Know About the People You are Witnessing to
- Baptist Daily Devotional
- Oct 8
- 2 min read
Rev. Tse Amable | October 8 2025 | Acts 17:22-31
KEY VERSE: “For as I WALKED AROUND AND LOOKED CAREFULLY AT YOUR OBJECTS OF WORSHIP, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. .....” Acts 17:23 (NIV)
MESSAGE:
The Great Commission Jesus Christ gave to his disciples (and by extension, to the church today) is to “GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS” Matthew 28:19 (NIV). That makes the entire world our mission field and will take us into territories we are not familiar with. To be successful in carrying out the Great Commission, we must make a conscientious effort to become acquainted with the mission field – including the people groups, their cultures, and other relevant aspects. This is what Apostle Paul did. He told the Athenians that he *walked around and looked carefully at their objects of worship."
This is the approach we should all adopt. Before entering an area for an open-air crusade or house-to-house witnessing, take the time to get to know the people and the community. It helps because it gives you answers to some questions. It guides you out of potentially dangerous zones. It tells you what conduct, dressing, etc., is acceptable in that community.
Thankfully, today we have online resources available to help us obtain information about the areas we are entering for evangelism and church planting. One very useful resource is THE JOSHUA PROJECT. This evangelical Christian organisation seeks to coordinate the work of missionary organisations to track the ethnic groups of the world with the fewest followers of evangelical Christianity. To do so, it maintains ethnological data to support Christian missions.
FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE:
What effort do you put into gathering information and data about the people you intend to reach with the gospel of Christ? The Bible says, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” Hosea 4:6 (NIV). Gaining advanced knowledge before entering a mission field can save your life. Therefore, do advance research and be informed and educated. PRAYER:
Father, I pray that you will cause me to use every means available, including the revelation of the Holy Spirit, to collect useful data and information about the people you have put on my heart to reach out to with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!
THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.
SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!
The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING
DAILY word study: UNKNOWN The word “unknown” in Acts 17:23 is from the Greek agnōstos (ἀγνῶστος), meaning “not known, unfamiliar, or unrecognised.”
Paul used the Athenians’ altar to “an unknown god” as a bridge to introduce them to the true and living God.
The word reminds us that what people do not yet know about God becomes our opportunity to share Him.
Knowledge of people opens the door for revelation about Christ.
Reflect on This:
What opportunities might God be giving you to make the “unknown” known — to reveal His truth to those around you?
Comments