Go: How To Share The Gospel

Introduction: As we continue with our worship of the Lord this morning by studying His word together, we are actually going to be finishing our Go Series this morning. The goal of this series, as we look into the summer months, has been to gear our hearts to think outwardly. God has called us not to live life for us and ourselves and that it is. No. God has called us to so much more. The mission that God has given us is the mission to Go and Make Disciples.

Now, throughout this study, we have tried to highlight some different aspects of what that means. We have to see first and foremost, that the call, or the command, to make disciples is not just for those who feel like doing that work. NO. In fact, Jesus has called us all into this mission. Each and every person here has a part to play in making disciples for Jesus Christ. All of us are capable of taking someone under our wing and showing that person what it is like to have a personal relationship with the risen Savior.

We talked about what a Disciple is. If we are unsure on how to define disciple, how do we know if we have made one or not?

So, what has been our definition of a disciple throughout this Study? What is a Disciple? A Disciple is Someone who is Following Christ, Growing in Christ, and Going on Mission with Christ.... Follow. Grow. Go.

That is what we want to see in the lives of people in this community. We want to see people follow Jesus- that is to give their lives to him, get baptized, confess their sins, and place their faith in His death, burial, and resurrection for their salvation. We want people to surrender their lives to Jesus as Lord.

But not only that, we want to see people grow in the Lord Jesus. We want to see a life that is being changed by Christ. We want to see people let go of sins that they have struggled with. We want to see people grow in their love for one another and for the Lord. We want to see people becoming more like Christ. We know that this does not happen perfectly in this life… be we want to see progress in their lives.

We want to see people Go with Christ and tell others about what He is able to do in their lives. We want others to share this good news with their friends, families, co-workers, classmates, etc.

This is how we see the community changed. There is no amount of laws or politics that is going to change the lives of people so much that we just get better. NO. The Bible says we need a heart transplant. What this community needs is an understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they need the church to walk with them as we teach and train them to follow Jesus.

That is the goal of this series. My prayer is that God would waken us up to the reality that is before us in Sciotoville and that He would give us love, compassion, grace, and desire to reach those of Sciotoville. If we want to be faithful to Christ, then we have to see that His words in Matthew 28:16-20 are not optional for us as a church or as Christians. They are commands from our Lord that we have to obeyThis is why we are studying these things. We want to understand how we can become obedient. This is why we are changing Sunday School classes for the summer. We want to give you an opportunity to pour your life into the lives of someone that you normally do not associate with. Why? Because if you are going to reach the younger generation with the Gospel, you have to be comfortable enough around them to share the Gospel with them. And young people, I want you to be comfortable enough around older people so that you can see what it is like to live a life that has been faithfully following Christ for a number of years. If we stay in our little huddles, these things do not happen. It is a little risky. It is a little bold. It is a little uncomfortable.... but that is ok. Christ did not tell us that it was going to be easy… but it is worth it. That is what we have to see.

And as we have been thinking about this series and walking through it, as we have said, there are a number of things that we have talked about, but what I want us to think about today is how we actually do this work.

The question that I want us to think through this morning, if all of these things are our goals…is... How do we Share the Gospel with those who are far from Christ?

Body: To answer this question, I want to invite you to turn with me to Acts 17:16-34. If you have been following along with our yearly reading plan, then you will notice that this text actually starts this week's reading.

Before we read this text together, let me give you a little background. Paul is now on his second missionary journey. He has traveled through Philippi, where he was arrested, beaten, and put in prison, but he also planted a church there. He has been traveling through Thessalonica where he also planted a church. He came through Berea…where it is said that the Jews were more noble than those of Thessalonica because they received Paul and his team's message with eagerness. They examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. And if you did not know, that is where we get our church name from. Berean is from those of Berea....the people of the book. That is our desire. We want to be a people of the book. Well as he is preaching there in Berea, those who were mad at Paul and his team in Thessalonica followed him, stirred up the crowd… and the church sent Paul away while Silas and Timothy stayed behind. And the text says that Paul went as far as Athens. And it is while Paul is in Athens, waiting for the rest of his team to catch up to him, this is where our text picks up for this morning.

