What is the Conversation that God is Having with Your City?

Wow it has been a minute since I last posted anything. Tonight at The Living Room (WVVC's Young Adult Ministry) we had a conversation based on the book of Acts 17:16-34. This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible, because in this story Paul doesn't just preach he joins an on going conversation that God has been having with the city of Athens. Paul doesn't once refer to scripture or even mention Jesus by name, instead Paul utilizes the Athenians own poets and philosophers showing how they were talking about the God Paul knows. Paul is invited to speak to Athen's leading thinkers and share about "his" God. Paul answers the Athenians' question by referring to an alter that the Athenians had in their city that said "to an unknown God." Paul begins to tell the Athenians about his God by telling them how God is part of their story already. Paul does this by quoting Athenian poets and philosophers.

At the end of this passage in the book of Acts it says that "Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed." I have heard many people say this is an example of a failed sermon by Paul because only a few people believed, but the Greek word translated as "few" in some older English translations does not refer to a small number and that is why most English translations in their revised versions change the word from "few" to "some." Paul may not have had 3000 people respond like Peter did in Acts chapter 2 on the day Pentecost, but those massive responses were the exception not the rule. If we are faithful to the narrative given in the book of Acts we know the rule is one person here, a couple of people there, and a few more people over this way. So the fact that very prominent and influential people chose to believe is actually a very good thing. Paul was talking to the leading thinkers of Athens, he was talking to the trend setters, the early adopters, the people who would influence others to believe and follow the God Paul espoused. The truth is that because these people decided to follow Paul the conversation in Athens would change. But in order to change the conversation that was taking place in Athens Paul had to listen to what God was already saying to the people of Athens. Paul did not come in and try to start a new conversation; Paul simply highlighted the places God was already in conversation with Athens.

To many "models" presented in the Church as "the way to win people for Christ" rely on trying to start new conversations with people using language they do not understand. Quoting a bunch of Bible verses to someone who doesn't believe in the Bible, or maybe doesn't even know what the Bible is, is for the most part not to effective a way to try and start a spiritual conversation with someone. That is like trying to start a conversation with someone who only speaks Mandrin by quoting French to them. God is already speaking to people. God is already in the midst of a conversation with all of creation. As ambassadors of God we need to listen to what God is saying and join in that conversation.

The question I asked tonight at The Living Room is, "what is the conversation God is having with our city?" This is a question that all of us need to answer in order to be an effective witness to our cities, to our friends, to our families, or to whoever God puts in front of us. How is God already speaking into their lives? What is the conversation God is having?