Acts Chapter 19

The miracles and signs and wonders are back!

There are many interesting and amazing things happening in this chapter of Acts.
First, Paul goes to Ephesus and spends two years there. In the previous chapter he had passed through Ephesus and they had asked him to stay, but he declined and said that if it is the Lord's will he will return.  So obviously it wasn't the Lords will at that point, but now it was.  It is also interesting because Ephesus is in Asia where back in Chapter 16 the Holy Spirit had forbidden him to speak.  So one important lesson is that sometimes when God says "No" it may be for a period of time and then later he says "Yes."  God is working on situations, people's lives and our own lives in ways that we don't always know or understand.  But when we obey his leading, then we can have life, success and his help as we go forward.

The next thing of interest is that the believers in Ephesus only had heard of John's baptism in water, and not in Jesus' name and not the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  As we saw in the previous chapter, this was probably because Apollos who had been preaching there wasn't aware of these things at that point.  So Paul baptized them in Jesus' name and then laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit came upon them.  The two distinct steps are important to see ( 1) baptism in Jesus name 2) hands laid on and receive Holy Spirit) though of course the Holy Spirit works in different ways and we've seen times in Acts where people received the Holy Spirit just as Peter was preaching and they were baptized afterwards.  So 1) it is important not to reduce the Holy Spirit to some formula and 2) we should look for and ask for being baptized in the Holy Spirit if he is missing from our lives.

"God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them." (19:11-12)  That is an amazing work of God and reminds me of how God was working through Peter in Acts 6:15-16 where people would be healed when Peter's shadow fell on them as he walked by.  These were periods where God was doing amazing miracles.  This is another lesson to learn that there are periods of time when God is reaching out his hand and doing amazing things and then there are times when he is choosing not to be working so actively.  We can only pray and follow along with what God is doing.

This chapter has a lot of interesting things to say about deliverance from demonic powers.  This of course is a topic that many Christians aren't comfortable with, but it was a major part of Jesus' ministry and the ministry of the Apostles.  First there is the very interesting account of the seven sons of Sceva.  I find it strange that there even existed "itinerant Jewish exorcists".  I guess they were persons who saw the need and must have had situations where an evil spirit (demon) at least appeared to leave (otherwise they wouldn't be exorcists).  It makes me wonder what was actually happening in the other cases.  Since these men clearly didn't have a relationship with Jesus and didn't have much if any spiritual authority, then in other encounters either the demons were simply pretending to leave or perhaps they were very weak, low authority demons (the latter doesn't seem likely).  At any rate, it is interesting that the demon answered "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?"  The fact that the demon knew of Paul reminds me of the authority that Pastor Gordon had and Debbie has when praying for deliverance.  I have experienced situations where demons start to flee even before they start to pray.  Their years of prayer and accompanying authority from God cause the evil spirits to flee more than when others pray.

The next interesting thing from this situation is that it caused 1) fear to fall on Jews and Greeks 2) the name of Jesus to be extolled and 3) believers to confess their magic practices.  On the last point, the believers up to this point probably thought that the magic was no big deal, it wasn't real and they didn't need to do anything about it.  I believe we are in such a condition in the church today.  Magic has become so commonplace in our culture today with movies and books playing with it, children's TV and education now have woven through them characters with magic powers, and even books and media extolled by some as "Christian" (Narnia, Tolkien, etc) are filled with magic.  And most Christians are completely blind to the problem.  They think that it is no big deal, it isn't real magic, "it's just a story or allegory".  The problem is that there is a total lack of spiritual discernment.  The scripture is clear that 1) the devil, demons and magic are real 2) we are not to have anything to do with them 3) our lives will be negatively affected if we disregard #2.
I won't go into a proof of #1 at this point since it should be clear as we read Acts and other Scriptures. For #2 we have this example in Acts 19; Deuteronomy 18:9-14 lists magic arts that are forbidden and that we should not listen to those who practice them; Exodus 23:13 says to not even speak the name of the false gods; Rev 21:8; 22:15 list those who practice magic as being excluded from the kingdom of God.  I've had some say to me "but the movies aren't real magic - it is just pretend".  But one could make the same argument about the sexual scenes - they are just acting it is pretend.  The scripture however says "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11 - emphasis added).  It continues that it is shameful to even mention what the shameful do in secret.

