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We have journeyed many months in this book, and I think we have about another three months or so, in the book of 1st Corinthians.

So we come to chapter 10 and verses 14, all the way actually to chapter 11 and verse 1. For those of you who are not, or were not able to join us in the previous weeks and months, I just want to let you know that Paul is really dealing with the issue of idolatry from Chapter 8 onwards.

What's the issue here?

Well, we are told that there were Christians, Corinthian church goers, who actually visit temples of idols and eat in those temples, and that is the problem that was highlighted in chapter 8 and verse 10.

The people who go to the temples to eat food that have been offered to idols say that it's no big deal because they know that an idol has no real existence, and that there is no God, but one God, the God they worship. [1 Cor 8:4] So they rationalized that this is quite okay, they can go to the temple and eat these foods that have been sacrificed to these false gods.

Because they say, "It's nothing! We know that there is no real god there." They also say that they know that, "The food they eat does not commend them to God. Food does not make us worse off, these kinds of food does not make us worse off, neither do they make us better off." [1 Cor 8:8] It's quite neutral! So they say, "The idol is neutral!" They say that, "The food is neutral and therefore is no big deal, if we go to the idols temple and eat."

Paul then says, "Not really! You guys have knowledge, but you are arrogant about your knowledge. Instead of using your knowledge for God's glory and for the benefit of others, you actually cause people to be stumbled. You cause people who see you go to those temples to eat, be tempted also to follow you likewise."

"The problem is whilst you may know it's no big deal to yourself, to them it may not be so, because they are weak in their conscience, they are not so established in the truth and in the faith. And if they see you do it, they follow you likewise, they eat also of the food offered to idols, they will be tempted after a while, to be drawn back to idolatry.

So your knowledge makes you arrogant, you're puffed up, but what you lack is really love. [1 Cor 8:1] "Because real love builds up, real love seeks to build up your brother spiritually and not stumble them or tear them down."

"So as for me ..." Paul says in verse 13, "... I will never eat these foods that have been offered to idols in the temples." Why? "In case my brother sees me, follows me and is stumbled in their faith and falls away from God, I'll never do it!" In fact, Paul goes on to say, "For the sake of others, I'm willing not only to give up eating food in these situations, I'm willing even to give up my rights to receive support from you."

"It is only right," Paul says, "... that as I preach the Gospel to you, I will receive support from you, but even that I'm willing to give up so that none would have any barrier because of me, with regard to the Gospel. I do not want to lay any obstacle, but I want people to have a clear mind, that the Gospel is not a message preached in order to get rich, it's a message for their salvation."

"So I give up my rights for support and I do that because it is important to me too, for ... for my own spiritual assurance. "For I do it all for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." [1 Cor 9:23] "That I may be truly proven to be a partaker of this Gospel as well. This willingness to give up, this willingness to sacrifice, this willingness to serve is the best assurance that I'm a partaker of the Gospel."

"In fact, if I'm not willing to give up my selfish appetites, if I'm not willing to give up my own fleshly desires, I may end up to be a cast away, a reject and that's the word therein, disqualified." So, Paul says, "For all that reason, I will not eat of the food offered to idols."

And I say to you, he writes to the Corinthians, "If you have this attitude that you can be careless about eating food offered to idols, you've got to be very careful. Because you, yourself actually may also be tempted into idolatry." He says, "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he falls." [1 Cor 10:12] "This careless attitude of yours is not helpful, you may be presumptuous."

He raises the example of ancient Israel during the times of Moses. They were a people who followed Moses, they were a people who experienced external blessings, like crossing the Red Sea, seeing the pillar of cloud by day, the pillar of cloud (sic: fire) by night. They receive manna from heaven every day, six days a week. They drank from the spiritual rock that followed them. They had all these things!

