To Reach As Many As Possible

“The Mission of Fishkill Baptist” #4 Oct. 6, 2019 GWB “To Serve As Many As Possible” – 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 – Reminder: Who is your Kingdom Partner? _______________________. A KP (1) encourages you and (2) helps you to keep your kingdom outreach focus. (3) You and your KP ask each other about your engagement with unbelievers. (4) You pray for each other and your witness. One year at Mardi Gras in New Orleans Christians held up signs reading, “Heed the Words of God,” and “Mardi Gras is the Road to Hell.” Surrounded by revelers, one of the Christians said, “Not everyone welcomes our message, but people never need to hear it more than today.” Is this effective witness? Does this represent Jesus? Does it communicate respect to people? No. This is not the way we are to witness. Tragically, some things done in the name of Christian witness only alienate people. We need to apologize for what some have done in the name of witness! Jesus did not treat people this way. Jesus talked to men and women, to Jews, Samaritans and Gentiles, to religious and irreligious. He treated each as an individual. He took time. He did not have a “canned approach.” As we respond to people, we must be flexible in our witness to them. I. We must be motivated by love 1 Cor. 9:19-23 1. Out of love, Paul “made himself a servant” to others (v. 19). His motive? “to win as many as possible” (v. 19). a. Paul set aside his rights (12, 15). He accommodated himself to Jews and to Gentiles (those not having the law) in order to win them! b. He did not change his message; he always obeyed Christ (21)—but things that don’t ultimately matter, he was willing to sacrifice—to win as many as possible (19, 20, 21, 22). c. This is like a Christian who grows long hair, wears leather and joins a motorcycle group to witness to bikers. He is willing to set aside his “rights” (his preferred “style”) to help communicate Christ’s love. 2. No one loves more than Jesus. Jesus seeks the lost. He gave himself for us (Gal. 2:20). We cannot represent him and not love people. 3. Out of love, we need to understand the world people live in today. a. People do not know the Christian message. Many have no idea of the Christian gospel—and are personally removed from Christians and from churches. We cannot assume they understand our vocabulary. We must learn to speak with words they can understand. b. People have lost the idea of truth. Many no longer believe in truth—or in God who governs the world, or in real guilt, or life after death. Many think, “no one can know! Religion is just personal preference!” II. We must respect the individual 1 Cor. 9:19-23 1. Jesus respected people. He took time with Nicodemus—a man, a Jew, a leader; he took time with the woman at the well, a Samaritan, an outcast. 2. Similarly, Paul accommodated himself to people out of respect for them. He wanted to win them to Christ (19-23). a. Paul does not mean he changed like a chameleon to please people. He was no people pleaser (Gal. 1:10). b. He never sacrificed principle (21). He means he was willing to set aside personal preferences and “rights” for the sake of witness. 3. People deserve our respect. All persons are made in the image of God. All are of worth and importance—even if they are very different from us. So when we give others a reason for our hope in Christ, we must do it with gentleness and respect (1Peter 3:15). III. We must listen and then speak 1 Cor. 9:19-23 1. Paul did not have one canned presentation for all people. In the book of Acts, we have sermon summaries. There are differences in sermons, depending on the audience. a. When speaking to Jews, Paul appealed to Jewish history, he quoted the Scriptures, and showed them that Jesus was their Messiah (Acts 13:16ff). b. When speaking to Gentiles in Athens, Paul spoke of God the Creator, and of his work in history. He quoted their poets; he did not quote Scripture (Acts 17:22-31). He preached Christ to both, but his approach was tailored to his listeners. This is recorded for us to learn from it! 2. So we must listen to people, and understand their need. a. We must listen for their hurts. There may be personal needs, family hurts, or other fears they may want to share—if we have a listening ear. b. We must listen for their experiences. Are there negative experiences with church or with Christians in their background? c. We must listen for their objections to Christ. Let them express their doubts—God is not afraid of their doubts. And we do not need to have all the answers. None of us has all the answers! 3. When we witness, we do not need to deliver the “whole package,” the entire gospel message. We can share what may be appropriate at the time. Responding to God In New Orleans, most people ignored the Christians with signs. But remember: our God is actively seeking the lost! His Spirit is at work in hearts. He hears your prayers for your family, and for your neighbors, for your co-workers. God is the one who brings people to faith—and he will use us, weak though we are, in kingdom work! Our God will be glorified.