What would you do if you were sent to be a missionary in a foreign country? Maybe you would try to learn the language they speak first. Perhaps you would want to know the local customs. You could find out all the special days, traditions, and behaviors of the locals. I think you would spend time getting acclimated to the new place where you were seeking to share the message of Jesus.

The truth is, God has placed you in a mission field: The community where you live, where you work, the stores you frequent, and the family where you were born. You have been called to share the good news of Jesus in each of those situations.

What if you became like a missionary in a foreign land? You could learn all about them so that you could share Jesus in a way they understand and accept.

Paul said to the Church in Corinth, “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23 – NIV 2011)

Paul saw himself as a missionary to the people he encountered, do you?