1 Corinthians 9:16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

I find it difficult to write on this verse, not because I find it in any way offensive, but because emotionally I don’t see how any believer could be any other way. That said, the sad fact of the matter is that the vast majority of believers never share their faith with anyone. I personally find I tend to doubt the depth of their faith, though that isn’t necessarily fair. The title song from a Christian musical of 50+ years ago comes to mind: “It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up to its glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love: once you’ve experienced it, you spread His love to everyone. You want to pass it on.” America has the problem of Christianity being cultural, so you expect everyone to know the Gospel, whereas Japan has the problem of faith being very private, and for most people largely irrelevant to their daily lives, so no one ever talks about it. (There’s certainly some of that in the US, too.) The actual fact of the matter is that no one knows God’s truth as completely as they could, and you just might have that piece of God’s truth that they are missing. Likewise, just as the song says, God’s love is so magnificent that when we get a real taste of it, failing to tell others about it becomes an exercise in self-centered narcissism. This doesn’t negate the principle Paul states just before this, that Christian workers should be materially compensated for their labors, but it is very clear, to me at least, that the clergy/laity divide is artificial at best. Expecting the “professionals” to do all the evangelizing makes everyone lose, which is why the devil encourages that attitude in any way he can.

As several people have pointed out, there are a lot of parallels between Paul’s life and mine. I did receive a salary when I pastored a church in the US before coming to Omura, but in the 40 years this church has been in operation I have never received, over the course of a year, as much from the church as I have given to it in offerings. Like Paul, I’m proud of that! However, that’s a pretty silly pride. I feel like this verse expresses my own attitude very well. I don’t know that I’m a very effective evangelist, but it’s pretty obvious that as soon as I open my mouth, what comes out quickly becomes a sermon! I have friends in ministry with different gifting who labor over sermon preparation, when I tend to feel like I could burst if I don’t get to preach! That makes it awkward when it comes to passing this church on to the next person, because as much as I might enjoy another person’s message, I still want to preach! However, just yesterday I was asked to speak at a 3-day conference in February, so the Lord does have other avenues for me to pour out what He pours into me. Whatever happens, I need to remember that I’ve got to apply God’s truth before my sharing that truth will have any power. Like Paul said, I’m the chief of sinners, and I need God’s truth in my own heart and life!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the incredible privilege of sharing Your truth. Help me be faithful to receive, apply, and share it as You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!