All Things to All

                                            "I become all things to all men," I Cor:9 :22d

 St. Paul worked tirelessly and opportunistically in his ministry. The Apostle was always looking for an opportunity to present Jesus to any and to all. St. Paul was relentless in casting the dragnet of the Gospel out into the ocean of humanity to see what the catch might be.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like to a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:" Matt:13:47

"And Jesus said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes."Jhn:21:6

 Connecting With People

St. Paul writing to the Christian Church at Corinth, and to us down through the ages, that one way that he sought and found opportunity to present the message of salvation in Jesus was by finding a means to connect with people. St. Paul realized that Christians should not alienate those around us, after all God has not done so why should we?

God has, instead of alienate humanity, redeemed and removed anything hindrances that might stop us from knowing him, which is eternal life. We can see this reflected in the Scriptures when St. Peter is sent to Cornelius' house, who was a gentile. After St. Peter received the vision of the unclean animals. Through the animals being called "unclean”, God is showing St. Peter, and we all, that no person, such as a gentile, is "unclean”.

“Do not call anything unclean that God has made clean.”

"This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” Acts: 10:15b-20

St. Paul also comments again that no one is alienated from God and his salvation work. God is not the God of only one nation but peoples from many.

 "Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,…" Eph:2:12-14

Realizing that all peoples are now in the sight of God, brought back into a proper practical relationship with our Lord, if they will but freely receive it when they hear the Gospel and accept Jesus and his salvation work on their behalf. St. Paul therefore reached out powerfully under the power of the Holy Spirit to tell any and all about Jesus Christ.

God isa multicultural God and through His Son Jesus He connects with all humanity.

 Multicultural Work

St. Paul knew that his multicultural ministry would dictate that he makes adjustment for the variety of people that he would encounter that they would come from many places and cultures. St. Paul would make allotments for them in his presentation, yet he did so without compromise to the Gospel message St. Paul preached Christ and him crucified. 

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 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. 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."I Have become all things to all men" 1Cor:9:9-22

The Apostles did so, that he might present the Gospel of Jesus and they might be receptive and believe and then experience that salvation.

"so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."1Cor:9:22b-23

Speaking in Tongues

It has always been God's intention that people of all nations might know him all through Jesus, the Old Testaments Prophets looked ahead to this invitation to all peoples.

"Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples;" Isa:49:22

We can see this outreach to peoples of all nations in Acts:2, when the Holy Spirit manifested, people of all nation heard the message in their own "tongue”. God "connected”, that means, he spoke their language and 3000 of them came to believe in Jesus, Acts:2:41

Speaking Their language 

The Miracle of "Tongues" speaks more to being able to connect with those around us, that is can we "speak their language", share with them the Gospel about Jesus in a way they can understand or relate to it? Can we be as St. Paul and become "All things to All Men"?

St. Paul found a way to talk about Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles. St. Paul accommodate them where they were, where he could Paul met them where they are. God has done the same things for humanity; he has accommodated us in the incarnation.

God has met us here where we are in the person of his Son Jesus. It is a real gift to be able to relate to others in a powerful way that they can be receptive and give the Gospel a fair hearing. 

Living Epistles

Can those around us see Christ in us in a way that is compelling and draws them to the message of Gospel? Each and all of us who have come to believe in our Lord Jesus, we who are experiencing that life of salvation should examine ourselves and ask are we living in a way that reflects the love of our Lord? What do they see when they look upon our lives? Are we living Epistles with His Word written upon our hearts and lived out each day to the Glory of our Lord? This is a question all Christian need to ask, both clergy and laity alike. I have asked myself this question many times.

"You are our letter written in our hearts, known and read of all men:" 2Cor:3:2

Our lives are to be lives that touch people for the better, meeting them where they are so that we might win some to the Gospel of our Lord, we can do this by being as St. Paul was "All things to all men".

Benediction: May we each and all be come all things to all, that they may be gathered into the dragnet of the Gospel and come to know the Great God thru the person of his Holy Son Jesus, today, tomorrow and forevermore ...Amen

Rev.Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma