Q: Why do some people think the Apostle Paul, who is considered the greatest missionary of all time, was unsuccessful at evangelism?

A: In Acts 17, Paul preached the message of the Cross to the Greeks in Athens. At first, they all mocked him. They had no understanding in their culture of the Creator God … or of sin. They also believed in evolutionary ideas. Paul had to teach them about the true history of the world and the origin of sin before they understood the gospel.

As a result of Paul explaining the gospel from the beginning, some Greeks were eventually converted. Because only a few of them trusted the Lord, some people think that Paul was not very successful. After all, in Acts 2, Peter saw thousands come to the Lord after he preached.

But Paul was very successful. He was dealing with a totally different culture—one that had absolutely no foundation for the Christian message. He was teaching outright pagans. Peter, on the other hand, was teaching people who already believed in the true God.

This should be a lesson for us. Because our own society today is more like the Greeks, don’t expect massive conversions as in generations past. To read more on this topic see Pioneer evangelism—outstanding success!

This week’s After Eden cartoon:

August 14
Chardon, Ohio
Buddy Davis
 
August 14
Covington, Kentucky
Ken Ham
 
August 17
Morton, Illinois
Dr. Terry Mortenson
 
August 21–23
Athens, Georgia
Buddy Davis, Dr. David Menton and Ken Ham
 
August 25
West Chester, Ohio
Carl Kerby
 
August 27
Elmira Heights, New York
Carl Kerby

August 27
Englewood, Colorado
Mike Riddle
 
August 28
Breesport, New York
Carl Kerby
 
August 28
Horseheads, New York
Carl Kerby
 
August 28
Cissna Park, Illinois
Dr. Jason Lisle
 
August 28–29
Milford, Illinois
Dr. Jason Lisle
 
August 28–29
Brandon, Mississippi
Dr. Terry Mortenson