What was the ancient world like where Paul labored and won converts?
The ancient world where Paul labored was characterized by gross idolatry, mythology, and pervasive immorality; it was a pagan society devoted to gods and goddesses, full of license. Despite this environment, Paul persistently proclaimed the gospel, and converts emerged from that immoral pagan world, often soon martyred for their faith.
Les explains that retracing the Mediterranean area where the Apostle Paul labored showed the gross idolatry and gross mythology of all those places where Paul earned his converts. The man must have been constantly subjected to all the immorality of that ancient world, something beyond us. Yet he never slowed down or stopped proclaiming the gospel, and out of that gross, immoral, pagan world he got trophies for God's grace. Les also notes that Paul's new converts came out of the license and immorality of pagan worship of gods and goddesses, entered a salvation experience, and almost immediately had to be martyred for their faith, unlike people saturated for 50 years in Christianity.
Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.