1 Corinthians 9:19 Winning Hearts By Meeting People Where They Are

Truth that can’t be heard won’t heal, so we get practical about how to make good news sound like good news. We open with honest stories about miscommunication that land laughs and lessons, then move into Paul’s charge in 1 Corinthians 9: become all things to all people so that some might be saved. We talk plainly about why tone, timing, and translation are spiritual disciplines, not window dressing, and how that conviction shapes a church that chooses mission over comfort.

From there, we trace two ditches—rule‑keeping that multiplies burdens and rule‑breaking that shrugs at harm—and show how Paul threads the needle by majoring on the majors. That leads into the heart of contextualization: language access in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole; leaders who reflect the people they serve, like Acts 6’s Greek‑speaking deacons; and a habit of listening that starts with reading, research, and real tables. We ground it all in the incarnation, where Jesus put on flesh, felt our pain, and walked our streets, proving that proximity is the posture of love.

We also name the cost. When insiders crowd the doorway, love tears a hole in the roof so outsiders can reach Jesus. That may mean noisy rooms, imperfect programs, or outreach some Christians dislike, if those moments create bridges for neighbors who rarely darken a sanctuary. We won’t bend the gospel, but we will bend our preferences—because people in Mount Hope and beyond are thirsty for life that politics, success, or pleasure can’t deliver. If you’re ready to risk comfort for impact, to translate hope without diluting it, and to join a diverse family on mission, hit play, share this with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the conversation. Subscribe so you won’t miss what’s next.

Transcript

Welcome And Vision Series Framing

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to the City Life Church podcast. We hope it encourages you. If you'd like to learn more about City Life or our mission, connect with us online at CityLifeSandiego.org. And while podcasts and Sunday mornings are helpful, they are no substitute for deeper personal relationships in the church.

