GETTING STARTED
A few years ago, a TV show named Undercover Boss started airing. It is pretty self-explanatory, in that the show revolved around high-level executives going undercover to work low-level jobs within their companies. The undercover bosses would leave the comfort of their corner-office world to meet their employees in their elbow-grease world. Though under false pretenses, the bosses would inevitably end up having real, unadulterated conversations with their new cohorts.
- Have you ever gone somewhere or done something atypical in order to connect to with people “on their turf”? What was that like?
READ THE WORD: 1 CORINTHIANS 9:19-23 (ESV)
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law, I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
DIGGING DEEPER
- Why was Paul making himself a servant to all? How did he plan to do so?
- We see that Paul was trying to win people, but what was he trying to win FOR these people?
- What do you think it meant for Paul to have been “free from the law,” but to still have acted “under the law of Christ”? How can we use this as a guideline for our actions when we are trying to reach people for Christ?
- What blessings of the gospel was Paul trying to share with them?
- How can you use your freedom to serve others and to show them the good news?
RESPOND TO GOD
Like Paul, our goal should be to bring people to Christ. By loving people in this way, we display our faith and are able to share in the benefits of the gospel. The good news of the gospel is that Christ died to set us free—free from the wrath of God; from eternal separation; from the unsympathetic reach of worldly, religious law. We are free, but what good is freedom if we don’t use it to fight for those who are not?
- Praise God for the freedom and limitless love found in him.
- Ask God for courage to use your freedom for his purposes, to win others to Christ.