A Loving Servant
"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them." 1 Corinthians 9:19 (ESV)
Being somewhat of a task-oriented person, it’s easy to be very involved in a project or focused on a schedule I have created for myself. Someone might call or show up at my desk who needs me to listen or help them with a problem. At that moment, my servant’s heart might fly out the window and while I listen, I’m grumbling to myself about the interruption. Hopefully, with the Holy Spirit’s help, I realize that people are more important to God than my to-do list completed, or a project completed on time. In the best scenario, if I am really relying on the Lord, my time is multiplied and I’m able to do both, joyfully.
Paul did not answer to anyone, not a wife, not a boss, not his children, but he did answer to God. And “winning more” in verse nineteen meant winning more souls for God’s kingdom. In other words, Paul had no distractions to interfere with his mission and calling of “winning” more souls. Not only that, he didn’t boast that Jesus had personally spoken to him, that he had vast knowledge, or that he was an apostle, though all of those were true. He humbly said he was willing to be a servant to “all” to win more people to Christ. What does that mean for us?
It means putting ourselves last and serving others, not because we must, but because loving Jesus means loving and caring for people, even at our own expense or inconvenience. It means reaching out when it’s not comfortable. It means offering help when we’d rather be doing something else. It means showing Jesus’ love to someone who has been unkind to us. It just means loving people. Sounds simple, but in our busy and hectic lives, it can be harder than it seems.
How does being a servant win people to Christ? Being a servant makes us different in a dog-eat-dog and “me-first” world. A caring, giving heart stands out and makes an impact on people in our daily interactions with people wherever we are.
It is easy to care about our friends and family, but let’s pray together, “Father, help us to see people with the eyes of Jesus and love them like the servants we are called, even commanded, to be.
Please help me/us to remember this scripture in John 13: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Deb Hill
Love Requires Sacrifice
Some occupations are seen by all. The job requires gaining public opinion, living in the limelight, and convincing people of a better way. These roles gain constant accolades and criticism alike. The recognition is wonderful when people agree, and not so great when they don’t.
Other jobs however are seen by few. Every institution requires many workers who do their jobs diligently and faithfully behind the scenes. Moms spend night after night caring for crying babies with no one truly being aware of their sacrifice and exhaustion. Soldiers spend countless lonely days away from loved ones while their country celebrates its freedom with patriotic holidays and backyard barbecues. Health care workers spend hours attempting to keep a person alive only to then have to utter the words, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Could these illustrations be modern-day examples of what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 9? The analogy breaks down when we consider the latter two examples do receive a monetary reward. Yet, the heart of the passage, and the examples listed above state that love requires sacrifice. Paul was so convinced of his calling and his passion to share the gospel was so great he didn’t want anything to get in the way; whether support or perception. He was willing to sacrifice at all costs.
Matthew 6 talks about practicing righteousness in secret. If our passion to serve the Lord through serving others is genuine, we don’t need the praise of man. Verse 6 says, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Our heavenly Father sees our acts of love that only we know about, and the joy of knowing we are being obedient to our Lord transcends any earthly compensation.
So, moms, keep loving your little ones and do it with all the energy you can muster. Your tender care will help them grow up to be kind, confident adults, convinced they are loved. Soldiers, your sacrifice goes beyond what most people can fully comprehend. Serve with passion and tenacity knowing your Savior sees you and he totally gets it! Health Care Workers, your love and compassion may be the only hope a hurting person may experience in their darkest hours. Keep caring and do so with the compassionate heart God has given you. For all of you who steward your gifts in a way that often goes unnoticed, remember when you put your own needs aside and love becomes your driving force, no human reward can compare to the joy of knowing you are loving with the heart of Jesus.
Lynette Fuson
Director of Care & Counseling
Freedom Surrendered
As Christians, we’re called to think outside the box. To think outside of the current trends and rhythms of our culture. This is because we now have the "mind of Christ," which doesn’t think in terms of rights, fitting in or being relevant. Jesus couldn’t care less about that sort of thing. Instead, he’s in the business of the lasting and the real, and usually turns what the world cares about on its head and shows us just how superficial the world’s values are. A great example is found in Philippians:
“In humility, count others more significant than yourselves…Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:3-7).
The world tells us that we are the still point around which the turning world revolves, but the heart of Jesus tells us to “count others more significant than [ourselves].” This passage shows us how Jesus, God and Creator of the universe, took a lowly form in order to do his work among us. He didn’t do his thing with fanfare and intimidation like the ancient god Zeus announcing his presence with thunder and lightning (so typical of a man-made god!); instead, Jesus came as a weak and humble child whose claim to fame was that he died.
