sandwich behind his back. We need to walk in that same spirit.
CHAPTER 9 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not you my work in the Lord?
2 If I be not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are you in the Lord.
3 Mine answer to them that do examine me is this, 4 Have we not power to eat and to drink?
5 Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
7 Who goes a warfare any time at his own charges? who plants a vineyard, and eats not of the fruit thereof? or who feeds a flock, and eats not of the milk of the flock?
8 Say I these things as a man? or said not the law the same also?
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the corn. Does God take care for oxen?
10 Or said he it altogether for our sakes?
For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that plows should plow in hope; and that he that threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.
11 If we have sown to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
13 Do you not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the alter are partakers with the alter?
1 4 Even so has the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the Gospel.
15 But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done to me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.
16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is to me, if I preach not the gospel!
17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed to me.
18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant to all, that I might gain the more.
2 0 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 2 1 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
23 And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
24 Do you not know that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain.
25 And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
9:16 Second Kings 7:9 tells of lepers who had seen a great victory and initially kept the good news to themselves. But their consciences spoke to them of their moral obligation to not remain silent: "Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace." How much more should we feel an obligation to take the Good News of everlasting life to a dying world? We must speak about what we have seen and heard.
Like Paul, we are a "debtor" to those who haven't heard the gospel (Romans 1:14).
"Woe" to us if we do not preach the gospel.
9:22 Gospel tracts—how to use them. If Paul meant "by all means," he no doubt would have used gospel tracts as a means to reach the lost. A Christian book relates the true story of a diver who saw a piece of paper clutched in the shell of an oyster. The man grabbed it, found that it was a gospel tract and said, "I can't hold out any longer. His mercy is so great that He has caused His Word to follow me even to the bottom of the ocean."
God used a tract to save the man.
Why should a Christian use tracts? Simply because God uses them. He used a tract to save the great missionary Hudson Taylor, as well as innumerable others. That fact alone should be enough incentive for a Christian to always use tracts to reach the lost, but there are even more reasons why we should use them. Here are a few:
• Tracts can provide an opening for us to share our faith. We can watch people's reaction as we give them a tract, and see if they are open to listening to spiritual things.
• They can do the witnessing for us. If we are too timid to speak to someone about the things of God, we can at least give them a tract, or leave it lying around so that someone will pick it up.
• They speak to the individuals when they are ready—they don't read it until they want to.
• They can find their way into people's homes when we can't.
• They don't get into arguments; they just state their case.
Dr. Oswald J. Smith said, "The only way to carry out the Great Commission will be by the means of the printed page." Charles Spurgeon stated, "When preaching and private talk are not available, you need to have a tract ready ... Get good striking tracts, or none at all. But a touching gospel tract may be the seed of eternal life. Therefore, do not go out without your tracts."
If you want people to accept your literature, try to greet them before offering them a tract. If you can get them to respond to a warm "Good morning," or "How are you doing?" that will almost always break the ice and they will take it. After the greeting, don't ask, "Would you like this?" They will probably respond, "What is it?" Instead, say,
"Did you get one of these?" That question has a twofold effect. You stir their curiosity and make them ask, "One of what?" That's when you hand it to them. It also makes them feel as though they are missing out on something. So they are.
Perhaps you almost pass out at the thought of passing out a tract. Don't worry; you are not alone. We all battle fear. The answer to fear is found in the prayer closet. Ask God to give you a compassion that will swallow your fears. Meditate on the fate of the ungodly.
Give hell some deep thought. Confront what it is that makes you fearful.
Do you like roller coasters? Some Christians want to try bungee-jumping or sky diving. Isn't it strange? We are prepared to risk our lives for the love of fear—and yet we are willing to let a sinner go to hell for fear of giving out a tract. Ask yourself how many piles of bloodied stones you can find where
Christians have been stoned to death for preaching the gospel. How much singed soil can you find where they have been burned at the stake? Part of our fear is a fear of rejection. We are fearful of looking foolish.
That's a subtle form of pride. The other part of our battle with fear comes directly from the enemy. He knows that fear paralyzes. We must resist the devil and his lies. If God is with us, nothing can be against us.
Never underestimate the power of a gospel tract. After George Whitefield read one called "The Life of God in the Soul of a Man," he said, "God showed me I must be born again or be damned." He went on to pray, "Lord, if I am not a Christian, or if I am not a real one, for Jesus Christ's sake show me what Christianity is, that I may not be damned at last!" Then his journal tells us
"from that moment ... did I know that I must become a new creature."
If you have never given out tracts, why not begin today? Leave them in a shopping cart, or put them in the mail when you pay bills.
Then each night as you shut your eyes to go to sleep, you will have something very special to pray about—that God will use the tract you