This question is an important one, because it speaks to how we live Christ to the world without becoming like the world; not always an easy thing to do.  Paul pulled it off and left us a strategy to follow in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23:

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.  I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

The proper name for what Paul does here is contextualization.  It refers to the practice of communicating the gospel to any audience effectively and without compromise.  We all engage in different kinds of contextualization in other areas of our lives, sometimes without even thinking about it.  An employee will “talk shop” with his fellow colleagues, using technical terminology that is unique to his field.  But when his five-year old daughter asks him at the end of the day what he did at work, he will speak to her in terms that she can understand, replacing professional jargon with age-appropriate words.  Like Paul, this man becomes like his audience, like a little girl, communicating on her level.  He takes her age, background, intelligence level, and experiences into consideration, so that he might clearly communicate to her.  Christians need to learn how to communicate the gospel to different cultures by considering the same things, adapting their behavior and being flexible with their words as they witness.

Contextualization is such a wonderful biblical strategy for evangelism, but if we don’t exercise it cautiously, we might compromise our Christian witness. Sadly, many Christians have, taking Paul’s model as a license to engage in immoral behavior, all for the sake of reaching people.  But they misunderstand 1 Corinthians 9, since God’s Word never grants sinful behavior as a legitimate option for achieving godly ends.  How, then, do we “become all things to all men” without compromising our Christian witness?  Here are just a few important guidelines to keep in mind as you balance your walk with Christ with your walk in the world.

First, know what is negotiable and what is not.  The gospel is not up for grabs.  It is clearly defined, and we are not at liberty to change it, water it down, edit out those parts that we know will upset people, or add something to it that we think will satisfy our hearers.  Nor are purity and holiness negotiable.  It is never right to compromise our walk with Christ just to be accepted by the world.  Christ was hated first, and we disciples can expect the same treatment, when we act like Him (Matthew 10:24).  Areas such as hair styles, dress codes, diet, language, methods of presentation, schedules, to name only a few, are negotiable.  That is to say, the Bible gives us latitude in how we practice these areas of life.  I said latitude, not complete freedom.  Everything must be tempered by biblical commands and principles, not to mention one’s own conscience.   While I might consider adopting the particular way in which my target audience might express itself in any one of these negotiable areas of life, I realize that I can go only as far in my practice of them as biblical commands, principles, and my conscience will allow.

Second, let love for God and neighbor (Matthews 22:35-37) motivate you to become this kind of servant to people of other walks of life.  Paul was limited to no particular way of life; he was free in Christ and could fit in with people of all walks of life.  The reason he was so good at it is that his first love, the Lord, called him to witness and show His love to them.  Love for God and neighbor will motivate us to deny our liberties, overlook our quirks and particular habits, dispense with our customs, and go outside our comfort zones, to adopt new ways of living that are negotiable, yet without sin, so that we might be accepted into a particular people group that we are targeting for the gospel.

Third, always check with Scripture to make sure that any cultural characteristics that you want to adopt will not cause you to violate any biblical commands, biblical principles, or your conscience.  Paul became like those he was trying to reach, not to a sinful degree, but in a way that would allow him to speak freely about the gospel.  When in Jewish contexts, for example, he would socialize with his fellow Jews, participating in their culture, minding their customs, trying not offend by his appearance or actions unnecessarily (cf. Acts 16:3; 18:18; 21:20-23)—the gospel is offensive enough on its own.  I am reminded of those plain-clothes policemen who go undercover.  In essence, they become as much like their criminals without breaking the law.  They are able to penetrate deep into the criminal world by dressing, talking, and behaving in a way that the criminal world accepts, yet never committing any crimes.  The difference, of course, between undercover agents and Christians is that there is nothing covert about the Christian.  Let’s not get the idea that we’re trying to deceive someone into the kingdom—as if that were even possible!  We don’t make apologies for who we are and the way we live.  We’re not ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:8), or the new life in Christ.  We will live holy lives, and find out how to live them in context.  Seasoned missionaries have mastered this.  They will respect customs and be willing to dress, talk, and behave differently, so as not to offend the audience that they are trying to reach.  And once they have the ear of their audience, they will boldly proclaim the truth without compromise.

– Dr. Bob Burrelli, Grace Bible Church, Bridgewater, MA