Common Good for the Community

1 Corinthians 9:23

23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."

         Paul did whatever it took for the sake of the gospel. He is a great example of what that means and when you do that there are great blessings to go along with it. Paul was three different people so that he might share the gospel with four different groups. It is not usually good to change to fit in but for this thing it was for the sake of the gospel. The three different people Paul took on for the gospel was: a slave, Jew, Gentile, and weak. 

          It talks about how Paul was a slave to reach the slaves. He also talked about how to have freedom in Christ. He is a bondservant to others. He cared about people in a good way. He wanted to lead them to Christ. It talks about this way in chapters 8-10. The second kind of person Paul becomes is a Jew. That was really hard for him, even though he was a Jew, he believed in Christ when the other Jews don't. It talks about him being a Jew in Acts, chapters 21-22. 

          It, also, talks about how Paul becomes a Gentile to reach the Gentiles. Chapter 1 in Acts 17 tells you how Paul becomes a Gentile to do that. 

          The last thing Paul changed into was a weak person for the weak people. It talks about Him being that in 1 Cor. 8. Yet, there is another way to look at all of this and that is "Paul's identity changes along with his life." Wherever Paul is in life, then that is what he needs to be. God is changes Paul to become stronger and wiser for Him. God starts with the easiest group and then goes up to the hardest. "Identity change pervices life change". That was a quote said by my pastor.  Our life stories are really the same when we look deep into each of ourselves. We just have a lot of different life experiences that we can share and that covers up the most important part at the same time. 
             Yeah, people might come off differently because of their lives but we are all granddaughters and grandsons of Eve so we all have the same background. I would really like to think that I would do anything for anyone so that it would grow me. The question is: Would I really do that? Would I really do anything in the world so that it would grow me?  

1 Corinthians 9:24-27New American Standard Bible (NASB)

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

            My pastor also gave us these verses at the end of sermon to tie it altogether. He, kind of, summed it up like this. Life changes all the time. God changes you so that you can change people for Him and win the "race". We need to run the race in a way we will win it. It is a way of discipling our bodies in a way that honors God. We need to have self-control to change for the good of God. We need to go forwards for nothing but for the glory of God and that should be our aim. 
            We are beating at something and that something is the devil. We need to get the devil down on the ground. We are just not beating the air but beating the sins out of people.  That sounds bd in a way but when you really think about it that is what we were meant to do but in a nice, loving way.