Why Tone And Clarity Matter

Texting Typos And Miscommunication

Earning The Right To Speak

Reading 1 Corinthians 9

Prayer For A Suffering World

Decentering Ourselves For Jesus

Meet People Where They Are

All Things To All People Explained

Legalists And Lawless Both Need Jesus

Contextualizing Language And Leadership

Listening, Reading, And Real Research

The Incarnation As Context

Empathy And Shared Human Struggle

Major On Majors, Change Methods

Risking Comfort To Reach Neighbors

Making Room: Events And Outreach

Tearing Roofs To Reach Jesus

Dying To Self And Daily Cross

Vision For Mount Hope And Beyond

SPEAKER_01 0:30

So we are in our vision series, and um, I'm not sure if you notice, every January we tend to talk about things we believe, and we will we will pick texts out that we think will um speak to some of the things that are important to our church, and then sometimes when we preach the text, it doesn't actually go where we want it to, um, it goes where God does, so it's always funny, but I think this time it makes the most sense. Um, before we get to the text, I'd like to make just a quick point for you guys today. It doesn't always matter what we say, but instead how we say it. If we tell people the truth in an angry, judgmental way, usually they don't hear it, do they? Um it not only matters what we say, but also what people hear. I have a mentor of mine who would always tell me, you're not responsible for what you say as much as what people hear. Now he's using hyperbole, but at the same time, he's trying to say, like, we need to think about what we say and not only what we say, but how it's heard. Um so I want to give you a couple quick examples today. Don't pull up my uh pictures until I tell you, okay? Thanks so much. Um appreciate you, Sid. Uh I text to people at times, and um I was texting with Ruben, one of our worship leaders this week. And um I have a great example because I was uh wanting to ask him a question, and the thing is we were talking about two different things, and so uh we were confused about what we were saying to each other. You can put up the the Ruben text. Um Okay, so uh Ruben says, I got you tomorrow, and I didn't know if he was talking about a meeting. Uh sorry about that. I said, Can't tell what this means, and he said, for the Google Sheet report, and I said, Oh, got it. I thought you were saying you could meet for a sec. For a sec. For a sec. It autocorrected. Now, one of the things you'll notice about an iPhone being in blue is there's this little edited thing right here. Praise the Lord. Because what I accidentally did because of autocorrect is I said to our worship leader, is I thought you were saying you could meet for a sex. Now, the autocorrect did that, not me, and I got in real quick and I fixed it before he even noticed what it was. I asked Ruben about it today, and he said, Oh, yeah, I had no idea. Praise the Lord. Because that was weird. Now, the thing is, I'm not necessarily responsible for what I say, but how people hear it. Now, there's another thing, when I'm driving in my car and I I speak to my car. Uh uh, does anybody else talk to their car in text message form? Yes. Does it ever get anyone in trouble? Um, so I there there was something I go surfing with several guys in the morning, and we'll be talking to each other, and there's this thing out in the ocean called a buoy. And um what happens is the buoy will tell you uh what storms are coming, which is what creates ocean waves. Um, and so I was asking him, he was telling me that he was already at the beach ahead of me, and he was saying, Hey, um, I'm looking at it and it looks pretty big. And I said, Huh, that's weird. I don't see that on the buoy. Now we can put up the next one. Um there it is. Uh I just feel like I wasn't seeing it on the boobies, is what my talk to text said. Now, was that what I was trying to say? Was that what I said to my car? No! And it's pretty funny because he didn't even see it until a few days later when he said, uh, let's see what he said. He said, How did I miss this wonderful typo? is what he texted to me. And what's funny is I questioned it because I had no idea what he was talking about until I went back and looked. It was not what I said, but it was what my car heard that was communicated to him. Communication is important, and the way we communicate, what we communicate, and how we communicate is so important. Now let's just remove my shame. Okay, so friends, our church has to earn the right to speak truth to people. Most non-believers have only seen the arguments, have only seen the crusades, have only seen the slavery associated with Christianity, and it's not good. So we have to be willing to speak their language, and we have to be very patient because there's a lot of trauma involved with our faith. If we want to share the best news in the world with them, we have to be patient, we have to be kind, and we have to be willing to speak their language because it is the best news in the world and it is worth it. Okay, so are you with me in 1 Corinthians 9 19? Let's read God's word. Anybody got a physical uh bound Bible today? Oh, I love it. I love seeing that. Wow, there's a lot of them here today. