ADAPTABILITY IN MINISTRY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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.

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.

I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Adaptability.

In leadership, it’s being able to adjust to different situations and people in order to achieve what needs to be done.

If you have been a faithful reader of this Christian blog, you know my background. I proudly served my country in the United States Navy for twenty-eight and a half years, nearly twenty years of that as a senior enlisted leader.

In the Navy, as in other military branches, you don’t stay long in any one place. Every three years or so, you receive new orders and transfer somewhere else, to a new command with a new mission and new people to serve with and lead. Being able to adjust to the new working environment is critical to your success and the success of others.

As we continue to look at the ninth chapter of 1 Corinthians, we find Paul testifying about his adaptability skills as he went about trying to share the Gospel with very different groups of people. Note that he did so by being able to relate to whomever he was communicating a message to.

When he brought the good news about Jesus to the Jews or those who followed Jewish law, he became like a Jew which wasn’t a stretch for Paul because he was a Jew before his conversion to Christianity.

When Paul brought the Gospel to the Gentiles, “to those not having the law”, he became one of them, relating to the Gentile lifestyle while sharing Christ’s law with them. The goal, as was with the Jews, was to win the Gentiles over and bring them to salvation through Jesus.

Finally, ministry can take us to the weak and this can be a challenge when we feel strong in the Lord.

How did Paul address this disparity?

He allowed himself to be weak to minister to the weak and introduce them to the Jesus who could bring them strength if they would just place their trust in Him.

Yes, Paul was adaptable in his ministry work and we would be well served to follow his lead. We need to be willing to “become all things to all people so that by all possible means” we might be able to “save some”. We can do this because the Lord sets us free to do so. Since we don’t belong to the world, we can make ourselves a slave to others, dedicating our life to selflessly serving their spiritual and physical needs. It’s all about being the hands and feet of Jesus, going where He sends us to bring His good news to the people He send us to.

We do this, not for our sake, but, like Paul, “for the sake of the gospel” and the cause of Christ. For it’s then that we might reap a harvest of blessings for the sacrificial, caring Gospel work we have sown.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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