Whatever It Takes
1 Corinthians 9 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?
Commissioned
You don't serve in the gospel of your own accord, or in your own power, or at your own expense. God provides everything that is needed, and you depend wholly upon His provision.
1 Peter 4
11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
To preach or spread the gospel one must be sent.
Romans 10 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? …
Well, -
Matthew 28 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Acts 1 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Philippians 4I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Partaking
9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the ploughman ploughs and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.
We must be partakers of that which we labor in.
You must be both a partaker and a laborer in the gospel. You can't have one without the other.
Matthew 10:10 …for the workman is worthy of his meat.
You'll enjoy the benefits as you labor.
2. And if you don't partake, you won't have strength or resources to work. You can't give what you don't have. You can't lead others where you haven't been. You can't share an experience you haven't partaken of.
1Corinthians 9
Paul is saying here that we have a right to make a living preaching the gospel or doing gospel work full time, but he is saying more - we have an obligation to both preach it and live it.
Then he said something even stronger:
16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
Jeremiah said it was like a fire in his bones. He couldn't keep it in. Oh, that more of us would have that problem.
Whatever it takes
19. Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
Though we are free, we use our freedom wisely and temper it to the needs. We sometimes sacrifice our freedom for the sake of winning others to the Lord. We serve men in order to win them.
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
We must meet them on their ground. Go to where they are and bring them to where you are. (No that we partake of their sin, but we identify with them.)
Paul did not treat his liberty as a necessity but as a privilege. Though he was not obligated to the law, he submitted to it for the sake of those under the law.
i.e. Timothy was not obligated to be circumcised - he was a Gentile. But to win the Jews confidence he submitted to it.
i.e. When I got saved, I had long hair. I cut it off, not because God cared how long my hair was but because people cared. I felt that I could reach more people if I conformed a norm that people could feel comfortable with.
Do whatever it takes within reason to win people.
23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
We do whatever it takes for the sake of the gospel.
Give it all you've got
24. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Though we are not in competition in gospel work, we should strive to be the best. Give it your best effort. William Booth said God was going to have all of William Booth there was. Do you feel that way?
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever.
Athletes look towards a crown at the end of the race. They race to win the crown - or the gold medal. Are you racing to win? WE will receive a crown of righteousness.
26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
Intense training and effort go into being the best you can be. The army says, "Be all that you can be." That's good gospel advice.