We all say we want to share our faith, but some of us aren’t sure how to do it. A woman once came up to 19th Century evangelist Dwight Moody and told him she didn’t like his method of sharing his faith. He replied, "I don’t much like it either. What method do you use?" She answered, "I don’t have one." To which Moody said, "Then I prefer my method."

I want to examine Paul’s method of witnessing recorded in the 17th chapter of Acts. This portion of scripture reveals a method Paul employed to reach the unchurched. He did not quote any scripture and he did not use his usual arguments to those who were familiar with the Jewish concept of God. He related his whole message to what his audience could understand. I think there is some important teachings in this chapter.

Verse 16

Paul was waiting for his companions Silas and Timothy to arrive in the city. Athens was an intellectual and cultural center. He could very easily have been inclined to enjoy the sites. But as Matthew Henry comments, "A scholar that has acquaintance, and is in love, with the learning of the ancients, would think he should be very happy if he were where Paul now was, at Athens, in the midst of the various sects of philosophers, and would have a great many curious questions to ask them, for the explication of the remains we have of the Athenian learning; but Paul, though bred a scholar, and an ingenious active man, does not make this any of his business at Athens. He has other work to mind...."

While he was waiting in Athens, he was moved by the proliferation of idols in the city. He didn’t know any of these people, but he cared enough to be concerned for them. There really are four steps of preparation that we need to take in order to reach others for Christ.

1. Prayer – without prayer our witness will be ineffective
2. Care – be concerned for others
3. Dare – have the courage to step out
4. Share – be willing to tell the message of Christ

Verse 17

Paul stepped out in faith and began to share the message of Christ. This verse tells us he spoke with all those who chanced to be there. Notice that he went where the people were. He went to the synagogue where he knew the Jews would be, and he went to the market place where he knew the Greeks would be. He did not wait for the people to come to him, but he went to where they are.

Maybe we don’t have a market place anymore, but our ministries and our programs can focus on where people are. We can try to address the fears, concerns, and anxieties of those in our city. And we need to be creative in finding new ways to reach people where they congregate.

It’s important to note that Paul did not neglect the religious. He ministered in the synagogue. We need to have services and programs designed for those who already know God. But Paul also reached out to the unchurched – to those who had never heard the message before.

Let us also be willing to reach beyond the four walls of our church. Let us be prepared to let people know how Christ is the answer to their questions and problems. I ran across this little saying which is so appropriate, "Instead of being question marks for Christ, we need to be exclamation points."

Verses 18-20

Whatever message Paul spoke in the market place caught the attention of some of the philosophical groups in Athens. They wanted to hear more. Paul probably had no way of knowing whether these people would be open to the message or not. He simply stepped out in faith. But he had a receptive audience. We never know which one of our friends or neighbors will be open to hear our testimony, but we must step out in faith. No one will ever be able to receive if we never say anything about Christ. Here’s a good saying to remember – if God could speak through Balaam’s donkey, he can speak through you.

Verses 21-22

Beginning in verse 22, Paul begins a most remarkable witness of his faith in Christ. I want to examine it carefully as I think we can find a pattern for sharing our faith with the unchurched. The first thing we see is that Paul commends the Athenians. He does not condemn them for their unbelief, but rather commends them for their search for meaning.

The Greek word can mean religious in a good sense or superstitious in a bad sense. Jamison-Fausset-Brown translates this word, " ‘extremely devout,’ ‘very god-fearing,’ ‘much given to religious worship;’ a conciliatory and commendatory introduction, founded on his own observation of the symbols of devotion with which their city was covered, and from which all Greek writers, as well as the apostle, inferred the exemplary religiousness of the Athenians. The King James translation is here extremely unfortunate; inasmuch as it not only implies that only too much superstition was blameable, but represents the apostle as repelling his hearers in the very first sentence: whereas the whole discourse is studiously courteous. It is true that the word, in classical usage, is capable of either a favourable or an unfavourable sense; but just for that reason ought the nature of the case to decide in favour of the former."

We must realize that people are searching for answers. They may have made lifestyle choices which are destructive and of which we don’t approve, but most people today sense a confusion and emptiness in their lives. Some are ready to receive the answer if we are willing to give it to them.

Verses 23

This is so insightful on Paul’s part. He does not try to explain to them the Jewish concept of monotheism or even explain the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. He simply speaks about something his audience can identify with – an altar to the unknown god.

Adam Clarke points out, "That there was such a god acknowledged at Athens we have full proof. Lucian in his Philopatris, cap. 13 p. 769, uses this form of an oath: nee ton agnooston ton en Atheenais, I swear by the UNKNOWN GOD AT ATHENS. ... Philostratus, in vit. Apollon. 6:3, notices the same thing, though he appears to refer to several altars thus inscribed: kai tauta Atheeneesi, hou kai agnoostoon theoon boomoi hidruntai, And this at ATHENS, where there are ALTARS even to the UNKNOWN GODS. Pausanias, in Attic. cap. 1. p. 4, edit. Kuhn., says that at Athens there are boomoi theoon toon onomazomenoon agnoostoon, altars of gods which are called, The UNKNOWN ones. Minutius Felix says of the Romans, Aras extruunt etiam ignotis numinibus. ‘They even build altars to UNKNOWN DIVINITIES.’ And Tertullian, contra Marcion, says, Invenio plane Diis ignotis aras prostitutas: sed Attica idolatria est. ‘I find altars alloted to the worship of unknown gods: but this is an Attic idolatry.’ Now, though in these last passages, both gods and altars are spoken of in the plural number; yet it is reasonable to suppose that, on each, or upon some one of them, the inscription agnoostoo theoo, To the unknown god, was actually found."

