IBS Application for 1 Corinthians 9:22

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.”

Paul had a thorough understanding of what would be needed to reach and share the message of the Gospel with anyone and everyone he came across. While this certainly could be attributed to him having the gift of discernment, it’s also true that he was a very intelligent man who knew how to address an audience. He made use of the blessings of education he had received in his upbringing to glorify Christ.

In the same way that Paul was prepared to be able to minister and witness to those who had yet to hear the message of salvation on a rhetorical level, I believe that it may be prudent for us as the modern church to follow his example in this regard, that we too might be used by God to save nonbelievers. I’m not saying that everyone should study rhetoric in the same way and at the same level that Paul had demonstrated in his life. But I am saying that being prepared for what questions and insecurities may come to the surface when ministering to nonbelievers is a wise thing to consider doing.

And I believe that this preparedness isn’t a virtue to be restricted to the realm of evangelism. This kind of adaptability is still useful for those belonging to the church as well as it concerns interacting with each other. Ministry still takes place within the church, after all. Being able to minister to those with whom we fellowship using the gifts that God has given us is edifying to the body of Christ.

This is immediately applicable to me and my team. We’ve all been given a great gift in the form of each other; we’ve all been placed here in the same Ignite class to be able to minister well not only to each other, but to the people in the countries to which we are being sent. Where one person struggles with a weakness in one area of their walk, God has ensured that someone else here has a strength to compensate for that weakness.

Not only has God allowed for us to be able to function as a unit despite our individual weaknesses; He has also placed people here that are challenging each of us to grow in these weaker areas of our walks. We’re helping each other grow as much as we compensate for each others’ weaknesses. It’s been a true blessing getting to know my fellow Ignite interns. Each of them has blessed me in a unique way, and I hope that God has enabled me to bless them in the same ways I’ve been blessed.

For my application, I will make a list of at least three areas of my walk that I still need improvement in and pray for the next three days that God would continue to use my brothers and sisters to stretch and grow me in these areas. I will also ask that God would use me in some way to edify my brothers and sisters here in ways they need to be edified, and to help them grow in ways they need growth.