Clues for Preaching to An Unbelieving World
(12/08/2005)

Acts 5:20 20 “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.”

The purpose of this study is to find Biblical examples of how the Gospel was presented to non-believers. I hope that by carefully examining such examples, we can discern clues as to how we should present the Gospel to the world today.

In the Old Testament, man was under a different covenant with God. Pleasing Him was a matter of obedience and continually offering sacrifices for when we failed to obey. The Gospel (or Good News) of Jesus Christ had been prophesized but had not yet come. In the Gospels, Jesus Himself spoke of the coming of the Kingdom of God, the need for repentance, and prophesized how He would be the final sacrifice for man’s sin. However, it wasn’t until the very end of each of the Gospels that the Gospel story was complete. The Epistles were written to people who were already Christians. Therefore, you will not find there complete examples of what the Gospel is and how to present it to others. Although there are good descriptions of what constitutes the Gospel and many exhortations to preach it, none of them give a blow-by-blow description of how they actually presented the Gospel to non-believers. The only real place in the Bible where we can find actual examples of how the complete Gospel was presented to non-believers is in the book of Acts.

However, several examples in the book of Acts were of the Gospel being presented to the Hebrews. These people for the most part were already convinced of the reality of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of the validity of the scriptures, of God’s coming judgment, of the existence of heaven and hell, and of the need for repentance. So if we want an example of presenting the Gospel that would be analogous to the people of today (i.e., people who don’t believe in God and all that entails), then we need to look at the examples in Acts of the Gospel being presented to the Gentiles.

Clues from Acts of the Apostles

Acts 11:20-26 gives the first general account of the preaching of Jesus to non-believing Gentiles. It doesn’t tell exactly what the message was but only that they were “preaching the Lord Jesus.”

Clue 1: Preach the Lord Jesus to unbelievers

Acts 14 tells how they continued to “preach the Gospel” to the Gentiles and how, after Jesus healed a man through them, the Gentiles tried to worship them as incarnations of their pagan gods. Part of their response is recorded:

Acts 14:14-17 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM. In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."

Clue 2: Remind unbelievers that God created all that is and how He has shown them His goodness in all that He has given them

Acts 15 tells how some of the Pharisees who had accepted Christ stated that the Gentiles must be circumcised and taught to obey the law of Moses. There arose such an uproar about it within the church that a meeting was called between the apostles and elders of the church (including Barnabas and Paul). At the meeting, Peter stated:

Acts 15:10,11 “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

James counseled that they “not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles” but that they did need some guidance. The result was a letter to the Gentiles delivered by Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and Judas to deliver this message to them:

Acts 15:28-29 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

Now the people to whom this message was delivered were new believers who were not familiar with the law of Moses. The point was not to overburden them with ceremonial law. That obviously does NOT mean that they could ignore God’s moral law. For instance, this should not be construed to mean that they could now go out and murder, steal, and commit adultery.

Clue 3: Don’t get sidetracked from preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ by peripheral issues

Acts 16:6,7 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;

Clue 4: Sometimes the Holy Spirit will direct you to NOT share the Gospel with someone, but this is a RARE exception and NOT the rule!

After Paul had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to go to the cities mentioned above, God showed him why by calling him to Macedonia. There they preached the Gospel and were beaten and imprisoned. While Paul and Silas were praying and singing God’s praises while in prison, God caused a great earthquake and freed them from their chains and opened the prison doors. The jailer started to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped (which would have resulted in a painful death for him at the hands of his superiors). But when Paul cried out that they were still there, the jailer learned the fear of the Lord.

Acts 16:29-31 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

A rather short presentation of the Gospel, eh? Is that all that they said to the jailer and his household? I doubt it. But considering the fact that God had just performed an earthshaking miracle (literally) there was little doubt in the jailer’s mind that these guys were ambassadors of the Most High. He had just been convinced that God existed and he was afraid that God’s judgment was going to fall on him at any moment! He probably didn’t need to hear a lot about repentance and God’s impending judgment because he had just had the dickens scared out of him and was about to kill himself. So I don’t think that this instance is representative of how the Gospel was generally presented to unbelievers. However, if you ever find yourself in similar circumstances, then telling the terrified people who come running up to you “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” might be sufficient!

Clue 5: Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes you don’t have to go through every aspect of the Gospel with a person in order for them to be saved.

In Acts 17, Paul went to the synagogue in Thessalonica and met with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks where he “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ’” (vss. 2 and 3). However, these were not unbelievers.

