“Three Things Needed to Minister in Today’s World”

Acts 17:1–34 HCSB

Then they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As usual, Paul went to the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and showing that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.” Then some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a great number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women. But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some scoundrels from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly. When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, and Jason has received them as guests! They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king—Jesus!” The Jews stirred up the crowd and the city officials who heard these things. So taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them. As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea. On arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that God’s message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing the crowds. Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away to go to the sea, but Silas and Timothy stayed on there. Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed. While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Then also, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, “What is this pseudo-intellectual trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the Resurrection. They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you’re speaking of? For what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these ideas mean.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new. Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it —He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.” When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him. But others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.” Then Paul left their presence. However, some men joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

“Three Things Needed to Minister in Today’s World”

I- A Positive Testimony ()

A- Behave Consistently.

1- Paul followed his usual practice ().

B- Focus upon scriptural principles.

1- All matters of faith and living should be based upon the Scriptures

().

2 Timothy 3:16 HCSB

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

2- The focus must be on bringing folks to Jesus.

C- Maintain a positive testimony even when under fire ().

C- Maintain a positive testimony even when under fire ().

1- Consistent behavior is more critical in times of crisis.

II- A Plan for Sharing ().

A- Go where the people are ().

1- Must go to where the people are – do not wait for them to come to you!

B- Present the Claims of Christ ().

1- Challenge people to examine the Scriptures ().

2- Always be ready to make the case for Christ. ().

a. Notice the keys of Gospel communication:

Take the time that is needed (vs. 2a).

It took Paul three sabbaths.

Paul had deep conversations with people ( καὶ ἐπὶ σάββατα τρία διελέξατο αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν).

καὶ ἐπὶ σάββατα τρία διελέξατο αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν

Paul explained and proved his case (διανοίγων καὶ παρατιθέμενος). διανοίγω= to open-up the mind to understanding. παρατίθημι= to set forth a case (prove).

διανοίγων καὶ παρατιθέμενος

διανοίγω

παρατίθημι

Seek to answer the questions people have ( οἵτινες ἐδέξαντο τὸν λόγον μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας, καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀνακρίνοντες τὰς γραφάς, εἰ ἔχοι ταῦτα οὕτως.) ἀνακρίνω= to examine and ask questions.

οἵτινες ἐδέξαντο τὸν λόγον μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας, καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀνακρίνοντες τὰς γραφάς, εἰ ἔχοι ταῦτα οὕτως.

ἀνακρίνω

ἀνακρίνωἀνακρίνω

III- A Provoked Spirit ().

Cambridge Greek Testament: Greek Text Chapter 17

Ἐν δὲ ταῖς Ἀθήναις ἐκδεχομένου αὐτοὺς τοῦ Παύλου, παρωξύνετο τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ, θεωροῦντος κατείδωλον οὖσαν τὴν πόλιν.

Word Pictures in the New Testament Acts 17:16

Was provoked (παρωξυνετο [parōxuneto]). Imperfect passive of παροξυνω [paroxunō], old verb to sharpen, to stimulate, to irritate (from παρα, ὀξυς [para, oxus]), from παροξυσμος [paroxusmos] (Acts 15:39), common in old Greek, but in N. T. only here and 1 Cor. 13:5. It was a continual challenge to Paul’s spirit when he beheld (θεωρουντος [theōrountos], genitive of present participle agreeing with αὐτου [autou] (his), though late MSS. have locative θεωρουντι [theōrounti] agreeing with ἐν αὐτῳ [en autōi]). The city full of idols (κατειδωλον οὐσαν την πολιν [kateidōlon ousan tēn polin]). Note the participle οὐσαν [ousan] not preserved in the English (either the city being full of idols or that the city was full of idols, sort of indirect discourse). Paul, like any stranger was looking at the sights as he walked around. This adjective κατειδωλον [kateidōlon] (perfective use of κατα [kata] and εἰδωλον [eidōlon] is found nowhere else, but it is formed after the analogy of καταμπελος, καταδενδρον [katampelos, katadendron]), full of idols.

Word Pictures in the New Testament Acts 17:16

Pliny states that in the time of Nero Athens had over 30,000 public statues besides countless private ones in the homes. Petronius sneers that it was easier to find a god than a man in Athens. Every gateway or porch had its protecting god. They lined the street from the Piraeus and caught the eye at every place of prominence on wall or in the agora.

Acts 17:17

A- Provoked by ungodliness ().

1- Recognize the extreme needs.

2- Realizing the horrible peril of people without Christ.

Word Pictures in the New Testament Acts 17:18

Zeno (360–260 B.C.) taught in the Στοα [Stoa] (Porch) and so his teaching was called Stoicism. He advanced many noble ideas that found their chief illustration in the Roman philosophers (Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius). He taught self-mastery and hardness with an austerity that ministered to pride or suicide in case of failure, a distinctly selfish and unloving view of life and with a pantheistic philosophy. Epicurus considered practical atheism the true view of the universe and denied a future life and claimed pleasure as the chief thing to be gotten out of life. He did not deny the existence of gods, but regarded them as unconcerned with the life of men. The Stoics called Epicurus an atheist. Lucretius and Horace give the Epicurean view of life in their great poems. This low view of life led to sensualism and does today, for both Stoicism and Epicureanism are widely influential with people now. “Eat and drink for tomorrow we die,” they preached.

Word Pictures in the New Testament Acts 17:18

“In Epicureanism, it was man’s sensual nature which arrayed itself against the claims of the gospel; in Stoicism it was his self-righteousness and pride of intellect” (Hackett).

B- provoked into action ().

1- Seeing the lost condition of men should spur us into action ().

Hebrews 9:27 HCSB

And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment —

2- Start on common ground and work from there ().

3- Call for repentance and faith in Christ ().