Acts 17:22-34

                                                         Acts 17:22-34

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for  

“‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’  

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”  So Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Paul was given an opportunity to speak before the leaders of the city and explain what he had already been teaching in the synagogue and marketplace.  It is instructive that he took advantage of this opportunity considering the fact that he had been so severely persecuted in all his previous locations of ministry.  It is also instructive to observe how he proclaimed the message in this instance.

 

PAUL IDENTIFIED WITH THE CULTURE OF HIS AUDIENCE: Paul’s audience was Greek and made up of Gentiles who loved to sit around and discuss philosophy and other new things that would come around.  This curiosity is what gave Paul the opportunity.  Paul does not immediately begin to bombard them with Scripture because the Old Testament was not recognized by them as an authoritative book.  Instead, he starts with something that he had observed in the culture and the altar that was dedicated to the unknown God.  He takes advantage of this and promises to make the God that was unknown them known.  He even quotes one of their poets and applies it to his teaching.  When we strive to reach people with the Gospel it is important that we are sensitive to their culture and find ways to connect the culture of the people with the truth of the Gospel.

 

PAUL INTRODUCED THEM TO THE GOD OF CREATION: The fact that man was created by God was a familiar concept to the people, so he was able to start with the fact that the God he was presenting to them was the God of creation.  Additionally, he makes sure that they understand that as the Creator He does not need anything and that He not dependent upon man.  Rather, mankind is dependent upon Him.  Too often, people live and act as if God needs them as opposed to recognizing that all men everywhere are actual in need of and responsible to Him.  This is the truth about God and man that needs to be proclaimed wherever we go. 

 

PAUL INVITED THEM TO REPENT OF THEIR IDOLATRY: The appropriate response to learning of who God is and how He expects us to worship Him is repentance.  Paul confronts their idolatry and the way that they think of God as being an object such as silver or gold that is sculpted by man.  Men naturally repel to the idea of being responsible to anyone.  However, our natural desire to worship must be fulfilled.  The solution we find is to create our own gods that, in reality, are nothing. Idolatry is more palatable to men who refuse to submit to God.  The only solution to this problem of idolatry is repentance.  We are to have the courage to call people to turn from idolatry to worship God and God alone.

 

PAUL INSPIRED A VARIETY OF RESPONSES: Just as we saw in the previous text, the message inspired a variety of responses ranging from scoffing to curiosity to actual faith.  The point of stumbling for these Greek philosophers was the resurrection of the body.  For Greeks everything involving the body was considered to be evil so an eternal resurrection would be perverse in their minds.  However, some were convinced and believed Paul’s message and were eventually saved.  We are not responsible for people’s responses.  We are responsible to make the message clear and courageously call them to turn to Jesus.

 

APPLICATION: When presenting the Gospel, it is important to understand the culture and beliefs of those we strive to reach.  Look for cultural bridges that may be available to help with the understanding of the Gospel.  Help them understand who God is and what He has done for us.  Call men to turn from their idolatry to trust in Christ alone for their salvation.  Be prepared to be mocked, put off, and to experience the joy of leading someone to Christ.