Priorities. 1Corinthians 9:16-27 We have rights as citizens, we have rights as members of a family and those who preach the Gospel like Paul have rights to the support of material things because of spiritual blessings given. But our freedom in Christ does not make us obligated to claim the right of material benefits when it would place us in a position to be controlled by the will of other people like an employee is responsible to an employer. Our personal priorities can hinder our work for God if we are not careful to keep our commitment as a servant of God.
There are principles that guided Paul in his labors for the Lord. The compelling necessity to preach the Gospel prevented him from stopping his work in spite of opposition, persecution, and even physical abuse. One of the things that motivated him so much was the Gospel itself. He had experienced the value of the Gospel himself. He was a living example of its power. It was not in his mind to preach the Gospel for money. He refused to use his speaking skills to impress those to whom he preached. The message itself was the compelling power, not his debating ability nor the way he could skillfully answer the arguments laid against him. God laid the necessity to preach the Gospel on the messenger, Paul himself.
When one is entrusted with the Gospel message, he needs to remember who made him a steward of such a trust. Never should a steward look casually or carelessly upon the work his Master gives him. The responsibility of such a charge is all we need to be concerned about. Any remuneration to meet his needs, we leave to God who is the Lord of the harvest. He can take care of what we need better than we can.
There was to Paul a blessing, a reward, it seems like even a special joy when he preached the Gospel without a charge of any kind to those who heard him. Those to whom he presented the Gospel didn't own his services. He made himself a servant to them. The compelling need for lost souls was another reason why Paul did not claim a right to their support. The importance of the Gospel and the value of lost souls were the great motivating factors in Paul's labor in the Gospel.
Whether there are financial or other kinds of support given to us in our labors in the Gospel, there is more than that to urge us on in the work. All around us in this world are people who are perishing in their sins. In order to meet the demands of the work of the Gospel, we must impose on ourselves a discipline to keep us from being sidetracked. We have liberty in Christ but the effective Christian life involves both discipline and freedom. The goal before us must be well enough defined that the arguments and unscriptural positions of others will not deter us from our objective of presenting the Gospel. We dare not change our message ever; nor do we need to change our methods to make people feel more comfortable and receptive.
Paul looked for, and used, common ground with those with whom he made contact. He was a Jew who cared for other Jews with genuine sincerity. He did not come across as an arrogant know-it-all preacher to the Gentiles. He knew how to reason with, and be persuasive with kings, as well as to warn and entreat them all to believe the Gospel. We are not being inconsistent when we seek to make people know we care for them and accept them as they are. It is important for us to be sensitive to them and what is important to them. In that way, they may be inclined to listen to what we have to say.
The Lord Jesus Christ was very adaptable to those He came in contact with when He was here. He could sense and respond to the needs of a blind man and knew they were different from those of a leper. Zacchaeus and Nicodemus were both very different but the Lord Jesus knew how to connect with each of them and used the opportunity to reach them by focusing attention on what each one needed most.
Tact in preaching the Gospel publicly or presenting the Gospel privately is greatly needed. Contacts are made "with tact." Those are often the most fruitful connections we make. The principles the Lord Jesus demonstrated and Paul used are the same ones we should use today. When one is religious, in a kind way keep their attention on what the scriptures say and press the point that this is the word of God. The traditions and forms of religious activity must conform to what the scriptures say.
When a person we are talking with or if there are people listening to a Gospel message who are professed atheists or agnostics without convictions, religious affiliation, or concern about spiritual things, remember that whether they admit it or not, they are wondering about what happens after death. Some people are weak and worry all the time about life, death, health, and money, and they long for some kind of assurance and hope for the future. We need to be like Paul and be adaptable to people for the Gospel's sake.
In the work of the Lord, the servant of God must know what he is doing and discipline himself to attain that goal—that purpose. Paul used the illustration of a runner in a public race who has trained long and hard. He is not out for a morning jog or a lap or two around the track. He is not an observer sitting in the stands, getting vicarious pleasure from watching others run.
He explained his motivation in athletic terms so the Corinthian believers could see why he went without what was his right to have in order to claim what was far more important. There is a distinct difference between a prize and a gift. A gift is not deserved, but it depends on the grace and goodness of the giver. A prize rewards endurance and the suffering or loss expended to accomplish a goal or stated objective. An athlete, whether a runner or a boxer, lays aside all nonessentials and commits himself to the strict discipline of mind, body, and soul. He is “temperate” or very careful in whatever he allows himself to do.
For Christians, the discipline of our body, mind, and soul is needed to be what God intends of us in our service to the Lord. The rigor needed is to keep us from being disqualified as a servant of our God. In the context of this chapter, the word “castaway” seems far more serious than a reprimand. To be disqualified indicates that a servant of God can spend a lot of time, energy, and money doing what is right, but if one yield to temptation or succumbs to pressure put on him or her to conform to what is not right, they can lose all that was of value in their life. One’s reputation and testimony established for many years can be lost very quickly by an action done in the energy of the flesh.
Paul did not want to be disqualified in the work of the Gospel. Neither should we. We need study, we need prayer, we need worship, and we need to learn the truth before we speak so our lack of preparation misleads no one. Self-discipline is a priority in the work of the Gospel. We need to know our own strengths and weaknesses. We need to know when to say "No" and when to say "Yes." We need to commit ourselves to diligence and reject laziness. We need to learn to place our confidence in God. Our responsibility is to be ready to herald the Gospel when opportunities arise. Running the race requires effort, discipline, and commitment.
An area of daily life that prepares me for any contingency that might arise is the commitment to a meaningful devotional life that affects me. In order to glorify God in our bodies and spirits, we need to know God and be able to discern His will in view of the tasks He has given us. If that task is the furtherance of the Gospel, we must know what to give up and what to take up, what to claim, and what to pay.
It is not a wasted effort when one takes time to identify one's priorities in life. In order to tell others the Gospel and what they are to do about it, we need to be careful that we do ourselves what we expect of others. Paul was willing to give up his rights and privileges for the rewards of doing God's will to further the work of the Lord. Our priorities need to be right in order not to be disqualified from our service.