Blessings of Manifold Grace: "Becoming All Things to All Men"

1 Corinthians 9:22  "...I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." 
(Read 1 Cor. 9:19-23 for context)


Paul desired to reach all types of people for Christ. This desire put him a difficult and dangerous situations for the sake of the Gospel. He was criticized by some and rejected by others, even within the church. One key to Paul's success was his reliance on the "manifold grace of God." (1 Pet. 4:10). "Manifold" means "many-sided."


Extending beyond our "one-sided-ness" to reach others is not something we can do naturally. This is why we serve God and ask Him for "Grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16) Through Him we gain enough compassion to understand others, and enough wisdom to adapt our approach, without compromising our faith.


Below is a quote from an unknown author describing the attributes of a pastor. These attributes also describe the person who desires to reach all types of people for Christ. In ourselves, we may only carry 1-2 attributes. Through manifold grace, we can become "all things to all men."


Through grace you can possess:

• The strength of an ox,
• The tenacity of a bulldog,
• The daring of a lion,
• The wisdom of an owl,
• The harmlessness of a dove
• The industry of a beaver,
• The gentleness of a sheep,
• The versatility of a chameleon.
• The vision of an eagle,
• The hide of a rhinoceros,
• The perspective of a giraffe,
• The endurance of a camel,
• The bounce of a kangaroo,
• The stomach of a horse,
• The disposition of an angel,
• The loyalty of an apostle,
• The faithfulness of a prophet,
• The tenderness of a shepherd,
• The fervency of an evangelist,
• The devotion of a mother

You Are Like Peyton Manning

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

In one sense, we are like Peyton Manning. No, we don't have his fame or money. Most of us don't have his athletic ability. What we have in common with Manning is that we were chosen because of our potential to positively impact a team.

The Apostle Paul said in so many words, "I have not reached my potential, nor am I perfect. I'm going to continue to press forward to become what Jesus saw in me when He chose me."

Peyton Manning was drafted in 1998 by the Indianapolis Colts. Before he played his first game, he received a lucrative contract.  Ownership brought in great players and coaches, including Tony Dungy, to help the young quarterback develop. Today, Manning has exceeded all expectations, and has "laid hold" on "that" for which the Colts laid hold on him – a National Football League championship (maybe another one on February 7, 2010!).

You are no different than Peyton Manning in relation to God's plan and purpose. God saved you and filled you with His Spirit so that you could "lay hold" on a life of Kingdom purpose. You have a guaranteed contract of wisdom, blessings, and spiritual gifts!

Now get out there! Live in victory! Win souls to Christ, and do everything God has put in your heart!

Haitians Need Our Help, Not Our Speculation

The situation in Haiti is so desperate that we struggle to find any frame of reference. Over 110,000 lives lost. Hundreds of thousands injured and homeless. Millions of dollars of investment lost.

Untold misery has been experienced by Haitians, relief workers and doctors, who have been forced, in many cases, to doing amputations on adults and children using hacksaws without anestesia. One observer described it as "civil war" field medicine.

By all accounts, the situation in Haiti is the single worse human disaster event in the history of our hemisphere. Haiti is nearer to Indianapolis than Los Angeles. Essentially, this disaster occurred in our "back yard."

On top of all the human tragedy is the tragedy of speculation and questions about "why" Haiti experienced this tragic loss. Pat Robertson stated that the Haitians (I assume he meant all of them since 1791) made a pact with the devil, resulting in a "curse" on the nation. Space doesn't permit me to address this unfortunate misconception. Suffice it to say that many Americans, past and present, have behaved far worse than Haitian people in relation to social and spiritual matters.

I think it is far better to say, "we don't understand," rather than to "spiritualize" a human tragedy and paint an entire nation, including fellow Christians, with a broad brush of spiritual darkness. Dr. Robertson and his organizations have done a lot of good work, even in Haiti, but this statement was incredibly misguided and untimely.

In 1989, the San Francisco region was struck with a 7.1 earthquake that resulted in 57 immediate deaths. On January 12, 2010, the 7.0 earthquake that devastated Haiti resulted in more than 110,000 deaths. The only difference I can determine between the two instances were the poorly constructed buildings of Haiti. However, too many of my fellow Christians seem to be "hell-bent" on assigning blame to the Haitians, and God, for this disaster.

There are aberrant "prophetic" groups among Christians that, in my opinion, have lost all sight of facts, reason, and scriptural accuracy. There is too much self-righteousness, too much eagerness to exploit "bad news," and too little self-judgment and accountability among some in these movements.

We need to fully focus on helping the Haitian people and not further spoiling our Christian witness by condemning the Haitian people with hurtful words and misinformed commentary.

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Perspective about Haiti's founding by Haitian author: "God, Satan, and the Birth of Haiti"