Week 10

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 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. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship —and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. Acts 17:22-27 NIV

If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel. Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I Corinthians 9:17-22 NIV

This sermon of Paul’s in Athens at the meeting of the Areopagus is unique in the book of Acts. Luke tells us Paul is waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy to join him and that he has spoken to the Jews in the synagogue. Acts 17:16 informs us, “he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.” Paul considers his audience carefully, learns about the types of idols they are worshipping, then he uses this knowledge to present the gospel to members of the Areopagus.

Paul noticed, “an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD,” Acts 17:23. He uses this altar as a means of introducing the God of the universe to these people in Athens. I don’t think this was the only time he had done something like this, although this is the only example we have in Acts. Paul later wrote to the church at Colossae urging them to, “pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone,” Colossians 4:3-6.

I believe Paul took advantage of every opportunity to proclaim Christ as the Savior of the world to whomever he met, wherever he was. He encouraged the Colossians to do the same, but to do it with words that were, “always full of grace, seasoned with salt,” Colossians 4:6a. In I Corinthians 9:17-22 Paul talks of becoming like a Jew, or a Greek as needed in order to proclaim Christ to all. He concludes with, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some,” I Corinthians 9:22b.

How can we apply Paul’s example to ourselves? Perhaps we need to think carefully about the words we use, and treat each person with respect – when speaking to someone who does not have a relationship with Christ. An opening might be “How can I pray for you today, what needs do you have?” Most people feel loved, cared for and are willing to share if I offer to pray for them. Try this approach this week.

By Grace Hunter

When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. Acts 17:1-15

This chapter begins with a whirlwind of activity and it’s swarming with characters. Take a moment to observe all the characters in this first scene. We have leading characters like Paul and Silas bringing forth a message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but also find many sideline characters such as the curious Jews, devout Greeks, leading ladies, jealous Jews, wicked men, swindler types, mean mobsters, as well as Jason and a few of his brothers. Not to mention the crowds and the city authorities who were quite disturbed by that day’s traumatic event.

Luke seems to highlight a stark contrast between the overwhelming number of “bad characters” (poneros) in Thessalonica with the number of “noble characters” (eugenes) in Berea. Berea was swarming with a whole different genre of characters. They were of nobility yet they were also noble-minded, ready to receive words of truth with eagerness and willing to examine new ideas with careful attention. And that day resulted in many Berean men and women filled with faith.

Good stories usually involve both heroic and villainous characters. In today’s reading, it’s interesting how those with good quality character are noble in all senses of the word while those society knows to be swindlers and of bad nature are called upon to create a scene resulting in bad qualities of disorder and dissension.

Where would you be in this story? If you heard new ideas about someone rising from the dead how would you have first responded? Spend some time sharing your thoughts with Jesus and ask him what he has to say about your character.

By Yvonne Biel

The longer Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy, the angrier he got–all those idols!  The city was a junkyard of idols!

He discussed it with the Jews and other like-minded people at their meeting place. And every day he went out on the streets and talked with anyone who happened along. He got to know some of the Epicureans and Stoic intellectuals pretty well through these conversations. Some of them dismissed him with sarcasm: “What a moron!”  But others, listening to him go on about Jesus and the resurrection, were intrigued: “That’s a new slant on the gods. Tell us more.”   

These people got together and asked him to make a public presentation over at the Areopagus, where things were quieter. They said, “This is a new one on us. We’ve never heard anything quite like it. Where did you come up with this anyway?”  Explain it so we can understand.” Downtown Athens was a great place for gossip. The people hanging around, natives and tourists alike, waiting for the latest tidbit on most anything.

So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. “It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously.  When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, TO THE GOD NOBODY KNOWS. I’m here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you’re dealing with” Acts 17:16-23, The Message

This passage brings up different aspects of the culture in which the gospel was spreading through those who had come to believe in Jesus and live in the truth of the good news of the gospel. Paul had, by the time he got to Athens, been living and growing in his love of Jesus for around 16 years since his experience on the road to Damascus. In Athens, the culture expressed itself in idols and lots of conversations on philosophy about how to live and worship.

Culture, by simple definition, is a society’s way of life, customs, traditions, heritage, habits and values. Some of the cultural things that show up in this passage are not too different from now, such as ethnicity, worship styles and ideas about how to live life.