And it was through his dying–not through his conquering, manipulating or subduing–that we were given life. He "made himself nothing" so we could be redeemed and have an everlasting relationship with Him. If Jesus becoming ‘nothing’ was a necessary part of our being awakened to new life, then what does his sacrifice mean for us?
If we are to be "little Christs," then Jesus is calling us to surrender those things the world tells us we need to be successful, to be human, and to be good. It might not make sense to us that by relinquishing what we feel makes us most ourselves we can actually revive a dying world, but that is the calling Jesus beckons us into. This is expressed beautifully in one of my favorite Michael Card songs, God’s Own Fool:
When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes
When we in our weakness believed we were strong
He became helpless to show we were wrong.
And so we follow God's own fool
For only the foolish can tell -
Believe the unbelievable
And come be a fool as well.
Ashley Carr
Examine Me
I feel like it has the potential to go either way. It really depends on the heart and attitude of the person. Someone could have a prideful and arrogant heart and someone else could be humble and gracious. To be like Christ, we need to be humble and gracious in all things and when we are, love and truth can be reaped.
In 1 Corinthians 9:3, Paul says, examine my life. That’s a bold and vulnerable statement to make. As believers, we will have many watching us and examining how we live. And being that we are human, those who watch us will also see us when we slip and mess up. To be humble enough to say, “examine me” feels a bit risky at times, am I right? But not to Paul. He was confident in his heart and actions and humble enough to take correction if the need arose. Today, our lives and moments can be quickly plastered on social media, in an email, or spread via phone or text. It’s like we are living in a fishbowl. Anything and everything can be seen by everyone. All our good and all of our bad.
I think it takes a true heart of humility to say, “look and examine me.” As Christ-followers, we want to be humble and always grow in our faith. There are a lot of things in this world that can distract us, be “gray” for us, and be blinding to us. We need to be open and willing to let God use others in our lives to help us see the blind spots we have and we must remember we are living as an example of Jesus for others to see. Our actions can help draw them to Jesus or they can keep them further away.
I remember a very specific time in my life when a dear friend who loves me so much heard me share something that caused her concern. She took a couple of days, prayed, and then asked if we could talk. I was completely oblivious to what she was about to share but had such deep respect and love for her, that I wanted to hear it. She asked me a couple of questions to clarify what I said a few days earlier and then shared her heart of concern over it. Her perspective was right and something I hadn’t even thought of. Her heart to share truth in love and my heart to be willing to listen created a moment that God has used in my lifetime and time again.
From what we know about Paul, I believe he says, “examine me” with a heart of humility and grace. It wasn’t an arrogant dare or threat. He knew he was doing his best and he knew he was in communion with God, yet was humble enough to say, “examine me” and add an extra layer of accountability.
People will examine us. It’s just the way it is. Hopefully, they see a consistently godly life that draws them to Jesus. Will we be perfect? No. But that’s ok if we are willing to have accountability. When that accountability and loving truth is shared with us, I hope we will be humble and willing to hear what they have to say.
Bonnie Nichols
Women’s Ministry Specialist
Rights or Responsibilities?
But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. - 1 Corinthians 9:15
In our world today, we have a lot of concerns about freedom and rights… especially in the political sphere. It seems to me we have some factions within our country who are dead set on limiting rights and freedoms, and then we have other factions who are equally set on exercising their rights and freedoms regardless of the consequences. The very fact there is a threat to freedom seems to motivate people to exercise their freedom, and the more people exercise their freedom, the more people get nervous and want to restrict freedoms. Yikes! It is a vicious circle, and with the state of the discourse in our world today, it can seem impossible to make any headway. However, I think in Corinthians 9, Paul is hitting on a solution that is in the middle of these two extremes.
His argument is basically that he has rights, many of which were given to him directly by God, but he has chosen, out of his own free will, not to exercise these rights. Instead of laying down laws that restrict rights or wantonly flaunting his rights, he is responsibly handling his rights in a way that benefits others. Wow! This is so refreshing. Paul is taking a position of moral superiority that far exceeds the level of discourse in our world. What kind of person would be willing to voluntarily lay down his or her rights for the sake of something bigger than themselves? For the sake of the gospel? Well, apparently, a Christian.
Clearly, we have a lot to learn from the Apostle Paul here. We need to become the type of people who can be trusted to be free. We need to be people who are responsible with their rights. If we lived in a world of responsible people, who knew when to make use of their rights, and when to lay down their rights, then maybe the discussions would be very different.
