Daily Bread 2011 - Acts 17
Monday May 30th
Daily Bread 2011 – Acts 17
In Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 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.
What Does This Mean?
As we can see, Paul continued to follow his usual routine of going to a city, and first going to a synagogue to preach the Gospel. His assumption was that this might be the place of greatest receptivity. In Thessalonica, as he preached he persuaded some to become followers of Christ. But in Berea (where they examined the scriptures daily) it says, “Many followed him”. The text says, “The men there received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures (Old Testament) every day to see if it was true!”
As Paul was waiting for Timothy and Silas to join him in Athens, he looked around the city and was distressed to see if full of idols. At this point, he changed his strategy somewhat. Instead of going to the synagogue, as was his custom, he also spent time in the marketplace dialoguing with those he found there. But apparently what he said interested them enough to invite him to the Areopagus, a hill just west of the Acropolis of Athens. Here the Council of Areopagus met to consider new religions and foreign gods.
Importantly as Paul spoke he pointed out how religious they were, and how their worship of these gods/stone idols pointed to their desire to know the one true God. As he says, “Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” 17:23
What Does This Mean For Us?
Paul’s interactions with the Athenians in the marketplace give us several key principles as we seek to share the Gospel in places that worship other gods. First of all is his presence. In order to reach lost people you have to spend time with them. If we spend all of our time in the church/synagogue (in Paul’s day) we will have no chance to rub shoulders with unbelievers. Secondly, Paul started where they were at. Instead of telling them why they needed what he was preaching, he pointed out what they were already looking for, a relationship with God. He saw all the pagan altars and objects of worship as an effort by these people to connect with a living God, not a god made out of stone. Finally, if you will read a little further he quotes one of their poets who said, “We are his offspring”. Paul reasoned with them that if God made everything including human beings why would he not reach out and try to have a relationship with them. His famous line here is, “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” 17:27
Paul reminds us that every one of us, no matter how irreligious we are, or how much we have rejected the Church, has a hole in their soul that can only be filled by God. He begins with an assumption that God wants to be in relationship with every person and that everyone, beyond their sometimes crusty exterior, desires to know who made them and where they are going when they die. So often we today also have made cheap substitutes for the living God (all of the idols we worship today: sex, money, materialism), who is not far from any of us. In fact God is near you right now as we pray!
Let’s pray...
Gracious God, thank you for making a relationship possible with You through Your Son. As we look to find things to worship may we not miss a relationship with the One True God, who desires to be in relationship with those He has made, in Your name, Amen.
Daily Bread 2011 – Acts 17
In Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 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.
What Does This Mean?
As we can see, Paul continued to follow his usual routine of going to a city, and first going to a synagogue to preach the Gospel. His assumption was that this might be the place of greatest receptivity. In Thessalonica, as he preached he persuaded some to become followers of Christ. But in Berea (where they examined the scriptures daily) it says, “Many followed him”. The text says, “The men there received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures (Old Testament) every day to see if it was true!”
As Paul was waiting for Timothy and Silas to join him in Athens, he looked around the city and was distressed to see if full of idols. At this point, he changed his strategy somewhat. Instead of going to the synagogue, as was his custom, he also spent time in the marketplace dialoguing with those he found there. But apparently what he said interested them enough to invite him to the Areopagus, a hill just west of the Acropolis of Athens. Here the Council of Areopagus met to consider new religions and foreign gods.
Importantly as Paul spoke he pointed out how religious they were, and how their worship of these gods/stone idols pointed to their desire to know the one true God. As he says, “Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” 17:23
What Does This Mean For Us?
Paul’s interactions with the Athenians in the marketplace give us several key principles as we seek to share the Gospel in places that worship other gods. First of all is his presence. In order to reach lost people you have to spend time with them. If we spend all of our time in the church/synagogue (in Paul’s day) we will have no chance to rub shoulders with unbelievers. Secondly, Paul started where they were at. Instead of telling them why they needed what he was preaching, he pointed out what they were already looking for, a relationship with God. He saw all the pagan altars and objects of worship as an effort by these people to connect with a living God, not a god made out of stone. Finally, if you will read a little further he quotes one of their poets who said, “We are his offspring”. Paul reasoned with them that if God made everything including human beings why would he not reach out and try to have a relationship with them. His famous line here is, “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” 17:27
Paul reminds us that every one of us, no matter how irreligious we are, or how much we have rejected the Church, has a hole in their soul that can only be filled by God. He begins with an assumption that God wants to be in relationship with every person and that everyone, beyond their sometimes crusty exterior, desires to know who made them and where they are going when they die. So often we today also have made cheap substitutes for the living God (all of the idols we worship today: sex, money, materialism), who is not far from any of us. In fact God is near you right now as we pray!
Let’s pray...
Gracious God, thank you for making a relationship possible with You through Your Son. As we look to find things to worship may we not miss a relationship with the One True God, who desires to be in relationship with those He has made, in Your name, Amen.
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