 Welcome back. We continue from verse three of chapter nine. Okay, so verse three, my defense to those who examine me is this. So he is now responding to certain people who are questioning him. So what we talked about earlier was the group of people who were siding with the follows, siding with other leaders, right? And the main reason was that Paul had chosen life of manual labor. So he had chosen to work to support himself in the ministry. And so he's responding to these people who are challenging his apostleship or his leadership within the church based on this choice that he's made to engage in manual labor. So he says, verse four, do we have no right to eat and drink? Do we have no right to take along a believing wife as to the other apostles? So he's talking about rights, right? So what we saw in the previous chapter was he was saying, we know that all of these things are true. But if what we are doing is going to cause someone else to stumble, then we should refrain from it. In a similar way he's saying, I have the right to get to have food and to have something to drink. I have the right to take a wife just like the other apostles. The way he's saying it, although it is in question form, almost to say, you give me the answers. Like, you know that what I'm saying is true, right? I have the right to eat and drink. So when he's saying, do we have no right to eat and drink to say, what would be the answer? It's a rhetorical question. Yes, you do have the right to eat and drink. Do we have no right to take along a believing wife as to the other apostles? And here he gives a few examples of other apostles. And verse six, is it only Barnabas? And I would not have the right to refrain from working. So here he's saying, I do have the right to like the other apostles to have a wife who can come along with me and support me in the work that I'm doing. And Barnabas, both Barnabas and I share this right. So Barnabas also from this verse was someone who was unmarried and who was serving God. And he's saying, it's not that this right has been taken away just from Barnabas and me. We also have the right to work. Actually he's talking about Barnabas working. So it's only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working. So both Barnabas and him were working to support their ministries. But there were many other apostles who were being supported by churches, being supported by others to do the work that they were doing. They were not doing manual labor to support their work or to earn the finances or to get the food and drink that he's referring to in verse four to get all of that work that they were doing. So verse seven, sorry, whoever goes to war at his own expense who plans a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit or who tends o'clock and does not drink. So all of these things are yes, if you go to war, someone is supporting you in that war. They are paying for you. You don't pay and then go and fight on behalf of a country. If you plant a vineyard, you will eat food that comes from the vineyard. If you take care of sheep, you will drink the milk that comes from the flock that you are taking care of. Do I say these things as a mere man? So now he goes back to scripture. He's saying, I'm not saying this nearly from a human perspective. I'm going back to scripture itself where God himself talks about the fact that whoever works is worthy of paying. So when you work, you should be paid for your work. So verse nine, you shall not muzzle an ox while it trends out the grain. Is it oxen God is concerned about? So here he's referring to an Old Testament law that Moses had talked about. So you shall not muzzle an ox while it trends out the grain. Verse 10, does he say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt. So he's not saying God didn't say that just for animals, right? That we only have to take care of the animals who help us out in the fields. No, he's giving us that as an example for us to learn about. And the lesson that we can learn is that the people who work in the fields also should receive their pay. And those who help in the harvest should also receive their pay. So similarly, those who do ministry should be paid for the work that they are doing. Verse 11, if we have so many spiritual things for you, is it a great thing we reap your material things? So elevating spiritual above the material, there is spiritual work among you. So taking something material from you is definitely worth it. Verse 12, if others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless, we have not used this right but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. So there were other people who had received support from the Corinthian Church. Whereas Paul and Barnabas themselves who had been the ones who established the church are not receiving anything from the Corinthian Church. So nevertheless, we have not used this right but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. So they have given up this right so that they will not hinder the gospel of Christ. How do you think the gospel of Christ would be hindered if they were using these rights? Yes, for some people would see that okay, we are supporting the work that is being done. And so there would be a sense of even a sense of authority in a sense over them because you are able to do the work because we are supporting you. That would be one thing and that would put them in a place where they would not be as receptive of what Paul was sharing because of that. Another reason might be that people would question their motives for doing the work that they would do. So they would think that they are only doing the work for the sake of money. Just to receive money, they were doing the work. So they would question everything that they were doing. Whatever they were doing, they would question what is the motive behind it. Is it to try and get more money from us? All of these things. So to keep all of that from being in the people's hearts when they were preaching the gospel, they saw it best to just give them the gospel without giving them any burden