Maybe, as Christians, instead of fighting for our rights, we should fight to become people who are responsible with the rights we have? Maybe, this would give us the moral high ground to speak into our greater societal conversation? This won’t be easy, but it takes a stronger person to voluntarily lay down rights than it does to exercise rights. This is what Paul models for us here.
How can we imitate Paul as he imitates Jesus by voluntarily laying down his rights for the sake of others?
Josh Rose
Teaching Pastor
Freedom vs. Deference
"Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall." 1 Corinthians 8:13
Sometimes I forget that Paul was a real person who sacrificed a lot for the people he cared about. “I will never eat meat again…” was a statement that makes you think, wow, he must really, really love the people in his life. I think about all the things God has done for the people around me and myself, and I am really amazed at why God gives so much for people who sometimes turn away from him. Paul’s statement really models Christlikeness for me. It is not that he is willing to give up something he enjoys, it is that he genuinely values others' spiritual growth over his own freedoms.
Paul was willing to defer something for the sake of someone else. Sometimes I have to wrestle internally to defer what I want or my freedom. Of course, Paul saw Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he understood the call he was given and he lived to bring glory to God. Since his purpose guided his choices it was easy for him to possibly become a vegetarian for the good of others. So here is my question for us to ponder, what is the purpose God has given you? This is bigger than work, hobbies, relationships, or responsibilities- how has God uniquely wired you to live for his glory? Jesus tells us to live in such a way (Matt. 5:16) and we will see Paul echo those words in a few couple chapters (1 Cor. 10:31). So will we take the time to let God transform us (Romans 12:1-2) to live in a way that prioritizes his glory and purpose over our worldly desires or needs? The answers for these questions are vital. If we take time to try to explore the answers, then I think we actually find freedom in the purpose God has for us.
Paul found his purpose and he chose to defer his freedoms for the sake of others. If you know the purpose the Lord has given you, take a moment and thank God! Encourage a friend or two who might need some direction. If you don’t, take a moment and ask God to help you find it! The beauty of God’s love is how he constantly gives so we can continue to grow. Let him help you and if we can help, we are here for you!
Jeremy Johnson
Family Pastor
Idolatry vs. Worship
The psalmist writes, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth. Why should the nations say, “Where, now, is their God?” But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear; they have noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but they cannot feel; they have feet, but they cannot walk; they cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them.” (Psalm 115:1-8)
We know from these verses that an idol “has no real existence.” (1 Corinthians 8:4) They are things we make up, things we create, and strangely, things we worship.
What, however, is an idol these days? I mean, we don’t have statues or poles or golden calves. But what we do have sometimes are mis-placed affections and a mis-guided trust in people or things other than our God.
In thinking through the probability and place of idols in our lives, the best definition I’ve ever read is the one provided by pastor and author Tim Keller. He writes that “An idol is anything you will sin to get or to keep.” That can be a job, a relationship, a reputation, financial security, or any number of things unique to you and your situation. The issue isn’t so much the “what” but the “where.” Where does your desire for this “thing” find its place in your heart in relation to the place God finds? If you value it above loving and living for Him, then you find yourself worshiping an idol (as difficult to admit as that might be).
While this week’s passage helps us figure out how to live in the gray, perhaps two other important things it does are 1) call us to take a step back to consider whether or not there are things in our lives which would qualify as an idol, and 2) remind us that “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6)
By God’s grace, may we keep our heart and its affections fixed on Him today!
Scott Smith
Connection and Growth Pastor
Conscience vs. Reality or Crushed vs. Built-Up
I have the power to crush people with what I do and what I say, and so do you. It can happen with words or actions that are neither direct nor intentional. This calls for caution and is why Paul sets a high standard. Believers must be an example and be willing to sacrifice personal preference and freedom. The freedom gained by the knowledge of Christ can trip up spiritually weaker believers, so Paul writes, “And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.” (1 Corinthians 8:11)
Destroyed? That is a strong language. This calls for focus and care. Let's look at a couple of principles in response:
+ A believer can be “defiled” or “destroyed” by their own conscience, even if they are wrong about a specific theological truth.
+ People’s pasts inevitably shape the way they respond to and live out the gospel. (However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 1 Corinthians 8:7.)
+ We point people to truth and reality, but we meet them where they actually are.
