
collaboration, or understanding.

This means that in order to break through current lifestyle or values of an individual
or group, one must expand knowledge or cooperate with others to increase
rationalization.

The Chinese translation of the word “Border” can mean boundary or demarcation
lines. Countries are separated by demarcation lines; boundaries can be drawn
between people. It provides people with a safe living space but also limits their
range of activities.

WHY DO WE HAVE TO GO BEYOND BORDERS?

It is to expose ourselves to different people, events, and circumstances, in order to

expand one’s life experience and ideological values. Such as: diverse ethnic
groups, churches, languages, living habits, missionary concepts and operations (in
line with the theme of One Retreat).

In his book entitled “I and Thou”, Jewish scholar Martin Buber (1878-1965)
mentioned that interpersonal relationships can be divided into two types: "I and It"
and "I and Thou (You)". The former focuses on ME (self) as the subject. Everything
other than ME is an object; the object exists for the subject. This means the
interpersonal relationship is centered on ME (self).

The latter is an interpersonal interaction in which THOU (You) and I are both
subjects and need to respect each other, learn from each other, and cooperate.

Buber said:
"I-Thou" dialogical encounter is to actively engage our whole being (wholistic
active engagement) and to have a dialogic encounter with the other person's
whole being. This encounter will have a transformational impact on both parties
involved.

This means that when we meet people, if we talk to them in a positive and
respectful manner, we will have an impact and transformation on one other.

He also says:
God is an eternal Thou, and God desires for and is willing to have an “I-Thou”
relationship with humankind. As long as we are willing to prepare ourselves and
bare it all, then we can wait for God to come and create an “I-Thou” relationship
with our entire being.

The transformation effect that this will have on us is very obvious. We will interact
with the circle around us in a much more “I-Thou” manner.

Stories of encounters between God and Man in the Bible:

Jacob’s encounter with God:

28
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[a] because you
have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
30
So Jacob called the place Peniel,[b] saying, “It is because I saw God face to
face, and yet my life was spared.” (Genesis 32:28, 30 NIV)
Incident in Damascus ~ Encounter
3
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed
around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why
do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:3 -4 NIV)

Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus
22

by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. (Acts 9:22 NIV)

To go beyond is to encounter; To encounter is to transform.

How to go beyond? ~Cross-cultural communication

Cross Cultural Communication has three major elements:

1) Attitude 2) Knowledge 3) Skill

Attitude includes willingness, enthusiasm, humility, respect, tolerance, etc;

Knowledge consists of knowledge and experience of oneself, others, creation, and

the Creator;

Skills refer to experience, media, methods, strategies, etc.

DEFINITION OF CULTURE

Culture = the ways of living.

Jens Loenhoff teaches that :-

a. Conceptual style = belief, value and norm

b. Implementation = ceremony and behavior.

c. Material dimension = language, food, clothing, music and art.

As far as the church is concerned, the realization of the Kingdom of God is the
ultimate goal of the Christian mission.
Reverend C.S Song, a theological worker in Taiwan, mentions this:-
God’s culture = A culture of protest.
Culture of conscience = Maintaining conscience in the culture.
To empower the oppressed and marginalized (people) and to change/transform
societal injustices. A culture that raises awareness.

He champions for Christians to follow Christ towards the poor, the oppressed, and
the marginalized; sharing Christ’s salvation with them and empowering them to
overcome their difficulties. As it is recorded in the Bible: Looking at his disciples, he
said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.'
(Luke 6:20 NIV)

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or
you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God
and money. (Luke 16:13 NIV)

The culture of the Kingdom of God is one filled with love and compassion, and this
culture should become the foundation of human communities.

Rev. Song further mentions, the Kingdom of God is a culture of 'mission'.

Parable by Jesus:- The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man
took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air
perched in its branches. (Luke 13:18-21 NIV)

It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it
worked all through the dough. Seeds and yeast need someone to plant and mix
them into the dough to be effective. ~MISSION

The Kingdom of God is also a culture of 'renewal': New wine and new wineskins
“38But new wine must be poured into new wineskins.” (Luke 5:38 NIV)

It is also a culture full of 'vitality/life force': yielding a hundred times

“8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew, and produced a crop,
multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” (Mark 4:8 NIV)

Therefore, Christians must interact with each other and the world through the
culture of the Kingdom of God.
COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES AND METHODS: