Communicate Sensitively
Pastor Don Carpenter
Soul Winning: So Much More Than Evangelism / Ac 17:15–34
Find what is in common and build on that.
Tonight we continue our series Soul Winning: Much More Than Evangelism.
We discovered that the one place in the Bible that mentions winning souls was not directly talking about leading someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 11:30 KJV
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that winneth souls is wise.
We discovered that a soul is one’s heart and mind, and to “win” it is to grab hold of it, capture it. We learned that just grabbing a soul is not virtuous of itself. It has to be done as part of the fruit of the righteous.
We learned that the definition or indicator of this righteousness was not some man made external standard, but the fruit of a Spirit controlled heart.
James 3:13–18 KJV
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Since discovering these truths about what soul winning actually is, we went on to learn practically how to do it. We learned to Speak Graciously, Teach Meekly, Answer Softly, Live peacefully, and Love Truthfully.
Tonight we will study how to reach across cultural barriers. We will learn how to Communicate Sensitively.
The Puritan Preacher Jonathan Edwards said this:
If man does not give his highest respect to the God that made him, there will be something else that has the possession of it. Men will either worship the true God, or some idol. It is impossible it should be otherwise; something will have the heart of man. And that which a man gives his heart to may be called his god.
In our passage tonight, the Apostle Paul was running for his life. He ended up in Athens just to escape his enemies. He was not planning on starting a church there or even giving the gospel. He did however, make use of the unusual opportunity given him.
Paul’s message is a masterpiece of communication. He started where the people were by referring to their altar dedicated to an unknown god. Having aroused their interest, he then explained who that God is and what He is like. He concluded the message with a personal application that left each council member facing a moral decision, and some of them decided for Jesus Christ.1
1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 472–473). Victor Books.
Be Aware Of Your Spiritual Surroundings.
Acts 17:16–17 KJV
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
The city. Athens was in a period of decline at this time, though still recognized as a center of culture and education. The glory of its politics and commerce had long since faded. It had a famous university and numerous beautiful buildings, but it was not the influential city it once had been. The city was given over to a “cultured paganism” that was nourished by idolatry, novelty (Acts 17:21), and philosophy.
“The Greek religion was a mere deification of human attributes and the powers of nature,” wrote Conybeare and Howson in their classic Life and Epistles of St. Paul. “It was a religion which ministered to art and amusement, and was entirely destitute of moral power” (pp. 280–281). The Greek myths spoke of gods and goddesses that, in their own rivalries and ambitions, acted more like humans than gods; and there were plenty of deities to choose from! One wit jested that in Athens it was easier to find a god than a man. Paul saw that the city was “wholly given to idolatry,” and it broke his heart.1
1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 471). Victor Books.
• He saw the city wholly given to idolatry
• He reached people where they were, Jews in the Synagogue and Gentiles in the market.
Be Aware of Your Audience
Acts 17:18–21 KJV
Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
Paul had to confront two opposing philosophies as he witnessed in Athens, those of the Epicureans and the Stoics. We today associate the word Epicurean with the pursuit of pleasure and the love of “fine living,” especially fine food. But the Epicurean philosophy involved much more than that. In one sense, the founder Epicurus was an “existentialist” in that he sought truth by means of personal experience and not through reasoning. The Epicureans were materialists and atheists, and their goal in life was pleasure. To some, “pleasure” meant that which was grossly physical; but to others, it meant a life of refined serenity, free from pain and anxiety. The true Epicurean avoided extremes and sought to enjoy life by keeping things in balance, but pleasure was still his number one goal.
The Stoics rejected the idolatry of pagan worship and taught that there was one “World God.” They were pantheists, and their emphasis was on personal discipline and self-control. Pleasure was not good and pain was not evil. The most important thing in life was to follow one’s reason and be self-sufficient, unmoved by inner feelings or outward circumstances. Of course, such a philosophy only fanned the flames of pride and taught men that they did not need the help of God. It is interesting that the first two leaders of the Stoic school committed suicide.
The Epicureans said “Enjoy life!” and the Stoics said “Endure life!” but it remained for Paul to explain how they could enter into life through faith in God’s risen Son.1
1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 472). Victor Books.
• Some saw Paul as a Babbler
“Babbler” (NIV, NASB) translates a Greek expression applied originally to birds pecking up grain but came to apply to worthless persons; an English equivalent to the reproach might be “birdbrain.” But in the same verse Luke lets these critics demonstrate their own stupidity: they think Paul is preaching gods (plural), because he preaches Jesus and resurrection—“Resurrection” (Anastasis) was also a woman’s name.1
1 Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Ac 17:18). InterVarsity Press.
