REFERENCE: Acts 22-23 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

Observation: Paul made a point of getting to know his audience and looking for common ground. He was often accused by fellow Jews of relating too well with the Gentiles, thus compromising the traditions of his own people. His "When in Rome" approach opened the doors to thousands of new believers in Jesus.

Application/Confession: Pastor Randy has been teaching about  evangelism as a process of pointing the way to Jesus, relating to people where they are currently, and allowing the Spirit of God to do the convicting and converting work. Our job is first to make connections with nonbelievers, to take the time to listen to them, to take advantage of or make opportunities to get to know people outside of the church. Sometimes God gives us insight into their lives, a word of encouragement, or just and act of service to demonstrate that He cares and wants a relationship with them.

I am pretty good at starting conversations and listening to people I meet. I am getting bolder to lead the interaction to spiritual subjects, and connecting something they share to a story that highlights Christ's love or the difference He makes in my life- kind of like scattering seeds and hoping it lands on fertile ground. What I need to grow in is developing relationships with non Christians, so I can be an ongoing part of preparing soil, planting seeds, watering and fertilizing and encouraging the SON shine in their lives. The fruit of salvation and then discipleship takes awhile to develop.