Sitting at my desk early one morning, I was reading some stories of the apostolic church found in the book of Acts. One verse caught my attention: “He [Apollos] mightily convinced the Jews . . . showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ” (Acts 18:28). What is interesting is that Apollos used the scriptures to convince the stewards of the scriptures (the Jews) that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

The apostle Paul had a similar approach. When he was in the synagogues he “reasoned with [the Jews] out of the scriptures” (Acts 17:2). However, when Paul was taken to Mars Hill in Athens to present his “new” teachings to pagan idol worshipers, he opened the truth of Jesus using objects that were familiar and already accepted in their culture (i.e. the altar to the unknown god and poetry from their culture). Some listeners became dedicated disciples as a result. In that discourse on Mars Hill, Paul never mentioned the scriptures nor quoted from them (see Acts 17:15-32). Instead, he used cultural logic and lessons from nature to persuade them of this “new” truth that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He put his cultural knowledge to good use. The Bible doesn’t tell us, but I’m sure that subsequently he taught the scriptures to those who wanted to know more.

There are many different groups of people in this world and many different religions. How do you convince someone with a different background and worldview that you have truth? In college, my degree required me to take a class in persuasion. While I couldn’t persuade the teacher to give me an A in the class, I did learn that it’s easier to persuade people when you start with common ground. You can’t turn an ocean liner on a dime, and you can’t make saints out of sinners overnight. You must guide them step by step towards the truth. It’s true that conversion can happen quickly as it did for Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road, but Saul had much more to learn following that conversion experience.

Taking the idea of starting with common ground, did you know that we Seventh-day Adventists have common ground with everybody else? Even atheists believe in the same physical world we believe in. That is a good starting point for reaching atheists and secular-minded people with the Gospel. On the other hand, the Gogodala share our beliefs in the physical world and also in an active spiritual realm. This makes them ripe and ready to learn what the Bible has to teach about the spiritual world. For example, they are very interested to hear the story of Lucifer’s fall, because that explains why there are evil spirits in the world.

I put together a training program for the elders of our four churches to discuss these common-ground issues. For the class, I made a five-tiered tower to illustrate five general areas of Good News for mankind. I called them the five levels of the Gospel. They are:

Physical Reality. This is so basic that we tend to forget that it’s Good News.

Spiritual Reality. There are things in life beyond the reach of our five senses (see Job 1 and Ephesians 6:12).

One God who created the universe and rules over all. The writings of the Old Testament.

Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. He fulfilled God’s promise to give us a second chance. The writings of the New Testament.

This same Jesus is coming back soon, and we must get ready. Understanding the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation and their relevance to our time.

As Christians, we must be ready to meet people at any of these levels. Level one—physical reality—is universal. That’s the level Jesus usually started with, whether telling a parable or healing the sick. You can relate on this level with anyone you meet. It’s good to start with level one and work up from there. Our purpose through this exercise is to direct people to Jesus Who reconciles us with the Father.

I pray that you will find this tool as practical and useful as I have.

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