Later in the chapter, Paul traveled to Athens where “he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present” (vs. 17). Paul was angered by the rampant idolatry and began to converse with some of their “Epicurean and Stoic philosophers” (vs. 18) who along with most of Athens had made an intellectual sport out of public speaking, reasoning, and debate (vs. 21). These philosophers were very devout in their worship of idols. But they were intrigued enough by Paul’s teaching to invite him to Mars Hill (a hill to the west of the Athenian acropolis where met the highest governmental council of ancient Athens and later a judicial court) to tell them more. Verses 22-34 tell of Paul’s message to the men of Athens:

So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD‘ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”

“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’”

“Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.” So Paul went out of their midst. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Now the people to whom Paul was speaking were unbelievers but they did believe in some sort of God. Notice that Paul did not get up and begin denouncing their idolatry (even though he was provoked by it), but instead he took an aspect of their religious belief (the unknown god) and used it as a starting point to explain who God is. However, he did not shy away from telling them where they were wrong and that they should repent because God’s judgment was coming. After laying the foundation of repentance and God’s impending judgment, he then began to tell them about Jesus.

Clue 6: Try to find a point within your audience’s belief system that you can use to begin to present the Gospel. However, do not shy away from addressing their sin, speaking of the need for repentance, and God’s impending judgment. These are the foundations which must be laid before they can understand their need for Christ.

Acts 18:4-6 And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Clue 7: Patiently reason with those whom you seek to bring to Jesus. But remember that only the Holy Spirit can open their spiritually dead “eyes” to the truth that you are speaking. And there is a time where you must leave them in their unbelief and move on to the next person or group.

In Acts 20:17-38, Paul gather the elders of the church of Ephesus and told them that he was leaving for Jerusalem and that they would never see him again. The Spirit of the Lord had revealed to him that “bonds and afflictions” awaited him there. But he exhorted them with examples from his own ministry to:

• Solemnly testify of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
• Not shrink from declaring the whole purpose of God

Acts 24:24-25 But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you.”

Note what Paul was speaking to Felix (a Roman Governor) about. When speaking of faith in Christ he focused on the topics of righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. Sounds quite different from what you find with most witnessing techniques, doesn’t it?

Concerning righteousness, I believe (based on Paul’s later writings on the topic) that he probably spoke of the righteousness of God and how our own righteousness is as “filthy rags” in comparison. How by Christ’s death and resurrection we can become “the righteousness of God.”

Concerning self-control, I would think he spoke of how accepting Christ means to avoiding giving into our selfish desires and how we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.

Concerning the judgment to come, I’m sure he described to Felix how that Jesus would someday return to earth as Judge of the Living and the Dead. That every man will stand before God and give an account of himself and that eternal Hell awaits those who are found without Christ.

Also note Felix’s reaction…he became frightened. Doesn’t sound like the sort of reaction we seek to engender in people when we witness, does it? But remember what the Word of the Lord says:

Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom

Clue 9: People must understand their need to be saved before you present them with the Savior. They must first understand what their relationship and future with God is without Christ before they will see their need for redemption. If they are not frightened by their current condition then they either don’t understand it or their heart hasn’t been convicted by the Spirit of the Lord. We have a responsibility to tell them the truth about their current condition and the cost of accepting Christ.

Paul makes his defense before King Agrippa II in Acts chapter 26. Agrippa was Jewish by birth but lived most of his life in Rome where he received his education in the court of Emperor Claudius.

Paul begins by giving his testimony describing how he was a Pharisee who persecuted the Christians but how all of that changed on the road to Damascus. He summarizes by stating that he stands before the King for obeying God by declaring that all men “should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” and for “testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

When Agrippa accuses him of having gone mad, Paul responds that King knows full well that he is speaking the truth because all of these events took place in public.

The exchange between Agrippa and Paul concluded with the following:

Acts 26:27-29 “King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.”

Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”

And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”

So King Agrippa apparently at one time had believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but had backslidden into the pagan Roman culture. Therefore, this is not truly an example of preaching the Gospel to an unbeliever but to one who probably still knew the truth even though they no longer walked in it. However, we can still glean a few clues from this exchange.

Clue 10: Your testimony can be a powerful tool and it helps people to understand why you believe and seek to help others believe. But if you end your story there, then you’ve left the job half done. Be sure to follow it up with a presentation of who Christ is and why He came and call them to repentance. The results are up to God.

