Speaking the Good News to Culture (Acts 17:16-34)

Bible Passage: Acts 17:16-34

This chapter continues Paul’s second missionary journey, accompanied by Silas and Timothy. He continues working his way through Greece and ends up in Athens, speaking to the philosophers. Paul’s speech gives us a model for how we can speak the good news of Jesus into whatever culture we find ourselves in.

Understanding The Culture: Athens was a pagan city and the centre of Greek philosophy, so starting with the Old Testament scriptures wouldn’t have been as effective as it was in some other places. Instead, Paul went through their city to understand how they thought. He saw the idols that they worshipped, including a shrine to the unknown god. Though Paul was personally distressed by the idolatry, his tone was not to criticise or bash them for what he saw, but to commend what he could and use his understanding as a launching pad to share. He even found words from their own poets that helped reinforce his message. By relating his teaching about Jesus to what the Athenians already believed, he was able to contextualise the gospel in such a way that it made sense to their audience. This principle should be one we keep in mind as we seek to share the gospel with different people and cultures; if we cannot show how it relates to their current understanding and values then it will be difficult to land the message with people.

Speaking Jesus to The Culture: Paul did not stop with what he had learned of their culture, but he used it to take them to Jesus. He is the focus of the good news that we have to share, and there is a danger of being so immersed in the ‘cultural conversation’ that we never beyond to show how Jesus is the answer to the longings of the culture. Paul was able to proclaim the unknown God that the Athenians were looking for, and we must find creative and sincere ways to hold out Jesus in ways that makes sense as the answer to the questions that people today are asking.

Potential Applications:

• You could invite people to chat together about what things in your own culture could be starting points for gospel conversations with people.
• There may be people present who have not yet responded to the good news of Jesus themselves. You could invite people to make the decision to trust in him.