What is apologetics? How do you do it? How do you answer objections to Christianity? How do you answer objections to God and the Bible? What missionary strategy can you use to reach the lost?
Today, we will see how the Apostle Paul did some of these things in Acts 17. Paul is on his section missionary journey. He is in Europe. He is Greece. The date is around 50 AD.
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas went to Philippi. Some miracles take place. A demon is cast out of a slave girl. Paul and Silas were arrested. They were beaten and thrown into prison, but they continued to worship and praise God in prison and then something amazing happened.
An earthquake took place, prison doors were opened and a heart was opened as well. The hardened Roman jailer came to faith. He got saved. He got baptized.
His whole family got saved. A church was started in the home of a wealthy businesswoman named Lydia. Paul wrote a letter to that church, the Book of Philippians.
One of the things that he said in that book is “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11 NKJV) and he said that from a prison cell. Have you learned to be content in whatever state you are in?
When Paul left Philippi, he went to another city. In Acts 17, Paul went to three cities – Thessalonica, Berea and Athens. Two books of the Bible were written because of this chapter (I & II Thessalonians). Two churches were started, one in Berea and one in Thessalonica.
These were good churches. We can learn a lot from these two churches. They were model churches. The Church of Thessalonica became an example to all the believers in the surrounding regions in Greece.
They “became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it” (I Thessalonians 1:7-8)
Let’s look at Paul’s visit to the first city of Thessalonica. As we read these verses, let’s think about Paul’s missionary strategy.
When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house.
They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea (Acts 17:1-10 NIV)
Paul’s Missionary Strategy
1. Go to a Safe Place
Paul’s first strategy is to go to a place where he can minister freely. He does not just leave Philippi; he goes far away from Philippi. He does not just go to the next town over. He goes over a hundred miles away. Paul did not have a persecution complex. He did not enjoy persecution. He wasn’t afraid to face it but tried to avoid it.
2. Look for Big Cities
When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica (Acts 17:1 NIV)
Why did Paul pass through Amphipolis and Apollonia. Paul wanted to go to the big cities, rather than the small towns. He wanted to go to the big population centers. He went to major metropolitan areas.
Many missions today focus on unreached people groups and that is not wrong. Many missionaries do that, but Paul could have more of an impact by going to a bigger city, so he went to Thessalonica, a place which also had never heard the gospel before.
It had a bigger city. It had a population of about 200,000. It has a population of 300,000 today. The metropolitan area has over a million people. It is the second largest city in Greece. If you go there today, they don’t call it “Thessalonica.” Locals call the city “Thessaloniki” (Thessalon-ee-key).
3. Support Yourself Financially
When Paul got to Thessalonica, he got a job. Not too many pastors or missionaries do that today, but Paul did. We know that from II Thessalonians.
For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” (II Thessalonians 3:7-10 NIV)
He did not just preach. He worked. He did not work in an office. He did not push papers. He had a trade. Paul says he worked with his own hands. He did manual labor. We find out how he supported himself in the next chapter.
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them (Acts 18:1-3 NIV)
4. Seek Common Ground
In Acts 17, Paul goes to three cities (Thessalonica, Berea and Athens). In each city, the first place he went to was the synagogue.
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days (Acts 17:3 NIV)
As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue (Acts 17:10 NIV)
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. (Acts 17:16-17 NIV)
Not only did he go to the synagogue, but he did this regularly. The first sabbath day Paul was in town, he would go to the local synagogue. AS WAS HIS CUSTOM, Paul went into the synagogue.
That is a good verse for regular church attendance. The synagogue was the church of the day. There was one temple but many synagogues. Paul believed in going to church every weekend. He did not just go once or twice a year for Christmas and Easter, like some people do today.
Some Christians today, who are part of the house church movement, would never set foot in a church. They think they are all dead. One member of the house church told me they see too many demons on people in church. Paul went to his local synagogue regularly and it was dead and so did Jesus.
Paul did not just go there to worship. He went there to minister to people. He went there to preach the gospel. Why did he always start at the synagogue? It was a place where there was common ground.
It is easier to reach people if you have some common ground. What common ground did they have. Paul talked first to fellow Jews who had the same heritage and background that he did.
He met them where they were. He spoke their language. He went to their house of worship. He used their Bible to preach to them. He built bridges before he built an argument.
How can we do that today? Before you start to preach to people or share your faith, you try to find things in common. If you can do that, people are more open to hear the message.
5. Preach Jesus
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said.
Paul may have been invited to speak in the synagogue as a visiting rabbi. He was there for three weeks. What did Paul talk about when he was there? What was his topic?
How would you like to be in a Bible study taught by the Apostle Paul? Wouldn’t it be great to have him be your small group leader or SS Teacher?
He did not talk about wealth or prosperity, like many preachers do today. He did not talk about how to have a better marriage or how to be a better parent. He didn’t talk about politics or the social issues of the day. He did not talk about himself.
He talked about Jesus. He had two points. He must not have been a Baptist because they usually have three points. What were his two points? One, the Messiah must suffer. Two, Jesus is the Messiah, because he suffered.
