For the gospel’s sake
1Cor 9:16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
1co 9:17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
1co 9:18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
1co 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
1co 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
1co 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
1co 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
1co 9:23 And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
1co 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
1co 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1co 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 1co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
1Cor 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
He that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. The carnal minded think they can judge the spiritual, but it is impossible. Many times the spiritual do things which appear wrong to the carnal. They thus try to judge the motives and actions of the Spiritual with their own carnal, human minds. They have no concept of a spiritual understanding of the Word of God, so they have no idea what the spiritual person is doing or why.
Yet they think nothing of joining forces with Satan’s army to belittle and slander and discredit the spiritual person’s actions and words. Thus they are party to standing in the way of sinners and those who would enter in. In their own pride and haughty minds they think themselves able to judge a spiritual person’s words and actions. But in reality all they do is discredit the truth and the means by which God may have moved on his servants and handmaids to try to reach the lost and the unlearned with the Gospel.
Many times in my own life I do things which God has given me understanding of doing, in order to teach the word of God to as many as possible, and have the carnal minded misjudge these things and stab me in the back with their false words of carnality and human thinking.
They know not that they are standing in the way and blocking the work of God which he sent us to do. Paul said to the weak, I became as weak that I may gain the weak. Now the carnal minded would say that Paul was a hypocrite for ‘pretending�?{in their carnal thinking} to be weak when he was not really weak. He was not a hypocrite. He was using their own common grounds in order to reach them with the words of Truth, which he possessed.
To the Jew he became as a Jew in order to reach the Jews with the truth. To those under law, he became as under law in order to reach them, and so on. Was he being a hypocrite to do these things? Of course not. He was using the wisdom which God had given to him in order to reach as many people as he possibly could with the gospel, which he knew he possessed.
So it is today with the spiritual. We use many means to try to reach the unlearned with the words of Truth which God has so graciously given to us. Yet the carnal minded come along and falsely accuse us of being the hypocrite. They are not spiritual enough to correctly judge what a spiritual person is doing or why, so they make the mistake of taking up ‘arms�?against the true servant of God and block him from reaching the ones he is trying to reach with the truth.
People, wake up. Pray. Instead of fighting those of us who lay our very lives on the altar of sacrifice to try to bring the Word of Truth to as many as possible with the means we have, pray for us and stand with us. Stop fighting the work of God on the grounds that carnal man cannot understand what the spiritual is doing. If we are led of the Spirit, who are you to judge us and say we are being a hypocrite?
If you must set yourself up as judge, at least pray for righteous judgment.
By: Jo Smith ~~ August 13, 2007