“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. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you,” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

When I read these words from ‘our’ by God appointed and anointed Apostle to us Gentile believers, I realize how often more narrow minded, busy with themselves and their often hold viewpoints are so stuck to their own ways and opinions that they are unable to stretch out in love like Paul did, to the very people who are nowadays on the heart of our God and heavenly Father, namely His people Israel.

When I think of, besides this divinely chosen instrument and servant of the Lord, Paul, about other much used and anointed servants of the Lord, I realise how different they are and were. Men like Billy Graham, who when I was thirteen led me to the Lord – Arthur Blessitt who spent himself in total devotion and love for His Lord and carried the cross to every single nation on earth bringing the Word of His Master to multitudes of men and women eating every kind of food while doing so, so becoming part of these people to cause on this planet earth as many as he possibly could to be saved by His Lord!

When I think of George Verwer and his worldwide, dedicated to the Lord, ministry Operation Mobilisation or Lord Cunningham with his equal anointed ministry Youth with a Mission – ministries which I have known with respect and fellowshipped with.

When I think of that wonderful, fellow Dutch woman, Corrie ten Boom who in the town of Haarlem where I grew up in Holland, she and her family hid in their ‘hiding place’ home 18 Jews from their Nazi persecutors and the blessing she was to me as I grew up as well as to multitudes all over the world.

Or the amazing story of Rees Howells (and his son Samuel) and their intercessions during the Second World War! Should I go on and remind us all about John Bunyan, whose book ‘Pilgrims Progress‘ for many decennia was the most read book after the Bible. Or Smith Wigglesworth, who left a trail of miracles of healing wherever he went.

Charles Finney, Jonathan Edwards, the Wesley Brothers, holy men of God who saw amazing revivals in their time. Should I not mention the wonderful Chinese teacher Watchman Nee or the amazing Christ-like Sadhu Sundar Singh from India who portrayed in his life and service his Lord and Saviour in such an unbelievable way and of course I could add many, many others to the list.

But may the example of these men and women be at least sufficient to shake us out of our too narrow minded held, sometimes even unscriptural positions. For the essence is as the Apostle Paul reminds us again and again the Lord Jesus Himself and if we truly want to love mankind and especially Israel we have to come to the same level as Paul reckoning everything but dung in comparison to the excellence of knowing Him in whom all the treasures of wisdom and truth are hidden and for the sake of Him becoming as indeed those men and women did.

‘All things to all men’ to save at least some – as also definitely for instance Hudson Taylor did – when he became Chinese to the Chinese and thus became one of the greatest used servants of God to the nation of China.

Israel is not helped by narrow minded Christians, who because of their own held beliefs, scare away the majority of the world wide body of our Lord that some of these afore mentioned men and women represent.

A body which in its totality needs to come to the side of Israel in love and comfort.

These and many others with them were willing to fully go the way Paul describes so faithfully in all his epistles: the way of the Lord who though He was indeed the Son of God became us as the Son of Man to save us. Therefore let us read again what the Lord Himself says to us all through this by Him appointed and anointed Apostle.

“For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you,” Philippians 3:3-15.

“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. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you,” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

May this Spirit govern us as it indeed did the Apostle Paul and with him many of God’s past and present servants!

 

~ Jan Willem van der Hoeven, Director
International Christian Zionist Center

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Newsletter of December 16, 2015.

Republished with the kind permission of Author Jan Willem van der Hoeven, Director of International Christian Zionist Center.

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