Read: Acts 17:22–32 | Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 1–2; Luke 19:28–48
As I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. Acts 17:23
I stood before the gathering at a small Jamaican church and said
in my best local dialect, “Wah Gwan, Jamaica?” The reaction was better
than I expected, as smiles and applause greeted me.
In reality, all I had said was the standard greeting, “What’s
going on?” in Patois [pa-twa], but to their ears I was saying, “I care
enough to speak your language.” Of course I did not yet know enough
Patois to continue, but a door had been opened.
When the apostle Paul stood before the
people of Athens, he let them know that he knew their culture. He told
them that he had noticed their altar to “an unknown god,”
and he quoted one of their poets. Of course, not everyone believed
Paul’s message about Jesus’s resurrection, but some said, “We want to
hear you again on this subject” (Acts 17:32).
As we interact with others about Jesus and the salvation He offers,
the lessons of Scripture show us to invest ourselves in others—to learn
their language, as it were—as a way to open the door to telling them the
good news (see also 1 Cor. 9:20–23).
As we find out “Wah Gwan?” in others’ lives, it will be easier to share what God has done in ours.
Show us, Lord, what is important to others. Help us to think of their interests first, and allow opportunities to speak about the love of Jesus.
Before you tell others about Christ, let them see how much you care.
© 2017 Our Daily Bread Ministries
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