The most basic method is the answer from experience.
This testimony conveys three truths: 1) I haven’t always been like this;
2) but then I put my faith in Christ; 3) now I have hope in my trials. The man
born blind did this in John 9:25: Whether
He (Jesus) is a sinner or not I do
not know. One thing I know: that though
I was blind, now I see. Paul used
this in Acts 26, speaking of being a persecutor of the Church, but then
trusting Christ on the Damascus Road and then becoming a preacher of
grace. An OT version of this is in Deut.
6:20-25 with Israel’s bondage in Egypt, the work of God’s wonders, and their
imminent entrance into Canaan. It is
basic. If you are a Christian you can
share a testimony just like that and should be ready.
In today’s Acts reading there is what we might
call the answer from creation. He was speaking with people who had no
familiarity with the Bible. Thus, while
he spoke very Biblical words he never actually quoted from the Bible. It is an answer perfectly fit for that kind
of situation. Here is the gist of his
explanation of hope:
·
17:24-29: He began by declaring that the God he
trusted in was the Creator. Then he drew
several implications from that, stating that therefore:
o
God is Lord of heaven and earth (He made it all;
thus it is His).
o
God does not dwell in man-made temples. God is self-sufficient.
o
God made man, referring to humanity as “one
blood” while recognizing the differences within humanity is referring to “every
nation.”
o
God put these nations in specific places so that
in those places they would see things that would encourage them to seek Him.
·
17:29-32: Having established the
Creator/Creation relationship Paul then clarifies man’s accountability to God.
o
Something is not right between man and his
Creator (v29).
o
God has overlooked this ignorance in the past, until now. Something has happened that has changed all
this.
o
There is coming a day of judgment for all men.
o
The Judge will be carried out by a Man. And this Man has been established by God with
authority by virtue of His being raised from the dead.
In Paul’s case this is as far as he got. He was met with ridicule by some, was put off
for a while by others, but gained a hearing from a few. This is an approach that can be used with
friends who have little Biblical background.
It is built on a simple truth that God is the Creator. If your friend is an atheist or evolutionist
it might be possible to ask them just to consider the possibility of a God who
created all things. For most people that
is a common sense thought.
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