How to Minister in a Mars Hill World
Acts (To Be Continued...) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Paul’s Methods:
We need to see, analyze and feel for the culture (he saw the idols—he was distressed!)
We need a strong theology of cultural engagement
we need to have grace and truth—invitation and challenge
Please turn to Acts 17....Acts 17 beginning at vs. 16.
Acts 17:16.
Whenever you and I think about reaching this world for Christ…do you ever feel overwhelmed? maybe it seems difficult? Maybe we lack courage? maybe it’s just complicated?
I want to look at the Apostle Paul and how he navigated a complicated—Mars Hill World—I will explain what I mean by that in a moment.
Acts 17:16 (NIV)
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 both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
let’s pause....
this is remarkable...
if you look on the map—Paul had just been run out of Thessalonica, and Berea—chased out—persecuted. had to flee for his life for preaching Christ.
he lands in Athens....and what does he do? He doesn’t lay low—he began reasoning—with both Jews and Greeks, and even in a new place the marketplace. he is reasoning with them—telling them about Jesus Christ.
now, we have already seen Paul go into the Jewish synagogue quite a bit and reason with Jews from the OT—to prove that Jesus Christ is Messiah, the Savior they have been waiting for…but now he goes to a new place...
the marketplace...
the marketplace was the place where people gather to do all sorts of things:
business and economic activity…it was their stock market
discuss and debate ideas, philosophy, theology face to face....
it’s where oftentimes even political and city wide things would be decided, discussed
it was also there news source—media—where you got information
everything happened in the marketplace
let me keep reading
Acts 17:18 (NIV)
18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” (the word babbler is the word picture of a scavenger who is picking up various pieces of information and lacks sophistication) Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” (that could be a serious charge and result in death) They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
who were the Epicureans and Stoics:
The Epicureans—(what word do you see there) we see the word “epic...” in there. that’s a clue. believed the main goal of life was to pursue pleasure at all costs. avoid discomfort; avoid pain…pursue as much pleasure as you can (and God or gods is not really involved in our lives)
does that relate to our world today? In some ways that is the American dream—and it sometimes gets mixed with the Gospel—in what is called the prosperity gospel where some false teachers/pastors teach that God wants you to be wealthy, have lots of money and success, and you just need to claim it and have enough faith.
the Stoics had a different approach. If someone says you are very stoic—then you are often unemotional. you find fulfillment in life by enduring the course of events, pleasure and even suffering, including pain. these should be endured quietly even thankfully. you got to rise above pleasure and pain
amazingly, Christianity has a much different approach to pleasure and pain.
unlike the Epicureans—we believe that we don’t exist to avoid pain—we can actually great purpose in pain because God is in control—and that God can use the hard things of life to glorify Him. and while we do want pleasure—we don’t believe it can be found in the things of this world but Jesus Christ.
and unlike the Stoics you don’t just have to endure suffering mindlessly—you can cry out to God. you can be honest about your feelings and emotions that God gave us—and there is a personal God who can help.
Acts 17:19–21 (NIV)
19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus (Mars Hill—these were the leaders in charge of public, religious, political life) , 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 would like 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.)
so we don’t know if the people are just curious?
or maybe hostile—it is possible that because he is preaching a foreign God to their ears that this could lead to imprisonment and even death.
what do we learn so far? What are some lessons we learn from Paul...
Mars Hill Lessons...