Paul finds one thing that the people can understand, even though it’s an idol. We are so afraid to relate to unbelievers in terms of the world, but those are the only terms they understand. People are not looking for a theology or superior debating points. They are searching for solutions to their problems. Today, we have a renewed interest in spirituality in America. Much of it we would probably call idol worship, but let us be willing to relate to people’s spiritual hunger.

The unchurched may respond to a program offering "guidance from ancient texts for the spiritual journey," while rejecting a program offering "the Biblical doctrine of sanctification." We need to learn to relate to people where they are so they can make a commitment to Christ. Once they make that commitment, then they can begin that long journey of discovering all the wonderful teachings from scripture. Faith in Christ is a journey. Too often we confuse unbelievers more with our Christian jargon, than help them to understand the simple gospel message.

Verses 24-25

Next we see how Paul identifies the nature of God in terms the Greeks could understand. This is an argument from reason. He explains why it’s illogical to think that a God who made the world could live in shrines made by humans. This is something the people could easily relate to. Notice how subtly Paul has presented the nature of God and pointed out the weakness of idols in a non-confrontational manner. He is really attacking the very foundation of their religious practice, and yet he is doing it in a way that they can understand.

Verses 26-27

Next Paul addresses the spiritual needs of his audience. He points out that God wants people to seek after him. These people had invited Paul to speak because they sensed their spiritual hunger. So Paul tells them that God made people to do this very thing – "seek God in the hope that they might feel after him and find him." He is saying that the very questions they have are from God. But then he goes on to say that God is not far, which would be the Athenian perception. In these two verse Paul remarkably addresses their spiritual longing.

Jamison-Fausset-Brown tells us, "How very unlike this is to all his previous discourses.... But the reason is obvious. His subject was not, as in the synagogues, the Messiahship of Jesus; but THE LIVING GOD, in opposition to the materialistic and pantheistic polytheism of Greece, which subverted all true Religion. Nor does he come with speculation on this profound subject – of which they had had more than enough from others – but with an authoritative ‘announcement’ of Him after whom they were groping; not giving Him any name, however, nor even naming the Saviour Himself, but unfolding the true character of both as they were able to receive it."

Verse 28

Instead of quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures which the Athenians could not relate to, Paul quotes from two Greek philosophers. "In him we live and move and have our being" is supposed to be a reference to a poem of Epimenides. And "For we are indeed his offspring" is a quote from Aratus in 310 B.C. who hailed from Paul’s own country.

The Greeks could relate to both of these quotes, but they would not have been influenced by quotes from the Bible. It is only later after they joined with Paul that he would expound to them the scriptures. But now he is "speaking their language."

Don’t get me wrong. Biblical teaching is important. But too often we speak to people in Christianese – those terms and way of speaking that we have grown up with. People don’t understand what we are talking about. I once was ministering to a friend who did not believe in God. Quoting the Bible to him would have done no good. He didn’t believe in the Bible. But sharing with him how God cares about him helped him to be receptive to God’s message.

Verses 29-31

In a nutshell, Paul presents the gospel message. There is no condemnation for past ignorance, but the emphasis is on God’s call today for repentance. Paul then presents the final judgement, the appointment of the Messiah, and the resurrection of Christ. Paul does not neglect to share the very essence of the gospel. He does not compromise his message in order to reach people. He speaks the truth in love.

Verses 32-34

Some mocked Paul, others wanted to hear more, and still others joined him and believed. We will get the same results. So let us not be discouraged when people mock or ridicule our faith. And let us be patient when others want to hear more about Christ before believing. If we are faithful in sharing Christ, there will be some that turn from their turmoil and confusion and discover the joy of the Lord.

From Paul’s address we can learn these seven steps in how to reach the unchurched:

1. We need to realize people are searching for answers (vs 22)
2. When we share our faith, we need to relate to something the people understand (vs 23)
3. We need to reason with people in a non-confrontational manner (vs 24-25)
4. We must address the very real spiritual needs of the people (vs 27)
5. We must learn to speak in language people can understand (vs 28)
6. In our efforts to be relevant, we must not compromise the gospel message (vs 30-31)
7. We must understand that not all will receive our witness (vs 32-34)

Footnotes:

This study on Acts 17:16-34 © 1999 David Humpal, all rights reserved.
All scriptures unless otherwise noted are from the Revised Standard Version © 1971, A. J. Holman Company

Matthew Henry’s Commentary, electronic edition © 1996, Biblesoft

Saying about exclamation points from The Complete Speaker’s Sourcebook pg. 284 © 1996, Zondervan Publishing House

Jamison-Fausset-Brown Commentary, electronic version © 1996, Biblesoft

Adam Clarke’s Commentary, electronic edition © 1996, Biblesoft

Jamison-Fausset-Brown Commentary, electronic edition © 1996, Biblesoft

Information on the Greek philosophers’ quotes from The Interpreter’s Bible, vol. IX, pg. 236 © 1954, Abingdon Press