1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 9:15-23:
“Be All Things To All Men”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.1. In our last study we looked at what Paul wrote to the Corinthians
regarding the importance of the church supporting financially those who
minister to them in the things of God
1.1.1.1.Paul used several means in this chapter to demonstrate that the pastors
in a New Testament church are under normal circumstances supposed to be
supported by the ministry, and that it is only right that they should be
supported. Paul used analogies from
every day life as well as the Old Testament itself:
1.1.1.1.1.Every day life:
1.1.1.1.1.1.A soldier does not serve at his own expense
1.1.1.1.1.2.One who plants a field enjoys the fruit of his labor
1.1.1.1.1.3.One who owns a flock of sheep enjoys the milk they produce
1.1.1.1.2.Old Testament:
1.1.1.1.2.1.This concept is supported by the fact the Old Testament Law provided a
picture illustration of this truth when it forbids that an ox be muzzled when
it is plowing
1.1.1.1.2.2.The priests of the Old Testament were to be supported by the sacrifices
in the temple
1.1.1.2.Paul pointed out how that most of the apostles were supported by the
ministry, but that he and Barnabas had determined of themselves to provide
their own financial support. They chose
to be the exception to the rule
1.2.
It is interesting to note that when we began this book we saw how that
Paul pointed out right at the start the party spirit of the people in the
church in Corinth, we saw that in how they were saying, “I am of Paul”, “I am
of Apollos”, etc. We saw how this was really
a “me-centered” mentality which the people had, a mentality which is very much
like people in our world today. Well,
now we see what at the deepest levels motivated the apostle Paul. He lived for others, so that they might be
saved
1.3.
In our study today we are
going to look at what Paul wrote to the Corinthians about how that they needed
to use all means for reaching the lost for Christ, including being willing to
“be all things to all men”:
1.3.1. The scripture teaches us in Proverbs 11:30 that the wise man will win
souls, “30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise
wins souls.”
1.3.2. I do not think that a church nor an individual believer can be
spiritually healthy if they are not in some way trying to reach out to win
souls to the Lord and be used to change lives for eternity
1.3.3. In Prov. 11:25 it is written that the one who waters others will
himself be watered, “25 The generous man will be prosperous, And he who
waters will himself be watered.”
1.3.3.1.If we will reach out to others with the gospel the Lord will minister
to us in many ways and water us
1.3.4. I have found that one of the greatest blessings in life happens when
the Lord uses us to lead a lost person to salvation in the Savior
2.
VS 9:15 - “9:15 But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things that it may
be done so in my case; for it would be
better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one.” - Paul tells the Corinthians
that he is not making the argument about how ministers should be supported by
the ministry so that they will now begin to support him
2.1.
Paul says in this verse that though he could demand his rights as an
apostle and require support from those to whom he is ministering to, he has not
done that.
2.2.
In another place in the New Testament, Paul even mentions that by his
tent making trade he not only provided for his own support but also for the
support of some others in the ministry.
2.3.
Paul had a boast that was not of a fleshly nature, namely he boasted
that though he could demand support from those he ministered to, instead he
provided for all of his own support. As
we saw in our last study, by doing this Paul could defend himself against those
who might question his motives for teaching and doing certain things.
2.4.
Paul said that he would rather die than to exert his rights as an
apostle to be supported financially, which would allow some people to have the
opportunity to question his motives for his ministry.
2.5.
As we have seen a few times in this book, we Christians should take
Paul to be our example and out of love for the Lord as well as those to whom we
minister, be willing to lay aside the rights that we have.
2.5.1. We should be willing to not
eat meat ever again if it might cause our brother to stumble, do nothing whatsoever
that might cause our weaker brother or sister in Christ to stumble, not accept
financial support if there is a good chance doing that will cause others to
suspect our motives, etc.
3.
VS 9:16-17 - “9:16
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under
compulsion; for woe is me if I do not
preach the gospel. For if I do this
voluntarily, I have a reward; but if
against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.” - Paul tells
the Corinthians of his burning desire to preach the gospel
3.1.
