A favorite topic of many a pastor is lifestyle evangelism, but I’d prefer to talk about the evangelist’s lifestyle. Rather than discussing a process I’d like to determine a heartbeat. I want to move us beyond mere instruction and to a place of holy living, for a Christian can make no greater impact on the world than to be holy (1 Peter 1.15-16). Paul agrees with Peter when writing to the Church of Corinth:

“Everything is lawful,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is lawful,” but not everything builds others up. Do not seek your own good, but the good of the other person. Eat anything that is sold in the marketplace without questions of conscience, for the earth and its abundance are the Lord’s. If an unbeliever invites you to dinner and you want to go, eat whatever is served without asking questions of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This is from a sacrifice,” do not eat, because of the one who told you and because of conscience – I do not mean yours but the other person’s. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I blamed for the food that I give thanks for? So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Do not give offense to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also try to please everyone in all things. I do not seek my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

After reading this passage you may be wondering, “what does this have to do with evangelism?” Glad you asked. Notice that Paul writes his thesis statement right up front: don’t seek your own good but the good of others. When I read words like these the first thing that jumps to mind are the big issues. Jesus, for example, sought the good of others by dying and resurrecting. I may seek the good of others by living responsibly and challenging them to live likewise. In a sense Paul’s statement becomes a grand moral absolute, one that never touches the everyday thoughts and actions. But none of this is what Paul is writing about. Paul wants us to be thinking about doing good for others on a very personal level. Examine his example.

The illustration Paul gives us is one where we are invited to have dinner with an unbeliever, so the setting is evangelistic in nature. The moral code is made clear at the start; it is appropriate to interact with unbelievers and to enjoy all that God has provided. Unless… Unless the host informs you the meat has been sacrificed to an idol. Why would that be? It’s the same piece of meat if its been sacrificed or not. Nothing has physically changed about the meat. There is nothing wrong with the meat. So is it the idol? The idol is just a piece of wood or metal, it has no power whatsoever. So why not eat that 16 ounce ribeye with gusto? Because the meal isn’t just a meal, it’s a setup. Why else would the host tell you it was sacrificed before everyone tucks in to eat? It’s not something that just comes up in conversation. The host wants to know if you will eat a meal that has been “blessed” by a god other than your God.

What do you do in such circumstances? You politely decline the meal. Not because there is anything different at all about the meat, and not because eating it would violate your conscience, but you reject it for the sake of the host. They are making a point, so you make your own point. Normally eating a good meal comes with a blessing of good health, but remember Paul’s thesis is that we aren’t looking out for own welfare but rather the welfare of others. Sometimes we give up our own freedom to good to someone else. Why would we do this? Verse 33: “For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved!”