Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”…But some men joined him and believed… Acts 17:32, 34
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!
Bringing up Jesus and the resurrection was no “gotcha” here. Paul had been talking about the Gospel in all his conversations, so he was always up front about what he believed and why it mattered so much. By the time he came back to the Gospel in his presentation at the Areopagus, it triggered a series of responses, each of which we can expect in our own witness as well. Jesus Christ is the Rock of offense, the Stone of stumbling for those who insist that they can make their own way in life apart from trusting in God. So we shouldn’t be surprised that, as we continue to insist on the necessity of repentance and faith in order to be forgiven and born again, many will make light of our message.
But don’t miss the two positive responses Paul received. Some people actually believed the Gospel and joined themselves with Paul. Undoubtedly he began at once to teach and disciple these people, so that they could become anchored in Christ and His Word and begin to grow as believers. Others were not quite ready for such a commitment; however, they didn’t write Paul off, either. They wanted to hear more, wanted to talk about this further and learn more from the Apostle. We know that he did this on various occasions – as in Ephesus and Rome – making himself available to any who wanted to come and talk further about the things of the Lord. We should be ready to do this as well. One good way is to give people something to read – such as C. S. Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity or Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ – and then to meet with them to discuss it. Or you can invite your friend to begin reading the Gospel of John and set some times to come together to consider the message of this gospel.
But we must not shy away from the Gospel and its demands. As Paul noted, God is calling all people to repent of their sins and prepare themselves, by following Jesus, for the judgment which is coming soon. If we never get around to the Gospel we’re not doing our friends any favors by showing them how strange their own views of truth actually are. We must lead with the Gospel and return to the Gospel, as strange as its truth may sound to others, because this is the only hope anyone has for finding the salvation of God (Rom. 1:16, 17). So make sure you understand the main points of the Gospel, and take every opportunity, during the course of your conversations, to explain what it means and what it requires.
Christian truth may seem strange to unbelievers, but that’s mainly because they don’t understand how strange and untenable their own views really are. Our job, motivated by love for Christ and our neighbor, is to lead them to see the bankruptcy of their chosen worldview against the beauty and glory of the Christian life. With patience, prayer, and persuasion, we can make real progress in helping others to discover their need of something more than what they have always believed, and to consider Jesus as the best – indeed, the only – viable alternative for all their disenchantments in life.
Start your own ViewPoint discussion group. This week’s series is available in a free downloadable format, suitable for personal or group study. Download the series, " Strange Truth." For more information on this topic, get the book, Mere Christians, by Mary Anne Phemister from our online store. Or read the article, “Simply Lewis,” by N. T. Wright.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Comments: All comments are approved before publishing.
Strange Truth
0 Comments