In Acts 28, Paul finally arrives at Rome. He called together the leaders of the Jews there in order to explain the reason for his presence. They said that they hadn’t heard anything bad about him personally but that the “sect” which he was representing was spoken against everywhere. However, they wanted to hear his views:

Acts 28:23-28 When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying,

‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY,
“YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND;
AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;
FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL,
AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR,
AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES;
OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES,
AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS,
AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN,
AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’”

“Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”

Again, this is a Jewish audience so there is the advantage of having people who already believe in Jehovah, Moses, and the Prophets. However, in this instance, the results are nearly indistinguishable from that of the majority of the unbelieving world.

Clue 11: The Law and the Prophets are important tools when trying to persuade people of the necessity and authenticity of Jesus. However, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t open their eyes to understand, then you can talk from morning until evening to no avail. And even if the Holy Spirit does call them, they can still choose to harden their hearts. There comes a point when God will call you to shake the dust off your feet and take the message further down the road.

In summary, let’s review all of the clues which we were able to derive from Acts:

• Clue 1: Preach the Lord Jesus to unbelievers
• Clue 2: Remind unbelievers that God created all that is and how He has shown them His goodness in all that He has given them
• Clue 3: Don’t get sidetracked from preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ by peripheral issues
• Clue 4: Sometimes the Holy Spirit will direct you to NOT share the Gospel with someone, but this is a RARE exception and NOT the rule!
• Clue 5: Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes you don’t have to go through every aspect of the Gospel with a person in order for them to be saved.
• Clue 6: Try to find a point within your audience’s belief system that you can use to begin to present the Gospel. However, do not shy away from addressing their sin, speaking of the need for repentance, and God’s impending judgment. These are the foundations which must be laid before they can understand their need for Christ.
• Clue 7: Patiently reason with those whom you seek to bring to Jesus. But remember that only the Holy Spirit can open their spiritually dead “eyes” to the truth that you are speaking. And there is a time where you must leave them in their unbelief and move on to the next person or group.
• Clue 8: If you wish to be “innocent of the blood of all men,” then solemnly testify of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and do not shrink from declaring the whole purpose of God.
• Clue 9: People must understand their need to be saved before you present them with the Savior. They must first understand what their relationship and future with God is without Christ before they will see their need for redemption. If they are not frightened by their current condition then they either don’t understand it or their heart hasn’t been convicted by the Spirit of the Lord. We have a responsibility to tell them the truth about their current condition and the cost of accepting Christ.
• Clue 10: Your testimony can be a powerful tool and it helps people to understand why you believe and seek to help others believe. But if you end your story there, then you’ve left the job half done. Be sure to follow it up with a presentation of who Christ is and why He came and call them to repentance. The results are up to God.
• Clue 11: The Law and the Prophets are important tools when trying to persuade people of the necessity and authenticity of Jesus. However, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t open their eyes to understand, then you can talk from morning until evening to no avail. And even if the Holy Spirit does call them, they can still choose to harden their hearts. There comes a point when God will call you to shake the dust off your feet and take the message further down the road.

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Romans 10:14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

2 Timothy 4:1,2 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

1 Corinthians 1:21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Sharing your testimony and talking about how the beauty and love of God is evident through nature are great ways of opening the door, but we need to take the next step through the door and not shrink from telling them “the whole purpose of God.” They need to hear about the fact that God will judge everyone and that His judgment is final and just. That’s why Jesus came, died, and rose again so that God’s righteous judgment fell on Him instead of us. They need to understand that, nevertheless, their sins will cause God’s judgment to fall on them if they refuse to repent and place their faith in Jesus. The Law can be a great tool in convincing them of their sinfulness and consequent need for a Savior. The Prophets are another tool which you can use to illustrate that Jesus fulfilled thousands of years of prophecy by His life, death, and resurrection. If done properly, this kind of presentation of the Gospel will either create fear or anger within your listeners. If they are convinced of their current predicament, then fear will be a normal reaction. If they are unconvinced (or simply convinced but rebellious), then anger is a natural response. Either way, your responsibility is to as accurately as possible (and guided by the Holy Spirit) convey the Gospel and leave the results to God. Don’t leave out “the hard parts” because you’re afraid of the reaction of your listeners if you wish to be “innocent of the blood of all men.”

Note that in NONE of these presentations of the Gospel do you find Paul trying to tell them how happy believing in Jesus will make them or telling them about “the abundant life” which God has waiting for them or how fun it is to be a Christian (all of which are predominant in most contemporary evangelistic methods). He wanted them to believe for the right reasons so that there was a true conversion of their souls. He wanted them to choose to repent and have faith in Jesus not because of what temporal benefits they could get but because they truly believed in the eternal work that He had already accomplished on their behalf. Such should be our goal and we need to revise our message and our methods to reflect the Gospel as it was preached to unbelievers in the Bible. All the clues are there…