Are you willing to meet people right where they are, even letting their ignorance and bondage affect what you say and do around them? Honestly, this is more of a secondary focus. A believer’s primary focus is on the positive, not the negative. “Work to build others up in the Lord” is primary. “Be careful not to tear someone down” is secondary. Being secondary means it may not be our usual area of focus, but neglecting it can cause great individual harm and can have devastating effects on a church.
When driving a car, looking down the road is primary, and stepping on the breaks when traffic stops is secondary. Secondary doesn’t mean not important, rather, it is what one does in response to the situation. So, are you willing to let a believer’s situation, weakness, past trauma, or mistakes limit your spiritual freedom to help them and not harm them? Pray for wisdom to have this kind of focus and care.
John Riley
Junior High Pastor
Knowledge vs. Love
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:13-14, NIV)
As a young believer in my college years, my greatest desire was to know the Lord, to understand his ways. My heart was overwhelmed by the grace of God and I wanted to live in a way that honored him. Not having grown up in the church, I began wrestling with what to do in situations where the Bible was not specific. In my thinking, I was still very much "like a child" wanting clear black and white answers to guide me in all of my lifestyle decisions. The gray made me uncomfortable. It brought doubts in my mind about whether or not certain activities were ones in which I ought to engage. The more I studied the Bible, the more confident I became about my positions on questionable matters.
Looking back on those years, I also saw a shift in my thinking. At first my thinking was driven by a desire to know how I ought to live, how my decisions in any area were pleasing to the Lord. Then subtly, there was a shift. I began to think that I knew how others ought to behave as well. This led to many uncomfortable conversations with my peers who had grown up in the church, and had heard the Bible taught all of their lives. How could it be that they landed in different places than I had when it came to certain questions about how we should live as devoted followers of Christ? My "knowledge" was, as Paul said, puffing me up. (9:2) I did not yet know as I ought to know.
I still remember the way the Holy Spirit used a story in a sermon by Dr. Strauss, our pastor in those days. He described a conversation he had engaged in with the person seated next to him on a long flight. There was strong disagreement about some biblical issue. As the flight went on, he was confident he was able to use his extensive knowledge of the Scriptures to prove the "rightness" of his conclusions. His goal had turned into proving that he was in the right, and his opponent in the wrong. Sadly, he discovered after the flight that while he had won the argument, he had lost the battle. He realized too late he had loved being right over loving his neighbor.
That story has come to my mind at various times over the years, especially as those "gray areas" present themselves in my life and in the lives of my brothers and sisters in Christ. I rejoice in knowing that I am not a slave to the law or to earning my right standing with God. I am so grateful for the liberty we have in Christ, yet I know the calling of God is to continually guard the posture of my heart. When a gray issue presents itself as I interact with others, my prayer is "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV)
Lord, for your Kingdom’s sake, may we be driven by the everlasting way of love over rights, of love over being "right".
Nicole Jiles
FaithKids Director
It Depends
How hard is it to just give a straight answer? That’s what many in the Corinthian church may have been thinking as they read through Paul’s letter. They had written him asking some questions that, at least in their minds, were pertinent to following Jesus wholeheartedly. Questions like, “If we are single, should we get married?” And, “Are we allowed to eat food that’s been sacrificed to idols?” I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t seem like those questions should be all that challenging to answer with a simple affirmative or a negative. And yet, Paul’s answer is anything but black and white - it’s gray, ambiguous, and a bit tough to pin down.
I’m not sure if you can relate, but it seems like we all have times in our life when we go to God for an answer, and he gives us wisdom to apply rather than a law to implement. Should we make the move? Which job should I take? How do I care about this person in my life who is driving me crazy? It’s questions like those that we ask God about and we often get the same answer Paul gave the Corinthians, “it depends.”
That presents a problem for many because the draw to religion is often a black and white world view that answers all our questions and eliminates ambiguity and mystery. We assume when we ask questions that have massive implications for the rest of our lives, God would give a clear, unambiguous answer. However, we see in 1 Corinthians 8 that God gives us principles more often than answers. He tells them to choose love over knowledge, to defer to others rather than exerting their rights, and to choose worship of the true God over idolatry. Those principles don’t explicitly answer the questions that were asked, but they do give them principles to apply as they seek to follow the Spirit.
Now, I want to be clear, there are a lot of things God is very clear about, but there were other questions the Corinthians had that they wished Paul would be more direct in answering. So this week, when you’re not quite sure how to respond, ask yourself the same question Paul encouraged Coinrhtian believers to ask, “What does it look like to love? What will allow me to worship the one true God most fully?” And trust that the Spirit at work within you will direct you and lead you toward flourishing.
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