I've also heard the argument that these authors aren't practicing magic and they don't even know what magic is that they are just writing out of their creative imaginations and using magic as a device to communicate the struggles of good vs evil or inner struggles etc.  The huge problem with this is that it is again very lacking in spiritual discernment.  If you have ever read authors talking about how they get "inspired" or how they write, they will often talk about a "muse" or something that just comes upon them and they write (even the language of "inspiration" and "muse" is very spiritual).  The fact is that our imaginations are greatly affected and influenced by spiritual forces - both good and bad.  God does speak to people via his Spirit (usually those who have a relationship with him), but also Satan and his evil spirits are speaking (1 Jn 4:1 - we are commanded to test the spirits - and in this context of those who are speaking in the church - can you say Narnia? Tolkien?).  Take a look at the "art" inspired in most tattoo shops and you can see clearly what the origin of that inspiration is.  Take a look at Harry Potter, the current fascination with werewolves, vampires, magic etc etc and guess what that inspiration comes from.

For a Christian to think that they can ignore the clear teaching of scripture and the commands to stay away from magic and witchcraft but instead watch it, take it into their houses and participate with it; and then think that they will not be negatively affected...  Clearly there is a lack of the fear of God as is exemplified by the believers in Acts 19 until the very dramatic event occurred.  I can go into a long discussion on what the Bible says are the negative effects, but I'll save that for another time.

Father, I pray that you will open our eyes to see so that we will take these things seriously and respond as the believers in Acts 19 and turn from our ignorance and error and find forgiveness from you.  I also pray that we have a healthy fear of God to keep us from sin and keep us following you with all of our hearts.  Lord Jesus, have mercy on us!

There is much more that could be said about the riot in Ephesus, but for now I'll just say that it is a good example of people being influenced by evil spiritual powers that they are unaware of.  We see that the influence can be quite pervasive and it isn't something rational since the origin is spiritual.

Lord Jesus, I pray that you give me spiritual discernment to see the ways that devil tries to deceive and work his way into my life and the lives of those you have given me.  Help me to expose the evil and turn from it so that I can be completely free in you and that I can bring your freedom to those around me.  Open our eyes to see and give us hearts that yearn only for you.

Acts Chapter 18

In this chapter God directs Paul ans Silas to remain in one location for a longer time, rather than moving more quickly from one town to the next.  The key is listening to God's direction because what he has us do today might be different from what he wants us to do tomorrow.

Paul begins in Corinth where he stays a year and a half (or more - see v.18) teaching the word of God to the people.  God spoke to Paul in a night vision and told him to stay there and keep on teaching and that no one would attack him.  In the previous cities (like Thessalonica and Berea in the previous chapter), he was either attacked after a short while by persons from that city or by people from previous cities that he had been in.  But here God said that he would be safe.  In fact, when someone did try to bring him to trial, the proconsul would not even listen to the accusations against Paul, and the crowd ended up turning against those who were leading the opposition against Paul.  Quite a turn of events and God was doing something very different in this city.  For a brief moment Paul may have wondered "I thought I would be safe..." when he was taken to court.  But before Paul could even answer, God worked it all out.  God is faithful and not one of his promises has ever failed!

While in this chapter we don't see any specific mention of miracles or signs and wonders, we certainly know from Paul's letter to the Corinthians (e.g. 1 Corinthians 12-14) that the Holy Spirit was definitely still working in their midst and prophecy and speaking in tongues were fairly common in the regular meetings of the believers since Paul had to give instructions on doing these things in an orderly fashion.

Here also in this city we see Paul working at a second job, tentmaking, with Priscilla and Aquila, fellow believers who were also tentmakers who had been forced to leave Rome.  This of course is where the term "tentmaking" comes from when referring to a secular job that a minister of Jesus Christ has in addition to the ministry work.

Another interesting point is how he shifted his focus from the Jewish people who were not listening to the good news of Jesus Christ and went to the Gentiles who were listening.  So Paul left those who didn't want to hear and went to those who did - another important ministry principle.

