All things to all men

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 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 as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. - 1 Corinthians 9.19-22

Jay and Holly are naming their children after missionaries. They have Adoniram Judson Parrow. The youngest is William Carey Parrow. Right in the middle is James Hudson Taylor Parrow. He is funny about his name. He is Hud, Hudson, or James Hudson Taylor Parrow. He is not James. He is not Jim. He is not Jimmy. He is James Hudson Taylor Parrow. I wish I could type it the way he says it.

J. Hudson Taylor was a missionary with the China Inland Mission about 150 years ago. Taylor believed in doing all he could do to break down the traditional barriers between east and west. He could not change his skin colour or his features. He did however adopt Chinese garb and grew the queue that Chinese men wear.

I think Taylor had some kind of idea about what Paul was saying in this passage.

Paul said he would become all things to all men if it gave him a chance to save some.

We need to be careful that we don't get so caught up in our own way and our own customs and our own way of doing things that we are not willing to adapt and change to reach out to the people we are trying to win.

This means that sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone. It means we may have to change our means and our methods and our preferences and our custom. We never compromise our Biblical standards. We never bend when it comes the word of God. But we may need adapt to suit the people where God puts us.

No matter how convinced we are our way is not the only way to do it. Too often we think part of the gospel is to make people like us. Paul knew that he may very well have to become like them in order to see some saved.

The same may very well be true for us.