Duke Jeyaraj
The Bible calls us to imitate Christ, the way Paul imitated Christ, using different words, repeatedly. I counted that it does so, atleast five separate times. If you have read I Corinthians 4:16, I Corinthians 11:1, I Thessalonians 1:6, II Thessalonians 3:7 and II Timothy 1:13 you will agree with me.
So, Apostle Paul naturally becomes a good model for us when it comes to sharing the Gospel with those in India’s urban centers – doesn’t he?
His Gospel presentation in Athens (a cosmopolitan city that can be indeed likened to Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkota, Bangalore, Chennai or Hyderabad and the like) is recorded in Acts 17. A closer look at his sermon there will give us practical lessons we can emulate as we seek to share Jesus with the unevangelised in our cities!
I use the acronym A-T-H-E-N-S to outline the approach of Paul when it came to sharing Christ with urban Google Genners.
A-gony. Paul had an agony for the lost people of Athens. When he was at Athens, Paul’s “spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16, ESV). What about us? When we get to the traditional idols and the modern idols of our times, do we simply look the other way? Or, do they serve as a missionary call for us, stirring us into sharing Christ with them? No, we don’t have to mock at these idols or attack them visciously in our public speeches or via our social media platforms. But these must create a great burden for lost souls within us.
T-ruth-seekers, start with them. A for Agony. Next T for Truth-seekers. We must start our Gospel presentations with them. In every city, there are truth-seekers. Paul started his Gospel work in Athens not with those who were totally pagan but with those in the synagogue, the Jewish people who knew about Yahweh very well (Acts 17:17a). He especially focused on “devout” persons in the synagogue. Chances are that devout truth-seeker you are sharing the Gospel with is already reading the Bible. Or, he or she may be willing to receive a copy of the Bible, willingly. Sit with that truth-seeker with an open Bible. And take them through the “Roman Road of Salvation”. How can that be done? Here’ s how: Read Romans 9:23 and say, “God has a plan for you”. Read Romans 3:23 and say “But sin has come between us and God”. Read Romans 5:8 and say “Sinless God-in-flesh Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins”. Read Romans 2:4 and say, “Now we must repent from our sins – God will give us power to do so!” Read Romans 10:9 and say, “We must believe and confess that Jesus is Lord and we will be saved”.
H-urtful name-calling, Heated Arguments – expect them as you share the Gospel. A for Agony, T for Truth-seekers, start with them. H for Hurtful name-calling and Heated Arguments, we must expect them as we go about sharing Jesus with those in our big cities. Paul was called a “babbler” by some (Acts 17:18). Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities” (Acts 17:18b). When we share Jesus in India, we usually will hear this response: “You have your god. We have our god. Both gods are equally good!” That’s when we must use these three Ps to stake the claim for Jesus’ uniqueness – Prophecy-fulfilment, Purity and Power that is unique. Let’s me briefly elaborate: No one fulfilled prophecies like Jesus. He fulfilled 110 major prophecies. The world neatly divides into two categories: sinners and non-sinners. In the non-sinner category, only Jesus finds a place! Yes, many god-man claim to have power. But Jesus’ power was unique for two reasons: 1) None had the unique combination that Jesus had – sinlessness and miracle-working power; 2) None did miracles like Jesus demonstrating selflessness; when he was hungry, he did not turn stone into bread, but when his followers were hungry he multiplied five loaves and two fish and fed a large crowd that ran into thousands.
E-nquire and Encourage. A for Agony, T for Truth-seekers, start with them. H for Hurtful name-calling and Heated Arguments, we must expect them as we go about sharing Jesus. We are using the acronym A-T-H-E-N-S to understand the best way to share the Goodnews with city-dwellers. We must bring people to a point where they themselves will ask us – make an enquiry in other words – a question for which the Gospel is the answer! Paul was asked, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?” (Acts 17:19). For example we can talk about suicides by popular celebrities. And invariably, the response for that by the Christless city-dweller we are talking to will be this: “Why do they have to end their lives when they have everything?” And your response can be this: “We can have everything but without a relationship with Jesus, there will be a vacuum in the heart. He said in John 10:10 in the Bible, ‘I have come that you might have life, life to the full’. That means without a living, daily relationship with Jesus – I am not talking about joining a new religion – that vacuum in our heart with never go away!” Please note that even Jesus in John 4 also used the “thirst” analogy to make the Samaritan Woman ask a question for which the Gospel was the answer.
