Winning Others to Christ

Winning
Others to Christ

by

Steven J. Cole

(1)When Gib Martin, who later became a
pastor, was 27-years-old, he was a
school teacher. After spending his day
with 27 kids, he would unwind by
stopping at a bar to have a beer and
bemoan life. He had come from a
religious background, but for three
years he had been an atheist. He was
going through a period of desperation
and he didn’t feel like being around
anyone.
Every day at the bar he would see an
older man named Charlie, a carpenter
who for many years had been an
alcoholic, but then, many years before,
had been led to Christ by Martin’s great-
grandmother. Charlie was so burdened
for souls that after work each day, he
would stop at this bar, drink coffee, and
share his life with those who would
listen.
Charlie could tell that Gib was
miserable, so he tried to befriend him,
but was met with resistance. He wasn’t
able to share Christ because of Gib’s
attitude, but he invited him to go hear a
man with a doctor’s degree who was
speaking in the community. Gib told
Charlie he would go if they could later
discuss what the man had to say. Gib
went and heard the gospel for the first
time. He was so convicted of his sin that
he vomited all night long and thought he
was dying. The next day at noon, he
dropped to his knees and gave his life to
Christ. He later found out that Charlie
and others that Charlie had led to Christ
had spent all night praying for him.
But the sad part of the story is that none
of the local churches would allow
Charlie to associate with them because
he went to the bar every day. Even
though he wasn’t getting drunk—he
wasn’t even having a beer—they didn’t
like what he was doing. Even the church
where Charlie directed Gib to go after
his conversion wouldn’t allow Charlie to
join (from A Theology of Personal
Ministry, by Lawrence Richards and Gib
Martin [Zondervan], pp 44-45).
What do you think? Was Charlie wrong
to go into a bar to get acquainted with
those who frequented that place and
look for opportunities to share the
gospel? Or, was Charlie following the
example of the apostle Paul, who
became all things to all men so that by
all means he might save some (1 Cor.
9:22 )? I’ll tip my hand: Give me ten men
like Charlie to reach out to Flagstaff’s
bar crowd!
There is no doubt that some have
greatly misapplied our text. For
example, during the hippie days,
women from the Children of God cult
were encouraged to “be all things to all
men” by offering themselves sexually to
entice men to join the group! A more
current and subtle example is the so-
called “Insider Movement” among
missions to the Muslims. In attempting
to contextualize the gospel for Islamic
cultures, some have gone so far as to say
that Muslim converts to Christianity can
still go to the mosque, repeat the Islamic
creed, observe the fasts, view the Koran
as a revelation from God, and esteem
Mohammed as God’s prophet! Many
rightly fear that these missionaries are
creating a new syncretistic religion that
we might call, “Christlam.”
If we want truly to win others to Christ,
we need to think carefully about Paul’s
words in these verses. As Gordon Fee
points out (The First Epistle to the
Corinthians [Eerdmans], p. 432), this
text has nothing to do with adapting the
message of the gospel to the language
and perspective of the recipients.
Neither, he says, does it have anything
to do with observing social taboos
among Christians. Rather, it has to do
with how one lives or behaves among
those he wishes to evangelize. The
message of the cross is often offensive
to proud sinners, but we should not be
personally offensive in neutral matters
of custom or culture. Paul is saying,
Winning others to Christ requires
presenting the gospel to lost people without
needlessly offending them.
In the context, Paul is writing against
the Corinthians who were demanding
their rights. He is showing how he laid
aside his rights for the sake of others.
He had a right to support in the
ministry (9:1-14), but he laid aside that
right so as not to be a hindrance to the
gospel (9:15-18). Here he is arguing that
he had a right to be free from the social
customs of others in non-moral areas,
but he laid aside that right and enslaved
himself to all, becoming all things to all
men that by all means he might save
some.
We need to understand that to win
others to Christ, we must share the
content of the gospel (9:18). People will
not be converted by watching our lives
alone, without hearing the good news
about Christ. But what Paul tells us here
is that we should remove all cultural
barriers that would needlessly distract
or offend those we are trying to reach.
We don’t want our outward appearance
or political views to be the issue. We
want the gospel to be the issue.
1. Winning others to Christ requires
presenting the gospel to lost people.
