Stylin’

1 Cor 19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 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; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

Hey, what’s your favorite…? Who’s your favorite…? Or when’s your favorite…? You can tell a lot about people by what they favor. There’s a lot that goes into that.

As a child – as far back as I can remember – we would go to church on Sunday morning, and then come home and my mom would make fried chicken for the family. EVERY SUNDAY. Now, it could be because the fried chicken was so awesome, (golden brown, moist, with little crispies on the edges and all…) or, it could be because it was a constant occurrence - but that Sunday routine was ingrained in my soul.

When I moved away from home to go to college, I really struggled with being away not just from my mom’s fried chicken, but also from the Sunday routine. (It slowly wore off after maybe 20 years or so.) I know the routine played a huge part in the experience, because when I went home from college, and arrived on say, a Tuesday evening; my mom would always welcome me home with a big platter of fried chicken. Strange, but I noticed the fried chicken did not taste the same to me on Tuesday night as it had Sunday at noon after church.

My wife started blessing me several years back by learning how to make fried chicken for me exactly as my mom makes it – and, if possible – even a teeny, tiny bit better. But when my wife started making fried chicken for me, it took me a while to get used to eating it at times other than Sunday at noon, which simply isn’t possible because of our church-life schedule. Slowly, deliberately over time, I was able to enjoy the fried chicken as much at just about any time as I had originally when my mom made it right after church. (Okay, I may be a little weird, as my wife says on this subject.)

Here’s the point: your style has a lot to do with your life. That’s why they call it, ‘life-style.’ It is who you are as much as what you are because it is so ingrained in you. It is so difficult to separate the life from the style that in many cases it cannot be accomplished. So why should we, as those who desire most of all to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, be concerned at all with the style in which the gospel of Jesus Christ is delivered? Should we not be flexible and agreeable with whatever is necessary to speed the issue?

- Pastor Bill