First let me state that the chart and
the classification of types of people is meant for
simplicity. You will encounter people who have traits of two
or even more types. It is meant for a generalization of
people overall.
Second, we should not rush to
categorize people. If you mention something about church to
a person at work and they react poorly to it, it doesn’t
mean that they are a skeptic. They may simply be having a
bad day.
Where this chart should help is in
understanding that not everyone is alike. When we were given
the command to go and make disciples, Jesus split the world
up into two types of people: those who were disciples and
therefore going to heaven, and those who weren’t disciples
and therefore going to hell.
Where so many evangelism programs have
failed is in the “one size fits all” type of evangelism.
Paul recognized that different people needed to be
approached differently. His typical approach was that when
he entered a city he would speak to the Jews at the
synagogue. However, when he enters Athens in Acts 17 he went
to the town square where the philosophers gathered. Instead
of immediately quoting the Old Testament to show that Jesus
was the Messiah, he started telling them about their gods
and presented to them the idea that he worshipped a god they
did not know but should worship.
When Paul spoke to Jews, he understood
that even though they didn’t understand Christianity, they
still had a background in the Old Testament to which he
could appeal. The men of Athens did not have such a
background and Paul instead quoted philosophers and poets of
the day so that the Athenians could relate.
When we witness to someone who accepts
that the Bible is true, or at least recognizes that it
contains valuable ideas, it is entirely different than when
we witness to someone who doesn’t believe God exists. This
is why we need classification of different types of people.
Next Section -
Breaking Ground