God could have chosen other methods to
spread the gospel, and probably they
would have been more effective. Angels
could have done a better job, but God
chose saved people to tell lost people the
message. Our text shows that there is
both a goal that we must own and a
message that we must proclaim.
A. THERE IS A GOAL THAT WE MUST OWN: BY
ALL MEANS TO SAVE SOME.
Paul sums up his goal in 9:22b-23a: “so
that I may by all means save some. I do
all things for the sake of the gospel ….”
When we read these words, we all must
ask, “Is that my goal?” Maybe you’re
wondering, “ Should it be my goal? Isn’t
that just a goal for an apostle or
missionary or for someone gifted in
evangelism?” But Jesus said that He
came to seek and to save that which was
lost (Luke 19:10 ), and we are to become
like Him. And Paul said (1 Cor. 10:33 ),
“Just as I also please all men in all
things, not seeking my own profit but
the profit of the many, so that they may
be saved.” Then he immediately adds
(11:1), “Be imitators of me, just as I also
am of Christ.” So while we all have
different gifts, we should purpose to use
them for the ultimate goal of seeing lost
people get saved. Consider four things
about this goal:
(1) IT IS A REALISTIC GOAL.
Even Paul, as gifted as he was, does not
think that he will save everyone . But he
did aim to save some , and those some
would save some others, who would save
some others. Paul realistically knew that
the gospel would be for some an aroma
of life, but for others an aroma of death
(2 Cor. 2:15-16 ). The goal is to save
some.
This helps me not get under a pile
thinking about the enormity of the task.
I can’t reach all of Flagstaff with the
gospel, much less the whole world! But
maybe I can be God’s instrument in
saving some. Begin praying for those
you have contact with who don’t know
Christ. Pray for opportunities to present
the gospel to them. It is a realistic goal
to ask God to use you to save some.
(2) IT IS A WORTHY GOAL.
Nothing is more worthy of your time
and effort than helping people get
rightly related to God. Nothing will help
the world more than leading people to
saving faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing will
help families more than leading family
members to Christ.
A worthy goal deserves worthy means of
achieving it. When Paul says that he
uses “all means” to save some (9:22), in
the context he means that he is willing
to lay aside all of his rights to bring
someone to Christ. He does not mean
that the end justifies any means. I read
about a church in Texas that attracted
23,000 to its Easter services by
advertising that they would give away
16 cars and millions in prizes, including
bicycles, furniture sets, flat-screen TV’s,
and 15,000 gift envelopes stuffed with
coupons for goods and services valued
at $300 each (World, May 8, 2010, p.
30). The pastor justified it by saying that
it gave them a chance to offer the free
gift of heaven to those who came. He
claims that thousands received Christ
because of the giveaway. But I think he
cheapened the gospel by making it seem
like an extra door prize that you can
take home with your new TV set! It was
not a worthy means for the worthy
message of the gospel.
(3) IT IS A CRUCIAL GOAL.
What could be more crucial than saving
people? If a person is not saved, he is
lost. Those are the only choices. And
we’re not talking about a temporary
situation, but an eternal one!
If we say that we believe the Bible and
follow Jesus as Lord, we cannot escape
the fact of an eternal hell that is an
awful place. Jesus described it as a place
of unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43 ),
where there is weeping and gnashing of
teeth (Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13;
24:51; 25:30 ). He never pictures it as a
giant party for all the wicked. He tells of
the rich man in the flames pleading
with Abraham to send someone from
the dead to warn his brothers, so that
they will not come to “this place of
torment” (Luke 16:27-28 ).
So when we talk about people getting
saved, they aren’t getting saved from
low self-esteem or from a life of failure.
They are getting saved from God’s
eternal wrath and judgment on their sin
to eternal life with God in heaven. It’s a
crucial goal.
(4) IT IS A COMPELLING GOAL.
Because it is so crucial, the goal of
saving some must grip our lives. These
verses throb with Paul’s passion to
reach the lost: “that I may win
more” (9:19); “that I may win
Jews” (9:20); “that I may win those who
are under the Law” (9:20); “that I might
win those who are without law” (9:21);
“that I might win the weak” (9:22); “that
I may by all means save some” (9:22); “I
do all things for the sake of the
gospel” (9:23). Back in verse 16, Paul
says that he was under compulsion to
preach the gospel. He didn’t control it; it
controlled him. The man was obsessed!
