The Fifth Sunday of Epiphany-
Making Up Your Mind For the Gospel

For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.

• To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews.
• To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law.
• To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the law.
• To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak.

I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.
I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
--1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NRSV)

On one hand it sounds like Paul was unable to make up his mind or- at worst- unable to be consistent in what he did. "What do you really believe?" would be a question he could be asked. At one moment he tells us he follows the law- and the next that he doesn't. At one moment he sounds like a conservative and the next moment a liberal. How can you follow him? How can you trust what you see him doing? How does he even justify this with what he wrote about not doing things that might make your brother fall?

Actually, we're talking about a flexible approach to evangelism- and life- rather than a strict, legalistic approach. Remember that part of what Paul was facing was a sense of fundamentalism- the Bible (i.e. what we call the Old Testament) is still THE way. Paul is quite clearly breaking The Law. What he is doing is far more important. Today we call it "contextualization" of the Gospel. It is taking the Good News and talking about how it applies to the context in which it is being preached. It is making Jesus real in the culture and times of whatever country and era he is being introduced to.

It is not an easy thing to do, of course. We are all enculturated and contextualized. We think and act and believe in ways that are consistent with the way we are raised and taught. We have belief systems based on culture more than on scripture. The scripture is interpreted IN the culture and through the symbols of the culture. It is HOW Christians are called to engage WITH the culture while challenging and being challenged by Jesus at all time.

It is not easy to do, naturally. It is to develop eyes and ears for what is happening around us and, most importantly, a heart for people and their lives.