I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.Now I do this for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.And I do all things for the gospel’s sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof.
3 sermons cite this verse
… I have become all things to all people, so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings. The phrase, I have become all things to all people, has sometimes been misunderstood. It can sound like manipulation. Like Paul is saying, I'll say whatever people want to hear if it gets results. But that's not what he means. And it's not how Christianity works. Paul is not talking about changing the truth. That is, his values, his doctrinal beliefs. He's talking about changing his posture, his approach. Let's think about this a minute, especially those listening who don't consider themselves religious or believers. Christianity is not about pretending doubts don't exist. It's not about checking your intellect at the door. It's not about moral superiority or being part of an elite club or status. And despite how it's sometimes portrayed, Christianity is not about forcing beliefs or winning arguments. At its heart, Christianity is about God moving toward people, not people running towards God. …
… And I have a couple of verses and then I'll be done. Let me start with 1 Corinthians chapter 9. That's going to be the first passage I want to take a look at, 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 19 through 23. And I want to encourage you to look for the opportunity to engage with that person out in some meaningful way, in some meaningful environment. Here's 1 Corinthians 9. The Apostle Paul is talking to the church in Corinth, and he says to them, I want you to get a hold of this. Here's what the Apostle Paul says to the Corinthian church because, again, he wants them to be actively involved in winning people to the Lord. And he says this, For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all that I might win the more. And to the Jew, I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews. To those who are under the law, has under the law, that I might win those who are under the law. …
… weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. and I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings. Paul is showing us that middle, that Jesus place that I'm not of this world, but I am sent into this world. I'm not running from it. My job is not to condemn it. I am not mimicking it, and I am definitely not trying to get all my pleasure from it, but I'm over here in the middle, and I'm rehearsing the mission. I'm waking up reminding myself, oh yeah, today I want to become all things to all people that by all means I might save some people. That's why I'm on earth today. And so I want to pay attention to my character. I want to pay attention to my consistency. I want to pay attention to how I'm caring about people. And I want to pay attention to my craft because I want to save some people. …