“A Win-Some Church”
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Introduction:
In 1993, Ronald Maxwell wrote and directed the movie Gettysburg. It was based on The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. The movie brings to life three of the bloodiest days of American history. The first scenes take place a couple of days before the epic battle of Gettysburg. Colonial Joshua Chamberlain, who is played by Jeff Daniels, of the 20th Regiment learns that his regiment is going to receive 120 Union Soldiers who mutinied. Chamberlain is given orders to shoot any of these mutineers who don’t cooperate. Watch has Colonel Chamberlain tells the men the situation.
The church is also an army, a different kind of army that has been called to set other people free. We set other people free my fulfilling our mandate to make disciples of all nations as we go, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey the Lord. That is our mission as a church. We are called to tell the world that there is no other way in which a person can be saved, except through the wonderful and powerful name of Jesus.
In our last couple of studies of the “whatever it takes” type of church in the book of Acts, we have noticed a determination on their part to keep the mission of God. Instead of cowering to the threats of the religious leaders, the church was determined to preach the name of Jesus. When God gave them the boldness they asked for through the filling of the Holy Spirit they went out with great power proclaiming the wonderful resurrection of Jesus Christ. And what you see with the early church as that they were winning some to Christ.
In the first four chapters of the book of Acts they were doing more than wining some to Christ, they were winning a lot of people to Christ. From chapter two to chapter four of the book of Acts we see some eight thousand souls being saved though the determination of the “whatever it takes” church.
This morning, I want to challenge Christians, and of course, our church collectively, to become a win-some church. When I say a win-some church, I am not talking about a church that is charming and endearing, although that wouldn’t hurt. I am talking about a church that will do whatever it takes to win some, that is some people to Christ.
The apostle Paul was one who had a "whatever it takes" attitude to winning some to Christ. Take your Bibles and turn with me to the ninth chapter of the book of 1 Corinthians. In this ninth chapter, Paul shows us how we can be a soul winning church, how we can become a win-some church.
To fully understand the impact of what Paul teaches in verses nineteen through twenty-three of chapter nine, we need to understand these few verses in the larger context of chapter nine.
In chapter eight, Paul talks about Christian liberty and love for our brothers. He discusses it is the context of eating food sacrificed to idols. Paul’s whole argument is that we need to use or not use our Christian liberties in love. Notice how he ends chapter eight in verse thirteen of that chapter, “Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.” Paul’s point is that love must be our guiding principle. We have freedom in Christ, but that freedom must be practiced in love. That means that sometimes we give up our freedom for the sake of love. With that said, Paul then begins to talk about his own freedom in chapter nine.
In verse one he says, “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle?” Paul is asserting the writes that he has as a Christian and as an apostle. He then goes on to show that though he has these rights, he is willing to restrict them for the sake of the gospel. And he gives three reasons for restricting his rights. The first reason is given in verses twelve, which is Paul doesn’t what to hinder the gospel with his freedom. The second reason he waiver his rights as an apostle and a minister is that he may offer the gospel without charge. The third reason, which is the text that we are going to look at this morning, for waving his rights is that it enables him to win people to Christ.
Listen to what Paul says in verses nineteen through twenty-three, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews, I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews, to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become fellow partaker of it.”
Whenever you read the Bible and study it, always observe words or phrases that are repeated because it gives you an idea of the emphasis that the writer is trying to communicate. A casual reading of these verses will show you that the word “win” is used five times. Paul says he wants to “win” more. He wants to “win” Jews. He wants to “win” those under the Law. He wants to “win” those without the law. He wants to “win” those who are weak. If you don’t understand what Paul means by “win” then all you have to do is look in verse twenty-two and he says, “that I may by all means save some.” Paul wants to reach as many people he can, from all walks of life so that some, not all, but some can embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s passion is to reach more people to win some people to Christ. Paul is so passionate about this, which he is willing to do “whatever it takes.” To be a win-some church we will need a winning perspective like the one that Paul reveals in verse nineteen.
I. It Takes A Winning Perspective
We read in verse nineteen, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.” The structure of this verse is interesting. The main thought of this verse is “I have made myself a slave to all.” In this statement Paul is talking about a voluntary act in the past where Paul become subservient or a servant to all men. Paul qualifies this statement with the paradoxical statement that proceeds, “For though I am free from all men.” In one sense, Paul says I’m free from all men, yet, in another sense he says, “I willingly have made myself a slave to all men.”
The freedom that Paul is talking about is first and foremost the spiritual freedom that he has in Christ, but he is also referring back to what he just said in the previous verses about not receiving financial help from the Corinthian church. Although, he has the right to receive from them, he forgoes that right so that he would be totally free to serve Christ, and not imposed obligations of people.
In the original language the first statement ends with the words “ek pontown” which means “from all.” The statement that follows begins with the word “pasin” which means “to all.” Paul deliberately juxtaposes the two for emphasis. He is free from all, but voluntarily and willingly is a slave to all.
What I want to show you from Paul’s perspective in verse nineteen is that a winning perspective is a costly perspective.
a. Costly Perspective
Paul’s great desire was to win some to Christ. But Paul knew that if he were going to really win more to Christ then the cost of such a passion would come with a price. He knew that it would cost him, and he was willing to pay the price. That is exactly what Paul is trying to tell us about himself in verse nineteen. He his passionate about people coming to Christ, but with that passion comes a price. The price Paul says for reaching people for Christ is his rights.