If it were not the apostle Paul and if this
were not inspired Scripture, some
theologically correct brothers might say,
“Paul, don’t you know that you can’t
save anyone? Only God can save people.
So relax, will you? If God has chosen to
save them, then He will do that without
your help!” That’s what a pious minister
told William Carey 220 years ago when
he proposed taking the gospel to India.
But both Carey and the apostle Paul
realized that the sovereign God uses
means to save His elect. He uses men
and women who are compelled by the
goal of saving some.
Does the goal of saving lost people grip
you? Is it your passion, as it was Paul’s?
I confess that I’m too complacent about
seeing lost people get saved. Paul shows
us that there is a goal we must own: by
all means to save some.
B. THERE IS A MESSAGE THAT WE MUST
PROCLAIM: THE GOSPEL.
True, we cannot save anyone, but the
gospel is “the power of God for
salvation to everyone who
believes” (Rom. 1:16 ). This means that
winning people to Christ does not
require that you learn how to become a
clever salesman. Rather, it means that
you understand the gospel clearly so
that you can present it well. You should
be able to present it in one minute or
less. There are 3 parts:
First, our problem is sin, rebellion
against the holy God who created us to
know Him. “For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23 ).
And, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom.
6:23 ), which means eternal separation
from God in hell.
Second, God’s provision for our sin is
the Lord Jesus Christ. He is God in
human flesh. He came to teach us God’s
ways and to offer Himself as the perfect
sacrifice for sin that God’s righteousness
demands. Since He is God, His death has
infinite value. Since He is man, His
death atones for human sin. God raised
Jesus from the dead as proof that His
death is the acceptable sacrifice for our
sins. “He Himself bore our sins in His
body on the cross, so that we might die
to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Pet.
2:24 ). “He [God] made Him [Christ] who
knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,
that we might become the righteousness
of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21 ).
Third, our required response is to trust
in God’s provision in Christ as the
payment in full for our sins . To trust in
Christ, we must turn from our sins and
give up our attempts to get into heaven
by our good works. Rather, whoever
believes in Jesus Christ has eternal life
(John 3:16 ). We must trust in Jesus as
we would trust a doctor who gave us a
prescription and said, “Take this; it will
cure you.” We must trust in Christ as we
would trust a pilot who said, “Get on
board and I will fly you to your
destination.” To trust in Jesus Christ as
Savior means that His death and
resurrection are your only hope to be
acquitted and get into heaven on
judgment day.
To win others to Christ, we must present
this simple good news: You have sinned
against God, but Jesus Christ bore your
penalty on the cross if you will turn
from your sin and trust in Him.
2. Winning others to Christ requires
presenting the gospel to lost people
without needlessly offending them.
Paul shows us three things about how he
preached the gospel boldly and yet
avoided needless personal offense:
There is an attitude to adopt; a
perception to gain; and, a balance to
maintain.
A. THERE IS AN ATTITUDE TO ADOPT: I AM A
SLAVE TO ALL.
“For though I am free from all men, I
have made myself a slave to all, so that I
may win more” (9:19). A slave does not
view himself as being over others, but
rather as being under them to serve. He
doesn’t think of himself first, but of
those he serves. Paul made himself a
slave to those who were without Christ.
Do you view the lost as the enemy to be
fought or as those whom you need to
serve? If the latter, how are you serving
them? Do you look for opportunities to
serve your neighbors or your lost family
members? If an unbeliever is rude
toward you, do you react with anger or
with kindness?
I read of a mean army sergeant who
threw his muddy boots at a Christian
private as he knelt by his bunk in
prayer. They hit him in the head, but he
went on praying. In the morning the
sergeant found his boots beside his bunk
beautifully polished. That act of kind
service on the part of that private
resulted in the sergeant’s salvation. I’ll
be the first to admit that I probably
would not have responded as that
private did. But that kind of behavior
starts with an attitude that we all must
adopt: “I am a slave to the lost.”
B. THERE IS A PERCEPTION TO GAIN: WHERE
IS THIS PERSON AT?
