Sermon on Mars Hill

Act 17 depicts the account of Paul's mission to Athens, proclaiming the Gospel to the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogues and also in the marketplaces to all who would listen. Idol worship was rampant. They had a god for everything and altars to boot.

Paul did not practice a evangelist model of "turn or burn" as some street evangelists do today. But he read the culture, and pulled from it useful "ins" that could be manipulated to point toward Christ. Most prominent is the altar to the Unknown God. Now, he was speaking to philosophers who spent their days talking. It was recreation and game to them. Paul spoke regarding salvation, however, and framed this God of Israel as demanding of repentance.

He reached some. I think a big lesson to be grasped from this is the need to be willing to meet people on their terms to an extent. They would listen because Paul used things they were interested in. He respected their culture to an extent