The question of what Paul is doing with his haircut and the vow often comes up.  In Numbers 6:1-21, we see a special vow of the Nazirite that a man or woman can take to separate themselves unto the Lord for a specified period of time.  In some ways it is like a special period of fasting and the specifics during that time is that a person cannot have their hair cut and they cannot drink or eat anything that comes from a grapevine, even not the skins or seeds.  It isn't done for salvation, but rather for a special period of consecration that an individual can choose to do and it appears that it can be of variable time, as decided by the person making the vow of consecration.  We don't know how long Paul had taken the vow for, only that he finally got it cut in Cenchreae as he left Corinth.

Father God, please direct us and lead us and help me to hear your voice!  Show us when to stay and when to go, who to speak to and when to move on.  Let us be wholly devoted to you in all of our hearts and minds, body and soul and may we bring glory to your name!

Acts Chapter 17

In this chapter, Paul and Silas continue spreading the good news about Jesus Christ, having those who listen and believe and those who reject the message and oppose them.  There is also a subtle shift taking place where the miracles and signs and wonders are less emphasized and the reasoning, debating and preaching is taking center stage.  This is likely echoing his comments he made in the letter that he wrote to the Corinthian believers (1 Cor 1:22) where he said that "Jews demand signs, but Greeks seek wisdom."  Paul now is more in Greek territory, so we see that Paul very much understands the different worldviews and desires of the various groups who he is speaking to and presents to them the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that speaks to their felt needs and inner questions.

We especially see that when Paul gets to Athens.  In each city Paul would start out speaking to other Jews in the synagogues and he would prove to them from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ) that they have been waiting for.  This was definitely a message aimed at people from a Jewish background who were waiting for the Christ.  Then when he speaks to the Gentile Greeks in Athens his message is quite different.  He had seen that the city was full of idols, which disturbed his soul, but he takes this situation and uses it as a starting point.  He had carefully observed what the people were focused on and what was important to them and he begins with that and says that he sees that they are very religious and he saw an altar to an unknown god.  He says that what they worship as unknown, he is now going to proclaim to them.  He describes that God doesn't live in temples and isn't served by human hands.  He says that God overlooked their ignorance in worshiping idols but now is calling them to repent and turn to the true and living God, saying that Jesus will judge the world and that God proved this by raising Jesus from the dead.

So we see some important patterns: 1) Paul took time to understand who he was talking to 2) and he spoke the good news to them in a way that they would understand. 3) His message was always bringing people to Jesus Christ.

These are key concepts for us because we often talk to very different people in the same ways.  The first step for us needs to be to understand those people who God is wanting us to speak to.  We need to understand their beliefs, the types of things that interest them, and the areas where they recognize that they have problems or needs (their "felt needs").  This will help us to communicate to them in a way that is relevant to them and make us go beyond slogans and beyond formulas and know and understand those to whom we are sent.  Then we can help in all the areas that Jesus did and wants us to help - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

The world is in need of a doctor, and is in need of help and forgiveness, and as we see with Paul and Silas, and as we saw with Jesus, some will receive that help and gain new and eternal life, and others will remain enemies of Jesus Christ.  Our job is to be effective ambassadors, proclaiming, giving, helping and praying and the Holy Spirit is the one who saves, changes hearts and people are forgiven and healed in Jesus name and by his power.

Thank you Lord Jesus that you give us the privilege to be your co-workers and ambassadors!  Help us to honor you and give glory to you in all we do.  Help us to love the people around us and to truly know them and understand them and show your love to them.

