1 Corinthians 9:19-23

                                                             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.

 

Paul’s priority is the salvation of men for the glory of God.  He is not concerned with his own comfort or preferences but with the ability to be able to reach people with the Gospel.  However, these is no hint that Paul was making any changes to the message of the Gospel to make it more palatable to certain groups.  He was willing to be flexible in areas of personal comfort without being flexible about the truth of his message.

 

THE CALL TO SERVE: Believers are called to serve others on behalf of Christ.  We live in a fallen world with fallen bodies.  It is inevitable that there will be problems stemming from our fallenness.  We get sick, relationships enter crisis, circumstances become difficult, things stop working, we struggle with addictions, and any other number of problems.  When Christ was on Earth, He ministered to the needs of others.  He healed the sick and brought comfort to the broken hearted.  God calls us to serve in His place.  Christ sets us free from our own sin so we can serve others in an effort to help them find the freedom that we have found in Christ.

 

THE CALL TO STRETCH: Paul was willing to stretch himself outside of his comfort zone to be able to win others for Christ.  Paul was born and raised in a Jewish tradition and was so zealous that he persecuted the church.  When Christ set him free through the Gospel, Paul understood that the Law had become a means to earn salvation through works in his own life and the lives of countless others.  Paul was willing to set his own feelings about the law aside so he could reach people from both sides of this argument.  He was sensitive to those who lived under the Law, thought he was free from it.  He was considerate of those who had not connection to the law so as not to confuse them.  We are all called to step out of our comfort zone in order to make the Gospel of Christ known to others.

 

THE CALL TO SAVE: Only Christ can save, but when we point others to Christ, we cooperate in the blessings of the Gospel.  As we willingly limit our liberties so as to not offend others, we gain the open doors to be able to point people to Christ.  The salvation of men should be our top priority.  There is nothing more important than the eternal destinies of men.  We must all learn to set our personal preferences aside in order to gain a hearing for the Gospel of God.

 

APPLICATION: Look for opportunities to serve others in practical ways so we have the opportunity to point them to Christ.  Be flexible in our relationships with others in areas of secondary importance like politics so as not to offend unnecessarily.  Make the loving and relevant communication of the Gospel our top priority.