The ‘woe’ which Paul refers to in these verses was the burning desire
which he had in his heart. He burned in
his heart with the passion to win all who were lost to Christ.
3.2.
Paul could not take credit for this burning desire to win souls for
Christ for the Lord placed it in his life.
Paul tells the Corinthians that if he preaches the gospel, as was his
calling by God, then he cannot boast that he has done this of himself for he
had an inner burning compulsion from God to preach it. It was the Lord who was motivating and moving
him into this ministry.
3.2.1. If we Christians have a
burning compulsion to preach the gospel, teach the Bible, or be involved in
some other ministry, then we need to follow that desire because God placed it
in our lives.
3.2.2. If we have such a desire in
our hearts it may also be the case that we have been called by God into
fulltime ministry in that area.
3.2.3. A pastor once told me that
if there is any other work that you could do and be fulfilled, then you should
do it instead of the ministry for the one called to the ministry has such a
burning desire to do the work he will never be fulfilled any other way.
3.3.
Paul tells the Corinthians that if he is obedient and willing to preach
the gospel and then preaches it under God’s leading, then he has a reward from
the Lord for this work. However, if he
does not want to preach the gospel sometimes, then he must preach anyway
because he must be a good steward of God to preach the gospel.
3.4.
We Christians need to realize that many times the Lord will lead us to
do stuff for His kingdom that doesn’t directly fit into our spiritual gifting
or calling. Regardless though, we need
to always be willing just to serve if we see that there is a need, for this is
what it means to be a servant of God.
Ministering in this way, like Paul, we will also be a faithful steward.
3.4.1. My wife told me this week
that she heard a pastor on the CSN station saying this same thing this past
week. He was pointing out how in the
book of Nehemiah when the people went to build up the wall around Jerusalem
that the people who built the wall weren’t builders or construction type of
people, they were jewelers, craftsmen, etc.
If these men hadn’t been willing to just serve where they saw a need the
building of the wall would never have occurred.
4.
VS 9:18 - “9:18
What then is my reward? That,
when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to
make full use of my right in the gospel.”
- Paul tells the Corinthians that it was
his reward to preach the gospel without charge
4.1.
As we saw in our last study, Paul had chosen of his free will to not
receive support from the churches where he ministered because he knew that in
so doing he would have a greater reward from the Lord.
4.2.
The Lord would reward him more greatly because he was willing not to
make full use of his right to be supported, and he did this in order that
people could not accuse him of a profit motive for his preaching and ministry.
4.3.
We Christians ought to realize that we will have a greater reward on the
day of judgment of believers if we will follow Paul’s example and be willing to
forego whatever rights we may think we have and out of love for God just be
willing to be a faithful servant for Christ.
4.4.
We ought to keep the confident hope we have of rewards from the Lord in
the front of our minds so that we will be able to faithfully endure the
difficulties that God might call us into, and minister wherever and in whatever
way He may lead us.
5.
VS 9:19 - “9:19
For though I am free from all men,
I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more.” - Paul tells
the Corinthians that he had made himself a ‘slave to all’ men that he might win
the most possible
5.1.
The apostle Paul had such a burning desire that men and women come to
faith in Christ, and each of us should ask God for that same burden for the
souls of men. We should pray fervently
for those in our lives who are not saved that they come to salvation and that
if possible the Lord would open a door for us that we might share the gospel
with them.
5.1.1. Spurgeon once spoke about the only
way in which men’s lives are going to change and turn to Christ, “Good will conquer evil, not by the assistance of
governments and the arms of potentates, not by the prestige of bishops and
popes, and all their pompous array, but by hearts that burn, and souls that
glow, and eyes that weep, and knees that bend in wrestling prayer. These are
the artillery of God, by using such weapons as these he not only foils his
foes, but triumphs over them in it, confounding the mighty by the weak, the
wise by the simple, and the things which are by the things which are not.”