Hear the Word of the Lord this morning. 16 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. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. Paul Addresses the Areopagus 22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ 29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them (Ac 17:16–34).

As we consider this text, let's pray together asking God to work on our hearts and minds so that we can rightly apply this to our lives.

Let’s pray Together.

Question to Consider: How do we Share the Gospel with those who are far from Christ?

Before we get into the actual message part of what Paul said, which clues us in on what we need to say, I wanted to point out a few things here. How did Paul go about sharing the Gospel with the people in Athens? That is where we need to start. What was Paul doing?

Look back at verse 16 with me. Let's look at Paul and his attitude.16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols.

There are a few things that I want us to see as we think about Paul being on mission here in this pagan town.

Paul knew his surroundings. He was observant.  He is all alone in this town, waiting on his buddies to get there so that they can continue with their mission trip, but while he is there, he goes looking around the city.  He doesn’t take a vacation while he is there. He doesn’t look at this as an interruption of the mission. Instead, Paul is just doing what he has always done. He is looking around and seeing what is going on. And what he notices is the second thing that I want us to pick up from these verses and that is....

‌Paul is deeply bothered by their idol worship.  Paul looks around at these statues and he is cut to the heart. He is angry. He is not angry to the point of taking vengeance upon them. He is angry that GOD, the TRUE GOD, is being overlooked by these people for something that is not a god at All. That is what drives Paul in mission. John Piper has said that mission exists because worship does not. Does that make sense? The reason that we are to go on mission is so that people everywhere will turn to God and be able to worship Him. Jesus says something like that right? In John 4 to the women at the well? “You must worship the Father in Spirit and Truth for the Father is seeking such worship.” All of the nations will gather around the throne one day and do what? Worship. This is why Paul gets so upset over idols, and this is why God gets so upset about idols. God alone is to be worshipped. He alone is the one who can satisfy the souls of men and women. Paul knows this!

Because notice where it drives Paul…look at verses 17-21 with me.

17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.19 They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you are presenting? 20 Because what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.

Paul goes and preaches the Gospel to anyone who will listen. Paul sees these idols and he is like, I have to tell them that there is a better way. They don’t have to have this many idols. They don’t have to serve this many gods. There is only ONE GOD and HE ALONE NEEDS TO BE WORSHIPPED…. Turn to him. Paul goes, and he starts is the synagogue which was his routine, but then he goes into the marketplace. He is telling anyone and everyone that there is a better way.

As he engages the people, some people make fun of him by name-calling, but others are at least interested in what this guy has to say. So, they invited him to speak at a meeting hall, for a lack of a better way to explain it. This was the place where they would meet to talk about new ideas and such. This was the college campus so to speak. Everyone came here to find out what the latest news and coolest teaching was and then to debate it.

That sets the stage to see what Paul said to these people, who had no concept of what God was really like. Look at verses 22-31 with me to see Paul’s message: 22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. 23 For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth—does not live in shrines made by hands. 25 Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. 26 From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. 27 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. 28 For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ 29 Since we are God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. 30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

‌How Does Paul Share the Gospel with those who are far from Christ?

Paul.... Starts on common Ground.   He doesn’t come out and attack them for their unbelief, nor does he come out and attack them for the worship of their idols, although as we will see, he does bring it up. He starts by being respectful and in a way that the audience is going to listen to him. He starts off with telling them what he has noticed about their city. Paul can tell that they are very religious. They have an interest in the spiritual things of this world.

In fact, he takes something that he has seen and uses it as a launching pad to get the Gospel to the people. He starts with what they know. Remember, these people are far from Christ. They have no true knowledge of the one true God. So, he needs to start on a platform they can relate to.

He does this by pointing to the altar of the unknown God. This tells a lot about their culture. They worship so many gods in the city. In fact, this alter was made just in case they forgot one. They were so afraid of offending a god, that they made a statue to cover their own tails. Paul then uses this idol…this alter….and says I want to talk to you about this god. You don’t know him. You have even said that you don’t know Him. Yet, I Do. And He is the one that I want to proclaim to you.

