1 Corinthians 9
9
Servant Leadership Wins Over All
1Am I not free? Am I not an emissary? Have I not seen Yeshua our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2If to others I am not an emissary, at least I am to you—for you are the seal of my office of emissary in the Lord.
3My defense to those who examine me is this.
4Don’t we have the right to food and drink?
5Don’t we have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other emissaries and the Lord’s brothers and Kefa?
6Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to not work?
7What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink its milk?
8I don’t say these things merely as a man, do I? Doesn’t Torah also say these things?
9For it is written in the Torah of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.” Is it the oxen that concern God,
10or is He speaking entirely for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because the one plowing ought to plow in hope and the one threshing in hope of a share in the crop.
11If we sowed spiritual things into you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?
12If others have a share in this claim over you, shouldn’t we even more? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we put up with all things so that we cause no hindrance to the Good News of Messiah.
13Don’t you know that those who perform the holy services eat from the Temple, and those who wait on the altar receive a share at the altar?
14So also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the Good News to get their living from the Good News.
15But I have used none of these things, and I am not writing these things so it will happen this way in my case—for I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my reason to boast.
16For if I proclaim the Good News, I have no reason to boast—for pressure is put on me and woe to me if I don’t proclaim the Good News!
17For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I have been entrusted with a commission.
18What then is my reward? That when I preach, I may present the Good News free of charge, not making use of my right in the Good News.
19For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win over more of them.
20To the Jewish people I identified as a Jew, so that I might win over the Jewish people. To those under Torah I became like one under Torah (though not myself being under Torah), so that I might win over those under Torah;
21to those outside Torah, like one outside Torah (though not being outside God’s Torah but in Messiah’s Torah), so that I might win over those outside Torah.
22To the weak I became weak, so that I might win over the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that by all means possible I might save some.
23I do it all for the sake of the Good News, so that I might be a fellow partaker of it.
24Don’t you know that in a stadium the runners all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win!
25Every competitor exercises self-control in all respects. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we do it to receive an imperishable one.
26So I run in this way—not aimlessly. So I box in this way—not beating the air.
27Rather, I punish my body and bring it into submission, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
1 Corinthians 9
9
Paul’s Rights as an Apostle
1Aren’t I free? Aren’t I an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord? Aren’t you the result of my work for the Lord? 2Others might not think of me as an apostle, but I’m certainly one to you! You’re the proof that I am the Lord’s apostle.
3This is how I defend myself when people judge me. 4Don’t we have the right to eat and drink? 5Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us when we travel? That’s what the other apostles do, and the Lord’s brothers and Peter do the same. 6Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to do other work to support ourselves while we serve as apostles?
7Who serves as a soldier but has to pay his own expenses? Who plants a vineyard but doesn’t get to eat any of its grapes? Who takes care of a flock but doesn’t get to drink any of the milk from the sheep? 8Do I say this only on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9It’s written in the Law of Moses, “Don’t stop an ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw.” But is God concerned only for oxen? 10Isn’t he saying that for all of us too? Yes, it was written for us. Whoever plows and whoever separates the grain has a right to hope that they will share in the harvest. 11We have planted spiritual seed among you. Is it too much for us to expect to receive some material things from you? 12If others have the right to receive support from you, don’t we have an even greater right?
But we haven’t used that right. No, we’re prepared to make any sacrifice we have to, rather than let anything get in the way of the good news of Christ.
13Don’t you know that people who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that people who serve at the altar eat the food that’s offered on the altar? 14So those who preach the good news should also receive their living from that work. That’s what the Lord has commanded.
15But I haven’t used any of those rights. And I’m not writing this because I want you to do things like that for me. I’d rather die than let anyone take away the satisfaction I get from bragging about this. 16I’m not bragging about preaching the good news. I have to preach the good news—woe to me if I don’t! 17If I preach because I want to, I get a reward. If I preach because I have to, I’m only doing my duty. 18So what reward do I get? Here’s my reward: being able to offer the good news free of charge, without claiming all my rights as a person who preaches the good news.
Paul Uses His Freedom to Share the Good News
19I’m free and I don’t belong to anyone, but I’ve made myself a slave to everyone. I’ve done that to win as many people as I can to Christ. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, in order to win the Jews. To those who are under the law, I became like one who was under the law, even though I’m actually not under the law myself, in order to win those under the law. 21To those who don’t have the law, I became like one who didn’t have the law (even though I’m not free from God’s law, but under Christ’s law), in order to win those who don’t have the law. 22To those who are weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all of this for the sake of the good news, so that I can share in its blessings.
Training to Win the Prize
24Don’t you know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? So run in a way that will get you the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games trains hard. They do that to get a crown that won’t last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26So I don’t run like someone who doesn’t know where the finish line is. I don’t fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air. 27No, I train my body and bring it under control, so that after I’ve preached to others, I won’t be disqualified myself.
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