Recognize and take your faith into your Mars Hill world… In other words-- that we live in a Mars Hill World, and must take our faith into the marketplace. (vs. 16-21)
and I get that word Mars Hill—because Areopagus—is the Hill of Ares — Ares was the Greek god of war and according to Greek mythology this hill was the place where Ares stood trial before the other gods for the murder of Poseidon’s son Alirrothios.
it rose some 375 feet above the land…and served as the meeting place for the highest court in Greece for civil, criminal, and religious matters. it’s where philosophy, religion, law, and theology met and discussed.
so this Hill of Ares is the Greek name—but the Roman name came to be known as Mars Hill—that’s why some of your translations may have a heading that says Paul at Mars Hill or something like that.
and I believe that even though we may not feel in Adams County area that we live in a world class city like Athens or a place where ideas are discussed and debated…I do believe that despite our rural area—we live in a Mars Hill world.
a Mars Hill world....
is a place of all kinds of ideas fighting and vying for our attention - theologians call this a pluralistic world—we experience this mainly through the internet and social media
it’s also a place of confusion of ideas
it’s a place of all kinds of people—lots of diversity—Paul faced Jews, Greeks, very religious, very educated people here
it’s a curious place, maybe sometimes hostile and polarized...
and I believe you and I live in a world just like that. everywhere we go—in our workplaces, sports teams, hobbies, people we interact with—in person and online—we are encountering all kinds of ideas, lots of confusion, all kinds of people—yes even here in Adams County, because everyone now has been exposed to all kinds of ideas, and we don’t always know if people are curious, indifferent, or hostile, to the faith.
so we must recognize that we live in this Mars Hill kind of place—and we must be willing to take our faith in Jesus Christ with us.
we must have courage to represent Christ, to bring up conversations about Jesus, to talk about how our faith interacts.
now, I don’t even think you always have to be like Paul—Paul sets a high bar…but you can do this in so many easy ways...
be creative---you can say something like this to a co-worker… “Praying for you...” “at church, I learned this...” or you could text or email a devotional that impacted you. so many ways to plant your faith in a Mars Hill world.
We must see, analyze, and feel for the culture (vs. 16)
look at verse 16 again
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
now, Athens was an impressive city, beautiful and famous architecture, culture, and history.
he would literally have seen statues and temples of the Greek and Roman gods—like Athena (which was a huge gold and ivory statue—whose gleaming spear-point was visible 40 miles away) or other Roman and Greek gods and goddesses. they would have been impressive--
and yet Paul is not duped or impressed.
he is distressed…because the people are being deceived by idols—or false gods.
what is an idol: a substitute for God
anything we worship more than God. if you know the 10 commandments that God gave Moses—commandments 1 and 2—say you shall have no other gods, and you shall not make an image and worship them.
they would have had all sorts of gods and goddesses—if you know your Greek and Roman history…Zeus, Poseideon Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Heremsa
Aphrodite — the goddess of beauty, love, and sex—do we still worship beauty, love, and sex—and elevate that above God?
hermes—the god of wealth and trade
athena - the goddess of wisdom
dionysus - was the fun loving goddess of wine, partying—do we worship this today?
Ares or Mars—was god of war—do we still worship power?
they had a god or goddess for everything they deemed important—their crops and fertility, economics, the underworld, the sky...
so Paul saw these gods and goddesses not as harmless or impressive—but for what they were—people worshipping created things rather than their Creator--
and we do the same today—we still worship these things—we want the gifts more that than the Giver—and feel like we have to have them at all costs.
so do you see these things in our culture? when you interact with culture—do you have eyes to see the idols of our culture—even of your own heart?
do you put on your Jesus glasses when you are looking at culture—seeing how he would see, how Paul the missionary would see?
James K.A. Smith -desiring the kingdom .. he talks about this---
i want to give you a quiz--he describes something that all of us human beings go to or have visited—see if you can figure out what he is describing…he describes it in a way that relates to what Paul is doing here...
he says, “I would like to invite you on a tour of one of the most important religious sites in our metropolitan area.”
“I want you to notice the sheer popularity of the site as indicated by the colorful sea of parking that surrounds the building…the site is throbbing with pilgrims every day who visit...”
“indeed, the parking lot constitutes a kind of moat around the building...”
“this sacred building even provides a sanctuary—as some pilgrims make their way in winter—just for the space to walk.”
he says “the large glass atriums at the entrances are framed by banners and flags—familiar texts and symbols to help us navigate the space...” for the seeker there is a large map—a kind of worship aid—to give the novice an orientation of the location of various spiritual offerings...”
