“Are You a Shapeshifter”
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Welcome
Pray
Story of being a young boy and loving comic books
- Saving up money, riding my bike to the store, looking for the right edition
- Loved the superheroes – the costumes and gadgets. I imagined having the powers, saving the day. Bad guys lost, justice was served.
- But I really liked the Shapeshifter character. He could morph into anything or anyone.
- He was a villain. He would trick and manipulate to make an evil plan succeed.
- I wanted to use those powers for my own selfish ambition (Mom saying “go ask your Dad”).
- As a young teen, I thought I could use those powers for good. Infiltrate the bad guys, earn trust, then rain down justice.
- Even if I could do that, would it be ok. Is it ok to be fake & compromise what is right even if the outcome is “good”?
Tonight, we are continuing in the book of 1 Corinthians. If you’re just joining us, we’ve been going through this book on Wednesday nights since early last fall. It is a letter that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, Greece teaching them how to live Godly lives even though they were surrounded by an immoral and godless society. A society that many of them had just come out of when they accepted the gospel. They were still trying to learn how to separate themselves from the world and how to live their lives for Christ – both inside and outside of the church.
1 Cor. 9:19-23
“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I
might win the more.
And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under
the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law.
To those who are without the law, as without law (not being without law toward
God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to
all men, that I might by all means save some.
Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be a partaker of it with you.”
(NKJV)
Paul is talking about sharing the gospel – something all Christians are called to do.
In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (NKJV)
The Great Commission was not just for 11 guys. Those are our marching orders – so how do we do it? What’s important, what’s not? Paul is a great example to look to.
He appears to be a Shapeshifter – infiltrating groups, putting on an act, pretending to be something he’s not. All so he can get what he wants. But is that what he’s really doing? Does he manipulate? Is he fake?
Some say yes, but it’s ok because the outcome is that people will come to Christ. It’s called the “Accommodation Principal”. We need to accommodate the lost – look like them, act like them, speak like them. We need to be Shapeshifters.
That might make sense on the surface because of course we want to see people get saved. But is that really what Paul is saying – as long as someone gets saved, it doesn’t matter what you do or how you do it?
My first point is this – “Motives Matter”
Why you do what you do matters! In fact, you could argue it’s just as important, if not more important, than what you’re actually doing.
Proverbs 16:2
“People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives”.
(NLT)
People wil do a lot of “good” things with questionable motives and then convince themselves that it’s OK.
Let me give you some examples:
- Flattery – making someone feel good about themselves (which is nice) but only with the aim of gaining something for yourself. Like sucking up to a boss or trying to get a discount.
Proverbs 29:5
“A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet”. (NKJV)
- Virtue signaling – we’ve all seen this. Some sort of social issue comes up in the news and people start changing their social media profile pictures to make it look like they are supporting a cause, like they really want to see change. But that’s all they do. There is no real action behind it (I also call it Slacktivism). It really just boils down to them wanting to appear like they aren’t rocking the boat or gaining social credit for a stance they really aren’t taking in the real world.
- American Idol – people who can’t sing a lick come and totally embarrass themselves. Simon completely destroys them, and they’re crushed and flabbergasted. “All of my friends and family say I’m an incredible singer”. Well, I’m sorry friend. They lied to you to spare your feelings and so they didn’t come off as being mean. They should’ve told you the truth!
God cares about what’s in our hearts. Talk a lot about it on Monday nights. We aren’t going through motions, checking boxes, trying to do good deeds. Everything needs to be based on our heart condition.
These verses give us some insight into Paul’s motives…
- That I might win the more
- That I might win those
- That I might save some
- Now this I do for the sake of the gospel’s sake
He only wanted to win souls for Jesus. He didn’t care about making a name for himself, having a large following, selling out of merch, writing 2/3 of the New Testament. Just to see people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, turn from sin, commit their lives to Him
I think verse 19 speaks to Paul’s motives.
“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I
might win the more.”
Paul didn’t owe anything to anyone. He was completely free to do whatever he wanted. But he was willing to give up any selfish rights that he might have had in order to bring people to Jesus. We see this in how he “became a Jew” to the Jews as referenced in verse 20 of our text.
Acts 21:23-26
“Therefore do what we tell you: we have four men who have taken a vow.
Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave
their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed
concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the
law.
But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they
should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things
offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.
Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered
the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an
offering should be made for each one of them.” (NKJV)
- Paul had come to Jerusalem to report to James and the Church leaders
- They were excited, but the Jewish believers weren’t sold on Paul. They had heard some stuff.
- The leaders asked Paul to go through the purification ceremony to show he still valued Jewish traditions and OT Law.
- Paul knew the ceremonies weren’t necessary, but he did it to build a bridge.
We see this desire for bridge building again in Acts 16 where Paul wanted Timothy to join him on his journey. Timothy’s mother was a Jew, but his father was a Greek so apparently, Timothy didn’t grow up following the Jewish traditions.