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. And ladies, I guess you have a new thing where you can like make your own case for it, so that's cool. Um make sure you bedazzle them for us guys, too. All right, 1 Corinthians 9. Although I am free from all and not anyone's slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone in order to win more people. To the Jews I became like a Jew to win Jews to those under the law, like one under the law, though I myself am not under the law, to win those under the law. To those who are without the law, like one without the law, though I am not without God's law, but under the law of Christ to win those without the law. Don't want to break it down. To the weak I became weak in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings. So see, Paul said, My rights don't matter as much as their salvation, is what he's saying. So I hope that you'll pray with me now. Father, we thank you for this moment where we can gather and grow. Um Lord, we grieve for our world as we see destruction and death that follows unchecked power in all kinds of places all over. And we're watching this unfold in Iran. God, we see so much suffering in every corner of our world and even our own country, and so we ask for your light to shine in the darkest corners. Shine your light on oppression and dishonesty, shine your light on hatred and sin. Bring justice and mercy to every country and city and home. And would you teach us this morning so we can be about your business, so we can share your gospel with anyone and everyone who would listen? And would you make us worthy to receive and disciple the lost? May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of our hearts be pleasing to you. We pray this all in Jesus' name, and all God's people said, Amen. Now there's a character in the first Harry Potter book. I don't know if any of you guys have read Harry Potter here. Um, maybe a couple of you, the rest of you are mad at me for mentioning a witch. But this young man, Dudley, who is the cousin of Harry, is so spoiled by his parents that on his birthday, when he only receives 37 presents, his response is 37, but last year I had 38. He's spoiled. He's spoiled. Kids who have never been told no grow up into adults who can never handle no. I'm afraid at times that we as the church sometimes make ourselves the main character. Church is here to serve me, listen to me, do my bidding, but we are not the main character, are we, church? No, Jesus is, which means we are going to have to de-center us and put the desires of Jesus in front. See, City Life Church, we're gonna have to sacrifice, choose sacrifice over comfort, choose risk over preference, so the neighbors we love may choose life over death. Today I'm gonna give you two points on if we desire to see the gospel transform, Mount Hope and beyond, we must. So my first point is this we must meet people where they are at, not just where we want to meet them. I can tell you there was a time when I wanted to meet people in my house only. But they weren't coming to me, were they? There was a time when the church just could thought they could open up the doors and have people come to them, but it doesn't work that way, does it? Not anymore. But here in verse 20, we see to the Jews that became like a Jew to win Jews. Um to those who are without the law, like one without the law, though I am not without God's law, but under the law of Christ, to win those without the law. See, basically Paul is saying, I will bend over backwards to reach those far from Jesus that only know how to create rules on top of rules, on top of rules, on top of rules. These were his people. Now there's one note here. Um, we're not trying to reach Christians. Paul was not trying to reach Christians. Do we understand that? Because I think sometimes we put Christians in this. Well, we have to be all things to all people so that every Christian might be comfortable here. That's not necessarily what's happening. No, he's trying to reach people who are dying apart from Jesus that just think if they follow one more rule, then they will be good with God. We are trying to reach non-believers. People who think that if they just march in enough parades, God will accept them. People who think if they just post enough well-meaning articles or share enough well-meaning memes, then perhaps God will save them. If they just give enough money to green peace or to someone on the street, God will see their good works and accept them. But we know that's not it, and we know that Paul was not bound by the law in the same way. He said, I'm not held captive by additional rules, but I may follow them for the sake of others. And who are the others? It's those legalistic people who do not belong to Jesus. But he also said he wasn't going to throw out God's law either, was he? For the pagan Gentile Christians. Now Paul was saying he was going to major on the majors, so some might come to faith. To the weak, this is verse 22, to the weak I became weak in order to win the weak. I become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings. So you have two types of lost people that Paul was trying to reach, didn't you? Neither of these people being addressed were Christians. So this is not about our church trying to placate Christians that cannot handle messiness. This is not about Christians that want us to break God's law because it will help us reach more people either. No, no, no, no, no. These people Paul was talking about were not believers. Be careful not to change this Bible verse to mean something different than it is. First, you had Jewish Pharisees. Those were Paul's people. That's where he came from. This was the group that he studied under. He understood them, he was trained by them, and he killed Christians with them. They were the rule followers who still sat under condemnation because they didn't have Jesus. No matter how successful or good they were, no matter how many new rules they followed, they could never earn it with God. And deep down inside, they knew they weren't good enough for God without his help. But if they could just do one more good deed or deprive themselves of one more good thing, fast just a couple more days, then maybe God would accept them. But Paul made sure to use his freedom in Christ to sometimes choose their laws. So he had this guy with him named Titus. Titus, who chose to be circumcised for the