There Is An Attitude To Adopt: I Am A Slave To All

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

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 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 a fellow partaker of it.

Insights: The first part of the week we looked at how we need to be about sharing the gospel with lost people.  The remainder of the week we will be examining practical ways in which we share the gospel without needlessly offending people.  The first way is by following Paul’s example of being a slave to all, so that he might win more.  All too often I view 

the lost as the enemy to be conquered and not souls that need to be saved.  What I mean by this sentence is I see their lifestyle and worldview and instead of being broken by their choice, I see them as one who is imposing their views on to me.  So, I do not see their eternal state of damnation, but rather just their discomfort they cause me in the here and now.  God forgive me for this selfish attitude of personal rights.  Beloved, we need to look at these individuals with love and compassion.  We need to intentionally serve them and minister to them.  There is one more aspect to this idea I want you to think about.  I mentioned the fact I all too often look at them as my enemy, which they are not, and if I do engage them in conversation, it sometimes turns into a debate.  I must constantly remind myself while in this argument my job is to lead them to Jesus, not to win the verbal contest.  What good is it if I win the debate, but they still end up rejecting Christ because my attitude was not one of a slave.  May this never be our objective.  Let’s strive to let Jesus’ love permeate our lives as we serve them.

Questions:

1. Do you consciously put others, especially lost people, ahead of yourself?

2. In what ways can you demonstrate to a lost person your servant attitude toward them?

Prayer: Father, help me to be a servant.  Help me to find a way to serve those who do not know Your Son Jesus in a very real and practical way.  Amen.