We serve a God who is real and who is knowable. The apostle Paul emphasized this point in his dialogue with the Athenian philosophers, as recorded in Acts 17.
In this video series, you’ll join Jim Daly and John Fuller in conversation with historian and Bible teacher Ray Vander Laan as they examine how Paul reasoned with the intellectuals of Athens and the people of Corinth. You’ll be enriched by Ray’s in-depth understanding of biblical history and the Greco-Roman world, and you’ll hear an empowering lesson that will help you witness to others today.
“Israel had been chosen by God as a very weak people – slaves no less – and asked to live in such a way that they would put God on display to the whole world.”
Athens was the intellectual centre of the world during Paul’s time, full of idols and false religions. In what ways is our 21st century culture similar? How is it different?
Although Paul was certainly a preacher, Ray Vander Laan notes that his interactions with the Athenian philosophers went beyond preaching to reasoning. What does this mean to you?
// Watch a FREE full lesson!
Watch a free 30-minute session with Ray Vander Laan from That the World May Know Volume 16: Cultures in Conflict. You’ll visit the Agora, the Areopagus and the Parthenon and see for yourself where Paul witnessed to the thought leaders of Athens.
// Browse the entire video series from Ray Vander Laan
Discover the breadth of the That the World May Know video series – a DVD-based Bible study series that’s part travelogue, part history lesson and part devotional. Astonishing new insights emerge from familiar Bible passages as Ray Vander Laan explains their geographical, historical and cultural settings.
// Resource suggestion
New from Bible historian Ray Vander Laan, this collection of 30 family devotions features large illustrations and fun facts that help kids understand biblical events and fully grasp each lesson. Ages 8+
In Scripture we read about being “salt and light” in a dark world (Matthew 5). And we are admonished to be “in the world but not of the world” (John 17). These biblical instructions are integral to influencing and impacting the culture around us. As we will see in video 2, Paul repeatedly referenced the culture around him in order to connect with his audience.
“I think we need to know our culture really well. We need to know our culture so well that we know how to speak God’s truth in their language.”
“What I need to do that Paul did so brilliantly is to take biblical phrases, biblical text, biblical ideas and speak those in the metaphors of the culture I’m addressing.”
Who are the “Greek philosophers” of our day? Whose voices are most influential? Celebrities? Professional athletes? Social media influencers?
Can you think of a popular movie, book, or TV series that might have points of agreement or contrast with biblical truth? Are there ways you might use one of those cultural touchstones as a jumping off point for a deeper conversation with someone who doesn’t know Christ?
Ray Vander Laan says we need to be purposeful in knowing our culture. What might that look like for you? For your family?
// Focus on the Family Broadcasts
Hear a broadcast with Timothy Keller on reasoning with skeptics and addressing secular world views: “Addressing Skeptics, Sharing Christ”
Hear broadcast guest Rico Tice on sharing the gospel with boldness, honesty and humility: “Sharing Your Faith in Everyday Life”
// Resource suggestion
With advice that’s both realistic and humorous, Honest Evangelism will help you be authentic and bold in your evangelism, presenting the gospel fully and properly. A tonic for fear of witnessing!
A famous author once said, “The greatest single cause of atheism today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny him by their lifestyle.”
Ray Vander Laan says something similar in video 3, but from a more positive angle: “God chose us not just to tell who he is, but to show who he is.”
“Be sure, when you’re speaking, that your language is salted with biblical phrases, ideas and even quotations, because once you turn that loose, it is unstoppable, if God wants it to be.”
“I think what God has called us to do is not simply to tell our culture about God and about Jesus and about faith. . . . I think God wants us to be a living witness.”
Ray Vander Laan talks about “putting God on display” in our daily lives. What are some ways you or your family might do that this coming week?
Using Google or a Bible dictionary, look up the words “orthodoxy” and “orthopraxy.” What do these terms mean? Why are they important?
// Focus on the Family Broadcasts
Hear Christian apologist Lee Strobel recall his experiences of witnessing to others: “Evangelism: It’s Easier Than You Think”
Join Karen Ehman as she shares practical ways to open a door for the gospel by blessing others: “Engaging Others With Love, Kindness and Service”
// Resource suggestions
Tour sites in Israel and Jordan with Ray Vander Laan to explore the assignment God gave his people thousands of years ago: to bring “lost sheep” back into the love and safety of his kingdom.
Build your evangelism skills with The One Year Salt and Light Devotional – a devotional journey that helps you bring the light and hope of Christ into your home and your community.
In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul wrote: “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
This is a theme we see throughout Scripture. In video 4, Ray Vander Laan cites several powerful examples from Scripture of how God accomplished great things through regular people who experienced his strength through their weakness.
“Paul went to Corinth, chose these unimportant people, and God used that weakness to accomplish an amazing thing in Corinth.”
“I like to think, in our world, if we’re willing to be sacrificial people, who live in weakness, serving others, God turns our weakness into strength.”
Ray Vander Laan describes Corinth as the Las Vegas of Paul’s day. As a follower of Christ, how does our 21st century culture make you feel? Foreign? Outnumbered? Vulnerable? How might those weaknesses point you toward God’s strength?
From the Corinthian tentmakers Priscilla and Aquila, to Abraham and Sarah, to the Israelites fleeing captivity in Egypt, Ray Vander Laan notes many occasions in which human weakness became a showcase for God’s strength. Can you think of some other examples and stories from Scripture?
// Focus on the Family Broadcast
In this message to parents and high school students, Ray Vander Laan offers young people career advice and urges them to be an inspiring witness to others in everything they do: “Preparing Teens to Bring Peace to Their Chaotic World”
// Articles
Browse our series page on Apologetics for articles that help you defend your faith and address objections from skeptics.
// Resource suggestion
Trying to meaningfully connect with your teen can feel like trying to navigate a foreign culture. Engaging Your Teen’s World helps you bridge the generation gap and unlock the door to an ongoing conversation about faith and important life issues.
In this final installment, Ray Vander Laan reminds us that we have more influence than we realize. God advances his kingdom through our faithful witness as the world sees us living a life of righteousness and integrity that’s consistent with our beliefs, and living in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
“Anything that slightly compromises our testimony as godly, holy people destroys our power, which is the power to serve others by how we live.”
Think back to Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 12 that “when I am weak, then I am strong.” What might this look like for you and your family?
List three things that you and your family might do in the coming weeks to “put God on display” for your friends or neighbours.
Christ could have called legions of angels to prevent his arrest and crucifixion (see Matthew 26). But for our sake, he chose weakness. What are some ways you and your family can choose weakness over strength for the sake of God’s kingdom in the days ahead?
// Focus on the Family Broadcast
If you enjoyed the content from Ray Vander Laan in this video series, you can hear more from Ray in this broadcast discussing events from Acts 16-17 during Paul’s visit to Philippi and Thessalonica: “Authentic Christianity: Counting the Cost”
// Resource suggestions
Continue exploring the biblical story in its original setting with The Chosen, an engaging, inventive novel based on the TV series of the same name. Immersed in first century Galilee, you’ll be enthralled by creatively imagined backstories of the early followers of Christ.
Enjoy the first four episodes of The Chosen TV series – a series already popular with millions of viewers. You’ll explore fictional backstories of early disciples like Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus and Matthew the tax collector, and witness how their lives were transformed when they met the Messiah.
// Looking for a presentation of the gospel?
Visit this page for a free presentation of the gospel available for download as a 16-page PDF booklet. You can share the booklet with others by sending them the URL FocusOnTheFamily.ca/ComingHomePDF
Or order your physical copy here