He was a Jew, an Alexandrian by birth. He was eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was teaching it accurately, but he didn’t have a firm grasp on the concept of baptism. His name was Apollos, and when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God more completely to him (Acts 18:24-28).
In our efforts to be more evangelistic, we need not forget those contacts that would be most open to God’s word—those that already believe in Him. When we speak with our friends and co-workers, it is usually easy to spot those that already believe. You might see them avoiding the same things you avoid, asking for Sundays off or see a sticker from “their church” on their car. These would be the people that Paul would’ve presumably spoken to first.
His practice was to go to the synagogues first and then to the Gentile population of the city and anyone who would listen (Acts 17:17). The synagogues were the center of Jewish communities. On several occasions, Paul would show up at a synagogue, and they would ask him to speak. Doing this, he was able to speak with those who were more likely to believe and understand the narrative of Jesus. He would stand before many pagans and teach them also, but his first efforts in a new place were to work with the people that should “get it” first. That didn’t always work out. There were people who regretted having asked Paul to speak. They would have to withdraw from the synagogue and teach in other places (Acts 19:19). Not everyone who believes in God will believe in His Son. Not everyone who believes in His Son will believe in the one Bride of His Son.
When we see Paul with the Jews, he opened the Scriptures to them. That is where we should start. Not in a confrontational way but in a way that says we are both seeking truth. Here is a possible dialogue you can have with a religious friend. You: “Hey, [friend’s name here], I just heard a great lesson this week that has really convicted me to study more.” Friend: “That’s great.” You: “It would be helpful for me to have someone to read with. Would you be interested in getting together and studying the Bible from time to time?” Friend: “Yeah, that would be great. I need to do that more also.” I have never met a believer that thinks they read the Bible enough. Use that to open the Bible with them and allow God’s word to convict them of the changes they need to make. Search honestly for truth with them, and you will be amazed at what God’s word can do. You are planting the seed so that one day someone will ask your friend how they came to the church, and they will say, “So there was this guy/girl…”