Where Has God Placed You?

There is a point in Acts where Luke describes what happened when Paul witnessed to Christ in the great city of Athens. Now Athens was not quite the place it used to be four or five centuries earlier. The days of Plato, Aristotle and Alexander the Great were behind them. But Athens still held a special place in the hearts of educated people of the time.

Paul took special care in approaching the people of Athens with his gospel of Jesus Christ. These were wisdom loving pagans who were not used to hearing about God made human, dying, and then being raised again to new life. In order to preach to the Athenians Paul needed to think like them, observe their ways, know his story, stay positive, and be clever by using imagery familiar to the Greeks.

While on the Areopogas, Mars Hill just below the great Acropolis in Athens, he spoke as if he were a great Athenian orator of the past. Paul respected the pagan traditions of the people, complemented them, and found his opening through an altar dedicated to an unknown god. The pagans, who had temples and altars dedicated to the whole pantheon of gods, were always careful to include an altar dedicated to any gods they didn't know about. After all, it was not wise to offend any god, even if they were not aware of the god's existence.

Paul proclaimed before these wise Athenians just who this unknown god was: he is the Lord God, the one true God. Paul did not even bring up Jesus in his oration, knowing that his message that day needed to simply deal with the God who is One, who is Creator of heaven and earth. He spoke about God's relationship with his creation and in particular humans. He then lifted up the idea of Christ, without mentioning him by name. "While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31)

This didn't go over too well for the Athenians. "When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, 'We will hear you again about this.'" (Acts 17:32)

Paul didn't stay long in Athens. He was never in danger there, but felt the need to move on because few were coming to faith in Christ. But that's not to say his work was in vain. Some did join Paul and became believers. Even in the tough crowd gathered at the Areopagus Paul's message was able to bring some to faith.

God has placed every Christian in an "Areopagus" somewhere. In Christian community we gather for worship and service and are surrounded by people who believe in Christ just as we do. However there are many times throughout the week when the crowd we are among is more like the Areopagus than it is of First Christian Church. In our families, our work places, our neighborhoods and places of leisure we encounter men and women who are just as clueless about Christ and the resurrection as the people in first century Athens. How do you share your faith with them? Think about these ideas as you answer your call to witness to Christ.

1. Know Your Faith. Do you know why you worship God faithfully or are part of a church? Think about what your faith in God means to you. How has God touched your life recently? Through prayer and meditation be aware of God's presence in your life.

2. Recognize Your "Areopagus." There are times during your week when you are around other people who are just itching to hear the gospel... desperate to have hope in their life. Can you recognize the "Areopagus" God has either dropped you into, or even sometimes placed in your lap?

3. Observe and Listen. Understand where other people are coming from. Show them respect and affirm the good things happening in their lives. It is more important to be a friend than to be a preacher. Paul was sincere when he affirmed how religious the Athenians were.

4. Share Your Story. Since you know why you have faith, do you know how to share your faith with others? Be true to yourself and your story. Share it in a way that respects others and lifts up the positive aspects of your faith. Remember Paul did not mention Jesus by name on the Areopogus which certainly would not have been Paul's first instinct.

5. Sow the Seeds and Let God do the Rest. Chances are that the sharing of your faith story will not have an immediate effect on those you are speaking to. They may scoff. They may say "I'll get back to you later." But that's alright. The seeds you sow might bear fruit months or years down the line. And then again, there is always a chance the lives of one or two might be changed forever because the light of hope finally shined in their heart. Praise be to God!