5.1.1.1.Being used in leading others
to Christ always begins with prayer. It
is amazing after we begin to pray for others how that the Lord will change our
hearts toward the person, open that person to the gospel, and then in God’s
timing provide a supernatural opportunity for us to share the gospel with them.
5.1.1.1.1.Sometimes we start praying
for someone to get saved and maybe we don’t even like them. In fact, I’ve noticed that many times the
things that inspire me to pray for a person are the fact that they do something
that kind of bugs me, and thus pushes them up my prayer priority list. However, have you noticed how after you begin
to pray for someone how not only does God begin to work in the person’s life
that you are praying for, He also works in your life and suddenly you find
yourself beginning to feel differently about the person and even in your mind
begin to imagine what it might be like to walk in their shoes. Then, you even begin to think about ways in
which the person might be reached with the gospel, how they might be best
approached with the truth. Then, the
next thing you know the Lord also begins to open the door for you to share with
them and suddenly you are finding yourself sharing the truth of the gospel with
that person in a powerful Spirit-filled way.
Oh, it all begins with prayer, and how we need to be faithful to pray
for those who are lost without Christ.
5.1.1.2.Before I came to Christ, in
my home town there was a
5.1.1.2.1.We need to continue to pray
that the Lord will work in the non-Christian’s lives whom the Lord brings into
our life, and if we will He will work in a mighty way and in time bring them to
Christ.
5.1.2. In order for a church to be
healthy it has to have as a major goal reaching out to the lost. A missionary to China once told me the same
thing that I recently found in a quote from Spurgeon about how that if a
church is not outwardly focused in reaching the loss that it will end up in
disunity and the members will eventually cut each other to pieces. Spurgeon said, “I have observed that churches which do not care for
the outlying population speedily suffer from disunion and strife. There is a certain quantity of steam
generated in the community, and if we do not let it off in the right way, it
will work in the wrong way, or blow up altogether, and do infinite mischief.
Men’s minds are sure to work, and their tongues to move, and if they are not
employed for good purposes they will assuredly do mischief; you cannot unite a
church so completely as by calling out all its forces for accomplishing the
Redeemer’s grand object. Talents unused are sure to rust, and this kind of rust
is a deadly poison to peace, an acrid irritant which eats into the heart of the
church. We will therefore by all means save some, lest by some other means we
become disunited in heart… Dear brethren, this common passion for souls knits
us together.”
5.1.2.1.Isn’t it interesting that
Spurgeon speaks of unity in the church occurring when brothers and sisters are
united together to bring the lost to salvation.
Winning souls then needs to be the church’s focus, doesn’t it?
5.2.
Sadly, I believe though that we Christians can sometimes be so far from
the Lord in our lives that what stirs the heart of God doesn’t even stir our
heart. God’s heart is stirred for the
lost, for He is not desiring that any perish but that all come to
repentance. Is your heart stirred that
people come to Christ?
5.3.
In this verse, the word ‘men’
is in italics because it was added in to show the gist of what Paul is trying
to say. In reality, what I think Paul is
saying is that he is in fact free from ‘all’, or everything now that he is in
Christ, for Christ set him free. He has
been set free from sin, death, hell, the grave, the devil, and the law. However, now being free from all of these things,
Paul is under a new law, which is “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus”.
5.3.1. This is what Paul writes in
5.4.
Having been completely set free by Christ, Paul voluntarily (through
the constraining love of Christ) enslaved himself to ‘all men’ because he realized that if he did so he would be able to
win the most people to Jesus.
5.4.1. How mightily God will use our
lives if we will be willing to be enslaved to ‘all men’ so that we might be
used in the greatest way to win souls to Christ.
5.5.
Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 5:13-14
about how that now that he was a Christian that the love Christ “controls” or
“constrains” him, “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, having
concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live
should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on
their behalf”.
5.6.
