The Essential Question (Part 7): More Mission TripsSample

Flexible Ministry

Prepare: Hum or sing as many verses of "Amazing Grace" as you can remember before beginning your

time in God's Word today.

Read: Acts 17:1-34

Reflect: Part of my ministry with Scripture Union has been to speak at churches and Christian conferences in the United States and around the world. I take seriously the need to prepare for these opportunities by creating speaking notes for each message. But over the years I've learned that no matter how well I plan, things often change by the time I arrive, so I must be ready to adapt.

By this time in his mission career, the apostle Paul had mastered the art of ministry flexibility, which is why he was such an effective evangelist and church planter. It's obvious he came to town with a plan: go to the synagogue and make the case for Christ using the Scriptures (17:2-3, 10, 17). It's also obvious that things rarely went according to script, as we see in the three city-wide missions described in our reading today.

In Thessalonica, Paul encountered the usual mix of openness and opposition, a combination he was getting used to. Oh brother, not another riot! The variable in the equation this time was the help of Jason, a believer who was willing to put his resources and reputation on the line for the gospel. Even if we aren't called to a frontline role like Paul, we can still be bold and courageous in supporting those who are.

In Berea, the surprise was an eager receptiveness to revisiting the Scriptures. That's the last thing I expected! In many Western countries today the influence of the Bible is rapidly evaporating. Even so, I've seen a new interest in God's Word, so long as Christians don't force it on others. The best way to promote the Bible is to be excited about reading and living it ourselves.

But it was in Athens that Paul tried something really new: he stepped out of the synagogue and into the Areopagus, a place where city leaders heard lectures on religion, morals and education. In many ways Athens resembled the postmodern society of today; there were lots of spiritual ideas floating around, but no absolute truth. Let's take a closer look at how Paul presented Christ in such an environment.

The first thing we notice is he was respectful; mocking nonbelievers is not an effective way to gain a hearing. Second, Paul affirmed that his listeners were on a spiritual journey (17:22-23), even though he knew they were headed in the wrong direction. Third, he avoided Christian jargon and tried to communicate using ideas they already accepted, including nature (17:24-25), the universal search for God (17:26-27), and even their own literature (17:28). But finally, after earning the right to be heard, he preached "the good news about Jesus and the resurrection" (17:18, 29-31). Being clear about the gospel, while being able to improvise in how one explains it--that was Paul's approach to helping people understand the good news.

Apply: In a paragraph, write the essence of the good news as you understand it. Now think of a non-Christian friend or acquaintance and rewrite the paragraph in terms that would make sense to them.