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*How to Be a Shining Light to your Neighbors*
* *
1 Corinthians 9: 19-23
 
!! MARCH 26, 2006
 
*Focus*: /It takes a servant’s heart to reach the lost around us./
/ /
<Paragraph:Indent>*Introduction: *It is said evangelism is like strong horseradish: people praise it with tears in their eyes.
Well, that being said, maybe we should first define evangelism.
What is it?
Like other Christian terminology, the words “evangelical” and “evangelism” may be lost on us.
But shouldn’t we know what they mean?
After all, the word “evangelical” is part of the name of this denomination - Evangelical Free Church.
Now that can be confusing enough, can’t it?
Evangelical Free?
As in caffeine-free and sugar-free, we may be accused of being free of evangelism.
Well, I am here to say we are not free of evangelism in our church.
The dictionary defines evangelism as the preaching of the Christian gospel.
Gospel means “good news” and the good news in a nutshell is that Jesus came, died for our sins and rose on the third day and now sits on the right hand of God.
An evangelist is the preacher of that good news.
If you are an evangelical believer, you will be marked with the fervor and zeal needed to preach that good news.
Now, let’s look at what is necessary to live like Paul as an evangelist, as a shining light for Jesus before our neighbors.
Paul sets out the biblical approach to being an evangelist, a preacher of the good news.
In 1 Corinthians Paul is in a teaching series to straighten out wrong thinking in the church at Corinth.
In Chapter 5, he had attacked immorality in the church, in chapter 6 he spoke against taking a fellow believer to court, in 7 he demanded love and fidelity within the bond of marriage.
And in Chapter 8 he attacked unnecessary food rules.
Now Paul begins this 9th chapter defending his authority and rights as an apostle.
He starts by giving his credentials.
Read along with me in 1 Corinthians 9:1, “Am I not as free as anyone else?  Am I not an apostle?
Haven’t I seen Jesus with my own eyes?
(check out Acts 9:3-18 if you want to verify this yourself) Isn’t it because of my work that you belong to the Lord?”
In that first verse, Paul sets the record straight.
He declares himself an apostle -  preacher of the good news - an evangelist.
In verse 2 he goes on to declare that the Corinthians themselves were living proof that his shining light had brought them to the LORD.
Then in verses 3 through 14, Paul challenges his accusers by telling of all he willingly gave up to preach the gospel.
He had gladly given up his right to a wife and a home and a salaried job in order to preach, without hindrance, the good news about God the Father and His one and only Son, Jesus.
Paul was called by God to preach, compelled by God to do it freely.
In verse 17 he calls this a “sacred trust”.
And because he was not a paid preacher, he relied on the hospitality and generosity of those who benefited from his preaching.
He attempted to meet the spiritual needs of those he preached to and in return, they met his physical needs.
In one biblical version it says, “We have planed good spiritual seed among you.
Is it too much to ask, in return, for mere food and clothing?”
Then we come to verse 19 - a pivotal verse where the “why” of his ministry is made clear.
Let’s look at it together: Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.
I like the way the New King James version puts it: Even though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more;
 
What bound Paul to his ministry as an evangelist?
Certainly not the pay scale!
He was bound by love for people.
He declares himself a loyal servant of all.
In the New Living Translation he calls himself a “slave to all people”.
And who are the “all people” he speaks about?
He goes on to tell us in verses 20-22.
They are the Jews, the Gentiles, the weak, and the strong.
All types of people.
They were his neighbors.
Remember  “Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself.”
(Deut.
6)  Paul lives by this command.
Most of us are neighbors to someone, aren’t we?
In the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 Jesus was asked “Who is my neighbor?” to which he answered, “He who shows mercy.”
Paul showed mercy to the unsaved in his path - in this case in Corinth.
They were his neighbors.
For us, evangelism is showing mercy by opening up relationships with our neighbors and making our home a place where God’s character can be on display.
Evangelism is the process of sharing the good news with our neighbors
 
The word “neighbor” comes from both Greek and Latin roots meaning literally “draw nigh”.
We say we’re nigh to Wetaskiwin.
That means we are close.
To be a “nigh-bor” means to draw near or to get close.
We will have little effect on the lives of our neighbors from a distance.
To be a shining light you must be near!
The greatest barrier to evangelism is not our belief in Christ; it is our aloofness - our lack of nearness.
Oswald Chambers says, Beware of stopping your ears to the call of God.
Everyone who is saved is called to testify to the fact.
Christians are in danger of becoming a little holy huddle, without the ability to bridge into the non-Christian community.
According to research the average Christian has no non-Christian friends after they’ve known the LORD for two years.
Because of that, we must make our contacts with our neighbors intentional.
Are thy going to come to us?
Not likely!
We have to go to them - the Jews, the Gentiles, the weak and the strong.
We have to be the bridge-builders.
In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul gives some clues about how to build that bridge.
Paul became a neighbor to a motley crew in the port city of Corinth.
Now that was quite an undertaking.
Here are some of his principles on how to be a good neighbor as taken from verses 19 through 23.
Follow along as I read:
This means I am not bound to obey people just because they pay me, yet I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ.
When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ.
When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ.
When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can.
In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ.
But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.
Whan I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ.
Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.
I do all this to spread the good news, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings.
Now let’s examine those verses to see what Paul has to teach us.
*1.
**Shining Light People Abandon their Rights*
First, IF you are going to be a shining light to your neighbors, and IF you want to hear God say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant’” you are going to have to abandon some of your rights, especially your right to privacy.
If you are going to be involved in the lives of your neighbors and other people God puts in your path, you are going to have to make time for them - to be near them, to do things with them.
You can expect if you commit yourself to being intentional with a neighbor that God will bring them to your doorstep at times that may not be to your liking.
Joseph Aldritch, the President of Multnohmah Bible College relates the following story of his commitment to really be there for his neighbors: “When my wife and I went to Dallas Seminary, we decided to live in the high-class red-light district.
If you want to get an introduction to life itself, that’s the place to be!
We made a commitment to take one non-Christian person, couple or individual, out to dinner once a week.
Did we ever get a liberal education!
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