Paul…tells them about the Character of God. He is the God who made everything. He doesn’t live in temples made by people. In fact, He has no need for anything. He is the creator. He gives life to everyone and everything. He is the one who keeps everything going. God made all of us with the purpose of being able to pursue Him and to Know Him.

Think about that. Look down at verses 26-28 with me. God put everybody in a particular time and place so that they could find Him. God has placed you where you are so that you can help others find him. It is no accident that you are where you are. It is no accident that you have the friends that you have. It is no accident that we are here as a Church. God has put all of this together so that people will come to know Him.

Paul.... Speaks of Sin. In verse 28-29 Paul starts talking about their idols. Here is his argument. If we are God’s offspring, meaning we are made in the image of God, then we shouldn’t think of God in terms of gold, silver, or stone. We are not made of Gold. We are able to talk, to care, to love. We have a sense of justice. All of those things are in us because we are made in the image of God. We reflect Him, although we are flawed because of our Sin.

Because of our sin.... Paul... Calls the people to Repent. God Commands everyone everywhere to repent. That is to turn away from our sins and place our faith in Him.

And why should people do this...

Paul.... Warns them about judgment. People are to do this because there is coming a day when God is going to Judge the World in regard to sin and righteousness.

People are able to be forgiven because of the Gospel message. Remember Paul has already talked about Jesus and the resurrection with at least some in the crowd. That is why Jesus is not explicitly mentioned in this message; Paul is filling in the gaps.

But notice what Paul is doing here as he is calling people to follow Christ. He starts with something that is relatable to them. He moves the conversation toward the things of God. He does not hide God’s character from the people. In fact, he calls them out for their sin. He calls them to repent from their ways. He warns them of the coming wrath. Paul has been telling them about the one who is able to save them and give them life. Paul was not shy about the Gospel message. But he was one who was willing to step out of his comfort zone for the sake of the Gospel.

This is exactly what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Listen to his words here.

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:19–23).

Paul’s main aim in this life was to let go of his preferences and rights so that he could get the gospel to whoever. That is what we see happening here in Acts 17. Paul is willing to step into their world so that he can relate enough to them so that they can hear about Christ.

What is the response to this message?

Look down at verses 32-34 with me this morning. 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him, but others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.” 33 So Paul left their presence. 34 However, some people joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Some People Made Fun of Him, Others Wanted to hear more, and some BELIEVED. Those are the responses that we see in this text. Really those are the responses that any of us can expect when we are sharing the Gospel. Our goal, as we have been saying on Sunday Nights, is not to get results. Our job is to share. We are either planting seeds or watering seeds… Only God gives the growth. We should not get so caught up on the results. We are called just to be faithful

Conclusion:

Listen to me, what Paul was facing in Athens isn’t much different than what we face in our day and age when it comes to sharing the Gospel with people. We are not in a place where we can assume people know anything things about the True God of the Bible. They may think that they know, but they don’t. No one has told them.

Much like the people of Athens, people all around us are worshipping false idols…. false gods. They are worshipping a billion different things: Fame, Celebrates, Approval, War, Rights, Money, Drugs, Sex, Power, Things, Friends, Family, Careers. You name it. And God has put us here to tell them there is a better way. There is a way for forgiveness. There is a way to know God, but we have to start in such a way that makes sense. I have a video I want to show you to let you see what this could look like in everyday conversation.

(Play video)

What is so amazing about this video is that it gives a very practical way of sharing Christ with those who do not know Him and who are Far from Him.

Let’s go back to our initial question this morning...

How do we Share the Gospel with those who are far from Christ? We Start with Something Familiar

We Tell Them About the Character of God

We Talk About Sin & Its Consequences

We Tell Them About the Gospel

We Call Them to Repent and Believe

We Tell Them of God’s Promises to Restore.

I know that this can be a little scary, but my prayer is that we would push into this. As we start this summer, we would make it our Aim to Go and share this good news with the people of Sciotoville. That we would not be afraid to Go & Make Disciples.

But it all starts right here with sharing the Gospel.

Disciples are not made without hearing the good news. So, ask yourself these questions....

Are You Willing to Go?

To Whom Can You Go?

Let's pray that God would give us the boldness and open doors this week so that we can share this news with someone.

Let’s pray together.