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Lessons from Lystra (2)
''He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven...' Acts 14:17
Yesterday we read about Paul preaching to the villagers of Lystra. They weren't like the boffins in Athens, or religious Jews that Paul would end up talking to. These guys didn't know a lot about philosophy or religion but they did know about farming.
Check out Paul's sermon: "We are bringing you good news, telling you...turn to the living God who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them... Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." (Acts 14:15-17 NIV) In other sermons Paul bangs on about Jewish history or the words of Greek poets but to the farmers he talks about rain, crops and lunch. Why? Because he wants them to get it, so he talks about the stuff THEY understand.
Today, words like 'born again', 'sin', 'redeemed', 'house of God' often make it into our talks and songs yet don't make much sense to non-Christians. So when we talk to our mates, we need to think about HOW we talk about God. Here's a challenge: write down what a Christian is without using church words; if you're into skating or hip-hop use the words from your culture, just make sure it makes sense. Then tell your mates.
written by Bob Gass
''He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven...' Acts 14:17
Yesterday we read about Paul preaching to the villagers of Lystra. They weren't like the boffins in Athens, or religious Jews that Paul would end up talking to. These guys didn't know a lot about philosophy or religion but they did know about farming.
Check out Paul's sermon: "We are bringing you good news, telling you...turn to the living God who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them... Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." (Acts 14:15-17 NIV) In other sermons Paul bangs on about Jewish history or the words of Greek poets but to the farmers he talks about rain, crops and lunch. Why? Because he wants them to get it, so he talks about the stuff THEY understand.
Today, words like 'born again', 'sin', 'redeemed', 'house of God' often make it into our talks and songs yet don't make much sense to non-Christians. So when we talk to our mates, we need to think about HOW we talk about God. Here's a challenge: write down what a Christian is without using church words; if you're into skating or hip-hop use the words from your culture, just make sure it makes sense. Then tell your mates.
written by Bob Gass
