A Tale Of Three Cities

EVANGELISM ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Wichita, Kansas

It is curious how one person can preach and teach the same thing in various places yet yield many different responses from their audience. This frequently happens in the New Testament, especially in the apostle Paul’s preaching. In Acts 17, when Paul was on his second missionary journey, he departed Philippi. he came to three cities in rapid succession: Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. Although Paul was forced to leave those cities because of persecution, he made the best use of his time by preaching the gospel of King Jesus. Paul varied his approach based upon who his audience was. He would speak to Jews differently than to idolatrous Gentiles. Yet, the gospel was unchanged: salvation was through God’s appointed Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

Acts 17 is easily be outlined and summarized in this way:

• Thessalonica: some Jews believed, several Gentiles and women believed, but many Jews were jealous
• Berea: many Jews and Gentiles believed
• Athens: many Gentiles were curious, but few were obedient

Thessalonica
First, Paul went to the Jewish synagogue in Thessalonica. He was there for three Sabbaths, reasoning with them from the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed God’s Anointed One (Acts 17:1-3). One of the pieces of evidence Paul used was the crucifixion of Jesus. Passages in the Old Testament such as Isaiah 53 prophesied about the brutal death of God’s Servant or Psalm 22, which spoke of the mocking and excruciating anguish that the Messiah must suffer. The crucifixion of Jesus certainly fulfilled these Old Testament prophecies — and some in the Jewish synagogues became convinced and believed. Acts 17:4 states that “some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas.”

Along with these Jewish converts, several of the Gentiles were persuaded by Paul’s preaching. Luke records that a “large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women” came to faith, thanks partly to Paul’s reasoning from the Scriptures. As a result of these open-minded believers, a church was established in Thessalonica. Paul wrote a couple of letters to the Thessalonian Christians that we can read in the New Testament.

In three short weeks, Paul formed a local church in the city. Nevertheless, several were angered because of Paul’s preaching. The majority of the Jews did not believe the gospel of Jesus Christ and became jealous. They created an atmosphere that was antagonistic to Paul’s preaching. The unbelievers formed a mob and started an uproar in the city marketplace, leading to an attack on Jason’s house (Acts 17:5). These unbelieving, angry Jews accused Paul of “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). The angry mob wanted the city authorities to be on their side, so they accused Paul of subverting the Roman Empire and suggesting another was king, Jesus (Acts 17:7). This accusation was misleading. While it is true that Jesus is King over His kingdom, Paul was not encouraging a revolt from the Roman authority. Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world; it is a spiritual kingdom (John 18:36). The unbelieving Jews were deceptive, trying to turn the local authorities against Paul and Silas.

The pressure tactic worked to some degree. Jason paid off the ransom that the attackers were demanding. The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away in the middle of the night (Acts 17:9-10).

Berea
Upon their arrival in Berea, Paul and Silas went to the Jewish synagogue to preach that Jesus was indeed the Christ. Luke describes the Jewish synagogue in Berea as being “more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica” because they were eager to receive the word of God, and they examined the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). The truth of the gospel fell upon the good and honest hearts of those Jews in Berea. The Bible says “many of them believed” (Acts 17:12). Also, a good number of Gentile women and men were converted. The Bereans are an excellent example that shows us the importance of being open-minded and fair in our hearing. They demonstrated a willingness to examine God’s word every day and a desire to repent to be right with God. These Bereans had been following Judaism, but they came to believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Of course, the devil will always seek to uproot what God has planted. The wicked and unbelieving Jews in Thessalonica heard about Paul preaching the gospel of Christ in Berea, so they came to Berea to turn the crowds against Paul and Silas. These persecutors again forced Paul to leave Berea and to separate the preaching team (Acts 17:14).

Athens
The third and final city Paul visited in Acts 17 is the city of Athens. Paul arrived there and first went to the Jewish synagogue (Acts 17:17). He quickly began to engage with the Gentiles and Greek philosophers (Acts 17:17-18). While we do not know everything Paul said, he was preaching the gospel — the death and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 17:18).

In the Greek city, it was not unusual for new teachings to be discussed openly and debated. Many people seemed to enjoy the discussions and dialogue about new ideas (Acts 17:20-21). Paul’s sermon in Athens is an incredible example of how to begin a conversation with people’s initial understanding and then introducing them to new ideas by teaching them the truth. Paul’s approach was different in Athens than in Thessalonica, but the content was the same. These people needed to believe in God and Jesus, repent of their sins, and be ready for the final judgment (Acts 17:30-31). It is apparent that once they heard Paul speak about the concept of resurrection from the dead, they were completely turned away. Their many questions and curiosities had been satisfied. Some said they would hear him again, but whether or not that happened is left unstated (Acts 17:32-33).

