Wednesday, October 29 – Acts 17:24-29

Imagine someone walking up to you to tell you that everything you think about the world is wrong. How would you react? Now, imagine that same person telling you that because of what you think about the world, you will spend forever sentenced to punishment. This is how non-Christians see Christians when they jump straight to you are living the wrong way and will go to hell. Is what the believer is saying wrong? No. Are they saying it in the wrong way? YES! As Christians, we need to recognize that our view on life is so different than everyone else’s worldview. Telling somebody what we believe can be a shock to the non-Christian. We believe that there was a man, who was also God, who was born of a virgin, died after living a perfect life, and came alive again. Not only that, but when Jesus died, he took away the eternal punishment for sin for all those who believe in him. I believe everything that I just wrote, but when you take a step back, we should be honest with ourselves. That's kinda weird!

So, the best method with evangelism is to not start by saying you are wrong, and I am right about this unbelievable, incredible story. Paul doesn’t start with that part of the gospel. He instead starts with something the Athenians would have agreed with. Their own philosophers said that the gods were too big for temples nor confined in images of stone, silver, and gold. Paul didn’t immediately upset the apple cart. He brought them in with something they agreed with, so they would be willing to hear what he had to say, which was contrary to their thoughts. I think this is a good method and one we need to learn to accomplish as well.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2017%3A24-29&version=NASB