As Was His Custom

"One Year Bible" New Testament Passage
Acts 17:1-34 2

Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” Acts 17:2-3 (NKJV)

The key phrase is found in verse 2: "as his custom was" . Paul had a particular manner in which he operated. He had a personal strategy for sharing Christ. It was his usual method that he regularly used to reach out and share his faith with others.

Paul would enter a town and find the Jewish synagogue. This was almost always his launching pad. He would go in and begin discussing the Scriptures with those he met there. There were usually three types of people frequenting a synagogue. First, there were Jews who knew and believed the Old Testament Scriptures. Then, there were Greeks who had converted to Judaism. They were called proselytes. Lastly, there were other Greeks who were somehow attracted to the Jewish faith but had not yet fully converted. This last group was called "God-fearers".

Paul had a method. He had a strategy. He knew that by starting at the synagogue, he would quickly find those who were hungry for the gospel. He would find in the synagogue individuals with whom he could most easily communicate the truth about Jesus.

Do you have a custom? Do you have a plan - or a usual way in which you seek the share your faith? There are several styles of evangelism. There is the confrontational method, the intellectual method, the friendship method, the invitational method, and many more. YOU NEED TO HAVE A METHOD. You need to have a way - a custom - by which you share the greatest news on earth.

Paul loved people. Do you love people? Do you believe that the gospel is really the GOOD NEWS? Then may God show each of us the unique and best way we can deliver this good news to a dying world. May God help us to do so.