of financial support so that they would know that we are coming with pure motives. Our goal is only to bring the gospel to you and you can see that we have nothing to take from you. There's nothing we are coming to receive from you. We are only coming to give. And so they gave up their rights. So in all of these preceding verses, he's talking about these are all the rights we have, but we gave all these things up so that we could simply preach the gospel to you without any hindrance and you could receive it without having any kind of questions or doubts in your mind. You could receive it just as something we had come to give you. Verse 13, do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple and those who serve with the altar are take of the offerings of the altar. So he's going back to the Old Testament, but also to even the pagan temples that were there. The priests would be able to take the offerings that were being brought, the sacrifice that were being brought. They would take a part of it for themselves. That was their way of sustaining themselves and their families. Verse 14, even so, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. So not only in the Old Testament was this a practice where he's in verse 13, he's talking about the Old Testament where the Levites and the priests would be able to share in the offerings that were coming into the temple. But even Jesus himself had approved of those taking the gospel, receiving payment for what they were doing or receiving support for what they were doing. So we see that in Matthew 10, 10 and in Luke 10, 7, if maybe two people or one person were able to read those two verses, Matthew 10, 10 and Luke 10, 7. Matthew 10, 10. No bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a scarf for the worker is worth his poop. 10, 7. As you go, proclaim this message, the kingdom of heaven has come near. Oh, sorry, Luke 10, 7. Matthew 10, you read that. And then Luke 10, 7. Luke 10, 7. Stay there eating and drinking whatever they give you for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. So here in both these places, we see where Jesus himself has said, when you're going out for ministry. The people who are you are ministering to should be taking care of your physical so your food and your stay and all of those things. So Paul is, even though he's saying these are my rights, it's not these are my rights by my own thinking, or by what the world has to say, these are my rights as per scripture as for God's teaching himself. And then in verse 15 he says, but I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me, for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make by boasting point. So I he's saying I've given up all of these rights and I'm not writing now so that you will start to give me some wages. Rather, I would, I want to continue doing these things, because that's a reason for me to post in the sacrifices that I've made to bring the gospel to you, and he continued to talk more about this from here. So just some things that we talked about. So apart from Paul supporting what all he's sharing about eating foods offer to idols. We are also there are some things we can learn about how we should be serving. So he's talking about apostleship. One thing is he talks about the church themselves as evidence of his call. So the fruit of the work that has been done is evidence that God himself had sent Paul and enabled him to do the work. The second is that he had not abused his power in any way. Instead, he'd gone on the other side of giving up his own rights for the sake of the work that he had to do. So giving up getting married, giving up giving up the right to receive payment. So he continued to work even though that meant a lot of hard work for him. He continued to work to support the ministry that he was doing. So that is something that we can learn as well when we are doing ministry that we look at the fruit of what we're doing. To show us is what we're doing really bringing transformation. Is it really fulfilling the ministry that God has entrusted to us? Are we seeing fruit in the work that we are doing? And the other is to be sacrificial to give up things that we may fully be able to claim as per our rights. But to give that up for the sake of the work that needs to be done. Let's go on verses 16 to 18. We'll just maybe finish the chapter and then we can stop and ask questions if you've had any questions through the last two chapters. So verses 16 to 18, anyone read that? For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boost off. For necessity is laid upon me. Yes, who to me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do things willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What is my reward then? What when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel. Amen. Thank you. So he's saying if I was simply preaching the gospel, then I'm not doing anything great. I'm just doing what God has asked me to do. God has entrusted me with the task of taking the gospel to people and I'm simply carrying out that task. So I can choose to do it willingly or unwillingly. If I'm doing it willingly, then I have a reward from God that will come when he finally judges me. If I do it against my will, what I'm simply doing is acting as someone who has been given a task. I'm just simply doing it. I'm not doing it with the heart of desiring to do what has been entrusted to me. I'm just doing it out of obedience. So where is his real reward? His reward is when he makes sacrifices from his own desire to make sacrifices. God is not asking him to give up receiving a payment or to give up the support from the church in order to do his work. That is something that he has chosen to do and in that is his reward because what was the heart behind giving it up? That there would be no hindrance to the gospel. So he's done it with that purpose that people would just be able to receive the gospel without any obstacles, without any hindrance. And so in this is going to be his reward when Christ judges him. So here we see that Paul talks about a bosseship