As a teenager growing up in California, I had the opportunity to join local churches in their annual short-term mission trips into Mexico. These trips exposed me to differences in cultural standards. For example, teens in Mexico dressed differently than me and my friends. We regularly wore shorts, but in Mexico, usually only little kids wear shorts. Even in the summer, teen boys and older men are always wearing pants. Church attire was more formal that I was used to as well. Mexican women usually wore full-length dresses, whereas I was used to seeing teens and older women in jeans or other types of more casual attire at church.
Years later, as a youth pastor, I would lead my own trips into Mexico. Beforehand, I held training sessions during which time we’d go over cultural expectations pertaining to dress code, common phrases or gestures that may be offensive, and other cultural behaviors to be aware of. When it comes to ministry, my credo is simple, “Doctrine – Scriptural. Methodology – Relevant.” This essay aims to encourage Christians to get to know those that they are trying to share Jesus with. By seeking out cultural inroads, believers show others that they have value, and doing this opens doors for spiritual conversations.
The Apostle Paul said, “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,” 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. Paul is talking about the importance of having relevant methodology in his ministry practices. “By all means,” is a strong expression meant to say that Paul would do anything to earn the ear of a non-believer. Well, almost anything. “By all means,” was Paul’s way of saying that as long as I’m not compromising doctrine, I’ll eat whatever, dress however, go where ever, and act however, in order to win people to Jesus! As long as truth isn’t being compromised, Christians should acquiesce to some non-essentials in order to win the lost.
Having this type of “by all means” attitude may make Christians very uncomfortable at times. Here’s a small example of this. In my twenties I was hired by a church to be a youth pastor. Although that church had been established about a hundred years prior to hiring me, it had not had a long history of having youth ministers on staff. Backing up about eight years before they hired me, they had reached a point where they were not experiencing any more growth. In fact, they were shrinking as congregants were dying off and moving away. The church was very “traditional” in its methodology. They sang songs without any instruments, only a leader waving his arms from the stage as he directed the congregation through the hymnal. They had little to no youth emphasis or community outreach. The people in the church loved their weekly worship, teaching, and the routine they were in. After much prayer and deliberation, the elders brought an idea before the congregation. They said, “We can keep things the way they are, the way we like them, and continue forward. However, with the trajectory that we’re on, we’ll likely have to close our doors in a few years, being unable to sustain ourselves. Or, we can sacrifice our methodology, and embrace a more “contemporary” worship style, and focus on outreach, youth, and young families. So, we’re going to vote. Do you want to remain comfortable in how we do things, or do you want to change our methodology and risk discomfort in order to attract others and grow?” The church voted to change. They didn’t sacrifice doctrine, they only changed their methodology. In a single generation, they went from a shrinking church to a church of close to a thousand people.
That church saw the value of adapting to culture. That same church decided to take another risk in ministering to the unreached youth in the inner-city. The church invested significantly in order to open up a teen center downtown. This was a place for teens to drop in after school and hang-out. The purpose of the center was to introduce teenagers to Jesus, and to extend the ministry in an area of town that we had little influence. I worked at the teen center for many years. The teen center started out featuring pool tables and video games. I ran a “pool-club” where teens would sign up for an eight-week pool tournament which involved a weekly commitment to a thirty-minute Bible study discussion, followed up by a ninety-minute pool tournament. We’d have about ten teenage boys in each tournament. At the end of the eight-weeks, I took the guys on an overnight trip to Santa Cruz to enjoy the beach and roller-coasters. In connecting with the guys over a game of pool, I earned their trust. They shared their stories with me. Many of them entrusted themselves to Jesus.
Over the years the teen center changed its methodology, moving away from billiards and video games to later focus on computers and basketball. Then, a year to two later, the next phase of methodology saw the teen center morph into a skate park. Later still, its emphasis was music, and the center became a concert venue where we had local “battle of the bands” competitions. Regardless of the methodology, the vision never changed; reach teenagers with the gospel of Jesus.
A significant question for us is to ask, “Where can I adapt, without compromising truth, in order to win those around me?” I need to be able to say, “To my neighbors, I became like my neighbors. To my co-workers, I became like my co-workers, etc.”
