In this class, Randy Wooten explores a practical principle drawn from the ministry of the Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ: **altering the approach to different audiences while keeping the gospel message exactly the same.** Using biblical accounts from the book of Acts and the Gospels, Wooten demonstrates how Paul and Jesus adapted their communication styles based on whether they were speaking to Jews, Greeks, or specific individuals. The lesson challenges Christians today to meet people where they are, understand their cultures, find common ground, and ask penetrating questions to internalize biblical truth.

The class begins with a review of Paul's missionary journeys, highlighting the immense cultural and custom shifts he and his companions experienced across different regions. Wooten uses a modern-day corporate anecdote from Poland to illustrate how crucial cultural awareness is when trying to successfully guide a conversation. The core teaching breaks down into comparative segments: examining how Paul spoke to the scripturally fluent Jews versus the pagan, philosophical Greeks, and concluding with how Jesus handled diverse interactions like the Samaritan woman at the well versus the intellectual teacher Nicodemus. Ultimately, the lesson serves as a guide for modern evangelism, instructing believers to be relational, build bridges instead of attacking worldviews, and rely on God to open hearts.

I. Introduction to Culture and Context
* **Review of Paul's Journeys:** Mapping out Paul's missionary travels, noting that they frequently originated from the church in Antioch in Syria.
* **The Cultural Spectrum:** Highlighting the vast array of differing cultures, customs, and backgrounds Paul and his companions had to navigate on the mission field.
* **Modern Illustration:** A corporate training anecdote set in Poland, demonstrating how critical cultural awareness and setting the right environment are when trying to effectively communicate.

II. The Apostle Paul’s Adapted Approaches
* **A. Approach with the Jews: Shared Scripture**
* Establishing common ground through shared Jewish heritage, lineage, the Law, the prophets, and the hope of the Messiah.
* *Scripture Study (Acts 17:1-4):* Paul entering the synagogue in Thessalonica.
* Defining "reasoning from scriptures": Opening the text, presenting evidence, explaining prophecies, and sitting down to guide rather than just making loud assertions.

* **B. Approach with the Greeks: Cultural Bridges**
* *Scripture Study (Acts 17:16-34):* Paul addressing the philosophers at Mars Hill (the Areopagus) in Athens.
* Building a bridge to their worldview instead of immediately attacking it, starting with a compliment on their religious nature.
* Utilizing their own familiar religious tokens (the altar to "The Unknown God") and quoting local Greek poets to transition into truth.
* Appealing to creation, nature, and the Lord of heaven rather than relying on Jewish scripture which the Greeks did not know or respect.

* **C. Approach with Individuals: Relational Planting**
* *Scripture Study (Acts 16:12-15):* Meeting Lydia by the riverside in Philippi.
* Actively seeking out spiritually interested people and places of prayer when an established synagogue was not available.
* Engaging in personal conversation, building on what she already understood about God, and trusting God to open her heart.

III. Jesus Christ’s Adapted Approaches
* **A. Approach with Jewish Leaders: Internalizing Truth**
* Frequently appealing to shared spiritual authority by asking the Pharisees and crowds, "Have you not read?"
* Teaching with parables heavily rooted in everyday Jewish life (vineyards, shepherding, weddings, farming) so that the receptive could internalize deep truths, while the hard-hearted realized the stories exposed them.
* Asking penetrating questions that forced people to examine their own underlying assumptions and conclusions.

* **B. Approach with Individuals: Heart Transformation**
* *Case Study (John 4):* The Samaritan Woman at the Well.
* Intentionally navigating deep-seated cultural, historical, and religious prejudices between Jews and Samaritans.
* The structured steps of connection:
1. **Connection:** Simply asking her for a drink of water to open the dialogue.
2. **Curiosity:** Intrigued by the promise of "living water."
3. **Conviction:** Gently revealing her personal life situation.
4. **Correction:** Shifting her from regional arguments to teaching true worship in spirit and truth.
5. **Revelation:** Directly revealing Himself to her as the Messiah.

* *Contrast with Nicodemus (John 3):* Skipping the basic parables to dive immediately into deep, complex theological concepts ("born again") because Nicodemus was already an educated teacher of Israel.

IV. Practical Application and Conclusion
* **Meet People Where They Are:** Adapt to the listener's background. If someone does not know the Bible at all, start with creation rather than advanced topics like the differences between Pharisees and Sadducees.
* **The Three-Step Conversation Strategy:** Ask a question, listen carefully to the answer, and then ask an intentional follow-up question.
* **Humility in Dialogue:** Engaging in questions and listening because humans can always learn from one another, remaining mindful that while we cannot read hearts as Jesus did, we can aim to be non-abrasive and relational.
* **Closing Prayer**