Acts 16:3
“In deference to the Jews of the area, he (Paul) arranged for Timothy to be
circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek.” (NLT)
Again, not necessary for Timothy to do but would help in the ministry. It all shows Paul’s and Timothy’s motives. Not fake or manipulative. Just humbly giving up personal rights, doing things that were still acceptable to God and building trust – so they could share Jesus.
Being sensitive to the Jews who had the OT, but NT was still “under development”. It was all new and probably not something that was easy to grasp. The Holy Spirit was replacing 2000 year old traditions. Paul and Timothy proved their seriousness towards the things of God by participating.
We need to reach people where they are at. Changes will come. We can give up our rights, as Pastor Jay talked about. We shouldn’t be stumbling blocks in someone else’s path.
But we need to check our motives.
- Public recognition
- Store it up as some sort of debt
- More notches on our belt of self-righteousness
- Or do we truly care about seeing others get saved.
Paul and Timothy were willing to empathize, to really put themselves in their brother’s shoes. It wasn’t just appeasement and accommodation to be in someone’s good graces. It was seeing things through their eyes and taking the steps necessary to win their hearts and minds. They showed true compassion and care to uphold the character and mission of Jesus – it wasn’t to win human alliance.
Now we have to keep in mind though, there is a difference between giving up our personal rights and compromising our values or Biblical truth. Which brings me to my second point.
“The end doesn’t always justify the means”
This may seem contradictory based on what Paul says in verse 22. That “by all means” he might win some. But Paul did not have a “win at all costs” attitude where he threw all the rules out of the window. Paul drew lines, and we should too.
Certain things can’t be compromised. One of those things is boundaries in our lives that protect us from falling away.
Matthew Chapter 25: 1-13 tells the parable of the 10 virgins. In this parable, Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like 10 virgins who went out to wait for the bridegroom.
- 5 were wise and took plenty of oil for their lamps
- 5 were foolish and did not take enough oil
- The bridegroom was delayed and the foolish virgins ran out of oil
- They asked the wise ones to share, but were told “no, there might not be enough oil for both of us. Go out and buy your own oil”
- The foolish virgins left and while they were gone, the bridegroom came and took the wise virgins into the wedding – and the door was shut
- The 5 foolish virgins returned and wanted to get into the wedding, but the bridegroom said, “hit the bricks, I never knew you!”
Clearly, we need to be ready for Jesus’ return. We don’t know when it will be. What would it look like if the 5 virgins gave their oil away? What would it look like for us?
Something that is talked a lot about with the youth, especially the older teens as they start to take an interest in the opposite sex. Missionary dating is a bad idea! Don’t “flirt to convert”. The risk is too great that you’ll be the one who ends up “changed”.
It’s one of the main reason teens fall away from the church. Parents need to place boundaries in their teens’ lives. That can be hard as they become older, but you have to try. Otherwise, you have failed in your duties.
It’s not just limited to teens and romantic relationships. Even as adults we need boundaries. Nothing is worth falling away. Not even a long life.
We don’t take it seriously enough. We like to keep one foot in the world – saying we want to be a witness, but really we don’t want to give up the sin. Your witness doesn’t mean much if you claim Christ, but your actions never change.
Another thing we don’t compromise on is the message of the Cross. That’s one of the non-negotiables that Paul wasn’t willing to budge on.
1 Corinthians 1:23
“But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.”
(NKJV)
Paul didn’t change the message even though the people he was trying to reach saw it as a stumbling block and foolishness. He didn’t water it down so that they wouldn’t have an issue with it. He didn’t preach: “your best life now”, or “a fresh start with God “ or like Pastor Matt said on Sunday “your next yes to Jesus” (whatever that is). And he certainly didn’t preach “Jesus, the guy who gets us”.
“He Gets Us” Superbowl ad – political and ideological opposites washing feet.
- An anti-abortion protestor washing the feet of a young girl outside a “family planning clinic”
- A priest washing the feet of someone who is obviously gender confused
- Even a worker from the oil fields washing the feet of a climate change activist
The commercial ends with the captions “Jesus didn’t teach hate – He washed feet” and then “He gets us – All of us”.
Washing feet is an act of humility. It would be weird, but the world would be a better place if we did it. But a better world is not a more saved world. The ad implies Jesus is ok with our sin as long as we’re loving and kind.
By the way, I looked up their website and this is the opening line:
“How did the story of a man who taught and practiced unconditional love, peace, and
kindness; who spent his life defending the poor and the marginalized; a man who even
forgave his killers while they executed him unjustly – whose life inspired a radical
movement that is still impacting the world thousands of years later – how did this man’s
story become associated with hatred and oppression for so many people? And how might
we all rediscover the promise of the love his story represents?”.
Several more paragraphs that don’t talk about sin, repentance, the real reason behind Jesus’ death.
I do believe that Jesus “gets us” in that He understands our hurts, our frustrations, our temptations. He knows exactly what we are going through because He was fully human and experienced everything we do. I think all of that is very clear in the Bible. But he doesn’t just “get us”. He..
- Forgives us
- Redeems us
- Restores us
- Heals us
- Provides for us
And He also
- Challenges us
- Corrects us
- Disciplines us
- Changes us
Many think this message is a good entry point to become aware of Jesus.
