8-20-2022 Miami Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Andrew “I’m Becoming All To Win Some” I Corinthians 9;19-23
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There are many reasons and ways people can become great missionaries for God. They must have an unswerving faith in God, a lazer-like focus on reaching the unreached, have a magnet personality that draws people to the gospel and have a knack for organization. Another important way is to do like Paul did and adapt to the culture you are preaching to. He adapted to the culture of the people he was ministering to at any given time. He believed that in various cultures setting, he should forsake his right to pursue his own cultural preferences in order to minister to others for the sake of the gospel. Paul set forth the principle of self-denial for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul was doing what we call an incarnational approach to the gospel. What does this mean? It means he was becoming like those he was trying to reach. Who is the ultimate incarnation? That is the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1;14: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. That’s what Jesus coming to the earth as man was all about. Incarnation – becoming like us in order to reach us. Every church of Jesus Christ must be incarnational. Every believer of Jesus Christ must be incarnational. We must be missionarial, be a missionary and incarnational as we carry out the great commission, to spread the gospel.
I have observed that many times our churches are full of selfishness, full of inward focus, full of taking care of ourselves, full of the country club mentality. And they are forgetting the incarnational approach, forgetting about becoming like those people that they are trying to reach. In our text, Paul gives us his purpose for ministry, his strategy for ministry and his reasons for ministry.
+++ Purpose vs 19:
To bring many to Christ. Paul is saying hes giving up some of his rights and freedoms because his purpose is to bring many to Christ Jesus. We should never lose sight of our purpose of getting people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Any church that is not willing to become a slave to people to bring some to Christ, needs to close it’s doors. This is why we exist as a Church.
+++ Stragegy vs 20-22:
Paul said when he was with the Jews, he lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. Paul was born to Jewish parents but he was quite cosmopolitan because he was a Roman citizen by birth. He was able to move very comfortably from one group to another. Its like some of us may be bi-lingual and speak two languages. We are able to relate to and go from one culture to another easily. Paul, when he visited Jewish communities, was able to eat like them, talk like them, understand their culture and the law of Moses. At one point while Paul was ministering to the Jews, he had Timothy get circumcised to fulfill the Law and to get the Jews to listen to the gospel. I ask you church members, are you willing to be circumcised to win somebody to Jesus?
Paul said when he was with the Gentiles, who don’t follow Jewish laws, he also lived apart from the law to bring people to Jesus Christ. Paul explains that he does not ignore the law of God but He obeys the law of Christ. Paul is saying he keeps the moral things of the Law. Paul was willing to adapt to Gentile customs when he was ministering to Gentiles. Since Paul was raised in Tarsus, an international city, he was comfortable with moving in Gentile circles. He ate with them, dressed like them and spake like them. Paul made it clear he was not talking about violating God’s moral laws
Paul said when he was with those who were weak, he shared their weakness. He wanted to bring the weak to Jesus Christ. He tried to find common ground with everyone so he could bring them to accept Jesus Christ. Who were the weak? The weak are those who do not have a correct understanding of Biblical truth. Paul walked with the weak to get them to Jesus.
+++ Reason vs 23:
Paul says again his reason for ministry. He says hes doing everything: journeying with the Jews, living with the legalistics, relating to the rebels and walking with the weak to spread the Good News of Jesus and to share in it’s blessings. He was doing all these things for the sake of the gospel. We must understand the Gospel and the truth of the gospel. Do not add to the gospel because the gospel does not need help. It does not need any help from us folks. The Gospel is the truth. God, in His love and in His mercy, sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for sinful men and sinful women like you and me. This is so we can be reconciled to God and live forever in eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the Gospel. That salvation is by the grace of God alone. Through faith in Jesus Christ alone. For the glory of God alone. That is the Gospel.
Paul said this is the reason that he was doing all these things. He also said hes doing it to share in the blessings of God and salvation. This means we have freedom from sin and have the freedom of the forgiveness of our sins whether past, present or future. We are ADOPTED into the family of God and we have an inheritance with Him. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit. We are reconciled to God and have an eternal home with God the Father.