Paul’s attitude and actions may help us as we navigate similar situations in our own lives. For instance: Paul wasn’t angry at particular people. He was angry about the delusion that the idols represented. He went first to discuss it with the Jews and other, “like minded” people. He built a relationship with people he met as he walked around the city and agreed to present what he had to say in a basic and clear way. He acknowledged their commitment to religion and worship. He was courteous in his introduction of the true God and appealed to their intelligence. He didn’t nag or pass judgement on them if they disagreed.

How would you define the culture you live in and possibly prefer? Who do you know that has different, or very different ideas from yours? Are there people who can give you counsel about how to approach the situation or person? Pray about the situation, the people and your desire for Christ in their life.

By Carolyn Schmitt

‘For though I be free from all men , yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. ‘ 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

We continue in our series through the book of Acts, and this week we are focused on Acts 17, but the text from 1 Corinthians 9 helps us understand Paul’s sermon in Acts 17. The discourse in Acts 17 is a prime example of Paul contextualizing the message of Jesus to help his audience understand. At first, this seems entirely natural for most of us, but the question we must ask is, how far can we go to contextualize the message of Jesus before it loses its core truth?

I confess the title of this post makes me a bit nervous a. You see, the scriptures are so dear to me, which is true for most of us. After all, the scriptures are the reason we know anything about Jesus. The No Bible Sermon is a title that causes me anxiety because I would generally frown upon a sermon not anchored in the scriptures. If I were to hear about a preacher who doesn’t even directly reference a passage of scripture, I would seriously doubt their authority, but that is precisely what we find in Paul’s sermon here. Instead of quoting from the scriptures, Paul quotes several secular (pagan) poets and points out visual illustrations from around the city. What are we to do with this?

We don’t have the time to unpack an entire theology of the scriptures (bibliology). Instead, I point to the implications of our/my discomfort. There is a tendency in the evangelical stream of Christianity to worship the scripture more than or equal to God. The truth is, God seems quite comfortable using all sorts of things to draw people to himself. God uses broken people, secular poets, storms, and more to communicate to his creation. God uses Paul’s sermon in Acts 17 to accomplish his goal even with its lack of scriptural references. Let us not reduce the God we worship to paper and ink. The text is just a means to knowing him.

Take a moment to thank God for giving us his word but then ask him to teach you to hear his voice through other means as well. Ask him to use nature, poetry, secular music, the conversation with a friend, and any other means to help you hear and know him.

By Aaron Bjorklund

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate 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. 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? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.”(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) Acts 17:16-21

A short 16 years ago the social media giant Facebook went international. Since then, a plethora of social media platforms have sprung up to offer “free” memberships, almost unlimited personal expression, and opportunities to link to a myriad of new and long lost friends and relatives. They have drawn billions into a planet wide Areopagus of news and ideas that have power to both thrill and threaten us.

Like Paul and me, you are likely distressed by the false and deadly ideas so easily glamorized and disseminated to the gullible and impressionable. The social media Areopagus and its surrounding marketplace can be fickle, volatile, and dangerous.

As we read further in Acts 17, Paul delivered his famous Areopagus or “Mars Hill” speech. In that speech he skillfully gathered bits and pieces of ideas familiar to his pagan audience in order to relate the message of the resurrected Jesus. The reaction of most of the audience to the speech was either dismissal or a false promise to hear him “later”. Only a couple people responded positively.

If you posted your most thoughtful appeal on social media to help your friends see the resurrection of Jesus as the answer to all human suffering and confusion, would you be intimidated and discouraged by the kind of dismissive or weak response received by Paul in Athens? Are you frightened you might be pursued by a politically motivated or religious mob as Paul was in Thessalonica and other cities? Yes, all those things are possible, even probable.

The possibilities also scare me. I want others to think well of me. I want to be the “nice” Christian who is adorable…superior to all the rest of the Christian rabble through the ages. Sometimes I think if I remain uncontroversial many will trust in Jesus because of me. But, so far, being uncontroversial has proved unsuccessful in attracting outsiders to Jesus.

How does my approach need to change? Adhering to a political agenda or intentionally starting an argument about a controversial subject will likely turn heads in the wrong direction. I believe Jesus is who He says He is. I want others to know Him too. What should I do?

Here is an idea for those of us not as bold or clever as the Apostle Paul. Stories are time-honored in their power to carry a truth message. Would you join me in asking Jesus to help communicate His truth to social media friends using real-life stories we’ve observed or experienced? Let’s see what might happen.

By Kathleen Petersen