In Athens (2)

HOOK

DO NOT FORGET TO UNMUTE

It’s the 17th day of December— Thursday

Yesterday right here at “The Message”, we heard about Paul’s experiences in Athen, and the predicate of his preaching before the Areopagus [name of a hill overlooking the market place— the Athenian Council]— in his opening statement we learned:

I MUST NOT WORSHIP IDOLS

BEING RELIGIOUS IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR IGNORANCE

Today we shall look at how Paul’s discourse at Areopagus went on— we will be able to finish chapter 17— open your Bible to ACTS 1-24-34

When studying the Bible, look for words that defines the CHARACTER of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit— keep an eye on COMMANDS to obey— good EXAMPLES to follow, and bad examples to avoid— PROMISES that you could claim— sins to CONFESS— CHALLENGES you encountered— and ENCOURAGEMENT to keep you going

READ ACTS 17:24-34

BOOK

Acts 17:24–34 NIV

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.” 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.

WHAT: Paul’s discourse at the Areopagus [Athenian Council]

WHERE: Athens— at a hill also called Areopagus

WHEN: Early church— during the second missionary journey of Paul

WHO: Paul [Timothy and Silas was left at Berea to continue the ministry there], Areopagus, a mixture of Jewish and Greek crowd, Dionysius [the Areopagite— Greek], and Damaris [an Athenian woman converted to Christianity— maybe the wife of Dionysius]

WHY: Because Paul saw how religious yet ignorant the Athenians are, he preached about Jesus and his resurrection as proof that Jesus is the Messiah, and the appointed judge

LOOK

DOES NOT LIVE IN TEMPLES BUILT BY HUMAN HANDS

He does not need a place to live— including the shrines on the nearby Acropolis— when Solomon [son of king David— Ancestor of Jesus] prayed, he said— 1 KINGS 8:27— God is omnipresent— He’s everywhere

HE HIMSELF GIVES EVERYONE LIFE, AND BREATH AND EVERYTHING ELSE

Jehovah Jireh— Hebrew words that means God will provide— when Abraham was tested by God he said this— GENESIS 22:14

WE SHOULD NOT THINK THAT THE DIVINE BEING IS LIKE GOLD OR SILVER OR STONE

Paul again pounded on the irrelevance of man-made idols— as offsprings [children] created after His image, we shall not even for a second think that our Creator— the divine being is like any of these materials crafted as idols

Out of our short devotional study today, these three things came out clear: God do not live in temples; God provides life and everything else; and God is not like gold or silver or stone

Let me craft these into sentences that we can all easily remember

TOOK

GOD IS EVERYWHERE— OMNIPRESENT

GOD IS OUR PROVIDER— JEHOVAH JIREH

SING

Deacon Anton and Agape Tent Makers