Let’s unpack what Paul was speaking about in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22, starting in verse 19, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.” Being, “free from all men,” is an expression that means that Paul was under the control of no man, under the leadership of no priest or bishop. He was in the highest office as apostle, to which the rest of the church elders where to submit. He was not in bondage to any world-system, nor was he a slave to the old ceremonial Law that was heavy over him before he knew Jesus. Furthermore, he wasn’t bound to any earthly master by way of money or work, as he provided for himself and had no debts. In short, Paul could come and go; having no allegiance to any cultural standards. This is the freedom in Christ that he enjoyed! But Paul used that freedom to allow himself to be “a slave to all,” an expression meaning that he’s willing to condescend to various cultural standards, and even suffer tremendously under persecution, because the greater importance is seeing the lost come into a relationship with Jesus. To that end, Paul offered himself up fully; willingly enslaved to this holy mission. What a testimony! Paul didn’t deny privileges and freedoms, but utilized them to accomplish the Lord’s work.
Verses 20, “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.” Paul begins to cite examples. Here, he was willing to be “as a Jew,” with regards to their practices; subjecting himself to some of their ceremonial rituals. Again, doing nothing that compromised the gospel, which is what he means when he says, “not being myself under the Law,” but showing the Jews respect by practicing those things which don’t infringe on truth. Some examples of how he did this were his circumcising of Timothy, purifying himself at the temple in Jerusalem, shaving his head when he was at Cenchrea, committing himself to the Jewish sabbath rituals, and abstaining from certain foods. None of these bore any spiritual consequence, therefore he was willing to do so as a means to be welcomed by the Jews so that he “might win those who are under the Law.”
Verse 21, “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.” Here, he turns his attention to how he ministered to the Gentiles, in other words, “those who are without law.” The Gentiles (a word meaning those who aren’t Jews) did not have the Law of Moses to operate under. Therefore, their culture was entirely looser than the Jews. They had governments and laws of course, but they were still regularly engaged in practices like idolatry, sexual immorality, fortunetelling, etc. Paul certainly didn’t engage in any of these practices, which is why he ensures us that he wasn’t acting, “without the law of God but under the law of Christ.” Though living amongst Gentiles during certain seasons of his ministry, Paul would remain moral in his daily choices, as he adhered to the moral “law of God,” even if the Gentiles turned up their noses to it. So, what did Paul do to be as the Gentiles? Some examples are that he went into their homes and talked and dined with them openly. This was forbidden by Jews, to enter into the home of a Gentile. Additionally, Paul opted to not circumcise Titus as they ministered together in a Gentile region, as this ritual didn’t pertain to Gentile culture. Paul would also eat foods with Gentiles that he wouldn’t eat with Jews, such as pork or shellfish perhaps. All of this and more he did when living amidst the Gentiles, so that he, “might win those who are without law.” Never compromising the truth, Paul let his methodology be molded by the day’s circumstances.
Verse 22, “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.” Here, Paul means brothers and sisters in Christ, but those who were immature in their faith, i.e. “weak” in their understanding of the liberty in Jesus. Paul didn’t belittle them or reject them, but he acquiesced to them; sometimes refusing to eat foods that they feared were evil, like meat sacrificed to idols. Paul knew these idols were nothing, and that the food was just a slab of meat, yet he obliged their immaturity so as to win the opportunity to minister to them and strengthen their faith. In doing so, Paul would “win the weak.” Not to salvation, for they were already saved, but to a greater knowledge of the truth, and to enjoy the fullness of life in the body of Christ.
“By all means,” Paul had made himself a slave to mankind, putting aside his comfort for the spiritual benefit of others. When adherence to the Mosiac Law was urged upon Jewish Christian converts as being necessary for justification by God, Paul rightly rejected it. Likewise, when adherence to the Mosiac Law was urged upon Gentile Christian converts, as though they needed to become “Jews” first in order to rightly become Christians, Paul rightly rejected it. However, in all other cases, Paul wasn’t opposed to Jewish and Gentile customs and cultures; ready to comply.
Am I willing to forgo my comfort, in order to broaden the impact of my ministry? Am I willing to keep the peace by engaging in things I might think are silly, so long as no truth is being compromised? Or, do I dig in my heals and say, “I’m right!” Nobody is going to listen to me if I take such stances, at least not when the stance is regarding a non-essential issue. We ought to be like, Paul, who without hypocrisy to doctrine, lived by all means to win the lost.
Remember Paul’s words, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)