The city known for debating new ideas and engaging with various philosophies proved to be a place with very little interest in hearing the gospel of Christ. There may have been many inquiring minds, but very few people were interested in letting that message change their hearts and mind. Yet, there were a few people who believed (Acts 17:34)! For example, one of the members of the Areopagus court, Dionysius, who heard Paul became convinced of his message. Dionysius proved to be an honest hearer of the gospel. Also, a woman named Damaris was among the converts in Athens.

We don’t know what happened to these believers after Paul left the city of Athens. However, it is comforting and encouraging that even a few people in that city full of idolaters heard the gospel and committed to following Jesus Christ.

Three cities. One message. Mixed results.
In Acts 17, it is apparent that we can share the same message of Jesus Christ yet have challenges, successes, and even failures. Our approach can shift to address what people need to hear, but they can still reject God’s truth. On the other hand, we can be engaged with people who appear interested, answering their questions, and they still want nothing to do with the gospel and the Lord’s church.

In the city of Thessalonica, some people believed, but many grew envious of Paul. In Athens, many people were interested, but very few were invested in making changes in what they think. In Berea, people were eager to learn and study God’s word.

Evangelism would be a lot easier if we were guaranteed positive results every time we told someone about God’s plan of salvation through Jesus.

A few weeks ago, I heard an interview with a college baseball player who said, “baseball is a game of failure, not a game of success.” He pointed out that someone is considered a great baseball player even if they strike out 7 times out of 10 at-bats. He went on to comment that what determined success in baseball was how you responded to failure. He said baseball is about the process of growth and maturing. A good baseball player learns how to get a quality at-bat, especially when things are difficult. For example, when he has two strikes on him, he has to foul off some pitches or hit it in the gap to get on base. The batter’s thinking and approach are what set him up for success in any at-bat he may have, no matter the circumstance.

I think this kind of attitude would help us in our approach to evangelism. We tend to define successful evangelism in terms of the results that we see. Three out of 10 hits might be good results in baseball — and evangelism — but perhaps our focus should not be on the results. Instead, we should look inwardly to develop the best quality times and opportunities to study the Bible with our non-Christian friends and family.

Evangelistic results are going to vary. Jesus understood that the gospel would draw people to Him, or it would drive people away. He knew people would reject Him (Matthew 21:42-43; John 6:66). More importantly, Jesus prepared His disciples for facing the disappointing results of rejection when He gave the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-25).

Nevertheless, Jesus was never deterred by disappointing results. He associated with sinners because He came to seek and save the lost. He came to heal those sick in sin. Jesus found motivation not in the results but in actually doing the work God had sent Him to do. He told His disciples, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work…Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest” (John 4:34-35). There is always work to do. There is always someone who needs to hear the gospel of grace and forgiveness.

Shifting from a results-driven model of evangelism to a work-driven model must have been how Paul approached his evangelistic efforts. If he had focused on the results, it would have been tempting to quit preaching at the first sign of trouble. Paul stayed the course. He did not change the message. Even if he was discouraged because of people’s attitudes and rejection of the gospel, he continued to preach.

Our mission is to share the gospel with others. We cannot determine nor control the results. But just as a good baseball player develops quality at-bats, we can create quality opportunities for sharing the gospel. Below are a few suggestions:

1. Talk to your friends/family/neighbors about a specific study and discussion at church in a sermon or a Bible class that helped encourage you.
2. Talk with others about mundane and everyday events by adding a question or comment about God. This can set up follow-up questions or opportunities to study. [This happened to me a few weeks ago. I was outside chatting with a brother in Christ who serves as a deacon at the local congregation where I preach. We were talking about the sunset that evening, and he then said, “I wonder what Jesus thought about seeing the world and His own creation while He was down here on earth.” We took a normal conversation and then talked about the profound, biblical concept of Jesus and the incarnation.]
3. Make a connection with people. Find out something about them and their beliefs. Ask them questions and create a dialogue. That’s what Paul did in Athens. The person could be someone who takes your food order at a restaurant or coffee shop. In a world where people are more attached to their phones, tablets, or laptops, making a deep, personal connection will undoubtedly stand out.
4. Answer questions when people ask you something about the church or the Bible. Perhaps they will be open-minded and be willing to listen. Maybe they only want information without a commitment like the people in Athens. However, you never know when you will meet a Dionysius and Damaris (Acts 17:34).
5. Use online tools at our disposal. A Bible study used to require meeting up in the same physical location. Now there are opportunities to share sermons and classes via YouTube, Vimeo, or other services. There are websites with articles to read. Video conferencing software (e.g., Zoom and Google Meet) makes global studies possible. Churches need to develop an online presence, and individual Christians must point people to those online tools.

We will face challenges in evangelistic efforts. We may grow discouraged because of people’s negative response to the truth. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to learn from Jesus’ teaching and Paul’s example. We need to keep doing the work. Develop and cultivate as many quality opportunities to share the gospel with as many people as we can. Plant the seed and allow God to give the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7). All glory belongs to God!

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July 2021 | GROW magazine