“even the design of the space is inviting…with windows on the ceiling open to the sky but no windows on the walls. this conveys a sense of vertical and transcendent openness...”
as you wander the space—there are an array of three-dimensional icons adorned in garb that inspires us to be imitators of these exemplars. these embody for us concrete images of the good life.
this “temple” offers a rich, embodied visiual mode of evangelism that attracts us.
seeing these icons we visit one of the many “chapels” - we are invited into worship, taste, and see.
some of us come intentionally, knowing what we are looking for, some of us are browsing through what participants call “the racks.”
Once we find what we came for—we proceed to the altar with our holy object in hand. the priest behind the counter helps us complete this worshipful transaction. and we leave with a tangible object...
what is he is talking about—the mall? it’s a little out-dated—but I think you get the point. what’s going on in a shopping mall—is no less than a marketplace—driven to worship.
are you able to see the idols? what are some of the idols in our counties locally?
money
success
family name...
sports—youth sports or kids activities can be...
approval/friendship/romance/sexuality...
and not just see and analyze—but get distressed...
the word for being distressed is the same word used in the Greek translation of the OT for when God gets angry over his people’s worship of other idols. It is a settled, righteous, appropriate anger. as Paul saw people worshipping other gods, he had a similar reaction to how God would have--he was upset. the OT says God is a ‘JEALOUS’ God.
John Stott says it like this--this is not the sinful reaction of jealousy when we want something that belongs to someone else--or when someone outshines us with talent or beauty or brains. but it’s like this--if a 3rd party enters a marriage relationship, the jealousy of the inured person, who is being displaced, is righteous, because the intruder has no right to be there. it is the same with God--who says “I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. our Creator has a right to our exclusive devotion, and is jealous if we transfer it to another (because He knows it will ruin us and He deserves glory.” do you have that kind of jealousy for God’s name?
how do we live and minister in a Mars Hill World—we have to see the idols in our culture—in our family—at the mall, at the sports arena, at school, at business. at the gym.
and we have to be distressed.
We must be students of culture and use it in our outreach. (vs. 22-23, 28)
let me read the rest
22 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.
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. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
24 “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.
25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
26 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.
27 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.
28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.
30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
do you see how Paul engaged culture—he did not shy away from it—nor did he overwhelmingly condemn it.
he didn’t withdraw, nor condemn like so many of us are prone to do...
he engages...
in vs.22-23 he notices their objects of worship—even the unknown god.
I don’t think Paul is being mean with this—he is being ironic—”Yes you are religious/spiritual, but ignorant.” they were trying to cover all their bases in this very religious and spiritual culture. he may be a little bit funny—because he is being accused of preaching an unknown god—and he is like— “You have an unknown god!”
in vs. 28-we also see him quote from their poets
look at verse 28
28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
for in him we live and move and having our being—from the Cretan philosopher Epimenides, and vs. 28 says “we are his offspring” (that’s another poet--Cilician Stoic philosopher Aratus
so Paul not only analyzes their culture, feels for them—distressed, he uses their own culture in his gospel presentation.
this whole area called contextualization—is a little bit contested among theologians…(different denominations)
but I think Paul is on to something here…
do you agree…that people are created in the image of God? even non-believers? yes
do you agree…that since all people are created in the image of God—all cultures are made in the image of God? yes (it’s not perfect—b/c we are fallen—but all cultures around the world at some level reflect God’s image)
so if that’s true—all cultures reflect sin—b/c we are fallen and all cultures reflect God at some level—b/c that’s how He made us—then it stands to reason—if we can find areas of agreement with the culture—we can use those in sharing the Gospel?
so we don’t always have to withdraw and avoid culture—that’s not what Paul does.
nor do we have to always condemn and preach against culture—
Paul found common ground.
