Acts 17:10-19

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Perseverance in Berea

“Never trust somebody else’s explanation of the scripture until you have studied it for yourself and allowed the Holy Spirit to confirm the truth of what you have heard.”

A common problem we see today is people spinning Bible verses to make them mean something that they want them to mean. The Word of the LORD makes us uncomfortable at times. Our comfort level does not change God’s Truth.
Our first stop tonight is in Berea. Paul and Silas left Thessalonica at night to avoid creating more problems in the city. They made a three day, 50 mile journey, to Berea.
Acts 17:10 NLT
10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
As was Paul’s custom, his first stop was the synagogue in Berea. Again, he was seeking out those who were non-believers in Christ and those who had questions about Jesus Christ.
Acts 17:11 NLT
11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.
We see something different in Berea. The Jews were receptive to what Paul was saying. Luke writes that they were more open-minded. The Greek word in the manuscripts was “eg-ah-nace” which actually means “noble.” This could mean that they were noblemen, but it seems to imply that they were of a more noble character because they searched the Scriptures.
The other Greek word is “prothynia.” The Greek paints a picture of these Jews not just listening eagerly, but with open hearts and open-minds, excitedly taking in what Paul was saying.
We can learn something here. Paul did not walk around dictating or pointing his finger. He sat with these people, he searched the Scriptures with them, and they discussed the Word of God together.
We must stay in the Word. In order to be effective disciples, the Word must be written on our hearts and on our minds. In His final letter, just before he was executed, Paul wrote this to his son in the faith, Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:2 NLT
2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
There are times when I do not feel like teaching. There may be so much going on that the time is not favorable for me. We must be ready, willing, and able at all times. The only way to prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually is to stay in the Word and to stay in fellowship. If our hearts desire is to glorify God, that is what it takes.
Acts 17:12 NLT
12 As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.
Amazing. These people knew about Paul, they would have heard his story. Here is a man, through all of the trials, tribulations, near death experiences, and his amazing conversion, teaching the goodness of Christ.
It is the Gospel message that changes hearts, but he chose you to deliver the good news of Jesus Christ for a reason. Your life, your circumstances, your successes, and your failures are meant to glorify Jesus Christ. You are a minister of the faith.
Acts 17:13 NLT
13 But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble.
These Jews that hated Jesus, hated Paul, and hated Christians made the same 50 mile, three day journey to Berea to cause trouble. They were what we would call antagonists. We don’t see anything like this today do we!
There are those who have decided that they have not intention of listening or having a rational conversation. They will troll people online and show up at events with the sole purpose of antagonizing and causing trouble.
It’s okay! This has been happening since the beginning of Christianity and it is only going to get worse. The true disciple knows this because Jesus told us very plainly and clearly:
Matthew 24:9 NLT
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.
The words of Jesus Christ. This may sound odd, but I find peace in this scripture. This scripture reinforces my faith. We are watching the prophetic message of Jesus Christ play out before our eyes! I do not like what is going on in this world. This is a promise that Jesus made that is being fulfilled non-the less.
Acts 17:14–15 NLT
14 The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. 15 Those escorting Paul went with him all the way to Athens; then they returned to Berea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him.
There is some debate as to why Silas and Timothy stayed behind at first, but what we know is that Paul was escorted to Athens in the company of other believers.
As we get into Paul’s Athenian experience, I would like to point out something. Some theologians call this “Paul’s failed apologetics in Athens.” First of all, I would love to fail like Paul. There is no telling how many people Paul is responsible for leading to Christ. Let’s unpack the next few verses.

Preaching in the Agora

“When ministering to intellectuals, don’t use ‘church language,’ but reason from as much common ground as you can find.”

We are going to watch Paul do this very thing in Athens.
Acts 17:16 NLT
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.
There were thousands of idols, statues, and miniature temples to every god you can think of in Athens. There was nothing dedicated to the one true God, YHVH.
Athens was a very busy place, like our cities with markets, theaters, stadiums, and a mix of people/cultures.
We see this today. We have the churches with the crosses in the backdrop of many places, but look at the billboards, look at the advertisements on buses, trains, and on our buildings. I saw a billboard last year off of Roswell road, right near a liquor store that said “come in and get your medicine.”
Paul was deeply troubled. The Greek word here is paroxynō. This gives us the picture of being deeply troubled, and something getting under our skin. Those moments when you are so frustrated, you feel like you are going to burst. Yeah, Paul felt that way at times. I was deeply troubled when I saw that billboard.
Acts 17:17 NLT
17 He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.
The public square was also the market place, or the “agora.” Paul was intent on sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with anybody who had an ear to hear. He stood in the center of the busiest part of Athens, the center of commerce, and proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ.
Paul is now dividing his time between the Jews and the proselytes in the synagogue, and the pagans in the agora. He focused on the agora because he was able to engage directly with the Gentiles. He made himself available to anyone willing to converse with him.
As disciples, we must do the same. Like Paul, we have to be willing to converse with anybody who has real questions. I am not talking about troublemakers. We should be prepared to talk with those genuinely interested in the Gospel message.
Acts 17:18 NLT
18 He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”
The Epicureans reasoned from sense knowledge and observable evidence. They believed that we are no more than a string of atoms that separate at death into nothingness. The idea is “if it feels good, do it. If it causes pain, don’t do it, but be ethical in what you do.” Sound familiar? This thought process has been around awhile. Have you ever wondered how there can be ethics in science if ethics is not an observable element of the human body, DNA, or genome?”
The Stoics were a little different. They believed there were gods, that simply remained detached from humans. The stoics held to a unified theory of the cosmos involving physics, logic, and ethics. The universe itself as a living being. The philosophy is named after the Painted Porch (Stoa) in Athens.
They communicated well with one another until Paul reached the part about Jesus’ resurrection. This challenged their worldview, they believed death was final and there was no way around it, no way to stop it. Jesus is the way, the Truth, and the Life, Amen?
When they called Paul a “babbler,” they were referring to a bird that picks up seeds and scatters them creating a garden of different plants. Meaning that Paul was picking from different beliefs and worldviews and came up with Jesus.
We know that Paul was sharing the undiluted and unpolluted message of Christ. We also must exercise caution when sharing the Word of God. Stringing single verses together into something we want it to say is not a good idea. Especially in today's world. The only option is to stand on the pure Truth of God’s Word.
Acts 17:19 NLT
19 Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said.
These intellectuals and philosophers were genuinely interested in what Paul had to say. The Greeks were really good about sharing idea’s and debating one another. The idea was to gain knowledge even if you did not adhere to a particular worldview.
Up until about 12 years ago, it was like that here in America. People could debate, we could have different perspectives, and different worldviews without being attacked or forcibly shutdown. I pray that we can one day have conversations that do not end in division, hate, and futile arguments.
We are going to end it here tonight. Next week we will talk about Paul’s teaching at Mars Hill, the Areopagus. Please pray with me.
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