Are you willing to give up your rights?
/In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul says:
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)
Paul, ‘by all possible means’, sought to see people saved.
To do this, he lived like a Jew when he was around Jews (even though he was no longer under the Old Covenant).
He lived like a Gentile when he was around Gentiles (even though he was not free to do anything, but was under Christ’s law).
Earlier in the letter, he makes it clear that he has forgone his right to be paid for ministry rather than hinder the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:12).
Be like Paul
If we university-educated Christians wish to make disciples of everyday people, we must also be prepared to forgo our rights.
Are we ready to give up our professional values, preferences, habits and desires in order to make disciples of everyday people?
Are we willing, as Paul was, to ‘become like’ the people we are trying to reach?
And what might that look like in the local church?
Getting to know the people around us
In order to become like someone, we need to know them.
This could well mean giving up our time to do things we wouldn’t otherwise choose to do, in order to make new friends.
We might join the local sporting team, or a taekwondo class, or whatever recreational activities everyday people in your area do to socialise and have fun.
As we befriend people, we can find out what they like to do and get a sense of what makes them feel comfortable (and uncomfortable). We can invite them into our homes. We can notice how they dress, the language they use, and the things they talk about.
The better we know them, the better we will be able to be like them. And as scary as it may sound, just hanging around with everyday people will start to change us.
Changing the way we do things at church
Let me outline what it might look like to forgo your rights as a university-educated Christian churchgoer in order to make disciples of everyday people.
It might look like relaxing the way people dress for church, including in up-front roles.
It might involve providing a place for people to smoke after the service.
It might mean using the Swedish method of Bible reading in your small groups instead of requiring members to work through studies with set comprehension questions.
It might involve changing the songs you sing in church.
In our gatherings, it may be helpful to focus more on authenticity than slickness – to lower the bar on outward impressiveness, to speak less formally, to allow things to be a bit ‘rough’.
Instead, we can choose to place a higher emphasis on inner humility, love and faithfulness, especially in those who lead and serve from the front.
Changing the way we speak
Whether from the front of church or in individual conversations, there are ways in which we can be especially conscious of the language we use.
We can work at speaking openly and honestly about our sin and struggles.
We can use everyday language and avoid Christian jargon – and if we absolutely must use jargon, explain it.
We can share how the biblical truths we are explaining apply to our own lives, making these truths concrete and relevant by using illustrations and stories.
We can avoid the ‘easy option’ of asking new people what they do for work. Instead, we can work a bit harder to ask questions that will help us get to know each other on a different and more meaningful basis – like ‘What do you like to do for fun?’ or ‘What do you like to do when you have some free time?’
And we can back this all up by opening our homes to talk more, being personal in our interactions, and calling or visiting rather than just sending emails or texts.
This is difficult! What will help us?
It’s hard work giving up our rights and preferences for the sake of others. But we must keep remembering what Jesus did for us. Paul reminds us:
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death –
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5–11)
Jesus gave up everything for us and in place of paradise accepted humiliation, betrayal, shame and suffering. He drank the cup of God’s wrath.
And he did it all for you and for me – so that we wouldn’t have to drink the cup of God’s wrath as we deserve, and so that we might be forgiven and have the hope of eternal life in a world without sin and death.
Be like Jesus
Jesus gave up all of his rights because of his incredible love for us.
And if we Christians in churches with predominantly university-educated members are going to overcome the cultural barriers to making disciples of everyday people – and truly value them – then we must be willing, like Jesus and like Paul, to give up our rights and preferences.
It is only the gospel, Christ’s sacrifice for us, that will keep us working at it.
I pray that God’s Spirit would give us such a clear picture of Jesus’ love that, with all our strength and might, we will give up our rights and seek to become like everyday people – so that, ‘by all possible means’, we might save some.
This article is one of a series that I’ve written about making disciples of ‘everyday people’.
It can be read on its own, but if you’d like to gain a greater understanding of how my thoughts around this important topic have developed, you may wish to read the full series of articles in order.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™