as stewardship. We are given a responsibility to carry out and we are accountable to God and to people to carry out that responsibility. So we are simply stewards who are carrying out what God has entrusted to us. And that is another role of someone who is ministering or someone who is sent by God to be a steward of what God has entrusted to us. Go on from verses 19 to 23. Someone read that please. For though I am free from all men, I have met myself as seven to all that I might win them all. And to the Jews, I became as a Jew that I might win Jews to those who are 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 a 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 sake that I may be partaker of it with you. Thank you. So we saw in that first verse of chapter nine, he said, am I an apostle? Am I free? So in these first few verses, he was talking about how he has given up the rights of an apostle to do the work of taking this gospel without hindrance. Now he's talking about how he's giving up his rights as someone who is free for the same reason for the gospel sake. So verse 19, for though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all. So he is someone who is not a slave. He was free in that he was not under anyone's authority. But he took the gospel to them freely. But at the same time, even though he was free, he chose to align himself with them so that they would be able to hear the gospel in a way that made sense to them. So to the Jews, he took the gospel as a fulfillment of Jewish scripture to help them understand how Jesus fulfilled Jewish scripture. To those under the law, he still continued to respect the law. He didn't say forget all of that, let's follow Jesus now and not think about anything that the law talks about. Verse 21, to those without the law, that is to the Gentiles, he didn't force them to follow the law. Rather, he took what was important and he only taught them what was important for them as those who were not under Jewish law. And so he became like somebody who was free from the law, even though he was a Jew. But at the same time, he was under the law of God. So there's freedom from the Jewish law, but still a submission to God's law, God's rules of what is right, what is wrong, what is good, what is evil. And to the weak, I became weak, that I might win the weak. So in each case, he and we can also take care to the weak I became as weak as he, we don't know for sure. But in this case where he's talking to these elite people who don't want him to do that work of tent-making, to the weak I became weaker. He became like the lower class in that Corinthian society to win those weak. So in each case, he identified himself with the people that he was taking the gospel to so that they would be able to share in salvation in Jesus. So verse 23, now this I do for the gospel sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. So I do this so that you may hear the gospel and so that we may both share in the benefits of believing in Christ. So that I may share it with you. And so that is the challenge for us as we are people who are sent out by God. Are we willing to go to where they are to identify with them to the extent that we make sacrifices on our things that we would prefer. I'm sure Paul would have preferred to not be working day and night, maybe to be able to get some rest. But he chose to do that extra work so that he could reach a certain group of people to the Gentiles. Even though he was someone who had been raised in Jewish law and steeped in that kind of thinking, he had to unlearn so much of what he had learned to be able to reach this other group of Gentiles. And he was also then there were Jews who came against him because of that. So there was so much opposition to his work because people felt that he had given up Jewish teaching. So the Jews felt insulted by what he was doing. So he made huge sacrifices and we might be called to make big sacrifices like that, to move to places that may not be the most comfortable, to minister to people who might be outside of what is acceptable in society or people who are accepted in society to reach out to those kinds of people. And that would require sacrifice on our part. So for us to be with that mindset and that willingness to make those sacrifices for the sake of the gospel so that others can benefit from the gospel like we have benefited as well. Should we stop here for questions? Do you want to continue or do you want to address some questions and then we continue? Do you have any questions? Maybe you can bring it up now. Yes, so we can do things unwillingly but just because we feel this is the right thing to do or we want to be obedient. So it's a mindset of a servant or a slave. You may not have the heart to do it, you are just doing it because this is what has been told to me. This is why we see so many times this question of what is the motivation behind what we are doing. Is it really God's heart for the people? Is it really God's heart for us also that is motivating us or is it just okay and do this because so even in this we are being faithful to carry out this task. So he's saying I've been entrusted with this and I'm doing it. But my reward is when I actually do it with that willingness, with that pure motivation that comes from God, that heart of God for the people and to take us to do it. So I can still do it without that and I would be doing the work that God hasn't asked me. I'd be faithful in that but I would not get the reward of someone who is doing it with a willingness or thoughts. No questions there. I just want to answer that. Spiritual decades have been given in the start of the chapter three. Capitalism of person. And hence it's half of picture of friendship from the first point. Which one is it, Surya? The capitalism of person. Okay, okay, okay. Yes, the water of capitalism. Okay. So those are, I'll read them out there in the notes also. Revelation 21, 14 is for the 12 apostles. And the criteria for those 12 apostles is in Acts 1, 21 to 22. Then the founding apostles is Ephesians 2, 20, Ephesians 3, 1 to 5. And then like for those who are continuing that ministry in the current day church is Ephesians 4, 11 to 12. And one current day is 12 to 28. Any other questions? If you have questions or anything you want to share from what we've done so far. Okay, we will continue to the end of this chapter then. So verses 24 to 27, is someone reading to read that? Do you not know that those two run in all race, all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who completes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an unperishable crown. Therefore I run thus not with uncertainty, thus I fight, not as one who beats the ear. