Athens | Engaging the Culture
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Acts 17: 16-34
1. The culture impacted Paul.
1. The culture impacted Paul.
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.
(1) A. Paul was waiting.
(1) A. Paul was waiting.
Paul was waiting for people.
He was waiting for Timothy and Silas.
It seems that Paul wanted to wait for his team.
If they went by sea it was
20 miles to the coast / 250 miles in the boat (3 days)
If by land about 12 days travel.
Sometimes we can’t wait for others.
Paul was waiting for the next ministry opportunity.
He was waiting for something to happen in the future!
God used him where he was.
Paul was waiting actively.
We are waiting on a lot of things here at church.
Waiting for God to provide money.
Waiting to see answered prayer from our redemptive relationships.
Many of you are in places of growth waiting for what God might have next.
We are all waiting....
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
How will we wait??
(1) B. Paul was observing.
(1) B. Paul was observing.
Paul was not blind to the culture.
He was observing what was going on in Athens.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Observing the world is not the same as being conformed to or loving the things of the world.
Though we encourage you to be where the lost are.
From the biblical examples we see.
I never want someone to say that Pastor told them to go do whatever to win someone to Christ.
Paul never compromised his relationship with Christ.
15 “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.
Why did Jesus say this?
So we can impact the culture we live in.
(1) C. Paul was provoked.
(1) C. Paul was provoked.
This means he was pushed to anger.
This is a good anger.
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
He observed the culture and was provoked to anger.
He had an abhorrence to what was happening.
We read that Jesus saw the crowd.
He saw the state that they were in.
He observed their condition.
He was moved with compassion on them.
What is our reaction to the culture?
Are we ok with it?
Do we ignore it?
Does it provoke us?
Are we angered and broken over culture?
This is to the point of a righteous anger.
The gospel should cause a reaction in us.
Paul observed the city full of idols.
Do we not live in a city full of idols?
What is our response to that?
2. Paul’s anger led to personal action.
2. Paul’s anger led to personal action.
17 So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present.
(2) A. Paul engaged where he had opportunity.
(2) A. Paul engaged where he had opportunity.
He went to the synagogue.
He went to the market place.
He put action to his burden and he did it in the proper place.
He just began having conversations with anyone who would listen.
He didn’t have a circle of people so he made a circle of people.
He was not condemning them - he was engaging them!
We often want a big stage - we want to make the BIG difference.
But we fail to engage or confront where we can.
(2) B. Paul’s opportunity grew because of his faithfulness.
(2) B. Paul’s opportunity grew because of his faithfulness.
18 And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming?
20 “For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.”
21 (Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)
Some philosophers bumped into him in the marked.
As much as we strategize and pursue people, never forget that this is God’s thing!!
Opportunities might not come from the places you think they will.
But, God isn’t going to use us if we are idle.
Let’s look at how this interaction took place.
What does this babbler have to say?
Paul was not speaking with deep philosophical words.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
Paul was talking in such a way that all in the marketplace could understand.
These men were intrigued.
Not for the right reasons.
They were learners.
Simply for the sake of learning.
But they still had a desire to hear more.
So they take Paul to the Areopagus or Mars Hill to speak on this “new” thing they have heard.
(2) C. Paul was prepared for his increased opportunity.
(2) C. Paul was prepared for his increased opportunity.
a. Paul connected with the men.
a. Paul connected with the men.
22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.
Paul is not commending them because they are religions.
He is connecting with them.
It was important to them.
He will soon point out the flaws in their religious lives.
How quick are we to point out a flaw or sin in someone we witness to rather than connect with them.
b. Paul cared about what was important to the men.
b. Paul cared about what was important to the men.
23 “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.
He examined their objects of worship and spoke to those things.
As you build a relationship with others - make sure you care about what they care about.
Then pray for wisdom to use those things to point to the gospel.
c. Paul addressed the fears of the men.
c. Paul addressed the fears of the men.
23 “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.
The unknown god.
Think about the open door that was created!
What fears are your “ONE’s” facing?
This is why it is important to keep our head on straight.
d. Paul preached the truth of the gospel.
d. Paul preached the truth of the gospel.
Paul understood they were
religious
he figured out what was important to them
he learned what fears they had
and spoke to them on that level.
That’s one of the reason that the Romans Road is not the most effective way to share the gospel.
Were are the people you are trying to reach?
Take some time to study them.
In all of this Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to them!