Strong’s Dictionary shows that the Greek word ‘sunecho’
translated here as ‘controls’ is also translated in the KJV as “be
taken with , throng , straiten, keep in, hold, stop, press, lie sick of,
constrain, be in a strait”, and, it means:
5.6.1. to hold together
5.6.1.1.any whole, lest it fall to
pieces or something fall away from it
5.6.2. to hold together with
constraint, to compress
5.6.2.1.to press together with the
hand
5.6.2.1.1.to hold one's ears, to shut
the heavens that it may not rain
5.6.2.2.to press on every side
5.6.2.2.1.of a besieged city
5.6.2.2.2.of a strait, that forces a
ship into a narrow channel
5.6.2.2.3.of a cattle squeeze, that
pushing in on each side, forcing the beast into a position where it cannot move
so the farmer can administer medication
5.6.3. to hold completely
5.6.3.1.to hold fast
5.6.3.1.1.of a prisoner
5.6.3.2.metaphorically
5.6.3.2.1.to be held by, closely
occupied with any business
5.6.3.2.2.in teaching the word
5.6.3.2.3.to constrain, oppress, of
ills laying hold of one and distressing him
5.6.3.2.4.to be held with, afflicted
with, suffering from
5.6.3.2.5.to urge, impel
5.6.3.2.5.1.of the soul
5.7.
Christians have the responsibility to follow the constraining love of
Christ in their lives and seek to use their freedom in Christ in order to win
non-believers to the Lord. In this
latter part of chapter 9, Paul gives several examples from his own life so that
we might be careful to be effective witnesses to all kinds of people that the
Lord brings into our lives.
5.8.
We Christians are free from sin, death, and the law, however we should
also allow ourselves to become even as subserviant as slaves to non-believers
in order that we might win them to Christ.
5.9.
We Christians must learn what it means to become all things to all men,
and the verses that we are covering in this chapter teach us some lessons
concerning how to become all things to all men and thus be most effective as an
evangelist:
5.9.1. We need to study people so
that we understand them and what their thoughts are so that we might be able to
know how best to relate the gospel to them in a positive light.
5.9.2. We need to learn to
empathize with the people that the Lord brings into our lives so that we can
know how best to win them to Christ.
5.9.3. We must learn from the
apostle Paul’s example in the book of Acts in this and trust the Lord to make
us creative so that we might know how best we might be able to win each person
to Christ.
5.9.3.1.This involves keeping from
unnecessarily offending them and/or causing them to stumble in their
faith.
5.9.3.2.Sometimes we can offend
people because of things that we say (such as our opinions for instance) or do
which involve things that do not at all have to do with the gospel itself or
even the things that are most essential in the Christian faith. If unsaved people are to be offended, we
should make sure they are offended by the gospel not by things that are
unessential to the Christian faith and walk.
5.9.3.3.We must realize that one
sermon doesn’t fit all, that many people need to be reached in a unique
way. We must learn what each person
needs to hear in the very situation they are in.
5.9.3.4.This past week I was asked
to share at the family’s memorial for a woman who had for awhile attended our
fellowship and who passed away this week.
The service was attended by her family and was held at a
5.9.3.4.1.It is cool how that God
blesses us as we just step out in faith in allow Him to use us.
5.9.4. We must get out of ourselves
and be flexible enough to relate uniquely to each different person.
5.9.5. It sounds like a cliché, but
we must learn to talk each person’s unique language, so to speak. Each person’s culture and up bringing is so
different in order to be most effective we must speak their unique language.
5.9.6. We must walk as Jesus
walked, and be constrained by the “agape” love of Christ for people, so that we
might be able to win them to Christ.
5.9.7. We must be disciplined and
focused upon these things, especially winning the lost to Christ.
6.
VS 9:20 - “9:20
And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the
Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are
under the Law;” - Paul tells the Corinthians that to Jews he
became as a Jew in order that he might be able to win those who live under the
law of Moses
6.1.
Paul says in this verse that though he himself is no longer living as a
Jew under the law of Moses, since Christ set him free from that law, that he
acted as though he were a Jew under the law when with Jews, in order that he
might win the Jews to Christ.
