Torch, Summer 2004

set free and now makes himself a slave to everyone. A slave? To everyone? For what reason? “To win as many as possible.” He elaborates further when he writes, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (I Corinthians 9:22). Paul is saying, “I want to know what it is that makes you tick so that I can build a bridge to Jesus Christ for you. I want to know what it is that stirs your soul, that stirs your emotions, that gives you meaning and significance in life. All the questions you have about life that you think are being answered by Eminem or by Britney Spears … those answers are only found in Jesus Christ. You think they are elsewhere, so I want to understand why so that I can build that bridge to you.” Do you see the difference? I enslave myself to others. That doesn’t mean that I become just like them or adopt their values, but it does mean that I try to know what is going on inside of them because I know that whatever needs they have, the provision is Christ. What we’ve done for too long as the church is to say to the world, “We want you to enslave yourselves to us. We want you to think like us, vote like us, have our views, become like us.” We’ve asked an unbelieving world to enslave themselves to our way of life and our views when Paul’s example is to say, “It’s not about me, it’s about them … and it’s about Him.” Paul did more than write about engaging the culture; he practiced it. We see one example in Acts 17. Paul had left Silas and Timothy in Berea and traveled to Athens. Athens, at that time, was still the gem of the Western world. Politically, philosophically, and economically, everything came through Athens. While Paul was there waiting for Silas and Timothy, he became “greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16). There is that word “distressed” again. In the Greek, the term translated “greatly distressed” is one word, the word from which we get paroxysm . The term refers to an intense internal, emotional anxiety. Paul’s confrontation with the idolatrous society of Athens caused him deep inner turmoil. Like America today, the city of Athens was literally a marketplace of worldviews. Most large cities of the time possessed a huge marketplace — the agora — where local commerce took place. Athens had two of them. The ancient Greek marketplace was overflowing with altars, statues, and small temples dedicated to every imaginable deity. In fact, it was so jammed with idols that when the Romans conquered Athens they had to build another agora to carry out normal marketplace activities. The idols weren’t just fat little Buddhas sitting on pedestals. Many of them were vile, immoral, and in some cases just downright pornographic. Paul walked into this and saw thousands of people worshipping. Was he offended? Probably. But more than anything else his heart was broken for them. He was distressed. How did he respond? First, he went up to the synagogues as was his custom. There the Jews and the God- fearing Gentiles would come, and Paul would preach the gospel. Then, he went to the marketplace and began to talk with anyone who would listen about Jesus Christ. As a result, he was invited up to the Areopagus, which many people believe was Mars Hill. The intellectual leaders of Athens wanted to hear firsthand what Paul was teaching. So, Paul stood before them (and probably a good number of people from the city) and said, “Men of Athens! I see that in every way … you are going to hell, every one of you. Look at that stuff you worship!” Wait! That’s not what he said! Paul said, “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious .” Talk about putting a good spin on it! Paul went on to explain to them that he had “looked carefully at your objects of worship” (Acts 17:23). Paul studied the very idols that the people worshipped. He was trying to understand their culture and then uncover a point of contact with which to build a bridge to Christ. He found that point of contact when he came across the altar to the “unknown God.” So, first Paul sought to understand their culture (Acts 17:23). Then he started where they were (vv. 22-23). He was positive about the truth he found (v. 22), and he knew and quoted their sources (vv. 23, 28). In fact, instead of starting with the Bible as he did in an earlier message to a predominately Jewish audience (Acts 13), Paul quotes from Epimenides and Aratus. Finally, Paul makes a clear presentation of the gospel (vv. 18, 30-31). Paul enters into the “great discussion” that all people must engage in. He places himself in a Summer 2004 / TORCH 7 continued on page 12