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjugation. At least when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. Thank you. So Paul is talking to the Corinthians who are very familiar with the Olympics, right? And with all of this sportsmanship, so he's using this example from their culture. So in Corinth itself, there was games that were hosted every two years and they were almost like the Olympics. They were as big, they were second only to the Olympics. So they saw a lot of these things happening in and around them, these athletics happening around them. You know the kind of discipline and the self-sacrifice that is involved by these athletes. There is intense training for long periods of time before they can even participate in the race. So they have to go through this kind of training to prepare themselves. And then when they run the race, they are ready to run and to endure whatever is required for them to win. And so even though so many people go through all of this training, only one of them actually receives the prize at the end of it. They all have gone through the training, they've all been prepared and they've gone through intense preparation for it. But at the end, out of all of them, only one person receives the prize. So you'll be like that one person to go the extra mile to prepare even more and then when you actually run the race to give it your all. So that you win the prize. So everyone who competes in these games runs only for things that are temporary. So what they would receive was the crown with leaves in it that decayed almost within a few days. So they committed themselves so much to this. They sacrificed so much for it just to get that crown. But you are doing it for a crown that is eternal. So when you run, don't run without a specific sense of purpose in what you are doing. Run as someone who has purpose and prepare as someone with a purpose to win. So he says in verse 26, I run thus not with uncertainty and I fight thus not as one who beats the air. So I'm not doing it without purpose. I am preparing very specifically for what is to come. So I'm not going to just practice by beating the air. I'm going to do the work that is involved to be prepared to fight somebody's fight a physical person. I discipline my body. I bring it into subjection so that when I have finished preaching and sharing the gospel with everyone else, I myself. I'm not disqualified from the race. So I'm doing all of these things for so that I can make sure that I at the end of the day can stand before God with boldness and know that I've done everything. I've sacrificed, I've made, I've loved people, I've done things beyond what was asked of me because I wanted to have a pure heart. And I wanted to know that I could be, that I would stand before you with a blameless heart. So he's saying do the physical kind of things, discipline your body. Do all of those things that are required so that you can have the spiritual fruit of it that you can stand before God with that kind of confidence. So the key lessons regarding service so being called into ministry that we can take away from this chapter is that when we serve people, we want to see that there is transformation of lives and that is through the gospel. We want to see that kind of transformation. Serving God requires sacrifice. Serving God is stewardship. So there is responsibility and accountability. We are entrusted with the responsibility and then we're accountable to God and to people. Serving God is serving people by willingly entering their world. So identifying with them and being able to serve them where they are. And then serving God requires self governing ability. So what we did in this last section of disciplining oneself and making the sacrifices necessary to prove ourselves faithful at the end of our own lives. Okay, so some of the main things that we can take away from this with regard to what Paul has been sharing with regard to eating food sacrifice to idols. What do you all see as some key takeaways from this passage? How does this relate to that food sacrifice to idols? And what he talked about in chapter eight. So one thing is the giving up of rights. So he said, am I a fossil? These are all my rights as a fossil, but I've given them all up so that you may be able to receive the gospel without any hindrance or the gospel may come to you without any hindrance. So one is a giving up of rights. The other is giving up of freedom. Am I free? Yes. And then he says, I became a Jew. So even though he was a free person, he gave up his freedom so that the gospel would be able to make its way to them. And he would be able to share the blessings of the gospel with them. They both would be able to share those blessings. And so we see those two things of giving up his rights, giving up his freedom so that the gospel would be received and so that they would be all be able to share in the benefits of the gospel. And so that is something that he's going to then continue into in chapter nine talking about, okay, what does that mean in chapter 10? Sorry. What else can we look at in Old Testament history that we can learn from? Okay, so he looks at the Hebrews when they come out of Egypt and they are in the wilderness. What are some mistakes that they made? How can we learn from their mistakes? And how can we have the right heart attitude to live this out? Now, we'll just look a little bit at the background as well of what, at what time this was when Paul was talking to the Corinthians about all of this. So, in about 49 AD, that is between Paul's first and second missionary journeys is where Acts 15 talks about Paul and Barnabas going to Jerusalem to talk to them about, ask them this question of can Gentiles eat food, sacrifice to idols? And so Acts 15, the Apostles send them back with certain instructions for the Gentiles. Someone can read Acts 15, 28 to 29. Acts 15, 28 and 29. