For the Sake of the Gospel

"To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, 

so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."

1 Corinthians 9:22-23

Last night my husband and I watched "The End of the Spear", the movie about Nate Saint and four other American missionaries who in 1956 were killed by members of an Ecuadoran tribe called the Waodani. The Americans had attempted to enter the tribe's isolated culture, befriend its members, and bring them to Christ, but instead they met their deaths at the hands of the Waodani's spears. After the killings the wives of the murdered missionaries moved in with the Waodani and became like family, eventually leading the tribe to Christ and ending the cycle of killing. It struck me as I watched the scenes unfold how much these missionaries lived out the spirit of 1 Corinthians 9:22-23. They didn't berate the Waodani for their ignorance of the gospel, or expect them to behave differently in their unbelieving state. They lived among the Waodani and loved them first, and then shared the gospel and let God change their hearts. Why do we expect people who don't know Christ to live according to His word? They don't know any better. And neither did we before we came to Him. Let's meet people right where they are and show them the love of Christ. He'll take it from there.