• He was brought to Areopagus (and Paul was willing to go in spite of his Jewish background (also known as Mars’ Hill to the Romans)
This description of the regular activity at the Areopagus (Mars Hill) helps establish the irony of Paul’s discourse. While the Athenians put Paul and Christianity on trial, Paul puts their philosophies on trial. Thus, what looks to the Athenians like confused thinking actually points to the incoherence in their philosophies.1
1 Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 17:21). Lexham Press.
• They viewed his doctrine as strange and new. Paul saw that as an opportunity, not a barrier.
• Athenians loved to talk and ponder the abstract. Perhaps this was seen as lazy or ostentatious by Jewish folks.
Athens was proverbial for the curiosity of its inhabitants. By the first century, Athenian desire for entertainment also extended to gladiatorial shows, drawing the criticism of several famous moralists.1
1 Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Ac 17:21). InterVarsity Press.
Be Aware of Common Ground
Acts 17:22–23 KJV
Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
• Very religious/ fearful/ superstitious.
• They had many Gods with labels.
During a plague long before Paul’s time, no altars had successfully propitiated the gods; Athens had finally offered sacrifices to an unknown god, immediately staying the plague. These altars were still standing, and Paul uses them as the basis for his speech. Paul does avoid, however, the practice of some of his Jewish predecessors and some second-century Christian successors, of accusing pagan philosophers of plagiarizing their good ideas from Moses!1
1 Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Ac 17:23). InterVarsity Press.
• There was one to an unknown God – Paul used that as a starting point.
• They said they wanted to know what Paul knew, so they admitted their ignorance in this area. Paul, not out of judgement but love, offered to remove their ignorance of the Unknown God.
The word {ignorance} was originally used of a small bird that went around picking up grain, and later was applied to persons who picked up food scraps and other odds and ends in the market place. Still later it came to be used figuratively of any person who picked up odd bits of information, and especially of one who was unable to put them together properly.
1 Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1972). A handbook on the Acts of the Apostles (p. 336). United Bible Societies.
Be Basic and Logical in Your Introduction of Cross Cultural Truth without insulting your audience.
Acts 17:24–26 KJV
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
The essence of Paul’s message to the Athenians may be summed up in the following way: (1) this unknown god whom you worship is the true God though you do not know it; (2) you can learn much about this unknown God by observing what he has done in the creative order; (3) this true God will remain unknown to you until you meet him in the person of Jesus Christ.1
1 Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1972). A handbook on the Acts of the Apostles (p. 340). United Bible Societies.
- God made everything.
- God rules everything
- Therefore things created by man cannot contain Him.
The affirmation that God is both Creator and Lord of heaven and earth leads naturally to the conclusion that he does not live in temples made by men. Made by men (literally “handmade”) designates that which is material in contrast with what is spiritual.1
1 Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1972). A handbook on the Acts of the Apostles (p. 340). United Bible Societies.
- Since He is the one that gives life and breath, he does not need human sculptors for His existence.
- All men have the same blood designed by God.
- All men are designed to feel after and find God.
Acts 17:27 KJV
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
An expression for felt around for him may come from the activity of blind persons feeling around in order to identify some object or so as to determine where they are.1
1 Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1972). A handbook on the Acts of the Apostles (p. 342). United Bible Societies.
Acts 17:28–29 KJV
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
• All men depend on God for existence
• Therefore it is illogical that God would depend on an idol builder for His existence.
• Even Greek philosophers said that humans are God’s offspring, affirming that man is dependent upon God for existence, not God upon man.
Be specific and direct when calling for a response.
Acts 17:30–31 KJV
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
• Now that ignorance has been removed, God calls for repentance.
• We will all face judgement
• God has given us hope by raising Christ from the dead.
Expect Results
Acts 17:32–34 KJV
And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
So Paul departed from among them.
Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
• Mocking
• Curiosity
• Belief/Conversion
Cyprian of Carthage said this:
To him who still remains in this world no repentance is too late. The approach to God’s mercy is open, and the access is easy to those who seek and apprehend the truth.
Acts 17 is a monumental passage worthy of many hours of study. God wants us to be soul winners, to capture the hearts and minds of people for righteous purposes. When faced with a cross cultural challenge it is best to communicate sensitively.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:41 PM September 21, 2022.