But actually, they were not God's people, because their hearts were evil, they were filled with unbelief. They repeatedly sinned against God, and God judged them and punished them and their bodies were overthrown in the wilderness. "So, don't be presumptuous!" Paul is saying, "... if you continue to have such a careless attitude towards idolatry, towards sin, you may prove yourself to be like a hypocrite, during the days of Moses too."

That's where we come to. Now, I summarized a few weeks worth of sermon in the 10 minutes, so if you felt overwhelming, I can understand. But for those who have been with us, I hope that triggers some of the memories, and the spiritual learnings that we've had, so that we can now come to verse 14, which is where we last stopped.

Paul says, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." [1 Cor 10:14] He now becomes crystal clear, besides talking about the need to love others, about the need to keep-on going-on in sacrificing himself to prove to himself, to have that assurance that he truly belongs to the Gospel, or in the Gospel. He now says, "Actually, even though the idol is nothing, even though the food is nothing, the offering of this food to these idols is something."

Let me say that again. Yes, the idol is nothing! It's a statue, it's a block of wood, it's a block of stone. It's nothing! There's no god there! And when you eat this food, it doesn't make you literally more spiritual or less spiritual, but when you offer this food to this idol, this act is something. This act is idolatry. This act is demonic worship.

"Oh, how do you get that?" Well, that's what he's talking about in the verses to follow. He says, "I speak as to sensible people ..." [1 Cor 10:15] "I trust that you guys got "nao" [Hokkien dialect]. You got a brain, you can think, you can discern for yourself. I speak as to people who have the ability to ... to think through the logic." "... judge for yourselves what I say." [1 Cor 10:15]

"The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not the participation in the blood of Christ? [1 Cor 10:16]

So, he raises two examples. The first example is what we will call, "The Lord's Supper", or "The Communion Table" a meal that Christians partake together. So, this is something I think I need to specify. In virtually most organized churches today, when we talk about The Lord's Supper, we talk about a wafer, a biscuit, a ... a cracker or in this COVID season, distribution of wafers, crackers and cups to God's people in a worship service.

But when you look at the context, for example in 1st Corinthians, The Lord's Supper is not some ritual that we do in a church service, but The Lord's Supper is actually a proper meal, it's a fellowship meal. You ask, "Why don't we do it in Gospel Light." I say, "Very hard, lah! All of you sit here, it's like wedding banquet, like 'jiak toh' [Hokkien dialect] ah!"

I think a bit hard to do it. So over the years, organized churches have made it in a sense, into a ritual, but actually it was a meal, that fellow Christians would sit together and share together. They will remember the sacrifice of Jesus over the meal. The bread that they break, the cup that they share are tokens of remembrance of the body of Jesus Christ that was sacrificed for us, and the blood that was shed.

After all, Jesus instituted The Lord's Supper, or the Last Supper over a Passover meal, and not like a church service. So, that was the meal they celebrated! The point here is that if we as Christians gather around the table for a meal, and we remember Christ, His body that was sacrificed and His blood that was shed, through the food and drinks we take, we are publicly identifying ourselves as followers of Jesus, because this is a remembrance of Him.

So, "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?" [1 Cor 10:16] It's saying, "We believe in the cleansing power of the blood, we are a people who belong to God because of the power of the blood of Jesus Christ."

Now, I don't think this is a verse that says, when you drink the grape wine or the juice, that you're really drinking the blood of Jesus. For sure, it does not taste like the blood of Jesus. So there are some people who think, "Oh, in The Lord's Supper, after we pray, it somehow miraculously becomes the exact blood!" That's not what the point is!

The point here is that we are publicly identifying ourselves and declaring ourselves, that we believe in Jesus. Same thing, "The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? [1 Cor 10:16] The idea here is public identification and declaration — we belong to Christ, we believe in Him, and we are together a church, a body who believes in Him.

Verse 17, "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread." So Paul is saying, "Hey, food is nothing, the idol is nothing, but that eating of the food that has been offered to idols is something." Why?

