Giving it your all

This Sundays reading is from 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 in which St. Paul paints a picture of how he must be humble in his ministry,

"If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe betide me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings."

Paul became all things to all people. Or did he? I don't think he became an idol worshiper to get along with idol worshipers. I don't think he became a fornicator in order to appease fornicators, and he certainly did not take on the appearance of a homosexual in order to convert the homosexuals. By becoming all things to all people, I think he meant that he was open to speaking and meeting with all sorts of people in the spirit of love, even to those in the grips of sin, his main intent was to proclaim the Gospel to as many people as possible so that some might be saved, and he did it free of charge. That is what we should mean today when we say we need to, "Meet people where they are at."

Shouldn't we all be reaching out to those who have not heard the Gospel and to those who hold it in contempt?