Turning The World Upside Down: Starting Where They're At: Acts 17:16-34

I. Paul’s Ministry in Athens Begins vs. 16-21

A. Paul couldn’t stand by and not preach. He saw lost souls everywhere. The population was 10,000 with 40,000 idols.

B. Paul as usual ministers to the Jews.

C. He also talked to the Epicureans. They believed in gods ( and that we are children of Zeus) but they don’t care about us, nor interfere in our lives. They believed that once you died that was it, and that mankind was headed for complete annihilation.

D. The Stoics were pantheist. They believed that gods were in everything, and everyone was a god. According to them mankind was headed for a cosmic absorption.

E. Idle babbler was a derogatory term, it meant for someone who plagiarized ideas and called it their own. Which is what these guys were not Paul.

II. Paul’s Address At Mars Hill vs. 22-31

A. Paul launches from what they (the Greeks) know. When people have little to no biblical knowledge. Start with what they do know. Don’t talk down to them.

B. Paul starts off with who God is (vs. 23-29).

C. He then moves onto the gospel (vs. 30-31)

III. Paul’s Ministry in Athens Continues vs. 32-34

A. Some mocked. They do that today.

B. Some politely declined.

C. Others believed. One was an elite man. Another a woman. Yahweh starts His church in Greece with these two precious souls. It is still going to this day. Imagine what these two relatively unknown Christians’ reward will be.