"Think about our own Lord's Supper. Food is nothing, but when we eat this food in the Name of Jesus, we are saying something. We are saying we belong to Jesus, we worship Him. Example number one.

Example number two is to the sacrificial system of the Israelites. "Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?" [1 Cor 10:18]

So you know that in Israel, they ... they offer animal sacrifices and parts of it will be given to the priests, and parts of it they can take for themselves and eat. So, when I offer an offering to Jehovah God in worship, and then I take some of the meats back to eat, I am saying that, "As I eat them, I worship Jehovah God."

Now, of course, nobody understands that the animal sacrifice actually become the body of God, nor the blood of God. That's ... that's not the point! But the point is — we share, we are identified, we are declaring that we belong to God, through eating the food offered in the sacrificial system in ancient Israel.

So, "What do I imply then?" [1 Cor 10:19] Based on the example of The Lord's Supper, based on the example of the sacrifices in the Jewish ritual system. "What do I imply then? The food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is idol is anything?" [1 Cor 10:19]

He's asking again, a rhetorical question, a question that the answer is very obvious. The answer is - No. "Of course, I'm not saying that the food is anything. I'm not saying that the idol is anything, but that your act of taking this food that has been offered to idols is something."

And he says, "No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons." [1 Cor 10:20] So to Paul, eating this food that is neutral, that has been used to worship a block of wood, that is neutral. This act of eating is not neutral! It is dangerous! To him, he's saying, he's ... he's giving you the logic, that this is participating in those who offer sacrifices to demons. "And I do not want you to be a part of this."

He probably was referencing Deuteronomy 32, not explicit but possible, where God says in verse 17,"They sacrificed to demons that were no gods."

So all the pagans, all those who do not know God, they are offering their offerings, not to God, nor to gods, for there is only one God, but they are offering therefore to demons. And the problem is that ... the earlier verse, "They stirred Him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger." [Deut 32:16] "You thought you were worshipping God, but you were actually worshipping demons."

Paul is saying, "Therefore, in this case, food is nothing, idol itself is nothing, but when you eat this food that has been offered to the idols, it is something. You're offering to demons and if you eat it, you're participating with demons."

"How can this be so, cannot be? If you are part of a church, you share in that Lord's Supper together." "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord ... [1 Cor 10:21] You say, "I believe in Jesus, I remember His death for me, I remember the blood that was shed and then at the same time, "... drink of the cup of the demons." [1 Cor 10:21]"' You can't do that!

"Neither can you partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons." [1 Cor 10:21] "So shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy?" [1 Cor 10:22]

The Bible tells us over and over again that God is a jealous God, because He guards His holiness, He guards the proper worship that man is due. And so he says, "Shall we provoked the Lord to jealousy?" [1 Cor 10:22] Again, very reminiscent of Deuteronomy 32, which we have just read. And he says, "Are we stronger than He?" [1 Cor 10:22] In a sense that, are you going to escape the judgment of God, if you keep doing this? That is probably the best sense of, are we stronger than He? How dare you do this?

So in a nutshell, let me summarize — eating food offered to idols in a temple.

The Corinthians say, "Ah, we know it's nothing, it's no big deal! The food is nothing, the idol is nothing, we can do it, right?

Paul says, "No, not quite! First of all, you have to think about others. When you eat this, others whose conscience is ... are not as established, may be tempted to follow you and eat it too. But when they eat it, they jialat [Hokkien dialect], when they eat it, they get troubled, when they eat it, they may be sucked back into idolatry. So just because you know, doesn't mean you should."

And that is what we said the last time — just because I can, doesn't mean I should do it, because I also need to add - I care. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. So, you got to think about others, it's not that you think it's nothing means you can do it. You've got to consider the people around you and not stumble them.

In fact, you've got to think about how you are given over or not given over to your sensual; fleshly indulgent appetites. Because if you continue in such a self-centered orientation, it might mean you were never born again in the first place, because the mark of the Christian is love.