Why did he say that the Messiah must suffer? That was the biggest stumbling block for Jews in his day, and it is still a stumbling block today. They believe that the Messiah is going to come to rule and reign. Jesus didn’t do that, so he must not be the Messiah.
The problem is that they only read half of the Bible. There is a big danger in reading only half the Bible. The Bible does teach that the Messiah will one day rule and reign, but it also teaches that the Messiah would suffer and die.
Paul’s method was to use Scripture. He did not try to be original and creative. He did not share his own ideas or thoughts. He shared what Scripture said. He taught the Bible.
The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)
Paul shared Scriptures with them. Which ones did he share? We don’t know. He probably shared Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. He showed from the Scriptures that Jesus did these things.
6. Do Apologetics
This is where it gets interesting. Paul did not just preach; he did apologetics. He did not just explain what he believed; he proved it. He used reason and logic.
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he REASONED with them from the Scriptures, 3 EXPLAINING and PROVING that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said.
Paul did not just shout and scream like some preachers do. Some preachers just appeal to people’s emotions. They get them all worked up. Paul did apologetics.
He did not just make a claim. He proved it. He wasn’t against reason and logic. He used them in the synagogue. We are told “on three Sabbath days he REASONED with them from the Scriptures”
It is the exact opposite of what some preachers do today. Some preachers have said some really dumb things. Once they step into the pulpit, their head gets real big and they say some of the most ignorant things.
Some preachers have said that learning is bad, critical thinking is bad, asking questions is bad, logic and reason is bad, education is bad.
There is no need to go to seminary and learn Greek and Hebrew. It is better to have a big heart than a big head. Head knowledge is not important. Heart knowledge is.
Paul did not have that philosophy. When he ministered in the synagogue to unbelievers, he did not bypass the mind and go straight to the heart. He went through the mind. He reasoned with people from the Scriptures.
It is not wrong to use the mind God gave you. It is not wrong to use logic reason and logic. They are not incompatible with faith.
We are to love God with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our strength and all of our mind. Three times in the Gospels we are told to love God without minds (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). God is not against reason.
Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18 ESV)
What is apologetics? It gives reasons for faith. It is answering objections that people have about God, about Christianity, about the Bible. There are two big mistakes people make about apologetics.
MISTAKE ONE is to overvalue apologetics. Some people think if they can learn all of the arguments, they can convince anyone and make that person an instant convert. It used to believe that. It is not true. It doesn’t work.
People do not just rely on reason and logic. Some people will not believe no matter how much evidence you put in front of them. Their mind is made up. If they do not want to believe, they will not believe, no matter what the facts are.
MISTAKE TWO is to undervalue apologetics. Some Christians think that apologetics is a waste of time. There is no need to learn all of the arguments about the inspiration of the Bible or the Deity of Christ or the existence of God.
The Bible says we should do apologetics. Paul proved some things from the Scriptures. Are there any doctrines that we can prove from Scripture to a skeptic?
In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, ALWAYS being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (I Peter 3:15 ESV)
What was their reaction to his message? The responses were divided. The gospel always divides people. Some love it and some hate it. Some believed. Others were jealous and persecuted Paul.
Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. (Acts 17:4 NIV)
It was mostly Gentiles who believed. SOME of the Jews were persuaded but a LARGE NUMBER of Greeks were also persuaded. They were the most receptive to the message for some reason. That was enough to start a church. They joined Paul and Silas.
But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. (Acts 17:5 NIV)
Why were other Jews jealous? These men came from out of town, began speaking and everyone is following them. There was more people following Paul and Silas than them. They drew big crowds.
They made up other excuses. They said that these men are turning the world upside down. They are defying Caesar’s decrees and saying that there is another king names Jesus. The real reason was jealousy. Sometimes even church leaders have to fight jealousy when some members of the congregation have gifts that they do not have or are more popular.
Were these accusations true? Were they turning the world upside down? No. The world is already upside down. It has been upside down since the Fall.
Today, we have men who say they are women and women who say they are men. We are told things that are true are false and things that are false are true. Things that are morally wrong are called right. Evil is called good and good evil.
Did they tell people to disobey Caesar? No. In fact, Paul taught the opposite. Is Jesus a king? Yes. He is King of kings and lord of lords but that did not make Paul a revolutionary. Paul was not into politics.
We know the name of one member of the church of Thessalonica. His name was Jason. He was a local. He lived in Thessalonica. He came to faith in Christ.
He had the gift of hospitality like Lydia did in Philippi. He may have been wealthy. He opened his home to Paul and his missionary team. He did that That may have been where the Church of Thessalonica met. Jason’s hospitality came with a cost.
There was a cost to hospitality. Sometimes you are punished for doing good. When a mob came after Paul, they eventually came to Jason’s home and surrounded it. Paul was not there, so they arrested Jason instead and he had to post bond.
6. Don’t Give up
Paul shows persistence here. He does not give up. When he is kicked out of Philippi, he goes to Thessalonica. When he is kicked out of Thessalonica, he goes to Berea. He did not quit. He did not give up.
He was not just rejected, he was tortured in Philippi. He was beaten and thrown into the stocks. His rights were violated as a Roman but none of that stopped him. He continued to do that God had called him to do.