Paul had one message, the gospel, which
he never changed. But culturally, he
considered the perspective of his
hearers and tried to think and act as
they did, as long as it wasn’t sinful, so
that they would hear the message.
To the Jews, Paul became a Jew (9:20).
Wasn’t Paul already a Jew? Yes, but he
had left the strict cultural aspects of
Judaism behind when God called him to
preach to the Gentiles. So when he went
back to Jerusalem or to Jewish people
anywhere, he had to relate to them as a
Jew. In modern terms, with the Jews,
Paul was kosher. He skipped the bacon
for breakfast.
“Those under the Law” (9:20) is another
way of looking at the Jews. It focuses on
their religious practices, especially
keeping the ceremonial aspects of the
Law. Paul was no longer under the Law
of Moses (Rom. 6:14; 7:4 ), but he could
observe a Jewish celebration if it gave
him an opportunity to reach the Jews.
“Those without law” (9:21) refers to the
Gentiles. When Paul was with them, he
could lay aside the non-moral aspects of
the Law of Moses and live culturally like
a Gentile. He is quick to clarify that he
was not without God’s law, but under
the law of Christ, which refers to the
moral aspects of God’s law. Paul would
never use profanity or tell dirty jokes to
relate to lost people. But he would eat
meat offered to idols to reach Gentiles
(1 Cor. 10:27-31 ).
“To the weak” (9:22) is difficult to
interpret. Either you have to give a
different meaning to “the weak” than it
had in chapter 8, where it referred to
weak believers; or, you have to give a
different sense to “win,” which refers to
saving the lost. Since the immediate
context has to do with winning people
to Christ, I think Paul means that with
those who are overly scrupulous, he
would be sensitive and not bowl them
over with his liberty in Christ. In other
words, he was sensitive to the sensitive.
Paul’s overall point is that we need to
understand where a person is at and
not do things in our behavior or
manners that needlessly offend them.
The message of the cross may well
offend them, but we should not be
personally offensive to them. Don’t
make non-gospel issues the issue. Make
the gospel the issue.
Thus, there is an attitude to adopt: I am
a slave to all. There is a perception to
gain: Where is this person at? Finally,
C. THERE IS A BALANCE TO MAINTAIN: TO BE
ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE, WHILE BEING
ALL FOR GOD.
This is always a struggle and it’s easy to
err on both sides. Some professing
Christians, such as the Amish, withdraw
from the world and are so culturally
distinct that they have virtually no
impact in terms of saving any. The
world just looks at them as being weird.
They aren’t of the world, but neither are
they in the world.
On the other hand, in their attempt to
reach the world, other professing
Christians become so much like the
world that they lose their holiness and
compromise the gospel. For example,
I’ve read of pastors that freely use
profanity and churches that use secular
hard rock music (with lewd lyrics) to
lure young people into the building.
They’re in the world, but they’re also of
the world.
Jesus calls us to be in the world, but not
to be of the world (John 17:15-16 ). He
was known as the friend of sinners, but
He never compromised His holiness.
One way to keep our balance is to keep
our goal in view at all times: “to save
some.” Your reason for going into the
world is not to cavort with them, but to
snatch them out of the flames (Jude 23 ).
And, a second goal that Paul mentions is
(9:23), “so that I may become a fellow
partaker of it [the gospel].” Along with
those he sees come to faith in Christ,
Paul wants to share in the eternal
blessings of the gospel.
If Charlie, the converted alcoholic, had
said, “Now that I’m a Christian, I won’t
go into bars,” he never would have
reached Gib Martin. On the other hand,
if Charlie had gone into bars and
started drinking and carousing again,
he never would have reached Gib
Martin. To win others to Christ, we have
to go where they’re at so that we will get
opportunities to present the gospel to
them. But we need to be distinct in our
lifestyle and behavior so that we don’t
compromise the message that we have
to give them.
Conclusion
This passage convicts me in several
areas. I lack Paul’s all-consuming
passion, to by all means save some. I
can’t honestly say, “I do all things for
the sake of the gospel.” I’m too isolated
from lost people to reach them with the
gospel. Perhaps you’re convicted in the
same way, or perhaps some of you are
too much like worldly people to win any
of them to Christ. However the Lord
speaks to you, I urge you to wrestle with
it and ask God to change you. May He
use us as a church to win more to Jesus
Christ!