"If anyone loves God, he is known of God." 1st Corinthians 8 verse 3, that's how he started off. So if you do not have any evidence of love, you might really be described as a cast-away at the end of the day, a ... a hypocrite.

And then now he says, "Think about God. Don't you realize that when you eat this food that has been offered to idols, you are participating in demons and you're provoking God to wrath and to jealousy."

So, why should you not eat food offered to idols? It's a three angled or three directional checklist. Think about others, think about your own soul, and of course think about your God.

So he really, like a good lawyer, forces the Corinthians into a corner where and they can't escape. In all three directions, this is proven wrong. So, I think it is a very conclusive response to their desire to eat food offered to idols, but there are still a few loose ends to tie up.

What about eating idol food outside the temple, 打包 [dǎ bāo, take away in Chinese] can or not? “I don't eat there lah， eat there got a lot of problems lah, people get stumbled lah, and so on lah! Okay, okay, then I 打包 [dǎ bāo] lah, no one knows can or not? "Why, why do you need 打包 [dǎ bāo]?"

Well, because it is said that in those days, a lot of the meats that are sold in the meat markets were first offered to pagan gods. I mean it's just killing two birds with one stone ah, you offer first but you still can eat lah! So a lot of it is used to worship idols, then it doesn't do anything to the ... the quality of the meat, you can still sell the meat. Well, then they bring it out to the meat markets to be sold.

So can we eat the meat from the meat market? Do we have to check if this is, I wouldn't use the word, 'halal', but is this not used for idol worship? Must I verify that, must I check the brand and the manufacturer or the abattoir or butchery it comes from? Can we? That's one question.

Can we eat in an unbelievers house? What if your neighbor who is not a Christian invites you to his house? Can you eat there because his food probably is made from meats that have been taken from the meat market? For all you know, he might have even used it for his own worship. Can I eat in an unbeliever's house?

And what if your ... the host who invited you, asked you here and then they say, "Eh, this one I just now 'pai kuay eh' [food offered to idols in Hokkien]. What do you do? Should you eat or should you not eat? So these are the loose ends to tie up? It's actually not very difficult to resolve, but let me just say what Paul says.

He starts by laying a preamble, he starts by laying down a principle. He doesn't go into answering these specific questions yet, but he says this, he lays down this principle, "All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful". [1 Cor 10:23]

In a sense, the Bible doesn't say you can't, but not everything is helpful. You say, "Helpful for what? Helpful for who?" He says, "All things are lawful, but not all things build up." [1 Cor 10:23]

"Okay! Helpful or build up, with regard to who?" He makes it clear in the next verse, "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." [1 Cor 10:24]

So he saying, "Not ... all things are ... all things are lawful. For the Christian, who is no more under the law, or specifically, no more under the condemnation of the law. Because of the Gospel, he is free in Jesus Christ, he cannot, in a sense destroys the grace of God by his disobedience, he is under grace, not under law."

So in a sense, yes, you are no more under the law, but there is a very important principle to the Christian. We don't do things just because we are freed from the law, but we must consider what is helpful, what is building up with regard to our neighbor. In other words, Paul lays down the principle of loving your neighbor.

Now, whether you can eat meat offered or sold in the markets, whether you go to the unbeliever's house, you have to remember this principle. Alright, do things that consider loving your neighbor. And that's how he started and that's how he ends in verse 33. It's like a bracket to kind of a ... encapsulate what he's going to say, the details in between. But the principle is — we do not seek our own advantage but that of many, the principle of love.

And we've come a full circle, in chapter 8 verse 1, love builds up. So he's very consistent, Paul, he does not talk about one thing and then contradict himself. His motivation, his consideration is very uniform, very consistent.

