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2. Paul’s Method: Three Approaches to Evangelism (17:17-21) Paul vs. Athens ٠ 143 Paul did not only see idolatry and experience divine jealousy; but he did something about it! He shared with them the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Who did he share with? Three groups of people. Each group corresponds to different groups that we should share with. With each group, he used a particular method: A. Evangelistic Preaching for the ‘Religious’ in the Synagogue (17:17a) The first method involved preaching the Gospel to those in the synagogue. This followed Paul’s normal practice of starting here. Paul’s preaching in the synagogue is outlined in Paul’s encounter with the Thessalonians (17:1-4). In the synagogue, we see Paul… • “Reasoning” (17:2). This word means to discuss or debate (used 10 times in Acts). • “Explaining” (17:3). This word means to open (cf. , Luke 24:32) • “Proving” (17:3). This term means to respond to objections; to demonstrate the validity of one’s claims. • “Proclaiming” (17:3b). This means to declare a clear message (about Jesus). • “Persuading” (17:4). This means to act on the basis of what is recommended (7 times in Paul’s preaching in Acts) Consequently, many people were won over and “joined” Paul (17:4), becoming Christ-followers. While the preaching today in the church is not the same as Paul’s preaching in the synagogue, it is worth mentioning, and should not be overlooked, that the obvious place to start evangelizing is by preaching the Gospel every week to those attending corporate worship. I recently preached on the new birth, and a gentleman, who handed out programs, was born again. He said he had never been converted. He was seventy-two years old. May God give us a generation of Paul’s who preach the Gospel to the religious. B. Conversational Evangelism for the ‘Passerby’ in the Marketplace (17:17b) Not much is said about Paul’s outreach in the marketplace, other than that he “reasoned” there also. It appears that Paul was using the Socratic method in Socrates city. In short, he presumably was dialoging, discussing, and posing questions about the Gospel.
144 ٠ JBTM Vol. 6 No. 2 the Proclamation of the Gospel Perhaps we could take from this account an example of the “question method” of evangelism. One of the best things to do in the marketplace is to simply raise questions. Questions do a lot of things. They demonstrate interest in the hearer; they reveal commonalities; they relive tension; they create dialogue; and they open doors. A good personal challenge is to ask at least one probing question to others every day related to the Gospel, and see what happens. Some examples include: o Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs? o How are you celebrating Christmas (or Easter or other holidays)? o Is there any way I can pray for you? o Do you ever think about God? o Do you think there is a heaven or hell? o If you died, where do you think you would go? o If what you are believing is not true, would you want to know? I challenge you to be aware of those who pass by you everyday. Boldly and compassionately pose a question to them. Put something in their conscious. They may ask for more information and a longer conversation. C. Apologetic Evangelism for the ‘Philosopher’ at the Areopagus (17:18-21) The majority of this story focuses upon this group of individuals. Paul’s central message, the resurrection, never changed, but with this group, Paul gradually leads up to the message of the risen Christ. His use of language is strategic for this group of hearers. I only know of these two philosophies explicitly mentioned in the Bible. Epicureans. Today, we might say modern Epicureans are interested into sophisticated food and clothes . . . and pleasure, not pain. “Eat drink and be merry” summarizes their thought. It was not absolute hedonism; they wanted their “adultery in moderation.” But it was hedonistic. But we dare say that the hedonism in America is much worse. Stoics. They believed that world is controlled by an impersonal force; similar to deism; but fatalistic. “Roll with the punches” “que sera sera,” “whatever will be will be” – these phrases, which may be observed by in more recent years by philosophers like Sartre and Nietzsche, characterized the Stoics. Luke writes that they got together to discuss “something new” – everybody likes what’s new. But theology is not new. It is not physics or chemistry. Paul is about to declare timeless truth to these itching ears individuals. Impressively, Paul was able to do battle with the top thinkers of the day. We still need people in the mainstream culture to take the Gospel to the center of ideas. John Stott states, “Christ calls human beings to humble, but not to stifle, their intellect.” (Stott, Acts) This is why we must read books and stay up on culture. I don’t mean just watching movies, I mean staying up on modern worldviews. Know what’s blowing in the wind:
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JBTM VOL. 6, NO. 2 THE PROCLAMATION
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