Acts Chapter 16

Wow!  There is a lot going on in this small chapter!
First, we see Timothy join Paul and Silas and we know that later he becomes a spiritual son of Paul (1 Tim 1:2).  At first Paul's action of having Timothy circumcised while delivering a message about Gentiles not needing to be circumcised seems odd and contradictory! Didn't Paul just argue that Gentiles don't need to be circumcised?  Yes!  But then we look at the "why".  Paul strongly states that no one should be circumcised as a requirement of salvation and that if someone gets circumcised thinking it will save them or it is a requirement for salvation, it will actually be a hindrance (Gal 5:2,3).  However, there is another reason why one could be circumcised: To become like those to whom he is ministering so that obstacles are removed (I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22).  I think that this is why Paul had Timothy circumcised.  This is an area that I think as Christians we often get stuck in our Christian culture and it creates a barrier as we try to bring the good news to those who don't know Jesus. The balance here is that we cannot become like the world in areas of sin.  We not of this world (John 17:14-18) in that we are not to conform to the pattern of the world (Rom 12:2), nor love the sinful ways of the world (1 John 2:15), but we are to love the world as God does (John 3:16) and be an ambassador of Jesus Christ to the world we are in (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Lord Jesus, let me see others the way that you see them and to be able to offer your love and forgiveness to a hurting world and please give me wisdom to remove all unnecessary barriers especially as I speak to those people you are bringing me to.

Next we see some interesting examples of God speaking to Paul in specific ways and directing his paths.  These are important for us as we listen to hear God's voice to know the ways of God and how he speaks to us.  He was travelling along by land from the Galatian region (cities of Lystra, Derbe, Iconium - to whom he wrote the letter to the Galatian churches) speaking to people about Jesus in each place as he traveled.  However as he passed through Asia (region in current Turkey), the Holy Spirit didn't allow them to speak there.  He wanted to go to Bythinia (northern Turkey today) but again he was forbidden by the Spirit of Jesus.  These are interesting to me that 1) God tells us not to speak to people at some times 2) the Holy Spirit is also known as the Spirit of Jesus.  Finally as they got to Troas, God spoke to Paul in a vision at night, having a man from Macedonia (cities such as Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea) calling them to come to help.  Note that this time God didn't say "Paul, go to Macedonia" but rather he saw a man from Macedonia calling him.  So at times, especially with visions (like Peter's vision of the sheet in Acts 10) there may be a need for interpretation, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12,14; Gen 40:8; Daniel 2:28).
Lord Jesus, let me hear your words and be sensitive to your speaking and give me the gift of interpretation so that I may understand what you are speaking.

Small side note: Notice the "we/us" language (v 10)?  This is when Luke, the author, is traveling with Paul.

Next in Philippi, a city in Macedonia, we again see the joys and pains of telling others about Jesus.  A woman is freed from an evil spirit and rather than being happy, people get upset, have Paul and Silas beaten and then thrown into prison.  But in the middle of that pain, Jesus miraculously opens the prison doors and looses the bonds and stocks.  The jailer almost kills himself in fear but on discovery that they are still there, ends up giving his life to Jesus who has the power to free from prison.  This man at first locks Paul and Silas into prison and is an enemy, but then as God does his work, he and his whole family become friends and brothers in Christ Jesus!

Several things always interest me about this: 1) Paul and Silas after being beaten and put in prison are praying and singing hymns to God at midnight and the other prisoners are listening.  This says something about their attitude that they are not focused on the short-term physical difficulties, but rather keeping their eyes on Jesus in the middle of the storm.  In my experience, when things are going bad, it helps to pray and cry out to Jesus and even sing! It would have been easy for Paul and Silas to perhaps think "Maybe Jesus didn't want us to come to Macedonia after all."  But they kept their eyes on Jesus, put their trust in him and saw that he was in fact working and that this was where he wanted them, even though it was very difficult at this time.  Jesus, help me to keep my eyes on you, even in the face of severe opposition, so that my joy and hope can be built on you.
2) Paul refuses to simply leave when asked to go, but demands that the magistrates come down in person and apologize.  This takes some guts.  It reminds me of the situation that Debbie has told about when she and Pastor Gordon were in Nigeria and they were told that they must purchase a plane ticket and leave.  Pastor Gordon refused and said that if they are requiring them to leave, that they must provide the ticket.  I think that these are examples of the boldness that the Holy Spirit gives in a situation as he directs our paths.

Thanks be to God who speaks to us, leads us, helps us in times of trouble and saves people who might seem to be opponents of the good news of Jesus Christ!

Acts Chapter 15 -- The Jerusalem Council

This chapter takes a slight pause from the excitement of God's miracles and healings and we see two separate disagreements that come up within the believers of Jesus. While disagreements are generally not desirable, the fact of life is that they do and will happen.  The key is how to deal with them in a correct way.

