Reaching Out

In Acts 17:16-34, Paul is passing through Athens. He can’t help himself but engage spiritually with the people around him. He was ‘greatly distressed’ that the city was full of idols (verse 16). This leads to him reasoning with the Athenians about God.

Read Acts 17:22-31.

• How did Paul use what he observed in Athenian culture to transition to the gospel?

• Verses 26 and 27 say that God “has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”
  How does this verse give you encouragement in reaching out to the people around you?

• Do you believe God is close to the people on your prayer list, and they could find him if they reached out?

 

Paul shows genuine concern for the spiritual state of people around him, and he isn’t shy to bring up spiritual things. He talks directly about God, repentance, the judgment to come, and Jesus rising from the dead. 

• How do you feel bringing things like these up with people who are not Christian?

 

It can be a daunting thought to bring up these topics with people. Sometimes a good first step is to engage people about the deeper issues of life before we go there. Asking good questions about what’s going on for them personally, or asking their thoughts on the current social issues in our world, can provide excellent bridges to the more obvious “spiritual” topics.