So just want to ... to say something before I answer the specifics, like how Paul answers the specifics. This phrase, 'all things are lawful' [1 Cor 10:23] is for those who have been with us in chapter 6, reminiscent because that's the excuse the Corinthians say, "What's wrong with visiting prostitutes?" Remember? 1st Corinth ... I know you don't remember, it's a look at me with that kind of look. I know it's, ... did you ah, check it out, 1st Corinthians, chapter 6?

The Corinthians have said, "I'm no more under the condemnation of the law." So, they actually use that as an excuse for prostitution. Bizarre! So, Paul knows that if that is their mindset, he better preempt this excuse again and say, "Yah, I know what you're going to say — all things are lawful, but don't forget the principle of love."

Alright, so with that being said, can we eat meat sold in the meat market? Paul says, "Eat whatever is sold in the meat market." [1 Cor 10:25] Hey, you should be thankful, right, without raising any question on the ground of conscience! So you don't need to go to store to store, "Eh, this one 'pai kway boh' [Hokkien dialect]? This one worship that before or not. I see this, I see that cannot." You can eat, you can buy, you can eat without asking any question. That's clear!

The rationale Paul says is, "For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." [1 Cor 10:26] Psalm 24, verse 1. He's saying that, all these meats are given by God, they belong to God, and God is allowing His people to enjoy the rich produce that He has given in this world.

So do you need to ask? No need to ask. You want to ask you can ask lah, then you cant buy lah yourself! But you can get away without asking, that's quite alright.

What about my friend invite me to his house, he's not a Christian? Can I eat? Or do I have to ask this one, "What do you do with it ah?" Not how you cook, no, but how you worship, how you wash or how you kill whatever. You don't have to ask, because he says, "If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner ... and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience." [1 Cor 10:27]

So I go to my relative's house, even during Chinese New Year, I don't ask them, "Eh, this one how you cook? Has this been offered there?" I don't ask these questions, I eat it. It's quite alright, Paul say so. But what if they tell you the food has been offered to idols?

Wah, this one, in your heart, you shake your head ah! Why? "But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," [1 Cor 10:28] So they told you ah, if you did not ask but they tell you, "... then do not eat it for the sake of the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience." Whose conscience? His conscience. "I do not mean your conscience, but his." [1 Cor 10:29a] Then, don't eat.

Because now he knows that you know. This is the key thing, before that he may think you know, but he doesn't know you know. But now that he knows that you know, then you have to say, "No." Alright? Because you do not want him to think that as a follower of Jesus, it's quite alright for you to partake of these foods that have been offered to idols.

So, I began this whole series by saying, when I was growing up in my dad's place, sometimes there will be 'pak cham kai' [poached chicken in Cantonese], lying on the kitchen table. I would even before the meal, lift up that, ... you know that cover and sneak a piece of two or two of the chicken before they come. But my helper will see me sometimes and say, "This one pai kway ay!" [Hokkien dialect]

Why! What! But I can't do anything, I just okay, okay, I walked away. No choice! For who sake, for the sake of her conscience.
But I would not go to the temple to eat, I think that is clear. I think we, therefore make a distinction between eating in a temple and 打包-ing [dǎ bāo-ing]. And the 打包 [dǎ bāo] answers, I think you can check it out from here.

So, that ends ... Now, this is a difficult verse, this is a very difficult verse, "For why should my cons... or my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience?" [1 Cor 10:29b] It doesn't quite make sense, no matter how you cut it, if you link it with the preceding verse, verse 28, and 29a. You can't, I just can't find a way to harmonize that.

So the best way of understanding verse 29b, is that this 'for' does not connect to the immediate 28 and 29a, but to earlier references to eating. Alright, maybe this makes it even clearer, "If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that which for which I give thanks!" [1 Cor 10:29b-30]

So the best way, you can go by and check it out, the best way to understand this verse, is if this refers to how you can eat meat without asking, without troubled conscience when it is sold in the meat markets, and when an unbeliever invites you to his house, without telling you this is food offered to idols.

