Tuesday, October 28 – Acts 17:22-23

Be curious. Probably one of the more famous scenes in the TV show Ted Lasso is a scene with the title character being challenged to a game of darts by one of the show’s antagonists. The antagonist thinks very little of Ted because of his Midwestern demeanor. The antagonist is also arrogant about his dart playing. As they are competing in a round of darts, Ted begins to monologue about the need to be curious before committing to something. Ted explains that if the other guy were curious and asked questions, he would have learned that when Ted was a teenager, the only time he got to spend with his dad was on Sunday afternoons at a bar. And that bar had darts. And every Sunday for several years, Ted played darts. While Ted is monologuing, he is throwing bullseye upon bullseye to win the match and show up the antagonist.

If we want to have the most success in evangelism, we need to be curious and understand the person to whom we are speaking. Paul begins his sermon with a description of an altar he saw in Athens. Before Paul started sharing the “ABCs” of the gospel, he found something that he and the Athenians had in common. He is going to tell them about this unnamed god. He was curious about Athens, and that gave him the starting point for sharing the gospel.

This type of curiosity will help you when sharing the gospel and evangelizing others. Finding common ground is a good first step to having a conversation about faith. This takes some effort, but it is effort that is well worth it. So, before you share the gospel, take a moment to think about the person with whom you are sharing. Be curious about who they are and what they know. That curiosity will give you a better chance of making an impact on that person’s life.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2017%3A22-23&version=NASB