Telling Others The Gospel Series

These people brought Paul before the Supreme Court of Athens. As the only Christian in the city, he was asked to explain what he believed. This is one of the most dramatic scenes in the New Testament ­ Paul preaching the gospel in the intellectual capital of the world. His words are clear, concise, and very much to the point.

More than that, they show what it means to become “all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22). We know that Paul as a Jew could speak to his own people. But here we see him before an audience of Gentiles who have never heard of Jesus Christ. Standing on their turf, at their invitation, he starts where they are and uses this opportunity to preach the gospel to them.

As we walk through the text this morning, I want us to see Paul’s approach as a model for us as we mix it up with the Epicurean and Stoic people in our own lives. I see four things that Paul did which we need to emulate ­ all of them begin with the letter “C”.

1 - Be Courteous

If we want to follow Paul’s lead, the first thing we need to do is to Be Courteous. Look at verse 22: Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious…”

What a great approach. Paul started right where his listeners were. He didn’t denounce them or attack their idolatry. In fact, he paid them a compliment. He basically said, “As I’ve been walking around your city, I’ve noticed one thing about you: You are a very religious people.”

First words matter. If he loses his audience—either by boring them or insulting them—he’ll never get them back again. To Paul, the Athenians were like blind men groping in the dark towards a God they did not know and could not find. But no kind person makes sport of the blind. Write it down in large letters: You cannot insult a person into the Kingdom of God. Were not the Athenians idolaters? Yes they were. But he didn’t begin by saying, “I’ve come to expose your sins, you dirty, wretched, hell-bound, idol-worshipping, heathenistic pagans. Thank God I’m here because I’m going to lead you to Jesus.” They wouldn’t have given him the time of day if he had said that.

Are you courteous when you spend time with people who are not Christians yet? Or, are you secretly angry with them because of some of the things they do? If so, we need to remember that people without Christ are going to sin. In other words, we shouldn’t be surprised when non-Christians act like non-Christians. Are you kind and gracious or are you abrasive? Non-believers can pick up on our attitudes so we need to be careful.

I think the early church had a good handle on this. They were so thankful for the grace of God in their own lives, that they extended this same grace to others. I’m intrigued by what we read in Acts 2:47 when it says that the believers were praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. That tells me that Christians were fun to be around. They were winsome. Upbeat. Full of grace. Non-Christians wanted to hang out with church people. Question. Do non-Christians feel that same way about you? If not, work at being more courteous.