In other words, I'm suggesting to you eating food or the meat, sold in the meat markets and eating in an unbeliever's house, that's fine, you don't have to ask, you don't have to raise a question on the ground of conscience. [1 Cor 10:25-27] Because "Why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience?" [1 Cor 10:29] if he doesn't know that I know. Huh ... "If I partake with thankfulness, what's wrong with it? Why am I being denounced?" [1 Cor 10:29-30]

So, the best way is to link this to verse 25 and verse 27, of course, in verse 28, there's this insertion, 'but'. Things are different ah, if someone tells you! So that's the best way to approach, I think verse 29b.

So we come to the end, "Whether therefore you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, you do all to the glory of God." [1 Cor 10:31]

This is that major overriding principle for Paul's life. Of course, you can apply that to many instances in life, but that's the important general principle. Again, I want to kind of grant you a ... a ... or lead you to think about how Paul is again being consistent, when he dealt with sexual immorality.

He says, "Glorify God with your body." [1 Cor 6:20] Now, when it comes to eating food offered to idols, he's also saying glorify God with their lives. Consistent!

"Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God, just as I tried to please everyone in everything I do." [1 Cor 10:32] Not that he's a man pleaser, but he does not want to lay any obstacle or offense before anyone. "Because this is my posture, I'm a servant. "I do not seek my own advantage, but the advantage of many, that they may be saved." [1 Cor 10:33] He operates on very clear principles — loving God, loving others. Super consistent!

And now, verse 11, ah chapter 11, verse 1, this is subject to the most unfortunate chapter division in our Bibles. When you read your Bible, you will see that this is chapter 11, actually, it should be part of chapter 10. Because when you put it at chapter 11, it makes it feel like it is separate issue. But no, no, no, if you read it, you know that when the Bible was originally written, there is no chapter division, right? It's added by people subsequent to it.

So whoever decided on the chapter division did not do such a great job here, but they should have ended here and not the verse earlier. Paul is saying, "Hey, I want you guys with regard to these issues on food offered to idols, follow me. Don't think about your own indulgences, or preferences. Think about God and think about others, because that's how I live. Imitate my life, just as I imitate Jesus. That's how he lives, He lives for the glory of God, and he lives for our sake."

So that concludes our exposition. I ... I am surprised I took so long, but I still have some other things to say, and I hope you can bear with me.

[1] Paul Reasons With The People
I want to highlight first of all, Paul reasons with the people.

Now, you think about it, there was a question - Can we eat food offered to idol? He could have just said, "No! Don't ask any more questions. Do as I say." Three lines. But this one, you got to write three chapters. Why?

Paul is patient and loving, towards the people and he wanted them to understand the principles, to know what's at stake and to get a feel of the implications. Paul did not want them just to conform to external rules, he wanted them to understand the principles of God's Word, that they made them decide for themselves. I think that's what we should aim for!

Oftentimes, people would ask me, "Jason, why don't you set rules in church? Set rules about skirt length, about dress code, about tattoos, about alcohol consumption?" You see, these things are what we call the gray areas. The Bible never tell you how long your skirt should be. Actually the Bible, skirt all very long one. But actually, the Bible doesn't tell us how short your skirt should be, how thin your spaghetti strap should be. Doesn't tell us that! It's a gray area.

The Bible doesn't quite forbid alcohol intake, but it forbids alcoholism. So there's a ... there's ... there's quite a gray area there. So people do not like to live with such gray zones, they want absolute cut-offs, absolute figures.

And so oftentimes, they say, "Why don't you just set some rules?" I'm not saying rules are bad, but I, I think the preference ... preferential way or the preferred method to me is that we must help people understand why. Understand why we need to dress modestly, understand why we should refrain from alcoholism. Help ... help them understand what is the issue with tattoos, because at the end of the day, we want people not to follow us and our rules, but to follow Jesus, and we want obedience from the heart.

