When Christians talk about mission, we often imagine movement: going, doing, serving, crossing borders or cultures. But Scripture gives us a deeper foundation than activity alone. True mission begins not with movement, but with presence—God’s presence with us, and our presence with the world. This is what Missional University calls incarnational living, a way of life where we join the work of God in the world by participating in the missio Dei with humility, cultural awareness, and Spirit-filled discernment.

In the Global Pre-Ministry Studies program, incarnational living is a central competency. It teaches students how to enter diverse sociocultural and physical environments with the posture of learners—disciples who embody Christ’s love in real contexts. Courses like THC2100 Doing Theology in Context equip you to recognise local expressions of faith, value cultural traditions, and cultivate redemptive relationships. The goal is simple: to help believers live the gospel faithfully where they are planted, and wherever God may send them.

This article explores the biblical foundation for incarnational living, highlights why culture matters theologically, and offers practical steps for believers preparing to serve in diverse global settings.

 

God’s Missional Heart Has Always Been Incarnational

The missio Dei begins in the very character of God. From Genesis to Revelation, we see a God who draws near to His creation:

• Walking with Adam and Eve in the cool of the garden (Genesis 3:8).
• Dwelling with Israel through the tabernacle and temple (Exodus 25:8).
• Revealing Himself through prophets, judges, and kings.
• And ultimately, sending His Son to dwell among us:“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)

Mission is not about delivering information—it is about embodied presence. God comes close. God enters human experience. God speaks the language of His people. For those preparing for ministry, this becomes the pattern we follow: not parachuting into contexts with ready-made answers, but humbly joining what God is already doing in each culture and community.

At its heart, incarnational living is not a method or strategy. It is a biblical worldview.

 

A Biblical Vision of Culture: Nations Before the Throne

Culture is not an obstacle to the gospel; it is the medium through which the gospel is expressed. Revelation gives us one of Scripture’s clearest pictures of God’s heart for the nations:

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9)

This vision tells us at least three crucial truths:

1. God values cultural diversity.
   The nations are not erased in eternity—they are celebrated.
2. Worship is expressed through culture, not in spite of it.
   Every people group brings unique ways of honouring God.
3. Mission must honour the God-given dignity of cultures.
   Our task is not to make others like us, but to help them follow Jesus faithfully as themselves.

Courses in Global Pre-Ministry Studies train students to identify cultural values, beliefs, and worldview systems. You’ll learn to estimate cultural distance—how far or close you are from another worldview—and engage with sensitivity, open-mindedness, and biblical grounding within the context of an embodied, gospel-centered witness. This is essential for establishing missional congregations in diverse global settings.

 

Jesus: The Perfect Example of Incarnational Living

While the Revelation picture shows God’s heart for the nations, the Gospels show God’s strategy: incarnation.

Jesus did not remain distant. He entered a specific culture (first-century Judaism) with its festivals, customs, idioms, clothing, humour, and social expectations. Yet He also moved comfortably across cultural boundaries, showing honour to people considered “other” by His own society.

Two examples stand out:

1. Jesus and the Samaritan Woman – Respecting Cultural Tension (John 4:1–26)

Jews and Samaritans lived with deep hostility, yet Jesus does not avoid Samaria. He sits at Jacob’s well—an important site in both cultures—and asks for water, a request that breaks cultural rules. Instead of dismissing her worldview, He engages her within it, using metaphors meaningful to her (“living water”) and revealing Himself on her cultural soil. This is honour. This is incarnational ministry.

2. Jesus Praises the Faith of a Roman Centurion – Honour Across Enemy Lines (Matthew 8:5–13)

Romans were occupiers—symbols of oppression. Yet Jesus not only heals the centurion’s servant, He praises his faith publicly:

“I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

Imagine the shock of that statement. Jesus honours a cultural outsider and elevates him as an example to His own people. Incarnational living sees faith through God’s eyes, not through cultural prejudice.

 

Doing Theology in Context: The Work of Interpretation and Incarnation

In THC2100 Doing Theology in Context, students learn how the expression of theology takes shape within culture. The gospel is unchanging, but the way we express it must be intelligible within each cultural setting.

Contextual theology involves:

• Learning local symbols, stories, and traditions.
• Understanding communal values and pain points.
• Recognising how worldview shapes belief and behaviour.
• Engaging art, language, and history as theological lenses.
• Discerning what in culture can be affirmed and what must be transformed.

Consider how the Early Christians of the New Testament used fish symbols, house churches, Greek rhetorical patterns, and Jewish liturgical rhythms. These weren’t random—they were contextual tools for expressing faith within their environments.

Today, the same applies:

• A missional congregation in Cape Town’s urban centre may express worship through multilingual liturgy and local music forms.
• A small faith community in Nepal might contextualise biblical stories with imagery connected to farming, seasons, and mountains.
• Indigenous believers may incorporate storytelling traditions or visual art to communicate Scripture’s truth.

Incarnational living seeks local expressions of God’s global mission. We honour context while remaining anchored in Scripture.

 

Estimating Cultural Distance: Why It Matters for Mission

Cultural distance doesn’t only describe geography; it describes worldview differences such as:

• Individualist vs. collectivist values
• Time orientation (linear vs. cyclical)
• Honour-shame vs. guilt-innocence frameworks
• Social roles and power dynamics
• Communication styles (direct vs. indirect)

When we misread these distances, we risk misunderstanding people’s behaviour, miscommunicating the gospel, or unintentionally causing harm.

Global Pre-Ministry Studies trains students to assess cultural distance with humility—not to label cultures, but to understand how to serve within them.

Incarnational living requires:

• Curiosity, not assumptions
• Listening, not lecturing
• Hospitality, not hierarchy
• Presence, not performance

Mission becomes redemptive when we meet people where they are, not where we expect them to be.

 

Practical Applications for Everyday Incarnational Living

Incarnational ministry is not only for missionaries crossing oceans. It is for believers at home, on campus, in workplaces, communities, families, and online spaces.

Here are practical ways to begin:

1. Practise Observant Presence

Notice what people value: food, humour, celebrations, language patterns. Ask yourself: What does this reveal about their longings?

2. Enter Conversations as a Learner

When someone shares from their culture, resist the urge to compare. Ask: “Tell me more.”

3. Use Cultural Gateways

Art, music, food, storytelling—all open doors that transcend language.

4. Honour the Sacred in Others’ Stories

Before presenting information, recognise spiritual hunger, pain, or beauty already present.

5. Let Scripture Guide Your Cultural Engagement

Be rooted in the Word so your cultural interpretation remains faithful, not merely trendy.

6. Build Redemptive Relationships, Not Quick Fixes

Incarnational living moves at the pace of trust.

 

A Prayer for Incarnational Living

Father,

Thank You for sending Jesus to dwell among us—fully God, fully human—showing us how to live with compassion, humility, and presence. Teach me to see my culture, and the cultures of others, through Your eyes. Help me honour the beauty You have placed in every people group and discern wisely where transformation is needed.

Show me where You are already at work in my neighbourhood, workplace, and community.

Make my life a reflection of Your love—listening deeply, serving faithfully, and walking humbly with those around me. May Your living water flow through me into the unique cultural setting where You have planted me.

Here I am, Lord. Send me in the way of Jesus.  Amen.