AMEN
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There are many reasons and ways people can become great missionaries for God. They must have an unswerving faith in God, a lazer-like focus on reaching the unreached, have a magnet personality that draws people to the gospel and have a knack for organization. Another important way is to do like Paul did and adapt to the culture you are preaching to. He adapted to the culture of the people he was ministering to at any given time. He believed that in various cultures setting, he should forsake his right to pursue his own cultural preferences in order to minister to others for the sake of the gospel. Paul set forth the principle of self-denial for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul was doing what we call an incarnational approach to the gospel. What does this mean? It means he was becoming like those he was trying to reach. Who is the ultimate incarnation? That is the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1;14: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. That’s what Jesus coming to the earth as man was all about. Incarnation – becoming like us in order to reach us. Every church of Jesus Christ must be incarnational. Every believer of Jesus Christ must be incarnational. We must be missionarial, be a missionary and incarnational as we carry out the great commission, to spread the gospel.
I have observed that many times our churches are full of selfishness, full of inward focus, full of taking care of ourselves, full of the country club mentality. And they are forgetting the incarnational approach, forgetting about becoming like those people that they are trying to reach. In our text, Paul gives us his purpose for ministry, his strategy for ministry and his reasons for ministry.
+++ Purpose vs 19:
To bring many to Christ. Paul is saying hes giving up some of his rights and freedoms because his purpose is to bring many to Christ Jesus. We should never lose sight of our purpose of getting people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Any church that is not willing to become a slave to people to bring some to Christ, needs to close it’s doors. This is why we exist as a Church.
+++ Stragegy vs 20-22:
Paul said when he was with the Jews, he lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. Paul was born to Jewish parents but he was quite cosmopolitan because he was a Roman citizen by birth. He was able to move very comfortably from one group to another. Its like some of us may be bi-lingual and speak two languages. We are able to relate to and go from one culture to another easily. Paul, when he visited Jewish communities, was able to eat like them, talk like them, understand their culture and the law of Moses. At one point while Paul was ministering to the Jews, he had Timothy get circumcised to fulfill the Law and to get the Jews to listen to the gospel. I ask you church members, are you willing to be circumcised to win somebody to Jesus?
Paul said when he was with the Gentiles, who don’t follow Jewish laws, he also lived apart from the law to bring people to Jesus Christ. Paul explains that he does not ignore the law of God but He obeys the law of Christ. Paul is saying he keeps the moral things of the Law. Paul was willing to adapt to Gentile customs when he was ministering to Gentiles. Since Paul was raised in Tarsus, an international city, he was comfortable with moving in Gentile circles. He ate with them, dressed like them and spake like them. Paul made it clear he was not talking about violating God’s moral laws
Paul said when he was with those who were weak, he shared their weakness. He wanted to bring the weak to Jesus Christ. He tried to find common ground with everyone so he could bring them to accept Jesus Christ. Who were the weak? The weak are those who do not have a correct understanding of Biblical truth. Paul walked with the weak to get them to Jesus.
+++ Reason vs 23:
Paul says again his reason for ministry. He says hes doing everything: journeying with the Jews, living with the legalistics, relating to the rebels and walking with the weak to spread the Good News of Jesus and to share in it’s blessings. He was doing all these things for the sake of the gospel. We must understand the Gospel and the truth of the gospel. Do not add to the gospel because the gospel does not need help. It does not need any help from us folks. The Gospel is the truth. God, in His love and in His mercy, sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for sinful men and sinful women like you and me. This is so we can be reconciled to God and live forever in eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the Gospel. That salvation is by the grace of God alone. Through faith in Jesus Christ alone. For the glory of God alone. That is the Gospel.
Paul said this is the reason that he was doing all these things. He also said hes doing it to share in the blessings of God and salvation. This means we have freedom from sin and have the freedom of the forgiveness of our sins whether past, present or future. We are ADOPTED into the family of God and we have an inheritance with Him. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit. We are reconciled to God and have an eternal home with God the Father.
AMEN