I think every parent understand this, isn't it? When you raise your kids, you don't just tell them no, you actually bother to tell them why no. Whether they accept it or not, is another matter, but you do bother to patiently; lovingly, point them in that way.

So I think this is a ... is an important principle, for us as a church, we do not want to just impose rules on people, more important than that is to teach; to persuade; to convince; and to grant you a biblical perspective. Paul did that!

[2] Paul Sticks To The Fundamentals
A second thing I want to add is that, Paul sticks to the fundamentals.

Now, he's, he's really, a .... a clear-cut guy. He doesn't mess around, he, he has very simple and clear principles. When I say, simple, I'm not saying it's easy to do, I'm saying it's uncomplicated. So what is his simple and clear points?

I think you could summarize and boil it down to the glory of God, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, you do all to the glory of God." And you ... you seek to build up, you seek to save, that's doing things for the good of man. In a sense, he is saying, "Fulfilling the whole of the Old Testament - love God and love your neighbor, this is the summary of everything in the Old Testament."

So he says he teaches that we should stick to the fundamentals, and that should have precedence over our own rights. The willingness to give up our own rights, for the sake of the glory of God, and for love of others.

Now, it might seem a bit abstract, but let me just boil it down to a practical situation. I know that when we are opening up, the whole nation opens up, and we are opening up as a church for people to gather back on-site. You must be quite excited to finally be able to catch up with friends, finally to be ... to be able to join in a more optimal worship experience.

But for someone like Paul, although that would be something he would like, I'm sure, he would also think about, "Wow, this is great because this is optimal for the glory of God and this allows me to serve others." I think that will be in his mind!

Let me flip this around. Many of us, I'm speaking to many still on the camera or beyond the camera, it fits you, it suits you to stay at home, it's very comfortable to stay at home, like we always have remarked, you could wake up late, you don't have to dress up. You know some, for some people dress up take a long time. I didn't say male or female, I just say some people.

It takes a long time. It's a lot of work you know, to wash your hair, perm your hair, comb your hair, paint paint here, paint paint there. It's a lot of things to do. And so you say, "Why all the hassle? I can stay at home, sleep in late, have my breakfast, tune into the sermon at the same time. Scroll forward, if he's chiong hei [long-winded in Cantonese], I just scroll forward, and if I didn't get it, I can scroll backwards. So much better!"

I ... I don't disagree. It is more convenient, it is easier for a lot of us, but what I'm saying is that, our consideration must not just be our preference. How can I best glorify God, that should be the fundamental? How can I best do good to others, that should be the main fundamental? I'm saying that, we should have a paradigm shift in our thinking, that coming to a church service is not really about me.

"Oh yes, I ... I benefit a lot, I get to pray with my brethren, I get to be encouraged by their expressions of faith, I get to hear the Word of God, undistracted, yes, it's good for me." But more than that, I pray all of us will come and say, "I want to glorify God in this gathering of saints and I want to serve others." I really think there is huge huge potential in this church, because so many of us maybe are still locked into the idea that coming for worship service can be a solo event.

I come, I worship, I go, I've done my part." I don't think so. I come, I serve, I think that's your part. So I say there is huge potential. If every single one of us are mindful that I'm gathered today to look to be a blessing. Oh, this church will be entirely different! Super super different! Because we're not watching for ourselves anymore, we're watching for others.

And please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get you to enrol in some formal ministry only. Sure, you can try formal ministry. There are people today right now doing formal ministry — cooking, ushering, carpark, worship, AV. They're ... they are doing formal ministry work, but who says we must be limited only to formal ministry. Interpersonal ministry, seeing someone by himself, reaching out to a newcomer, encouraging a fellow brother you have not seen for a long time. You know those things, that's ministry, that seeking the good of others!

I think our church would be totally different, if all of us have such a mindset. I think that's what drives Paul, and I hope that ... that's what drives us.

[3] Paul Leads By Example
Finally, I want to say, Paul leads by example. Just powerful!