sake of those rule followers. Did Titus have to be circumcised? No. That's a pretty big sacrifice, isn't it, friends? Wouldn't we agree? At least the men in the room are amening right now. But so sometimes we might want to be careful too. Like if your Instagram uh shows you drinking, um, I know that drinking is not necessarily the devil, but if your Instagram shows drinking as okay, you're free in Christ to do that. But if you glorify it on social media, it may confuse someone. For this, it's the same thing for weed and gambling and greed. If you show off all those new things over and over again, you might hurt someone who doesn't know yet. If Titus was willing to be circumcised, surely there are things we can do for the sake of our rule following friends who don't know Jesus yet. Then, after that, you also had the lawless ones in Corinth, right? We call them antinomianists, they were the pagans. Um, majority of us in the room would have fit into that camp. They threw out every rule. And as we discussed things, would get a little bit crazy, like even in the church, right? So if the church people were sleeping with family members, uh worshiping idols, we know that it was bad outside the church, right? Like one of the sinful sides often looked more respectful, but both, both sides were destined for hell. Like, I don't know if anybody in the room, is there anybody in the room that's a rule follower that grew up as a rule follower? Anyone? We that's funny. A lot of rule followers at the 9 a.m. service. I'll just let you know this. Like, for some reason the people who show up at 9, um, they had a past of rule following. That's what they came from. And so uh they too needed to be delivered from the rule following. It's not that we we stopped doing God's laws, but that we stop creating our own. So both sides were sinful. Us, the same people, he saved, he uses to redeem others, though. It's an honor, but we have to approach it with humility and a willingness to listen. We have to be willing to be all things to all people so that some may be saved. City Life Church must choose risk over preference, so the neighbors we love may choose life over death. City Life Church, we want to empower our people to be uncomfortable. To be uncomfortable so others may know Jesus. Now let me highlight a few things that you will see from our church as we seek to contextualize the gospel. The first thing is language. Um, right now we seek to provide resources in English, Spanish, and Haitian Cray. Like my sermons are over there in Haitian Crayol, um, mostly for people at the first service. Um, it's always available. We we we translate the whole thing the best we can. Now, let me just say, if you've ever been to a foreign country and tried to worship with them, how difficult is it? It's immensely difficult for me. And I know that I was the last time I was worshiping in another church, um, I've been to them in Colombia, I've been to them in uh Chile, I just remember being there, and and when someone would like speak to me in the worst English possible, like I felt so loved. And I just remember being like in in Chile in particular, being there for four hours, just feeling like I was with God's people and I was welcomed. This is one of the things that we're gonna do. And I have learned that even my bad Spanish, which i i it's bad, um, when I'm attempting to speak to someone because I want to show them that I love them, people receive your attempt. And so we're gonna always attempt to speak to people in a language they understand. Um, if a large group from another country moves here by choice or by force, if they are refugees, we are gonna try to find ways to include them. I don't even know who that is ten years from now. I hope one day we will have people praying up here, though, in Haitian crayol, and I hope that it will be Haitians, um, which segues really well into leadership. That's another place where we seek to contextualize. We want to add godly leaders, our community can hear. In Acts 6, this is what it says in those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. Hellenistic meaning Greek, um, Greek background, so they would have been Jewish people that would have gone to all the different places. Um, and then you have Hebraic meaning Jewish. So you have the Greek uh women that are widows being overlooked. So they summoned the whole company of disciples and said, It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. The proposal pleased the whole company, so they chose Stephen, a man full of faith, and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenus, and Nicholas, a convert from Antioch. They had them stand before the apostles who prayed and laid their hands on him. Now here's what's so amazing, guys. Who's being overlooked? The Greek widows. Look at the names of the men they chose Greek. God contextualizes, and here we see that we are contextualizing as the church in real time here. They're saying, okay, pick some people who can speak the language of these these women that can serve them. Now, how else do we we contextualize? Listening. How will you know the solution to your neighbors and friends' problems if you don't listen to them? How will you know their problems if you don't seek to talk to them? This means you are going to have to walk over to people. You are going to have to invite people to meals, invite them to watch the game with you. The church cannot be passive friends. We lovingly chase after people because Jesus chased after us. Guys, City Life Church must choose sacrifice over comfort, risk over preference, so the neighbors we love may choose life over death. Also, I might suggest reading. If you want to understand your neighbors, I suggest reading. I feel so bad for my friend Sam Doula, who used to allow me to ask him any question. He'd be