1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19 Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.20 When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. 21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law,[e] I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.
22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. 23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
What would you be willing to give up to help someone encounter Jesus? Hudson Taylor was a Victorian missionary to China who began to dress in silk and grew a long plait. He learnt local languages, lived in the way of local people and did everything that he could to reach people for Jesus.
It can be so easy for Christians to create a bubble to live in. We socialise with other Christians, live different lives to those around us and exist in a separate world to the people we are living alongside. Or, when we do want to reach people, we tell them to come to us, to change to fit into our culture. I remember sitting in a church last year and thinking how hard and foreign everything seemed to me. I found it so hard to connect with and I love Jesus! How hard must it be for others?
I spoke to one of the old ladies after the service and she lamented that their children had fallen away from the church. They did not relate to the hymns or liturgy. It struck me that they had chosen to hold onto a culture and let go of the next generation.
The church is the only organisation that exists for the benefit of its non-members.
There is a story of Jesus raising a man called Lazarus from the dead. In that story, he asks his friends to roll away the rock from the tomb. He then calls Lazarus to come out and raises his to life. The story finishes with the disciples removing his grave clothes and cleaning him up. I think that this is a great picture of what Paul is saying. It is our responsibility to remove any boulders that might exist between people and Jesus. Nothing in our culture or lifestyle is sacred and can not be changed, to help people draw close. It is then Jesus who does the miraculous work or raising the dead. He then invites us to help people step into new life and to leave the grave behind.
Listen to how strong and challenging these words from Paul are:
Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.
