When it comes to sharing the gospel with Jewish friends and neighbours, many believers feel unsure of where to begin. But in Acts 17, Paul gives us a simple and practical model. He pays attention to people, learns what matters to them and then connects their story to the story of Jesus.
This is called gospel contextualisation, and anyone can do it!
Paul’s approach follows four steps:
Immersion: He spent time among the people he hoped to reach. Meaningful gospel conversations grow out of real relationships.
Observation: Paul listened and learned. In the same way, we honour Jewish people by understanding their values, experiences and questions.
Engagement: Paul used the context around him as the door to introduce spiritual truth. For us, this might look like asking thoughtful questions about someone’s faith experiences or sharing a passage of Scripture that inspires you personally.
Call to Action: Finally, Paul invited his listeners to take the next step. If someone has shown interest in spiritual things, don’t shy away from inviting them to read and discuss one of the gospels or attend an event where they can explore Jesus at their own pace.
The number one way that Jewish people in the United States come to faith is through the witness of a Christian friend, such as a classmate, neighbour or coworker. You can do this, and God will work through you as you take simple steps of love and curiosity!
To explore this more fully, I invite you to join me in the free Jews for Jesus Classroom, where I teach an entire course on engaging Jewish people with the gospel. It is designed to give you confidence and clear next steps.
Remember, God is already at work in people’s lives! Our job is just to help draw attention to how God has been speaking to them all along.
Go to jewsforjesus.org/classroom to sign up for free today.
