Confronting Unbelievers

I was twenty-two years old and sitting alone in the student lounge of Northern State University watching Sports Center on ESPN when a friend of mine, John*, sat down in the seat next to me.  I had had a hard morning of classes and in all honesty the last thing I wanted was to talk to anyone.  But it was obvious to me that John wanted to chat.  So, I politely asked shallow questions about the weather, classes, and life in general.  But very quickly the conversation moved toward spiritual matters.

 

Throughout college I was part of the leadership of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and John knew it.  He asked questions about Scripture, why I believe what I believed, and what Intervarsity was all about.  Needless to say I was a bit unprepared for this confrontation.  Especially since he initiated the conversation.  ESPN suddenly became very unimportant.

By the end of our time together I felt that I had made the Gospel Message and his need to repent and respond to the Truth very clear.  His response astounded and confounded  me and has to this day.  He simply stated, “I once believed as you do.  I know what the Bible says about salvation.  But all my friends are unbelievers and if they are heading to Hell then I want to be with them there.”

How do we confront unbelievers with the Gospel Message?  How do we respond if they should deny of the Gospel Message?  Paul once again flees to another city in Acts 17:16-34.  This time he finds himself in Athens, the city of intellectuals and philosophers.  These people are much different than the Jews in the local synagogue to whom he usually speaks.  What can we learn from Paul’s approach and reaction to the Athenians response to the Gospel Message?

May we be prayerfully prepared for the Spirit’s moving in our hearts and souls this week as we study and dig into the Word of God.

*Name has been changed to protect the guilty.