How Did Paul Adapt to His Culture?

R. Larry Moyer

How did Paul adapt to his culture? Did he give each person he met a “piece of his mind”? Did he talk about the wickedness of the society and engage in a pious people pity party? Did he talk about the evils of idol worship? No! Acts 17:16-21 tells you what he did. Two things are striking.

The first is that he took the offense, not the defense. To Paul, false worship and foolish philosophy were opportunities, not obstacles. Verse 17 says, “Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.” Paul knew that when people are talking, we can talk. So he met the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogues and the philosophers in the heart of the city. But he led the discussion.

We need to be willing to tell people where we stand on current issues, such as abortion, homosexuality, immigration, etc. – right after we tell them, “Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead.” We need to take the offense, not the defense.

The second noticeable thing is that he kept the message clear. His methods varied, his message never did. Paul preached about Jesus and the resurrection, because that was the message he had received from God (Galatians 1:12).

Our message transcends all generations and cultures and can be reduced to ten words: Christ died for our sins and rose from dead. People may misunderstand some things we say. But there is one thing we should say so loudly and clearly no one misunderstands. Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.

Do you want to be relevant to your culture and adapt to changing times? Do what Paul did. Take the offense, not the defense and keep your message clear.

2008 – What a year of opportunity. Go for it!