Acts 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

The Amplified Bible puts it this way: “his spirit was grieved and roused to anger”.

According to the Online Greek Bible lexicon the word describing Paul’s feelings means, to irritate, provoke, arouse to anger, to scorn, despise, make angry, to exasperate, to burn with anger.

Keep this firmly in mind as you read how the anointed, Spirit-filled apostle responded when he had the opportunity to preach to these idolatrous pagans:

Acts 17:22-23  . . . “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 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. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

Despite his disdain for idolatry, the divinely inspired evangelist addressed them with respect and politeness. Later in his address he quoted their own pagan poets approvingly (Acts 17:28).

Paul had clearly invested time and effort not merely into prayer and Bible study but to understanding the beliefs of his non-Christian audience, and rather than ridiculing or blasting them, he sought to find as many connections and points of agreement with them as he could.

Taken from Effective Evangelism

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