I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
1 Corinthians 9:22
Paul tells the Corinthians that he is “all things to all people” in order to reach them with the good news of the gospel. The New Living Translation says that he seeks “common ground” with people so that he does everything he can to bring them the gospel message. Paul was focused on living the Great Commission in his life even though he was not there when Jesus gave this direction to His apostles. Arguably Paul received his commission straight from Jesus on the road to Damascus. Our challenge today is to determine how we should become “all things to all people” in order to reach them with the gospel message.
Some may be uncomfortable with the idea that we are like chameleon lizards who can change colors based on where they are; a green leaf makes the chameleon turn green while the brown rock will turn it brown. The bottom line for the lizard is that is still the same lizard no matter the environment. I think this is what Paul is saying. He does not change on the inside, but changes his exterior colors when in different company to fit that situation. The one focus Paul has is to win people to Christ from whatever background they have. Paul preaches Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23) to any audience that will listen. A great example of this is recorded by Luke in Acts 17. Here Paul is preaching to the Athenians about their unknown God. Paul preaches the gospel by starting where the people of Athens were with the God Jesus they did not know. This is one example of Paul relating to the Greeks to bring them the gospel.
Perhaps a better example of this idea is Paul’s determination to live as a slave to all people in order to bring them to Christ. He then says he obeys the law of Christ as the highest authority for his service. Essentially this means he loves people so much that he becomes weak or Greek or Jewish in order to meet the people’s needs he is ministering to at the time. Paul refuses to be “judgy” when dealing with others. He works with all manner of people to bring them the gospel message.
Our takeaways from this Scripture should be that we too need to develop relationships with people without judgement. We support missionaries to orphans in the Ukraine knowing they share Jesus with the people there. We support the FeedStore here in Albany as they are focused on Jesus. We support the jail ministry and pray the men and women there will respond to the gospel. These outreaches start with developing a relationship with people who may or may not look like us. We should be able to discern who we need to reach and the best technique to use to befriend them even if they are not exactly like us.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
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