Matt Walsh quote:
“Even if it does get people’s feet in the door, it’ll be the wrong door for the wrong reason. When you tell unrepentant sinners to ‘come get your feet washed’, you are affirming them in their sin. You’re feeding into their pride and ego.”
I think it’s affirming sin by saying “who you are in your current, sinful state, deserves to be served”. The disciples gave up everything, but you can do it because you’re special. The message brings Jesus down to our level, like He’s just one of us.
What if I have anger issue? Is He ok with that?
James 1:20
“Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” (NLT)
Colossians 3:8
“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: ANGER, WRATH, malice,
blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.” (NKJV)
Jesus isn’t ok with us living in sin and convincing ourselves it alright because “He gets us”.
There’s a lot of pushback and it’s caused division. That’s what compromise does.
Think of the military. What if half the troops/leaders wanted to compromise the message and the mission?
- Because the training was too hard
- Because the enemy wasn’t that much of a threat
- Because people who didn’t sign on the dotted line were feeling left out
- What if they started accommodating everyone’s version of the standard.
We see the same thing playing out in the American Church. So many churches, leaders and organizations have compromised the truth that it’s caused a massive crack in our unity with one another.
Nothing good comes from compromising the truth of the Bible when sharing the gospel. It doesn’t get people saved and it doesn’t create the unity that Jesus prayed we (His followers) would have. We need to follow Paul’s example in meeting people where they are at and sharing the unfiltered, full-gospel of Jesus Christ with them.
Third point – “Share in Other People’s Blessings”
1 Cor. 9:23
“I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessing.” (NLT)
“Do things the Bible way, get the Bible result”. God blesses those who commit and submit to Him. We should expect it and be excited about it.
For some reason we shapeshift in to envious people, thinking God’s blessing is a prize to be one and there can only be one winner.
Not everything is a competition. Someone else winning doesn’t mean we lose. Paul does all those things to SHARE in the blessings of the gospel. But far too often, we don’t like seeing other people blessed. We get jealous.
Proverbs 27:4
“Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.”
(NLT)
We have to let go of this mindset that if we see someone else being blessed in their walk with Christ that it means we will be blessed less. God doesn’t have a limited supply of blessings. We don’t have to “get ours” at the expense of others.
We should be excited to see our brothers and sisters in Christ flourish. Whether it’s in their finances, relationships, health, whatever. The Bible is full of examples of the goodness that God pours out on His children, and we should celebrate when see that happen in the lives of other believers.
Romans 12:15
“Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” (NKJV)
Nobody’s success can stop your own. Nobody’s promotion can replace yours. Don’t be a hater towards the positive things that are making others rejoice.
Each of us is running a race. My race is different than yours. I’m only running against myself. I don’t need to root against anyone. Lift each other up. And take that same attitude out into the world. It’s so counter-cultural and opens the door to share the gospel.
Story of Aaron Q on The Blox
- In November of 2022, Holly signed him up for a Reality TV show competition for entrepreneurs called The Blox. He was chosen at the end of December of that year to be part of Season 7 – which started filming in less than two weeks.
- Aaron knew nothing about the show. He had never seen an episode.
- He asked God what he was supposed to do. How was he supposed to approach this opportunity.
- God told Aaron to “go and add value to others”. To cheer them on, to support them, to share his wisdom
- Aaron is very competitive and doing all of that could have put him at a disadvantage in the competition. In fact, for most of the competition, he wasn’t winning the individual events. He was very discouraged and even called Pastor Matt. P. Matt reminded him of why he was there and said, “if you do that, you’re winning”.
- He started having more success, winning the individual contests, but was still very focused on speaking into the lives of the other contestants.
- And guess who won that season?
- And guess who was called back in June of 2023 for Season 9? And guess who won that season?
- And guess who was called back in February of this year to be a coach and a judge?
- And all that winning has given Aaron a chance to share his testimony and the gospel with people who might not otherwise hear it. All because he obeyed God and just tried to add value to their lives where he could.
Be happy for people. Stop being a hater. Add value to their lives – and let God work out the details. He is more than able to lift you up as you do that.
Closing
As Christians, our main purpose for existing is to bring glory to God. It’s why we were created.
Isaiah 43:6-7
“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’.
Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth.
Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have
formed him, yes, I have made him.” (NKJV)
If we’ve accepted Jesus and have been called by His name, then we should tell others about it.
It can be hard, uncomfortable, scary. We put pressure on ourselves. Paul shows us that’s not necessary. We aren’t responsible for whether or not someone gets saved, we just have to be obedient in sharing the truth and understand the treasure that is.
We don’t need to be fake, we don’t need to manipulate, we don’t need to compromise. We don’t need to be Shapeshifters. We just need to love people where they’re at and have a heart for seeing lost people get saved; remembering that the gospel can stand on its own. It doesn’t need to be watered down or revamped. It just needs to be shared with clean hands and pure hearts and an attitude that we are cheering people on as we share in the blessings of the gospel together.
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