Different Methods - Great Message - Acts 17-18

In regard to methodology of church planting or church growth there are many books you can read. But, you would be hard pressed to read anything more fitting or more important than these two chapters. In these two chapters we have Paul's methods for reaching the lost and proclaiming the gospel. Paul, like clockwork, would enter a city, then enter the local worship center of the Jews. Once there he would open the scriptures and use them to explain to them the reality of Christ. Once they heard from him and about Him, they would either believe or run him out of town. Yet, once in a new town Paul would repeat the same method. Paul had a good method and he used it. However, when he went to a town with no Jewish worship center like Athens, he changed his method. He meet the Athenians on their turf. He would use the scripture but they would not understand the Old Testament Scriptures. They would understand if he began where they were ... with their own literature. He quoted their own scholars to make his points. He showed them via another method the same Message of the Cross. The Message was always the same ... Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen and coming again. The Method changed. We don't need the same method but we do need the consistent Message of the Cross. It is tempting to change the method as well as the message. But, we don't change the message. We should always adapt our method to our audience. We should never change our message; no matter the method.