Relate To Others to Relay the Gospel
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(22) Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. (23) For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.’ (Acts 17:22-23)
Learning to do right is understanding that God comes first, and that God is in everything we see and is in control of all things. What many consider secular pursuits the Christian should see and consider Godly pursuits. As an example, what some see as car shows, where people show off their classic or modified cars and trucks, the Christian can see this as a way to open the door to people to hear the Gospel who may not otherwise hear it.
This has been the way of the Christian since the Church began. We have the example of Paul in Athens (Acts 17:16-34) where Paul uses the Greeks’ obsession of having a ‘god’ for every action or thing and a temple for each to discuss Jesus when he points out to them the ‘Temple of the Unknown God’ is for the Almighty God that they had not been told of, and proceeded to provide them a good synopsis of who God is, and of the Resurrection of Jesus.
Paul did not tell the Greeks that they were wrong, but attempted to correct them in their ways by pointing out God and why He is first and foremost. He tried to relate to them by using quotes from Greek philosophers to point out the Truth of God, and to defend the life and resurrection of Jesus. It is written that many scoffed at Paul, others wanted to hear more, and a few were led to Faith. Paul did not browbeat them but simply used their ‘hobby’ of religion to provide them the message of God. Likewise, we can use the attraction of others’ hobbies to provide them the message of the Gospel, as long as we emphasize Jesus and understand many will scoff while a few may become curious or come to Faith.
God’s Rods is a Christian organization that uses classic cars to draw in those enthusiasts curious in the car itself to be provided the Word. There are people who ‘worship’ the ‘false god’ of sheet metal, slick tires, and iron blocks. But when we can use this attraction to bring the Gospel to them, as is the case with God’s Rods, the Fall Festival tradition of ‘Trunk of Treat’, or when a church uses its parking lot to hold a car show, many can see they are worshipping the wrong ‘god’ when they are introduced to the right God. We can substitute ‘car shows’ with other pursuits, from kitchen container parties to golf outings to gun shows. These are secular activities that can be used to introduce God to an audience that may have never been introduced to God before.
The reaction, of course, may be similar to what Paul received; some will walk away and never consider accepting the Gospel, others will be curious to hear more. A few may accept Jesus as their Lord on the spot. In order to get this response, Paul had to ensure his focus was on providing the Greeks the message of God and not their religious hobby. The emphasis must not be on the ‘hobby’ but of conveying the Word of the Lord through the hobby or situation one finds others in. If you have a hobby, don’t use Jesus to attract people to it, use the hobby to attract others to Jesus! Relate to people so they can relate to God!