What’s the common ground you can share?
one example I saw from the world of missions—in 1900 Christians in African were only 9 percent of the population, outnumbered by Muslims 4 to 1. Today Christians are almost 50% of the population.
African, Christian Scholar Lamin Sanneh gives an answer--Africans, he said, had a long tradition of belief in a supernatural world of good and evil spirits. When Africans began to read the Bible in their own languages many began to see in Christ the final solution to their own historic longings and aspirations as Africans.
19 Sanneh writes: Christianity answered this historical challenge by a reorientation of the worldview…. People sensed in their hearts that Jesus did not mock their respect for the sacred nor their clamor for an invincible Savior, and so they beat their sacred drums for him until the stars skipped and danced in the skies. After that dance the stars weren’t little anymore. Christianity helped Africans to become renewed Africans, not re-made Europeans. 20 Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (p. 41). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
what are some common ground places you can share with your friend, neighbor, co-workers, family member, with the Amish, with those who immigrate into our community—how can you engage and find the common ground in culture..
We must balance invitation and challenge (grace and truth)…all focused on Jesus Christ. (vs. 24-31)
if you look at Paul’s message…he speaks differently—he adapts vs. how he spoke to the Jews in the synagogue. with the Jews—they believed in God. They had the OT.
with these educated people at Athens—he has to back up.
vs. 24—he starts with God—there is a God who made all things.
and he is not confined to human temples.
in fact in vs. 25—he doesn’t even need you or me. he is the source of life
vs. 26 - from one man—he made all nations of men. so there is no reason for racism or discrimination or nationalism—b/c God made us—we are all one before God.
and he determined the times and places we live—just think about that—
how many of you chose your parents? How many of you chose the year you would be born? How many of you chose what place you would be born? I wish I could have chose Hawaii.
but in vs. 27—God was intentional in this—so that we would seek him.
and then he quotes poets in vs. 28.
and in vs. 29—he is challenging
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.
your idols and statues—those don’t reflect God.
vs. 30
30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Paul gives invitation—there is a God who made you—and wants you to find him.
and challenge…you must repent. you are no longer ignorant—you can’t serve those gods—there is only one god. and the proof is that Jesus Christ rose bodily from teh dead.
so grace…and truth.
and look at the reaction
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
33 At that, Paul left the Council.
34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
our reaching a Mars Hill world involves both grace…and truth...
think of that scale—how many of you are more gracious vs. truth?
and yet it seems like when Paul shared Christ—he had both.
because of the truth of the gospel confronts our sin…we have many idols in the place of God and deserve His judgment b/c He is holy
but it is gracious—Jesus Christ bore our idols and sin on our behalf so we have a renewed life, forgiven with the Creator Universe...
I want us to lead in a time of response by taking communion...
*open to anyone who is a believer in Jesus
*don’t have to be a member or regular attender
*think of how Paul reached…he
he took his faith into the marketplace…boldly
he saw, analyzed, and felt the culture…
must be willing to engage with, even use culture
he had grace and truth, invitation and challenge
Jesus Christ was even more amazing...
everywhere he went he engaged with all kinds of people, places, ideas—from the religious leaders to the prostitutes and beggars and tax collectors - even to the cross
he saw, analyzed, and felt the culture—he often looked at the culture—Matthew 9:36
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
before he goes to the cross-he weeps over Jerusalem—he cared deeply. and could see right to a person’ heart.
3. he knew and engaged with culture—challenging what it means to lead and serve…challenging what it meant to invite people - the upside down kingdom of God
4. John 1:14
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.
take a moment and examine yourself—what idols, do you need to confess—it could even be good things?
how can you find Jesus more precious than any of these things—take some time to thank him?
who do you know in your marketplace or Mars Hill world that needs Jesus? pray for them?
Let’s partake together.
closing:
outdoor service---
lawn chairs
pop canopies
chance to give to student ministries at lunch time for fundraiser for camps and for trip to Bolivia next summer
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.