Natural Evangelism Series
Sermon for: Friendships Through Curiosity
Module 5
Sermon title: Friendships through Curiosity
Bible Passage: Acts 17:16-23
*Pastor’s Note: Here’s a little twist for the introduction to the sermon. There are two options to consider. The purpose is to get people involved and intrigued with where the sermon is going.
Option #1: Live Interview
Recruit someone from the congregation that you can interview briefly (3-4 minutes) with some questions about his/her life. A few questions you could try would be:
· Who’s someone that has had a positive impact in your life and why?
· What’s one of the most challenging experiences you’ve ever had? Tell us a little bit about it.
· What’s been a highlight for you in the past 12 months? Tell us a little bit about it.
The goal of the interview is to simply get someone talking about their life. This is not meant to be a scripted interview…you’re trying to demonstrate natural curiosity. If you are able to get someone talking for 3 or 4 minutes about one of the questions that’s even better. Feel free to ad lib by asking follow-up questions that draw the other person out.
Option #2: Neighbor Nudge
Set this up by asking everyone to find a partner. Take a quick minute until it looks like everyone has found a partner. If there are some groups of three it’s okay. Then give them the instructions below with the sharing question. Each person is meant to answer the question: “Share about an experience when you had a lot of fun. What made the experience so much fun for you?” Watch the congregation but generally three to four minutes is adequate for everyone to get a chance to share.
______
You may have heard the phrase before, “People are like a book, they are just waiting to be read.” I bet you learned something new about someone today through our introduction. People’s lives are filled with rich texture, with rough spots and smooth spots, with deep carvings from life experiences which make a person so unique. Let me ask you a question though: When was the last time someone demonstrated curiosity about your life and about who you are? Can you remember a time? Chances are it hasn’t happened lately. The sad reality is that we are moving at break neck speed and we don’t have the time to be interested. Or the other sad reality is that people aren’t very interested because they’re too self-absorbed in their own lives.
Whatever the reason, let’s face it - curious people are pretty unusual these days. In this day and age we just don’t find too many people that are willing to ask questions and demonstrate a curious posture when they are interacting with other people.
With the word curiosity in the back of our minds, let’s put it in the context of our current sermon series. We’re in the middle of our Natural Evangelism series where we are focusing on how to build authentic relationships with people who need God. The message today is entitled Friendships Through Curiosity. The focus of today’s message is simply this: Being curious is a fantastic way to build friendships.
In our series on Natural Evangelism we have discussed how coming to faith in Christ is a process just like moving a golf ball down a fairway. Our role though, as God’s instruments, is to choose the right club to use depending on our understanding of where someone is in their spiritual journey. Performing acts of kindness is one of the most significant and tangible ways to share the Good News with those around us. For others, the use of curiosity and building into a friendship is the right club to use.
*Pastor’s Note: To help people remember and to work with the golf imagery, hold up a nine-iron (or the some kind of golf club) as you talk about curiosity being the right club to build relationships.
God simply encourages us to ask the question: “How can I help this person move the ball down the fairway toward the hole?”
To reinforce our focus on being curious we’re going to take a page out of the Apostle Paul’s life in the book of Acts.
*Read the passage out loud – Acts 17:16-23
In this portion of Acts we find Paul waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive in Athens. This afforded Paul the opportunity to wander the streets and to interact with various people and groups. Each day that he woke up, we can imagine Paul finding a new piece of the city to explore. Make no mistake about it, Paul was a very curious man. He was curious to find out what the people in Athens believed, what they feared, what they valued, and most importantly, where he might be able to make bridges for the Gospel.
We can note a number of instructive things about how Paul conducted himself in Athens. First and perhaps most importantly, as he wandered the streets and interacted with the people of the city, he became broken-hearted. Verse 16 indicates that Paul was deeply moved as he touched and sensed the hopelessness in Athens. Being curious will do that to you. When we are curious about others’ lives we get to see and hear and touch brokenness, hurt, disillusionment, and true genuine need. Paul’s curiosity led him to a firm, resolute conviction: The people of Athens desperately needed to hear about the Gospel.
Paul is a great model of curiosity because he was a student of people and culture. We would do well to follow his example. In Acts 17, Paul demonstrates an eagerness and an openness to hear about the ideas and beliefs of others. There doesn’t seem to be any Bible thumping going on in any of these interactions. He had an unusual ability to disarm people with his curiosity, his listening, and his thoughtful responses. He went to the marketplace and interacted there. He went to where the philosophers hung out, and he sat with them. He took the time to understand their perspective. When we study people, we take the time understand people. To walk a mile in their shoes. To see things from their vantage point.
From this place, Paul shows us that the Gospel can be spoken about quite effectively and powerfully. When Paul had won the right, through being curious, to address the philosophers at the Areopagus, he knew how to make a bridge to his audience. Because he had been a student and he noticed an altar “to an unknown god” (vs.23), Paul was able to capitalize on a window of opportunity. When Paul spoke to them about Jesus, he linked the Gospel to an area that these men of Athens were naturally curious about. Being curious enables us to discover ways that God is working in another person’s life. We’re simply trying to find ways to cooperate with the drawing power of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. Paul did this masterfully and won a tremendous hearing while he was in Athens.
So, how about you today? How would you rate your curiosity quotient? If you’re like most people, there’s probably room for improvement. But for a moment, let’s focus on one person in your life that needs God and that you would like to practice being more curious with. All it takes is a few questions and a little bit of your time. Let’s remember, as Paul demonstrated in Athens, being curious opens doors for the Gospel. Curiosity demonstrates to others that we are interested, that we care, that we’re involved, and that we want to build into a friendship.
Close in prayer.