“Finding Common Ground”
5th Sunday after the Epiphany 2/5-6/06
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22b-23

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ today’s message comes from 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23. It’s entitled “Finding Common Ground.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I recently noticed an article about a church in Jefferson City, MO trying to be “all things to all people.” They were trying to provide as many gimmicks as possible in order to get people to come to church. Here’s what they were doing: Grace Episcopal Church hosted its second annual “No Excuse Sunday” stating that blankets and sweaters would be provided for those who don’t come because the church is too cold, fans for those who are stay away because it’s too warm, hard hats for those whoa re afraid the roof will fall in, stop-watches and whistles for those who think the sermons are too long, ear plugs for those who think the organ is too loud, cushions for those who think the pews are too hard and name tags for those who are afraid they won’t be recognized. The church also announced it would provide free transportation. Talk about being all things to all people. Hopefully after that Sunday was over none of the people in the church had excuses for not being there.

2. This is part of what the Apostle Paul was talking about in his letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23 where he writes, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible… I have become all things to all men 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.” Sounds like the Apostle Paul was pretty determined not too let anything in his character stand in the way from someone hearing the saving message of the Gospel. Earlier on in his letter he said that he wouldn’t even accept a salary from the Corinthian church for preaching the Gospel to them. Paul tells us that his purpose in taking away his rights to be paid goes far beyond in gaining satisfaction in his ministry. His higher purpose is to save souls. Isn’t that the purpose of the church too? Paul is willing to sacrifice his rights in his service to others to win them for Christ. As comical as the article about Grace Episcopal Church was, it can also have a serious side to it. That church was going out of its way to get people to come to church and hear the saving message of God’s Word. Who knows, maybe the Apostle Paul would use these same measures to bring people to faith.

3. The Apostle Paul says that when he became a Christian, he became a free man in Christ. He was freed from the laws and regulations that bound God’s people in the Old Testament. Even though Paul was free from these ceremonial laws, Paul says that he lived like a Jew “under the law,” in order to win them over for Christ. This meant that Paul kept the Sabbath and festival days, such as Passover and the Day of Atonement. He followed the Old Testament regulations regarding the eating of pork and shellfish, he observed the rite of circumcision. In all of this Paul didn’t compromise his faith. Talk about being all things to all people.


4. Paul accommodated himself and became “all things” to the Gentiles as well. He says in 1 Corinthians 9:21, “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.” When Paul characterizes the Gentiles as not having the law he’s referring to the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament that were kept by the Jews. The Gentiles were under the natural law, or universal moral law that no human being is exempt from. This is what he meant when he said, “I am not free from God’s law.” That’s why in his contacts with the Greeks and Romans he didn’t observe the ceremonial law of the Jews. This is why even the Corinthian church that was mostly made up of Greek people didn’t have to feel that they should become Jewish in order to become Christians.

5. The Apostle Paul tried to find common ground with whatever group of people he was proclaiming the message of Christ to. This is a model for how we as Christians should live our lives. This common ground and being “all things to all people,” can be a hard task to do, but when it’s done correctly it can have awesome results. It’s amazing that Paul was able to reach as many people with different backgrounds and cultures. He even did this without compromising the name of Jesus.

6. So how would Christians finding common ground with those that are non Christians look like today? Some Church leaders have suggested that the church find things in secular culture to draw people into the church. For example, some people think that the church should be more accommodating to sports fans on Super Bowl Sunday. They may feel that the services should even have a Super Bowl theme to it so that we as Christians can be “all things to all people.” If that were the case then Pastor and I should have flipped a coin before the service began this morning to see who would be preaching. Our entrance hymn should have been “Pass it on.” Any acolyte found in an illegal motion should have been given a five-yard penalty. This sermon, if it’s over 18 minutes long may be regarded as a “delay of the game” and I will lose possession of the altar. The lessons for the day should have been on the Israelites making a quarterback sneak across the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22) and Jesus sending out the eleven (Matthew 28:16-20. Finally, the choir anthem for the day should be, “Drop-kick me Jesus through the Goal Posts of Life.”

7. So what would Christians finding common ground with non-Christians look like today? Some Church leaders have suggested that Christians find things in secular culture to draw people into the church. For example, some people think that the church should be more accommodating to sports fans on Super Bowl Sunday. They may feel that the services should even have a Super Bowl theme. If that were the case then Pastor and I should have flipped a coin before the service began to see who would be preaching. Our entrance hymn should have been “Pass it on.” Any acolyte found in an illegal motion should have been given a five-yard penalty. This sermon, if it’s over 18 minutes long may be regarded as a “delay of game” and I will lose possession of the altar. The lessons for the day should have been on the Israelites making a quarterback sneak across the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22) and Jesus sending out the eleven (Matthew 28:16-20). Finally, the Handbell anthem for the day should be, “Punt me Jesus through the goal posts of Life.”

8. But, we aren’t going to have our service focus solely on the Super Bowl and just accommodate football fans. We know in our church that Christ is the central focus of our faith and beliefs. He’s the theme of every Sunday. The Apostle Paul knew this as well. He found common ground with people in ways that didn’t compromise the Gospel. Sure, we as Christians will try to do everything possible to make the Gospel heard in different contexts, environments and cultures, but we never want the message of Christ to be hindered or watered down by trying too hard to meet people’s needs. That’s the struggle of trying to spread the message of the Gospel to those who haven’t heard it before. We may not offer hard hats and sweaters in church for people to use or have a Super Bowl themed Sunday, but we can give people rides to church if they need it or offer to take them to Bible Study. God calls us to be bold in our witness to them in the same way the Apostle Paul was. May God enable you to find common ground with those around you so that they too may be able to share in the saving message of God’s love and salvation. May He do this in and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.