Telling Others The Gospel Series

2 ­ Be Contemporary

Paul was courteous when he dealt with people operating within a different worldview. We see in the first part of verse 23 that second, he was also contemporary. He established some common ground with his listeners. Here’s another way to say it: When he was courteous, he broke down barriers; when he was contemporary, he built bridges to the heart of his audience.

Notice verse 23: “For as I walked around and observed your objects of worship, I found even an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD…” Paul was out where the people lived and worked. He hung out with people. This is important for several reasons. First, it would tell the Athenians that Paul had taken the time to get to know their city. This is a key principle, isn’t it? You’ve got to get to know people if you want to talk to them intelligently.

Second, this statement tells us that Paul found a natural point of contact. As he walked around, he looked for connectors, or bridges, from their world to the gospel. In missions, these are called “redemptive analogies,” which are cultural or traditional beliefs that the missionary can use as a springboard to explain the gospel message.

As he strolled through the city, he saw altars to every conceivable deity. Historians tell us that the Athenians built altars not only to their main gods—such as Zeus and Aphrodite, but also to abstract concepts such as justice, modesty, energy, and virtue. They were trying to cover all the bases, so to speak.

As Paul toured the city, he came upon an altar with a strange inscription: “To an unknown God.” There were a number of these in Athens. Here’s the background: Several centuries before this, a plague had hit the city and a man from Cyprus advised them to take a flock of black and white sheep to the Areopagus and let them go. Wherever a sheep stopped, they would kill the sheep and offer it on the nearest altar. If there was no altar nearby, they built one and dedicated it to “the unknown God.” The plague eventually lifted and the altars stayed. They attributed their deliverance to one of the “unknown gods.” Evidently, Paul found one of these altars and used it as his opening illustration.

Think about this for a moment. 30,000 altars in one city and still they weren’t sure they had enough. When you don’t know the true God, you always turn to idols. And not just one, but to many of them, because one is never enough. Some of our friends and neighbors have idols as well ­ though they might not be the kind you can see on a shelf in their house ­ they might be a little more hidden than that.

Brothers and sisters, are you spending enough time with non-Christians? Do you know what their interests are? Do you know what they are concerned about? Do you know those things that make them happy? The things that make them cry? Have you discovered any idols in their hearts? Be contemporary ­ up-to-date with your neighbors, co-workers and extended family members.

3 ­ Be Courageous

Not only was Paul courteous and contemporary, he was also courageous. We don’t have time this morning to mine the depths of this passage, but I want you to notice how bold Paul was in verses 23-30. Look at the last part of verse 23: “Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”