The first issue that comes up relates to circumcision and represents a classic struggle between tradition and new - the way we've always done things versus new ideas or patterns.  In this case, circumcision wasn't a tradition of man but was God's command to the offspring of Abraham, the sign of the covenant.  The question though was about the Gentiles who believed in Jesus.  There was a traditionalist group, some of whom where Pharasees (as Paul had been), that insisted Gentile believers must be circumcised in order to be saved.  Paul and Barnabas sharply disagreed and debated with them.  The group who was making the claim came from Judea, where Jerusalem is (the headquarters of the church at that point), so Paul and Barnabas were appointed to go to Jerusalem to get an answer from the apostles and elders about this topic.

Notice some principles of how to handle the disagreement 1) Paul and Barnabas spoke up when they disagreed (it is proper to speak up and not just keep silent).  2) They began by discussing with the persons who were making the statements 3) When that didn't resolve the conflict, they then escalated the discussion to the local church, the authority over Paul and Barnabas 4) When the conflict still existed, they escalated to the apostles in Jerusalem, the authority over those bringing the message as well as over the church in Antioch. 5) They didn't bring the discussion to the secular government or people since it didn't apply to them 6) They only involved those who were directly involved or the authorities over each of them.  This is in keeping with Jesus' instructions in Matthew 18:15-19.

The topic of circumcision is definitely interesting but I don't have time to go into all of the details.  The apostles decided that based on what God was doing with the Gentiles and based on Scripture that the Gentiles shouldn't be required to be circumcised.  Paul writes about circumcision in several letters as does the writer of the book of Hebrews.  Basically, circumcision is a sign of the old covenant, the covenant with God through Moses, where baptism is a sign of the new covenant in Jesus Christ.

So the apostles send their decision back to the church in Antioch and to other believers that they don't need to be circumcised but that they should only refrain from eating blood, from sexual immorality and from things polluted by idols, and these prohibitions are still in place for believers in Jesus today.

Some additional principles is that the apostles sent 1) a written document back 2) other persons as witnesses (Judas and Silas who were themselves prophets - another interesting topic :) ).

The believers were encouraged by the message and the additional messengers stayed for some time and strengthened and encouraged them as well.

Then the second disagreement happens.  Paul wants to go back to the encourage the new believers that he and Barnabas had led to Jesus on their last long missionary trip.  Barnabas wants to bring John Mark, but Paul doesn't because Mark had withdrawn from them during the previous trip.  So the two of them split up.  Barnabas took John Mark and went to Cyprus, along the path of the beginning of the previous trip where John Mark had previously accompanied them, and Paul took Silas and set off in the opposite direction, heading to the places that were at the end of their previous trip.

In the past when I've read this, I didn't realize that Barnabas was headed back to the believers as well.  I just thought that he took John Mark and headed out somewhere, but this time I noticed that it was in fact where they had gone last time (Chapter 13.4) when John Mark had been with he and Paul.  As we read in Paul's other writings, John Mark does become important to Paul at a later time, and we see Barnabas again being the "son of encouragement" who comes alongside believers who others aren't happy with and encourages them and trains them so that they can become all that they are meant to be in Christ Jesus.  We need Barnabas's!  Lord Jesus help me to be an encourager and a true pastor like Barnabas who goes after the lost and wounded sheep!

Other principles in this second situation 1) Paul and Barnabas agreed to disagree on the matter.  All the details aren't described, but they appear to have split up the task and separated amicably.

There is much more to be said, but for now, I'll end and commit you to the grace of God for the work to which you have been called!
Amen

Acts Chapter 14

As we've seen throughout the book of Acts, this chapter continues with exciting highs and painful lows.

At Iconium a great number of Jews and Greeks believed, but then opposition was stirred up against the brothers.  At first I was somewhat surprised by the next sentence "So they remained for a long time..." Normally I'd expect opposition was stirred up, so they went on to the next city.  But then I noticed the difference that the opposition was stirred up against the "brothers" meaning the believers who are there.  So actually Paul and Barnabas are staying to help defend, strengthen and encourage the new believers and to witness to the gift of forgiveness in Jesus Christ.  