Paul had a “whatever it takes” attitude and was willing to pay the price. Every church that is going to be a “whatever it takes” type of church will also be willing the pay the price as well. Becoming a “whatever it takes” type of church is costly. When you adopt that attitude you do so knowing that “it” will “take” from you. It will cost you. You will have to give and sacrifice if you adopt the “whatever it takes” attitude. The reason that Paul was willing to pay the price to reach people is because he had an eternal perspective on life. We see this eternal perspective revealed in the purpose that Paul gives for willingly becoming a servant to all men in the last part of verse nineteen.
b. Eternal Perspective
Paul’s purpose for making himself a slave to all men is, “so that I may win more.” Paul says he is a servant to all men because he wants to win as many has he can to Christ. He wants as many people as he can reach to embrace the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The winning perspective that Paul reveals in verse nineteen is a Christ-like perspective. Paul is only fallowing the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It was Jesus who said in Mark chapter ten, verse forty-five, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” In Philippians chapter two we are told that Christ emptied himself of his heavenly glory and became a bondservant, dieing on the cross so that we could be saved.
Paul’s perspective is a winning perspective because he is following the example of Jesus Christ. A win some church will have this winning perspective. And when a church has accepted this perspective, it will then work itself out with a winning plan. In verse twenty through twenty-two, Paul gives an illustration of what this perspective looks like in action. Paul reveals his plan to carry out this winning perspective.
II. It Takes A Winning Plan
When a church is willing to pay the price of winning more for Christ, you will see a plan that is governed by two principles. First, is the principle of association.
a. Association
Listen to verses twenty through twenty-two, “To the Jews I became as a Jew; so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law as those who are under the Law though not being myself under Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.” Paul talks about Jews, Gentiles, and the weak in these verses. What Paul is saying implicitly is that he builds relationships with all people from all walks of life, from all races, and all religions, from all sexes, and from all ages so that he can win some to Christ.
A win some church is a church that desires to build meaningful relationships with all people for the purpose of sharing Jesus. Jesus exemplified this type of association. In the gospels you will find Jesus building relationships with the Pharisees, scribbles, Jews and Gentiles, tax collectors and sinners, and women and children. With this principle of association comes the second principle of adaptability.
b. Adaptability
Paul says in verses twenty, “To the Jews, I became as a Jew.” Remember that Paul is a Jew ethnically, but he says becomes as a Jew. Paul, as a Jew had something that many Jews didn’t have, he had Christ. The Jews were bound to legalism because they thought by keeping the law they were made right before God. Paul knows that only in Christ is one made right. He also experienced the freedom that comes from being in Christ. He didn’t have to fulfill the Jewish rituals.
But Paul was willing to give up his preferences so that he could reach the Jews. Paul had freedom in Christ, but if that freedom would keep him from building meaningful relationships with Jews, he was willing to give that freedom up. He didn’t compromise his conviction or accommodate the message, but he did minimize his preferences.
Paul also was willing to give up his privileges, “; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.” Paul is not saying that he will live like a sinner and accommodate to a sinners lifestyle to reach people for Christ when he speaks of those without the law. What he is saying is that when he is with the Jews, he will eat barbeque beef, but when he is with the Gentiles he will eat barbeque pork.
Paul would never accommodate the message or morality to reach Jews or Gentiles. Paul would never say, “To the thief, I became a thief, or to the Immoral, I became immoral.” Paul would never sacrifice the message, even though the message could be offensive. What Paul is saying here is that he will sacrifice the messenger, and make sure that the messenger is not offensive. He will try to find common ground with those to whom he is trying to reach.
When you find churches that offer traditional, blended, and contemporary services, what you have is a church that is willing to reach all types of people. You don’t use the same methods for reaching youth and young families that you do to reach people in the seventies and eighties. A church that has a winning perspective has a winning plan that is governed by two principles association and adaptability. The New Living Bible translates the end of verse twenty-two perfectly, “Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.”
The reason that many churches never have a winning perspective with a winning plan is because it takes from you. You have to give. To many Christians are concerned about their rights, and not willing to sacrifice them for the purpose of winning more to Christ.
At the heart of a winning perspective with a winning plan is a winning passion.
III. It Takes a Winning Passion
Look at verse twenty-three, “I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.” The passion that inspired Paul’s perspective and plan was the gospel. For in the gospel we have the glory of God in the face of Christ. In the gospel God is glorified. God’s glory revealed in the gospel was Paul’s passion, and it should be ours as well. If we are going to be a win some church it will take a passion for God’s glory in the gospel, but also a passion not just to talk about the glory of God in the gospel, but a passion to be in on it, that is in spreading the glory of the gospel to the ends of the earth.
I head a church growth consultant once say that there are two motivations that cause a church to grow, desperation and the glory of God. When a church is desperate they will do whatever it takes to reach people, but when the desperation is gone, then the only motivation will be the glory of God. Sadly, many Christians and many churches are not motivated by God’s glory.
As a Roman Teenager, he was taken captive and exiled to what is today Ireland. For six years he was a shepherd slave, spending most of his time alone tending to the sheep. During those lonely times he turned to the religion that his parents taught, that of Christianity. While exiled the young man would commit his life to Christ. One night he received a vision from God that said that he was about to go home. The next morning be boarded a ship headed to home. When he got home, his parents told him never to go off again. But God had different plans for this Roman. For he once again saw a vision, this time, it was a man from Ireland, who asked him to come back. At first he hesitated, but then he heard Christ say, it is the Christ within you that commands you to go back, go back to the land of your captivity. It was Christ commanding this young man to go back to those who took him captive and share the good news of Jesus. The young man, whom we know as St. Patrick, left his home, and went back to Ireland, to the very people that stole him a way from his home, and shared the message of freedom. Why? He had a winning perspective with a winning plan that arose out of a winning passion, a passion to see people come to Christ.
Will we become a win some church? Will we be motivated to reach people with the gospel?
