“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 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. 21 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. 22 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. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings” 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23 ESV
We all have our comfort zones. We would rather hang around with folks worth similar interests and lifestyles. As Christians we tend to want to hang around with people of similar religious philosophy and spirituality. Most of us don’t go to someone’s house to have church. We don’t see pews at work (Well some of us do.) We don’t go on the street corner to look for God. My question, why?
As Paul evangelized to people in Asia and Europe he encountered three different groups of people. The Jews, Gentiles and non-believers. Each of these groups had subgroups with different beliefs as well. Paul could have been very comfortable preaching and evangelizing to one of these groups, yet he chose all of them. Paul’s message in 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23 talks about this.
First Paul talks about being a servant. He has free will. He doesn’t have to do anything. But God wants him to do something. Paul is to be a servant to his fellow men. All of his fellow men. We don’t get to pick and choose who to serve, not if we are doing it God’s way. It’s never about us in God’s house. It’s all about God.
Will you fight to spread the name of Jesus?
I like to think of today’s the Jews Paul talked of as the very churched. We love to hang with our fellow parishioners. We even pick churches where we fit in. We have so much in common with them. It is an easy place to be. So easy that we often overlook behaviors and attitudes that are not spiritually correct. In many ways it is easier to be morally and spiritually bankrupt in church than anywhere else. If we are spreading God’s word we have to do it among ourselves as well. We have to hold each other accountable to God’s word.
Those under the law? My modern day analogy are those seeking God but not there yet. They may know the Ten Commandment- or most of them. They know there is a Jesus. But they do not understand what their relationship with Jesus Christ is. They will go from church to church. Sometimes they sit at home thinking they can be close to God without church. There is a sense of apprehension about discussing their spirituality with others.
If we don’t take the time to approach them and tell them about Jesus they will stagnate, often lost to Christ forever. We need to go find them, they will rarely find us. We may find them in the last pews of church, at work, or even in social gatherings. But they are there. Will we have the passion and take the effort to find them?
Then there are those who are “outside the law.” Those who choose not to believe in God or have never heard of Him. They too are at our work and social gatherings. It is way less comfortable to talk to those people. We can be called Bible thumpers, Jesus freaks. They will attempt to refute all our testimony. We will often fail. But if we don’t tell people about our Lord and Savior we deprive them of the joy that we have. Once we talk to them we need to give God a chance to do his thing, reaching their hearts
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He needs Jesus too> Will you talk to him?
There are also places we don’t like to go. Street corners, homeless shelters, jails and prisons are full of people who don’t know Jesus. The lifestyle of folks in these places can be very different than ours. But they truly need to know we love them, that Jesus loves them. If there is any group that can gain from a relationship with Christ it is these folks. Jesus says in Mark 2:17 “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” If we imitate Christ, we will find the sick as well.
The mantra Peter uses for all these groups is “to win”. It is truly a war with victory. Victory in the joy of spreading the word of Christ. And if we remain obedient and in love with Christ we will fight it. In war we don’t know who we’ll face. To win this war we have to become all things to all people. Paul says so. We have to become all things to all people. We have to embrace our fellow saints, wandering questions, and those without hope and/or knowledge of Jesus Christ. We need to meet all these people where they are, not where we want them to be. That’s how we win the war.
God Bless,
Mark
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