6.2.
In the book of Acts, we saw that on a couple of occasions that Paul
showed us how he applied this verse concerning the Jews in his life and
ministry:
6.2.1. Paul took Timothy and
circumcised him before taking him on the mission field so that he would not
cause the Jews to have undue concern that he and those with him were not living
according to God’s law.
6.2.2. Paul and four men who
traveled with him shaved their hair, having made a Nazarite “vow” to the Lord,
and this was done so that the Jews in Jerusalem might see that Paul and his
companions were zealous for the things of God.
6.3.
Though we as Christians are free from sin, death, and the law of Moses,
as Paul we must be willing to bend so that we can become like people we want to
win to Christ.
7.
VS 9:21 - “9:21
to those who are without law, as without law, though not without the law
of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law.” - Paul tells
the Corinthians that to the Gentiles he acted as a Gentile so that he might win
the Gentiles
7.1.
In this verse, Paul writes to the Corinthians, that to the Gentiles who
did not observe the law of Moses, he acted as though he himself also lived
without God’s law. These things Paul did
so that he might win the most Gentiles to Christ.
7.2.
Paul always lived his life under the constraining law of Christ within
his heart and thus he was able to be effective in the lives of people from all
types of cultures.
7.2.1. Next to Jesus, I believe
that Paul was the most effective early church evangelist to every people group
he met, and thus he should be our example in living our lives in such a way as
to be as effective as possible in winning people to Christ.
7.3.
Being under the law of Christ does not mean that we are not obedient to
the “spirit” of the law of Moses.
Rather, the law of Christ is an energizing force working within the
Christian and God puts His laws within His children and works from the inside
of their lives.
7.4.
In the book of Acts, we saw that Paul showed us how he applied this
verse concerning the Gentiles in his life and ministry:
7.4.1. When Paul went to the
Areopagus in
8.
VS 9:22 - “9:22
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I
may by all means save some.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that to the weak
he became weak that he might win them also
8.1.
Paul had talked in chapter 8 and in the first part of this chapter
about being careful not to do anything that might cause a ‘weaker’ brother or
sister to stumble. The specific
reference in those verses was “eating meat sacrificed to idols”, by which if
one did this a younger brother who had just come out of pagan idolatry might be
offended and caused to stumble, as they saw a supposedly mature brother or
sister eating meat that had been sacrificed to an idol. Thus a weaker brother here refers to
someone who didn’t have a full knowledge about his freedom in Christ, or one
who could easily stumble into some sin.
8.1.1. Paul is saying in this verse
then that he did everything he could to not cause a weaker brother or sister to
stumble in their faith.
8.1.2. Likewise, Paul related to
the young ‘weaker’ brothers and sisters in such a way as to relate his own
weaknesses and failures, in hopes that by doing so they may be able to grow in
their relationship to Christ, and/or be won over to Christ (if they do not yet
know Him as their Lord and Savior).
8.2.
Paul allowed his suffering and failures to be used by God in
ministering to others who were going through the same things.
8.2.1. He writes about how this
came about when he would share the comfort which the Lord gave him in every
situation with those who are going through the same things in 2 Cor. 1:3-7,
“3 Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort
those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as
the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our
comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if
we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient
endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because
we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our
comfort”.
8.2.2. Paul, in many places in the
New Testament, shared openly about his struggles and failures since He knew
that by doing so he could encourage those who are going through similar
struggles. For instance, he writes in 2
Cor. 7:5-7, “5
For when we came into
9.
VS 9:23 - “9:23
And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a
fellow partaker of it.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that he did all
things for the sake of the gospel
9.1.
Paul writes to the Corinthians in this verse that he was willing to do
anything for the sake of effectively communicating the gospel. In this way, he might be a partaker with God
in the gospel in winning souls to Christ.
9.2.
Are you like Paul, sold out for the sake of the gospel? Willing you be willing to do anything in
order that people may come to Christ?