The ... the main crux is of chapters 8 and 10 ... to 10, it's not just that he was so sharp in his mind, it's not that he was so clear in his principles, I mean, we deeply appreciate that, so that we have clarity for ourselves today. But more than that, he has great power in what he writes, because he lived his talk, he walked his talk.

"Give up your rights"
"But Paul, you never leh?"

No, he did! He will not eat in idols temples. And he gave up the rights for support, and he made himself all things to all men that by all means he might save some.

Everyone could see that in Paul's life! And his life was not a life, where he was a celebrity pastor and had many servants around him, his whole life was about serving people. That is greatness!

I think, "Whoever would be first among you must be slave of all," [Mark 10:44] Jesus said. A measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves. "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." [Mark 10:45]

You know, I see ... I know that there are many capable people here in ... in church. You have good jobs, you climb high in the ladders of society. I know many of you are super smart, very intelligent. I think those are wonderful things, not ... not that they are bad things, but what always thrills my heart and what touches me is when I see people serve.

I know that ... that is so ... I feel that it's so precious. I've seen people who are leaders in church, who will be staying back to be the ones to wash the coffee pot. I know of someone who is very capable and look-up to, who will be the last guy to wash the pot.

Last week, I saw two young men wash the cooking utensils. You can't see them, because it's at the back of the building, it's kind of tucked away. I just wanted to see who's there, and I saw these two young men doing it quietly; joyfully. I know one of them, their parents, I asked the parents, "Your son, wash pot at home or not?" They say, "No, never!"

So why did they do it? Why did they do it here? We never force anyone to do anything in this church. They do it because they ... they want to serve. That's it! And he did not need you to see it, they serve God, and to me that is greatness.

"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." [1 Cor 11:1]

Leadership in the world is defined by how many people work for you. Leadership in the Kingdom is an upside-down paradigm — how many people you serve. I pray that the elders, the pastors, the deacons, the CG leaders, the various Ministry Leaders in Gospel Light, will not be characterized by a pompous, strutting around and boasting of our achievements, but with quiet, humble service, sacrificing, giving up our rights, to bless others. Our church will be a different people, if we live like that.

Yes, this is a subject about something we may not find so relevant - food offered to idols. How many times will you encounter this? And the answers are quite simple, but go a bit deeper, appreciate the reasoning of Paul, learn the principles and pray that God will enable us to live them out in our discipleship to Jesus.

May we be a counter-cultural church. May we be a church where people could see Jesus in us.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together.

The most amazing statement here must be that, "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." The Christian faith is not about a pompous God up there, saying, "Come! Work and deserve your way to reach Me!" But it's about a God who is willing to send His Only Son, it's about God's Son, who is willing to humble Himself, empty Himself of glory, to be born as man that He might give His life for our benefit.

Jesus gave up His life, that you might find eternal life, that is servanthood and that is greatness. And so I say to you, God does not conquer you with His power today, but I pray God will conquer you with His love. That your heart that is hardened against Him ... Him, will be softened, will melt in its resistance, and say, "Thank You, God for loving me and giving me Your Son."

I pray today you will repent of your sin, you'll repent of your own self-righteous works and depend on Jesus and His sacrifice alone. I pray today you would come to Him by faith.

Dear church, we may not meet these idol worship; food sacrifices situation often, but every day in our lives, we will be confronted with what are our fundamentals. Would it be our own rights or would it be the glory of God and the good of man? What would your life look like? I pray today as we see Jesus loves us, we will be filled with love, and love as He loved.

So Father, thank You this morning we can hear Your Word, bless the message to all our hearts, that we will not just be careless listeners but be diligent doers too. Bless those who need to be saved with the knowledge of the Gospel deep in their hearts. And thank You again for Your Son for what He has done for us. May Gospel Light, be a true Gospel light, as we live out these counter-cultural truths. We thank You, we pray all this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

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