Meet People Where They Are
Reading Plan: Meet People Where They Are
Devotional: 1 of 11
“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” Acts 17:16 ESV
On his second missionary journey, Paul arrives in Athens all alone. His companions, Silas and Timothy, had stayed behind in Berea after helping Paul escape from the hands of the agitated Jewish leaders who had come from Thessalonica (Acts 17:13-15). Upon his arrival, Paul is exasperated at the overwhelming sight of idolatry in Athens. What we see today as art and beauty worthy of page after page in our history books; Paul saw as the idols, altars, and statues that men, women, and children would daily bow down to glorifying the work of their own hands.
Even though there are dozens of references to idolatry in the New Testament, Paul’s reference to “full of idols” in verse 16 carries a far greater weight. The greek κατείδωλος, which translates “full of idols” only occurs once in the New Testament. It was often said sarcastically by Roman satirists that you were more likely to find a god or idol in Athens than a man. The people of Athens were boastful in their heritage and zealous in their pursuit of wisdom. The city of Athens is famous for its poets, legislators, and philosophers like Socrates and Plato.
In verse 17, we find Paul in the synagogue disputing with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. However, his ministry quickly moves to the marketplace, or agora, which was the center of life in every Greek city. It is here that Paul sees the greatest opportunity to connect with the people of Athens, opening the door to share the gospel. The people would discuss many religious topics daily, so Paul took it upon himself to jump right into the conversation.
Approximately 400 years before Paul entered Athens, Socrates was put to death by the Athenians because they found him guilty of being “a setter forth of strange gods” - the Epicureans and Stoics were now charging Paul with the same indictment. For some, Paul’s words birthed in them a great curiosity to hear more, but others accused him of being just another seed-picker spreading idle gossip among the people. This curiosity led the people to bring Paul before the Areopagus to give his now-famous speech - to the unknown God.
Paul’s story in Athens provides us with a great example of how to meet people where they are. Together, over the next ten weeks let’s unpack this story and then consider ten practical tips for HOW TO meet people where they are.
About the Author
Nathan Miller
You may know me as a husband, father, son, brother, friend, mentor, ultra marathoner runner, NBA basketball enthusiast, fan of all things tech, music lover and writer. However, the life blood that flows through everything that I strive to be comes from a desire for greater intimacy with Jesus Christ. He is my Savior, my Provider, my Lord and most of all my best friend.