 Persecution and suffering such as that experienced by Christ will follow and Christians should see this suffering as a divine necessity.In chapter 9 "Paul compares the evangelistic lifestyle of believers to athletes who sacrifice normal pursuits for the sake of strict training and a competitive edge".In the Corinth church there were grey areas of lifestyle and behaviors (see 1 Cor 8) not specifically covered by the Mosaic law, and Paul was encouraging them to discipline themselves to abstain from those behaviors and practices for the sake of winning others to Christ.