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements. You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Thank you. So here, this was the teaching that the council had that is a conclusion that they came to that the Gentiles do not need to follow the Jewish laws. They don't need to be circumcised. The only things that they need to follow is to abstain from things that are offered to idols from blood that is in the meat from anything that is strangled from sexual immorality. So we see that Paul then returns back with this teaching to the Gentiles and after this he goes on his second missionary journey. And it is during his second missionary journey that he goes to Corinth and establishes the church there. So no doubt that as he was establishing the church, he also was teaching these things to the Gentiles. But somehow it's maybe they had not fully understood the teaching or they had forgotten the teaching. Paul now here has to continue to explain further to them what had already been shared previously when he established the church. So as he writes this letter, he's building upon what he's already shared with them. So this chapter we'll see first 14 verses are lessons from Israel's history. Then there's a small section which talks about the cup and the bread. Then there's idols and sacrifices of six verses on that and then food offered to idols. So he goes back and he closes this section with this topic of food offered to idols. So let's look at verses 1 to 4. At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. I think are you in the right book? First Corinthians chapter 10 verses 1 to 4. For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact brothers and sisters that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink for they drank from the spiritual work that accompanied them and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. Their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. So Paul has talked about his own life. Now he's going into Israel's history and saying what can be learned from Israel's history. So all of their ancestors had together seen the cloud of God's presence that was leading them from Egypt into the promised land. So day and night that cloud was before them and they were following the cloud to go to the promised land. So everyone who left from Egypt, all of them saw the same cloud. All of them passed through the Red Sea. All of them experienced these miracles, this divine leading and revelation of God's power. All of them burst to all who were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. So he's using that word baptism to kind of connect it to the early church of being baptized in the water. He's saying like you were baptized in the water and have now become part of the church. These people went through these experiences and became part of the chosen people of God who were led out of Egypt. And then verse 3 all ate the same spiritual food. So all of them had the same spiritual experiences and all took part or were fed the same spiritual food, the same spiritual drink. So although that was a physical food, they received manna and they received water. That was physical food but there was divine provision that all of them could see. How the manna came to them, how they received water. Every time there was no water in the wilderness, God provided water to them. For the rank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ. So we read about the rock from which water gushed forth. When there was no water in the wilderness and the Israelites were grumbling or were in need of water, God provided water from the rock. So that is not to say that Jesus was the rock that was there with them in the wilderness. But the point to the fact that that rock, that provision that came from the rock is a pointer to Jesus and how Jesus provides that same spiritual food that we need. And provides that spiritual drink where we go on to see in this chapter how he explains that. But like that rock provided it to them when they were in the wilderness, Jesus now provides it to the church. And so this is the use of what we look at types in the Old Testament where a type points to Jesus in the New Testament, Jesus fulfillment of what was shown in the Old Testament. And then verse five, with most of them, God was not pleased for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. So all of them went through these spiritual experiences. They all saw the power of God. They were all part of God's chosen people. They were all baptized. They were all brought into that body that God had created of his chosen people. But still some of them didn't reach the promised land that God had given to them. Because of the things they did, which is what he will talk about in verse six onward. So this is his warning to them. He's saying, don't think that just because you are in the church now, you can be confident in the fact that you are going to reach that promised land of God's presence, eternal being eternally with God. Just like these people have experienced all of these powerful things, they fell away from God. And so he's warning them to not lose their way, but to stay on track with God and then go on into what are the things that he uses as examples next week. But that is what he was saying before this of running the race to win the prize. So to run in such a way that you know you will reach the end and you will not only reach the end, but you will receive the prize that you are running for. So that thought is continued here in its first five verses. So we close with that for now and we'll continue next week. Thank you all for being here.