Acts 16:1-5

                          Being of Good Reputation

                Have you ever met someone and thought, “Wow, they are really cool”?  I think we could work together well.   It seems this happened when Paul met Timothy.  But he was not quite prepared for the ministry ahead.

Timothy’s  father was Greek and his mother Jewish.  As far as we know, there was no synagogue in Lystra so it is very possible his mother was not a practicing Jew, and Timothy had not undergone the Jewish rite of circumcision.  For the Jews, to be Jewish and not circumcised was equivalent to the stigma of being an illegitimate child. 

The people in the area spoke well of Timothy and for those who were not Jewish, the rite was a non-issue.  Yet Paul’s mode of operation was normally to begin at the synagogue of a city, and go out from there.  If Timothy were to go with Paul, for the sake of reaching the Jewish population, it was important that Timothy be circumcised so as to be a Jew in good standing.  (Note that had he not been Jewish this issue would be irrelevant.)

We too need to exercise wisdom about which issues are relevant and necessary for the sake of the gospel.  When writing to the Corinthians Paul states, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more;…I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (1 Cor. 9:19,22)

There were times and places where Paul chose not to eat meat for the sake of another person’s conscience, and I’d guess there were times he ate “unclean” meat for the sake of his hosts.

In what ways do you think it is permissible, and maybe even good to take on a characteristic or an activity for the sake of sharing the gospel?    Give at least three examples and the situations in which they might occur:

1.       _______________________________________________________________

2.       _______________________________________________________________

3.       _______________________________________________________________

Are there any gray areas?  Where do you draw the line between “being all things to all men” (1 Cor. 9:22) and remaining “unstained by the world”? (James 1:27) Give three examples of areas in which you would not/ should not compromise:

1._________________________________________________________________

2.____________________________________________________________3.____________________________________________________________

What scriptures are helpful to you in discerning your answers?  List Them: