2710 Kingston Road, York, PA 17402
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Email:pastordon@yorkfirst.org
"Common Ground"
Text Acts 17:22-31
Preached by Don Hubbell-Pastor of Witness at the
York First Church of the Brethren on Sunday, April 27, 2008



Focus: “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you” (v. 18).

There is a young couple in our church who is adopting two boys from Russia. In this particular case the Russian authorities are making the process very difficult by throwing up obstacles every step of the way. The latest hurdle is that because the boys are only cousins and not brothers, they have to be adopted separately. This requires two additional trips to Russia to file the paperwork and an “extra” $20,000 in cash. This couple is not rich and the church has pitched in to help raise the needed funds. But why is this couple adopting both boys? Might one be enough? The answer is obvious, the boys love one another, and the couple loves those boys. They cannot leave either boy orphaned and their frequent letters say to the boys, “Don’t give up. We are coming for you soon.”

How much more, then, will God come for us; God already paid the price through Jesus. God won’t leave us stranded or held hostage. God loves us and won’t let any obstacle stand in the way.

Read text here: Acts 17:22-31

Introduction: Pastor Jennifer Williams writes about an experience she had while in seminary: “When I was in seminary I was chosen as a student representative for the Curriculum Selection Committee. I remember getting all dressed up to go to my first meeting, sitting in the oversized chairs, and feeling so small in comparison to the professors and deans sitting around that table. At this point, my memory starts to get fuzzy and my stomach starts to rumble with butterflies of embarrassment. I remember talking a lot during that meeting, sharing all my excellent ideas and being virtually laughed out of the room by the professionals and academics. At one point, I remember a respected professor telling me, in a very polite way, to be quiet. I wanted too much in too little time; I thought I knew everything that would make the seminary better. I saw what could be and wanted it all done immediately. Honestly, some of my ideas were worthy of being heard, but my actions and overzealous presentation caused a rift between myself and those whom I wanted to influence. Overall, the meeting was a disaster; I felt so awful that I never attended another meeting and rode out the final months of my seminary career in silence. Looking back, I would say that I was overly enthusiastic, overzealous, and far too impatient.

Now after years of ministry, I like to think that my ability to work with others has improved. In the local church, I have learned that there are times to speak up, but also times where silence and patience are worthy qualities.”

In this world, it is necessary to have patience, love, and understanding to accomplish a goal.

I.) I take heart in knowing that Saint Paul also struggled with sharing his message.
A.) Paul has had a difficult journey prior to this passage from Acts 17.
1.Paul was on fire with the Holy Spirit and was sharing the message any way that he could.
2.In Acts 16, Paul finds himself in prison, narrowly escapes and then finds himself at the hands of an angry mob in Thessalonica.
3.Paul is young in the faith, knows he has a message to share, and enthusiastically (and some might say overzealously) presents the gospel to everyone he encounters.
4.It is Paul’s enthusiastic, if impatient, presentation that gets him into trouble.
B.) In this passage from Acts 17, Paul finds himself in Athens.
1.Paul is now an experienced and wise evangelist who decides to try another tactic to get his point across.
2.In Thessalonica, the scripture says, “Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three sabbath days argued with them from the O.T. scriptures” (v. 2).
3.Prior to Athens, Paul argued his points; he was certain about Jesus’ lordship and he presented it in a manner that caused severe problems between Paul and the synagogues of several prominent towns.
4.But entering Athens, Paul has learned from his previous experience.
5.Rather than argue with the citizens, Paul begins by praising them, saying, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way.”
6.Paul takes the time to experience their city and observes their religious statues and idols.
7.Paul tries to understand the Athenian people before he shows them the message of salvation.

Conclusion to point: In his patience and understanding, Paul finds a way to share Jesus, saying, “For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” Because Paul took the time and was patient, he was able to find a way to reach the Athenian people by touching upon what they already knew. Because Paul observed that the Athenians believed in an unknown god, he was able to spread the gospel by revealing God through the presence of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Ex. I have always felt that before you could share Jesus with someone you needed to know that person and to earn the right to speak to them about such a deep and personal matter as their faith journey. I have come to dislike the word evangelism. It makes me think of people standing on the street with signboards or college friends who tried to convert me by asking if I had accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior when they really didn’t know me well enough to ask such a personal question. While those evangelism techniques may reach a certain segment of the population, I do not believe they are the example that Paul sets forth for us in this passage. Paul’s success in Athens comes because he is able to find common ground with the Athenians. Only after he finds the common ground is he able to share his own testimony of the Messiah who is grander than any stone or metal idols the Athenians have worshiped before. In case you may be wondering, I like the word discipling much better for sharing ones faith with another person. It takes time and effort to learn to know where another person is walking on their journey of faith!

II.) Spreading the gospel is not about an overzealous presentation that hits the hearer over the head; it did not work for the young Paul and it will not work for us, either.
A.) Sharing Jesus means finding the common ground with your friends and neighbors.
1.Sit down with that person and listen to them; discover their beliefs and then start to share your own.
2.Evangelism is what Paul does in this passage, he understands his listeners and he starts with what they know and then opens their minds to the power of Christ.
3.Evangelism for us is sharing our story of Jesus in a patient and understanding, faithful manner.
4.When you are sitting beside your coworker and she’s having a bad day, pray for her and share that prayer with her.
5.When your friend is going into surgery, tell him how Jesus has been with you and given you the strength to persevere.
6.Sharing the gospel takes patience, understanding, and love.

Conclusion to message: This scripture teaches us that no matter how important our message, even the message of salvation, it will not be heard unless it is presented in a manner that is appropriate to unbelievers. Paul shows us that we cannot hit others over the heads with the message of Christ. Our task as Christians is to find the common ground and then begin. Amen.