It is interesting again that it is the Lord who bears witness to the word of grace and he grants signs and wonders to be done by their hands.  As we saw with the disciples when sent out by Jesus, the credit and glory is always going to God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, never to the disciples.  The disciples aren't building their own kingdom or fame, but that of Jesus Christ.  And this is made even more clear and explicit in as they preach in Lystra, a man is healed, and then the people think that they are gods and try to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas.  Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes and said that they were only men and convinced the people (barely) to not sacrifice to them.

Again they go from an exiting miracle but now to extreme opposition to the point where the people stone Paul and leave him for dead.  When the disciples gather around him though, he rises up and enters the city again.

What is interesting is how these highs and lows are described.  The stoning to almost death gets one verse and in general the opposition is always mentioned but almost in passing.  The good news is what is highlighted.  I think that when we are in similar situations, we tend to flip the conversation the other way.  We talk for a long time about the opposition and difficulties for longer than the good news.  And when we are in the middle of the difficulties, the negatives are magnified and the positives are shrunk.

We read Acts and get excited about all of the miracles that God is doing.  We somehow think that if God is doing great miracles and people are being saved that everything will be great and going well.  But there seems to be a direct correlation between the number of miracles and the moving of God and the level of opposition and persecution that goes with it. 

Paul was stoned, almost to death, but then he gets up, goes into the city, moves on to the next city where he and Barnabas continue to preach and make many disciples, and then they go back to these cities (Lystra and Iconium) where they had just been stoned or almost stoned.  There they encouraged the disciples to continue in their faith and said that through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.  

I think that my tendency after being stoned would probably be to head straight back to Antioch, their sending home church, and not go back to the places of opposition right away.

Lord, I pray that you would increase my faith so that I would know that you are still at work, even in opposition and persecution,  and that I won't faint nor shrink back from the tasks that you've called me to.  I pray that you would stretch out your hand to perform miracles and signs to confirm your word and that many would turn to you.  And I pray that we would be able to continue strong in you, focusing on the great things that you are doing rather than focusing on the persecution. Amen

Acts Chapter 13

In this chapter we see the sending of Barnabas and Saul (Paul).  

One thing that I think is interesting is watching the growth and development of Saul (Paul) throughout the book of Acts.  At this point, Saul is the helper to Barnabas as they are sent out.  When they are listed together, Barnabas is listed first and Saul is still Saul (as opposed to Paul).  We'll begin to see the name Paul used more than Saul and his name will start to be mentioned before Barnabas (and then later he leads as he goes out with Silas).

This is somewhat similar to what we see in the gospels in the growth of Peter.  He started out as Simon and then Jesus called him Peter.  We see through the gospels as the use of Simon gets less and he is referred to as Peter more except for when he has some lapses.

Again we see the importance of prayer as Barnabas and Saul were sent out.  The church prayed and fasted and then laid their hands on them and sent them off.  This must have been over at least a day's time and likely longer since you can't really fast and pray for much less than a day.

I think that the encounter with Elymas is somewhat interesting.  Here they are opposed by this person, but the key part that God isn't happy with is that Elymas is preventing others from hearing and receiving the gospel.  So the Holy Spirit caused Elymas to temporarily lose his sight.  Usually there isn't direct action against those who are opposed to gospel preaching, but when they are keeping others from the gospel, sometimes God intervenes and takes them out of the way - at least temporarily - so others can hear and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ.

Here we have another long sermon included, and as most others that are spoken to Jewish people, Paul begins with a Biblical context and background and shows that Jesus comes through the promise to David.  The statement "everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses" is very interesting to me.  Under the Mosaic law there were things, such as intentional sins, that could not be forgiven.  It must be that the people were aware that there were such things that they couldn't be forgiven of and this was good news to them.  Otherwise the response would be very negative against Saul and they would say that Moses law did all that they needed.

We also see that as the Jewish leaders begin to oppose the good news, Paul says that they needed to speak to the Jews first but since they rejected the message, they are now going to the Gentiles.  This caused great rejoicing on the part of the Gentiles that they could be forgiven and saved.  

Paul is doing two things of interest 1) speaking and bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to each group of people in terms that they understand and have background in and 2) going to those people who are receptive to the good news.