Becoming all things to all men

Chapter 9 begins with a series of rhetorical questions whose answers are affirmative (1 Corinthians 9:1).
Am I not free? (Yes you are.)
Am I not an apostle? (Yes you are.)
Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? (Yes you have.)
Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? (Yes we are.)
Then Paul continued to defend his right to claim wages for preaching. Interestingly, Paul quoted from Deuteronomy to support his argument. Indeed, Paul constantly quoted the Old Testament, nearly once every chapter. I don't know how the Gentiles believers in Corinth could follow the Old Testament. The quote is
οὐ κημώσεις βοῦν ἀλοῶντα.
You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain. (1 Corinthians 9:9b)
Οὐ φιμώσεις βοῦν ἀλοῶντα.
You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads out the corn. (Deuteronomy 25:4)
Yet, he set up an example not to claim this right. He preferred to earn a living with his own hands while he was preaching the good news of Jesus.
Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:12).
This is a very noble and commendable intention. In fact, some people earn a living with preaching the gospel. We have seen many such evangelists who are very popular and successful. However, there are also people who gain power and money through becoming a Christian or Catholic. They make use of loopholes in the administrative procedures of the diocese to satisfy their lust. I trust that God knows it all. Yet, His patience is simply mind-boggling.
The call of Jesus made Paul, and other apostles, a slave.
For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16b)
When things are done out of necessity and duty etc., one is not free. In the beginning, Paul claimed to be free, to be an apostle. Now he felt that Jesus had called him, had commanded him to preach the good news. Therefore, Paul was no longer free. Had he sacrificed his freedom?
Different people are motivated in different ways. Some people respond to money. Some power and others women. Of course, some people simply enjoy doing it and do it they will without analyzing the costs and benefits. They love it. (I wonder any apostles, except John, loved the gospel.) Still others do it out of a sense of mission. Paul surely belonged to this last group of men.
In trying to accomplish this mission, Paul became all things to all men and he humbly expected to be able to save only some people.
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more.
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 not being myself under the law -- that I might win those under the law.
To those outside the law I became as one outside the law -- not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ -- that I might win those outside the law.
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some (1 Corinthians 9:19-22).
These verses remind me of the life and work of Matteo Ricci. When he first reached China, he found that most people believed in Buddhism. So, he dressed himself up like an Indian monk. Later, after befriending the court officials, he understood that Chinese had her own rich culture. So he started learning Chinese, dressed like Chinese. He even authored a few apologetics in Chinese! Like Paul, Matteo Ricci was truly a missionary giant.

My dear Advocate, with Your support, nothing is impossible. Throughout the centuries, You called missionaries into Your service to help preach the good news. May we learn to reach out, to give up our self-centre and be all things to all men. Amen.