like, Dale, you can ask me anything. And I remember a time when I when I went up to him, and let's let's just be honest. He was like, Dale, you can ask me any black people question. That's what Sam Doula said to me. So I remember going to him and being like, Hey, so I have a question about this uh this Medea movie I watched. And he's like, Dale, let me just stop. Don't watch Medea. That's what he said to me. That's the way he said it too. Like, just stop. It was embarrassing, like me asking him questions that maybe I shouldn't have asked him, but he was willing. But if you're trying to do research about people, do research. Read some books. I will tell you, when I started to talk to the gangs in this community, um, the first thing they thought about me was that guy's a cop. And I uh part of the reason is my complexion, but the other reason is I was curious. I wanted to know everything about them. And so they didn't want to tell me anything. The questions I asked, they'd be like, Pastor, I know you're a pastor, but you're asking questions that cops would ask. So, how did I do research? I found books about our community, and then I went on YouTube, and all those same gang members who wouldn't tell you anything, man, they just spill it all the tea on YouTube. So I'm like, you guys are worried about me being a cop, but you know that the police have access to YouTube too. But here's the thing I did research so that I could understand, so I didn't have to ask them every single question. Sometimes we have to do that about our neighbors too. There are people in this church, actually, in our church, that I have read about them in books. Like I actually know about them in books. Um, Pastor Stephen Um, he says the church needs to make adjustments. We must learn the hopes, the questions, and the language of our neighbors without over contextualizing. Um, I could not say over contextualizing in the first service. I tried like eight times. Guys, God's church must choose sacrifice over comfort. Now, I once had a friend out here who was getting more serious about their faith, and they had walked away from some really hard stuff. And I got him a really good study Bible. But then his Christian aunties decided that the Bible I gave him was, quote, trash. And it had to be King James only. Now, let me just say this I'm not against King James at all. But he was frustrated, and so I bought him a King James Bible, and he started reading it. It but let me just say this: it was not in his language, he didn't speak the thy thou, and so when he was trying to read it, he wasn't comprehending it. The Bible was not being contextualized to him. Now, to those people who love King James, I say, What do you hand to a Korean? Like we have to contextualize everything, friends. And I have read New King James, it's great, I'm fine with it. But the problem is, is two things happened. Number one, he was trying to read the Bible in a language he didn't understand. Also, he saw Christians against each other. And let me just say that the last conversation we had about his faith, he was saying, I'm just looking into Islam. That hurts my heart. Our God is about context. Uh, how do I know that our God is about context? The incarnation, right? Like Jesus came to earth as a man. That's context. Jesus himself became flesh for us. That's the ultimate contextualization, isn't it? The incarnation, God in the meat. Did he need to? No. Jesus was in perfect relationship with the Father and the Spirit already. He didn't need anything. But if God the Father spoke to you face to face, there would be problems. Did you know that? If we were here right now and God the Father spoke to us, our heads would explode. It would be like, have you ever seen Indiana Jones when they open up the ark and their faces melt? That's what would have happened. But instead, we have a kind and loving God who chose to come to earth and put on flesh for us. And it also says that he's able to sympathize with us. In Hebrews 4, it says we have a high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast to our confession, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. You see, Jesus understands contextualization in the point that he even understands our pains and our suffering. The way we use the word empathy today is, I actually think, more accurate to the word used there because it he felt our pain. And empathy is to actually feel the pain of others. Empathy is uh is where Jesus felt our pain. Jesus had zits as a teenager, probably. He was teased, he was forced by his parents to do chores, he had the flu, he had people gossip about him and make up lies. He got beat up by bullies. But he also had a mission. And he came to this earth to live the life we couldn't live, and he played the game by the same rules as us. That is good news, and that's radical compassion and it's radical contextualization. Friends, let me ask you: do you know the ways that your gay neighbors struggle? Do you know their fears? Do you know their joys? Do you know how most Christians treated them? Have you ever asked them? Have you had them in your home for dinner? Many people in the room have struggled with pornography and sex addiction. So why would our gay neighbors think the church has no patience for them when God has patience for the rest of us? We have the same sins and problems as them. Have you sought to understand why your racist uncle is the way that he is? Ooh, maybe you can't do that one. But guys, God is calling us to contextualize for everyone. If you don't understand these folks, how are you ever going to get to share your hope with them? We have to be able to speak the language of the lost. I'm not saying you start saying racist things, okay? But we have to be willing to make fools of ourselves in the eyes of the world. We have to be willing