Specifically in this passage Paul is referencing how he denied his right to financial support when he spoke and shared the Gospel. Paul refused to be accused, as some preachers can be today, of being associated with any scandal involving money. We've all read headlines of those overseeing multi-million-dollar ministries who have used the offerings for their own personal benefits. Often unbelievers see a stigma attached to the collection plate. Although Paul affirms how being supported by the people was his right, he willingly waived that right so nothing would hinder others hearing about Christ.
In my study of this verse, I learned that "hinder, hindrance" was a strong military term used for destroying a road that an enemy would use, making it impassable. Paul was not going to allow the issue of money to be a tool in the hand of the devil that would harm the progress of the proclamation of the Gospel.
If Paul was willing to forgo finances, income we all believe we need in order to live, choosing instead to trust the Lord to provide for the sake of the advancement of the Good News, it makes me consider what "rights" I surrender so that Christ is seen and His word received by others.
We live in an age of entitlement. Certainly there are fundamental expectations of respect and consideration to others that should mark all our lives, but the idea that just because it is a "right" makes us right in demanding it, is wrong.
It was Paul's preference to give up anything that arose as an obstacle to the message of Christ. I believe one of the biggest hindrances to unbelievers having a desire to listen to the life-giving message they desperately need to hear, is watching the interaction of Christ-followers. Within our circle of those who claim to walk with Jesus there can be so much division. We talk about loving our neighbour, yielding for the sake of Christ, living in peace, doing good, yet within our very ranks there is so much dissention. Paul says, he would rather put up with "anything" than be a deterrent to the message of salvation.
What is your "anything"? What is it that you hold on to tenaciously without yielding? We harm the testimony of Jesus by digging our heels in demanding that a personal preference be a precept. Yes, there are truths that we must hold with unwavering resolve, but the majority of the disagreements that arise within the family of God are just individuals desiring their own way. I've been guilty of it too, and to what end? Broken relationships among brothers and sisters in the Lord, and ammunition for unbelievers watching our lives, looking for flaws and more reasons to refuse Christ. You see, that's it. When we don't deny ourselves, others deny Jesus.
The rights that you renounce for the sake of Christ reveal how desperate you are for the winning of souls and the keeping of unity within the body of believers. Sure, you can adamantly keep pursuing things in which you feel you are absolutely correct to receive or demand, and you may be completely deserving, but nothing displays the character of Christlikeness like sacrifice for the sake of another soul.
To be effective as a servant of the Lord, there are sometimes short-term surrenders or long-term decisions for lifetime benefits. Paul actually found joy in giving up his rightful claims because of his heart for Christ and others, and you too can experience this same pleasure as you seek to lay aside your "anything" for the furtherance of the Gospel.
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