{"id":9005,"date":"2025-02-23T15:15:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-23T19:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=9005"},"modified":"2025-02-23T15:20:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T19:20:32","slug":"becoming-all-things-to-all-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=9005","title":{"rendered":"Becoming All Things to All People"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Becoming All Things to All People<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>1 Corinthians 9: 19-23<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>\u00a0by Malcolm Short<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-9005-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02-23-2025.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02-23-2025.mp3\">http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02-23-2025.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><u>Becoming All Things to All People<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>1 Corinthians 9:19-23<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 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\u2019s law but am under Christ\u2019s 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 people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><u>Division in the Church<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>1 Corinthians 1:4-7\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way\u2014with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge\u2014 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1 Corinthians 1:13-15<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1 Corinthians 1:17<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel\u2014not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><strong><u>Causes of Division<\/u> <\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Romans 12:1-2\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>1\u201cTherefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God\u2019s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God\u2014this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God\u2019s will is\u2014his good, pleasing and perfect will.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1 Corinthians 8:7-8<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201c7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1 Corinthians 9:22<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><u>Effects of Division<\/u><u>\u00a0 <\/u>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Romans 16:17-18\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Titus 3:9-11\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Isaiah 53:2b-3\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cHe had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Matthew 9:12-13\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cIt is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: \u2018I desire mercy, not sacrifice.\u2019 For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong><u>Overcoming Division<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>1 Corinthians 1:22-24\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3>22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.<\/h3>\n<h3><strong><u>1 Corinthians 9:22b-23 <\/u>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3>I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.<\/h3>\n<h3><strong>1 Corinthians 1:26-31<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things\u2014and the things that are not\u2014to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God\u2014that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.\u00a0 \u00a0 31 Therefore, as it is written: \u201cLet the one who boasts boast in the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Becoming All Things to All People 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23 \u00a0by Malcolm Short &nbsp; &nbsp; Becoming All Things to All People 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=9005\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-messages"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9005"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9005"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9013,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9005\/revisions\/9013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}