to be all things to all people, so quote, we may by every possible means save some. So God does the saving, and we have the honor in being a part of this process. Now we don't change the message, we change the method. We major on the majors. Our goal cannot be Christian comfort when billions of people are dying outside the saving knowledge of Jesus. There are slaves to politics, to money, to power, to substances, to success, to respect, to identity, to all their fleeting passions. But none of those things fulfill. We know this, right? It's like drinking salt water. Our friends and family are surrounded by water and they're dying of thirst. They don't know why. None of those things offer them full long-term joy, but Jesus offers them freedom. Jesus offers them joy. The people who have not surrendered to Jesus, your friends and your family are suffering. They are struggling. They are pretending. And not only that, they are barreling towards hell. And so, as a church, we are going to continue to offend Christians and make all of us uncomfortable to save the lives of the people who are dying apart from Jesus. We are going to do it. I had a mentor actually challenge me recently. We had lost people because of what we had done for our Halloween event to reach the lost. And I was like, man, should I like stop doing this even though I feel like it's bearing fruit? And he's like, No, you need to speak up about it more. This is someone I greatly respect. He said, Don't stop being who God called you to be as a church, to reach the lost. It's okay for Christians not to like you. And the fact is, is it's true. We are reaching people through the things that some Christians won't like. And many of us are here today because someone sacrificed so you would know the gospel. Some of you were raised in the church, and I'm pumped for you. That's great. My kids were. But for the rest of us, someone stepped outside their comfort zone and spoke to us in a language they could understand. Now, when I was 16, I remember my friend Tim trying to help me understand the Bible. Homeboy had to contextualize it constantly, constantly. And I'd be like, hey man, um, what's this amen word? It's kind of funny, you know, now I'm a pastor, I didn't even know what amen meant. And I remember him saying, like, to this young, dumb surfer, oh yeah, it means like right on. And I was like, oh, okay, cool. I get it now. But he contextualized it for me, didn't he? Like he made it to where I can understand it. And there are still some times when someone prays, and I think, right on, you know, like in that young surfer language, but it was the way I understood. And we had people here at the first service saying, like, faux show, you know, but I'm like, that's fine, whatever works for you, whatever works for your community. But what matters is the meaning, not the way we say it. If we're doing this right, we're gonna continue to do things that cause Christians to get upset at us. Friends, I am always going to celebrate the non-evil parts of Halloween. Why? Matter of fact, if our church leadership told us that we could no longer do trunk or treat, man, my house would be popping. Because I get an opportunity to tell people about Jesus. And that's more important to me than some people being mad. Guys, how many times do my neighbors come to our Christmas and Halloween, uh, our Christmas and um Easter services? Not a lot. But how many times do they show up for an event like our chunk or treat? How many times do they show up for an event like our Easter egg hunt, which some people would say, oh, those are pagan practices? I don't care, God's using them. God, we're not doing the pagan stuff. Though my neighbors show up for those things. We get to tell them about Jesus because of those things. Are we gonna stop that? No, we're gonna double down on it. If we're doing this right, Christians will get upset, and I'm here for it. Now, don't do the evil things, okay? Like if I see you using a Ouija board, we're gonna have words. I don't even suggest you watch creepy movies. I'm amazed at how much language, nudity, terrible stuff is in those movies. I encourage you, stop. Just stop with those. But if Halloween glorifies evil, our great God has given us an opportunity. Something that was meant for evil will be used for good. People will gather in a well-lit area, hear that Jesus loves them. We will proclaim the grace of God to our neighbors and we'll be together. Give me that every day. Even if they've never been to church, they are coming here and finding out that the church is in the parking lot and that the church loves them and meets them where they're at. Christians, I want you to thrive here. I do. I want you to grow and I want you to stretch and get closer to each other and to Jesus. But if you think your comfort is more important than people who are dying apart from Jesus, you have misplaced your priorities. You're in the wrong church. Actually, I think the way you grow as a Christian is actually being uncomfortable for others. If you're already a Christian and you are visiting us today, I want you to know this is a beautiful church. It's not always comfortable. We operate in nuance, we forgive, we make room for doubter and haters. During my my prayer in the first service, someone's phone was going off the entire prayer. Oh my gosh. But we absolutely love these people because Jesus loved us when it was just the same for us. If we um if we can just get somebody to feed a Jesus, we know he can do something to help that marriage. Or help that woman get out of abuse, or help that addict get off of drugs, or help that workaholic love his kids better in the name of Jesus. City Life Church must choose sacrifice over comfort if we want to see these things happen. If it's between our comfort and the salvation of the