By Smith Chung, InterHigh Student, 11th grade

1 Corinthians 9:1-15

In what ways did Apostle Paul and Barnabas deny themselves of the many privileges which they themselves had a perfect right to claim? Are there people who labor in the Lord on my behalf while denying themselves certain “rights” they can easily claim?

An apostle was usually supported by the church. Apostle Paul talks to the Corinthians about how it is only right that a soldier should be paid to go to war and a farmer should be able to eat from their own harvest. Accordingly, an apostle should be supported by the people they preach to, which was the case for most apostles with an exception of Apostle Paul and Barnabas. Apostle Paul denied his rights because he had a calling to love others and share the gospel with them and these rights would hinder him from doing so. Apostle Paul says in v.12 “But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.”

When I look into my life and see where I stand today, I really need to thank those who denied their rights to labor for me. My parents have given up a lot of time and sweat to care for and love me. There are teachers and leaders who have given up their right to their time so they could spend time with us and train us to be a strong Christian. They also give up their right of their money to take us on trips or to buy us dinner. There are many more who have given up different rights to make sure that the gospel is passed down through the generations. This challenges me to run in a way that my goal will be the prize,v.24, so that i may do whatever it takes to bring the gospel to others; even if this means giving up my rights as a Christian.

By Jenny Zhao, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley

In what ways did Apostle Paul and Barnabas deny themselves of the many privileges which they themselves had a perfect right to claim?  Are there people who labor in the Lord on my behalf while denying themselves certain “rights” they can easily claim?

It was the common practice for apostles and Christian workers in Apostle Paul’s time to receive monetary support from the church while they were preaching and many also had wives. These were two privileges that Paul and Barnabas had perfect right to claim for themselves, but they chose not to. Instead, Paul practiced tent-making as a profession to materially support himself and committed to a life of celibacy to prevent any misunderstandings or stumbling blocks to the people he was ministering to. He chose to deny himself of these “rights” out of love so that he would be able to most effectively witness and preach the gospel.

I can think of many people in my life who labor in the Lord on my behalf while denying themselves “rights” they can easily claim. In particular, I think of the many faithful leaders I have had in my life, who willingly offered up their time to minister to me, opened their lives and homes to me, and just wastefully loving me in ways that they never had to. In doing so, they denied themselves of their free time and energy that they could have spent on their own lives or families. Most importantly, they made room in their hearts to love me, someone who they really did not need to watch over and care for. My leaders not only allowed me into their lives, but allowed themselves to be vulnerable in many ways by being very open about themselves, taking on my burdens, and as with any relationship, opening themselves up to be hurt as they help me through my struggles. They denied personal rights that most people in this world would not be willing to give up, such as their privacy and relational security. But, because of these peoples’ sacrifices and their faithfulness in my lives, I am eternally grateful. My middle and high school leaders helped me understand God’s love and the gospel of grace through their own love and nurturing, and my current leaders are training me up in the ways of truth through discipleship and their examples of faithfulness.

By Becky Kim, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley

What does it mean to “beat my body and make it my slave?”. Why is this absolutely necessary in Christian life and is there evidence of this in my life?

When I read the verse “..beat my body and make it my slave” I was reminded of another verse: Romans 7:18-20 “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it”.
I think that verse clearly depicts how we are at constant warfare with ourselves -whether we recognize it or not. To beat my body and make it my slave means that not only do I need to be more conscious about what I do but I need to work actively to prevent being confronted with temptation in the first place. This is absolutely necessary in Christian life because the opposite of beating your body means to let your selfish desires take over. This will ultimately be harmful because your innate sinfulness will steer you away from what God wants for you. I admit that there are plenty of times when I don’t bother to fight because I resort to self rationalization and in so doing deceive myself of the seriousness of sin. But reading the verse “..beat my body and make it my slave”, reminded me of how life is either about being a slave to myself or a slave to God who sets me free. Verse 25 was also encouraging: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever”.