July 25, 2016

By All Means

1 Corinthians 9:19-27

I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

—  1 Corinthians 9:22

When I joined Back to God Ministries International in 1990, we used reel-to-reel tape recordings for radio programs. By the time I retired in 2015, the Chinese ministry was operating entirely online. The technological changes over the years have been phenomenal, to say the least; we can now connect one on one with our audience on multiple platforms (Facebook, WeChat, etc.) making the relationship both personal and engaging. In the past we could only estimate the ministry’s impact, but now we can count interactions instantaneously. One thing, though, remains unchanged—the gospel (“good news”) message.

The apostle Paul said he was willing to use all kinds of ways to save some for the sake of the gospel. He treasured the gospel so much that he was willing to work hard, go to prison, be exposed to death again and again, and face danger from nature, people, and government (2 Corinthians 11:23-30).

To Paul, there was (and is) only one gospel—“that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Any­thing different from this, no matter how appealing the package or the messenger, “is really no gospel at all” and should be condemned (Galatians 1:6-8). How can you share the good news that Christ died for us?

Thank you, Jesus, for your precious gospel. Help me to share it diligently and correctly every day. In your name, Amen.

About the author — Jimmy Tai-On Lin

Rev. Jimmy Lin is the Chinese ministry leader of The Back to God Hour. With his staff in Palos Heights and Hong Kong, Rev. Lin has ministered to over 1.3 billion Chinese-speaking people around the world for 16 years through radio, literature, CD/DVD, Internet, and text message. His wife, Doris, is one of the translators of Today into the Chinese language, which now has a circulation of more than 45,000 copies.

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