lost, I'm sorry, but those lost souls, they're gonna win. We will remove these chairs and make us all sit uh cross-legged. If that brings people to Jesus, and you know, um, Miss Dance, we're gonna have a chair for you no matter what. We love you. But we will tear down walls to get people to Jesus. Now, I I know some of you have heard this before, but there is a time in the Bible when Jesus is teaching, and he has the Christian not Christian, he has the religious leaders so tightly packed around him that no one else can get to Jesus. And so somebody's get together and they have a friend who's on a stretcher, and they take the friend up to the roof of the ceiling and they break a hole in the ceiling and lower him to Jesus. They do everything they can to get their friend to Jesus. Here's the problem. They shouldn't have had to do that. There should have been room for people to get to Jesus. And so if we're gonna let our preferences, us religious people's preferences, to get us so tightly packed around Jesus that no one else can get to him, that's a problem. We need to tear a hole in the roof. We need to break down walls so other people can get to Jesus. I don't know about you, but I never want to be so tied to my way of doing things that I'm unwilling to bend so others might be saved. I don't want to be so afraid of the lost that I won't risk everything to get them to Jesus. My question for you today is are we going to let our traditions, our politics, our ways of speaking, our fears control us? Are we gonna let those dumb temporary things stop someone else from getting to Jesus? Let it not be. Tear down the walls, church. Put a hole in the roof so someone might be saved. Church is not about you, it's about God. And he sends us to every man, woman, and child. He sends us to share the good news that even though they have sought happiness and everything else, only he can satisfy. And if that means we end up looking like fools to religious people, let's go. Let's ride. I'm good. If I spend my time sharing the gospel with neighborhood cryps and five nine brims, and somebody wants to judge me for that, judge me. I serve Jesus. He spent his time with prostitutes and snitches and Republicans and Democrats. City Life Church, we have to choose risk over safety so the neighbors we love might choose life over death. Now, Paul uses that phrase by every possible means. Is he using hyperbole? Is he exaggerating? Guys, I don't think he's exaggerating. Remember Titus circumcision. That shows you how he's not exaggerating, right? Like Paul understands how life or death our faith is. If we truly believe what we believe, we cannot hide in our homes, even if it's dangerous to leave at times. We have to leave comfort so some might find life and not only life, but life eternal. Now, he uses what you might think exaggeration. Let's listen to Jesus then. Oh no, wait, I'm still in Romans. Uh I'm with Paul. Hold on. Paul says this. I wish that I myself, in Romans 9, 3, I wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood. What is Paul saying? He's saying, I wish I could go to hell so my friends might not. Now let me just tell you, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't wish that. I can't. I can't do that. I I believe in hell too much. I can't be like Paul, but I can, I'm not going to hell for any of you if I can help it. But I would be willing to die so that someone might confess Jesus as Lord of their life. I would. In what ways do you need to die to yourself so someone might find Jesus? We know that the cross is an instrument of death and it's an instrument of humiliation. And Jesus said in Luke 9, if anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. Is Jesus joking? Is he exaggerating? At some point we have to say, if Jesus keeps saying stuff, maybe he's not exaggerating. Maybe he actually means what he says. A heavy death instrument that we have to carry to our own death where we will be humiliated in front of everyone else. Jesus is serious. He gave up his life for us so we might give up our lives for him. Surely to be the church should be to give up comfort. God wants to save rich people. God wants to save working class people, he wants to save suburban people too, no doubt. But our church has a vision statement. I'd like to read it to you again. City Life Church is a diverse family of God, united by Jesus, led by Scripture, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to care for the spiritual and tangible needs of the lost and hurting in the underserved community of Mount Hope and beyond. And this takes us to our second point. If we desire to see the gospel, transform Mount Hope and beyond, we must sacrifice preference, even if Christians leave us as a consequence. We must sacrifice preference, even if Christians leave us as a consequence. Verse 19 says, Although I am free from all and not anyone slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone in order to win more people. Now other translations actually use the term willingly. So he is saying, I have willingly chosen to go wherever God sends me for the benefit of the lost. In Galatians 2, we see that God sends him to a specific people, though. In Acts 13, Paul is also sent to a certain people. We see that he's told to go to the Gentiles, the pagans. God is sending him. Paul understood how God calls him. Now, Indian pastor Finney Phillip, he says this. He says, Everything that Paul does is aimed at winning as many people as possible for Christ. So even though he is a free man, he is willing to become a slave to everyone, if that will help him to bridge cultural and ethnic divisions. Think about when a Roman soldier by law could make you go a mile and you would go another mile. You choose to go a slave according to what Jesus has told them in the Sermon on the Mount. But this also means, friends, that if we're a slave to others, it means we're not always going to have to be able to prioritize everyone or even ourselves. If you come to our church already as a believer who has been walking with God for a long time, you may be used to a church that tries to keep you happy. And, you know, we we want you happy. We do. And we want you plugged in and connected. Like we're not trying to do that. But our goal is to challenge and train you because there are people around you that need you too. Because an adventure lies before you. You know that, right? Like, if you're looking for better coffee and preaching, you may find better preaching in other places. But I think Yanni and Nina make some fire coffee. So you got good coffee here, okay? Um, but guys, City Life Church, we must choose sacrifice over comfort. Because I've learned that seeking happiness is fickle. Like 38 presents didn't make cousin Dudley happier. Teaching people to be generous makes people happier. Teaching them that they are not the center of the universe makes them happier. Matter of fact, we want to teach your kids that they are not the center of the world. Our mission is to the lost and the hurting. Our mission is to the immigrant and to the refugee. Our mission is to the center, to the poor, our mission is to Mount Hope and beyond. But sometimes that means it's not you at the center of the story. It's not me at the center of the story. And I tell you, resist the urge to center yourself. Resist the urge to center yourself and leave. Instead, prayerfully get yourself ready for action. We're gonna ride with those who ride with us. If we're at war against lostness and brokenness, our church is gonna take you through boot camp and continue to train you, but we might not give you the most comfortable seat. This should be exciting. Ride with us. It's the greatest adventure in the world. And while you are not strong enough, you are not strong enough. You have God's Holy Spirit in you, and you have plenty of brothers and sisters in Christ here to encourage you. It means sometimes things get a little harder here. Like when we're trying to have kids and like a bunch of people volunteer and then none of them pass the background check, that makes things harder, but it's beautiful too. Like there are lots of people that I would trust my kids with that have gone to jail for a very long time. Sometimes we will have people who yell during our sermons, yes, people who would not be welcome anywhere else. Or their phones go off during the whole prayer. Oh my gosh. Some of our friends and visitors may have less access to clean clothes and showers. But who would welcome them more than the church even if they smell in a way that you don't like? Some of you may not understand why some people act a certain way. Some of your kids won't understand, but what a beautiful opportunity to teach them because they're gonna learn this in life. Might as well learn from you and in the church. The church is a hospital for the hurting. And it's all worth it because we carry with us Christ, the hope of glory. We have the honor of sharing the best news in the world with people that God adores. That's a gift. You might be here because someone chose to show you kindness and love. They had to give up something to pursue you. They had to give up something to pray for you. And they prayed with you. Why? Because the gospel extended to them and now they're bringing it to you. The gospel is this that Jesus left the perfect relationship he had with the Father and the Holy Spirit in heaven. He came to this earth, he took on flesh, he lived the life that we could never live, but he also toiled in ways that we toil. And he sacrificed himself on the cross. And he rose again on the third day after his death, showing that he had conquered sin and death. This is good news that everyone needs to hear. And they need to hear it in their language, and they need to hear it from someone they trust. And we have to be willing to be trustworthy to them. Guys, if you've given your life to Jesus, you will find him good. And he is going to take you on an amazing, very uncomfortable, unforgettable mission. We would love to walk with you through this journey. We would love to baptize you publicly to tell the world. And we would love to walk with uh with you through what it means to belong to Jesus. Which means we'd like to set aside our rights with you so others would come to know Jesus. City Life Church must choose sacrifice over comfort, risk over preference, so the neighbors we love and God loves may choose life over death. Now God does the saving, but we have the honor of being part of the process. Nigerian pastor Dr. Decholom Datiri, he says this Paul's example shows how we should do evangelism. The recipients of our witnessing must have a sense that we identify with them. This is particularly so when we are seeking to reach groups where we are not known. And groups that are not likely that are likely to be antagonistic to the gospel. In areas of Africa where Muslim influence is strong, a Christian may decide to eat only Hillel meat, and a Christian woman may decide to wear a veil, even if this is foreign to her own culture. See the beauty that the African church is doing right now? City Life Church must choose sacrifice over comfort. See, Jesus laid aside his rights, came to this earth, took on a weak body, not so we'd be comfortable, but so we'd be rescued. So dead people would be made alive. And so we might join him in the family rescuing business. So City Life Church and guests, if we want to change the world, we must choose sacrifice over comfort, risk over preference. So the neighbors we love and God loves may choose life over death. God does the saving, but we have the honor of being a part of the process. Let's pray.