Acts 13:13-52 | the Next Chapter in Israel's StorySample

We are following Paul’s first missionary journey, and he and Barnabas and their companions are now at the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, in modern day Türkiye. They have traveled hundreds of miles by land and sea from their home base, called by the Holy Spirit to preach the good news of Jesus in new places. At the synagogue, Paul and his companions sat down with the others who were gathered, and someone read from the Law and the Prophets, as they did every Sabbath. Then the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to Paul and his companions, inviting them to share a word of exhortation (Acts 13:15).

Paul was ready. He stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak. “Fellow Israelites, and you who fear God, listen” (13:16)! As a Jew himself, Paul was speaking to his people, and to those who weren’t Jews but who believed in God and respected Jewish teaching. He established connection and common ground with his audience. He was one of them.

“The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, made the people prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty arm” (13:17). Paul is reminding his audience that they are God’s chosen people, set apart to accomplish his purpose of rescuing and restoring a world in rebellion. For the people of Israel, the exodus is their foundational story. It formed their identity. It would be similar to what the Declaration of Independence, George Washington and the Founding Fathers, and the Revolutionary War means to the identity of Americans. Though the exodus and subsequent events happened hundreds of years earlier, the Jews continued telling and retelling the story. That’s what they did at the synagogue every Sabbath, reading from the Law and the Prophets.

God chose them and set them apart. God made them strong. God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Paul goes on from there, but that’s the beginning, the foundation of their story.

When we want people to hear about Jesus, it’s good to first establish a connection. Or to put it another way, we are a lot more likely to listen to someone who is “one of us,” someone who shares our struggles and hopes, who sees things the way we do. That’s as true today as it was at the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch two thousand years ago.

When you tell people about Jesus, look for points of connection and common ground. What are your shared struggles? What are your shared hopes? What are you going through together? The common stories are there. Pray for wisdom and revelation to find them.