We must not only create a situation for an enquiry by that without-Christ city comrade for which the Gospel is the answer, we also must start to share the Gospel on an encouraging note. We must not start with a point of denunciation. For example as he started his Athens Gospel presentation, Apostle Paul never went into a tirade against the idols in the city or the foolish philosophies of that city (there were Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in that city, Acts 17:18). Instead, he begins with encouragement. Instead, he begins with appreciation. These were his exact words of encouragement or appreciation: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious” (Acts 17:22). We must see whatever our without-Christ buddy is into – be it their rigorous religiosity or be it their sinful habits – as an desperate attempt by them to fill the vacuum in their hearts, the best way they know how. So, acknowledge that journey with positive language like Paul did. You will eventually call for repentance quoting Jesus. Even Paul would do that. But as we start off we must graciously acknowledge that they are sincerely searching for truth via a path they believe to be true. Eventually we will tell them that their sincerity which refuses examine truth-claimsc can be dangerous. But that is not how we start.
N-on Biblical quotes from what you SEE and READ, include them. We are using the acronym A-T-H-E-N-S to understand the best way to share the Goodnews with city-dwellers. A for Agony, T for Truth-seekers, start with them. H for Hurtful name-calling and Heated Arguments, we must expect them as we go about sharing Jesus. E for Enquiry and Encouragement. Non-Biblical quotes from what we see around, we must include them in our Gospel presentation to our city audiences. Paul did that in Athens. Dr. Luke, the author of Acts, himself a Gentile Educated City Dweller who did not know Jesus once upon a time, records what Paul said with palpable fascination: “For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23). Instead of hammering, “The Bible says”, right at the start of the Gospel presentation, we must choose to wrap Gospel Bible Truth around what our audiences are going gaga after like Paul did in Athens. I am poor imitator of Apostle Paul in this regard. When I was a Bible College student in Bangalore in the year 1999, I spotted a hoarding in the famous Brigade Road there. That road was raised up for the honor of the martyred soldiers of the Indian Army who took part in the Kargil war. The hoarding said (as I recall): “He would bleed if you cut him, just like you; He cried each time Amitabh died the movies, just like you; He has gone to die for a stranger and that stranger is you!” I quoted from this hoarding as I shared the Gospel in a hotel room in a Christmas Gospel Event organized by a prayer cell of an Engineering College in near-by Hosur that year. I connected this quote with what Jesus did for us on the Cross. The otherwise boisterous-through-the-program non-Christian majority audience were all ears as I spoke.
Apostle Paul wrapped elements of the Goodnews not only what he SAW in ATHENS, but also around what he READ (Acts 17:28). He had read-up the writings of a secular writer whose works the people of Athens were familiar with prior to this Gospel presentation. And he went ahead and wrapped the Gospel around one of the quotes of that writer! How cool is that! As I spoke to the students of Indian Institute of Technology in a Christmas Gospel Meet held right inside one of their classrooms, I quoted from the words of Harsha Bhogle as he did commentary in the climactic stages India-Pakistan League game in the T20 World Cup in Melbourne (the October 23, 2022 which was played before 90,000 spectators). He said, “It is a mishit! It is a mishit!” when Hardik Pandya skied a catch in the Final Over’s first ball bowled by Mohammed Nawaz with India needing 16 runs to win. I connected the word “mishit” with universalness of sin. Not just Hardik, we have all mishits in life – we have sinned against God, I said. The young IITians from various faiths were all-ears.
S-traight Talk, as you come to the climax of your message. We are using the acronym A-T-H-E-N-S to understand the best way to share the Goodnews with city-dwellers. A for Agony, T for Truth-seekers, start with them. H for Hurtful name-calling and Heated Arguments, we must expect them as we go about sharing Jesus. E for Enquiry and Encouragement. Non-Biblical quotes from what we see around, we must include them in our Gospel presentation to our city audiences. S for Straight Talk. We must do straight talk as we finish the Gospel presentation. Paul did. He talked about the need for repentance including a strong statement against idol-worship and the coming day of judgment which Jesus would preside over which none could escape (Acts 17:29-31).
It does not mean that everyone who hears us do this kind of A-T-H-E-N-S gospel presentation will believe in Jesus! Even Paul was sneered at following this presentation (Acts 17:32). There were some you procrastinated their commitment to Christ as well (Acts 17:32).
However a remnant believed in Jesus following Paul’s Gospel presentation that day (Acts 17:33). I am sure a remnant whom God has chosen from eternity past place their faith in Jesus when we go about making this A-T-H-E-N-S type Gospel presentations in our cities!
(Rev. Dr. Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, the G4 Mission. He has travelled by invitation to minister in 20 different Indian states and in a few other nations. He is the author of three books including the book, Goodnews for the Google Generation, where he has attempted to share the Gospel using the Acts 17 method, a method he has just talked about, above. Google him to know more. Whatsapp Duke via 918886040605 to buy this book).
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