Evangelism: Sharing With A Passion

May 25, 2008

Read Acts 17:16-34

V16-18

• The Apostle Paul has just been chased out of Thessalonica, being secretly sent away at night to a place called Berea. There he found great success as many believed the truths of scripture and became born again. But when the Jews found out what he was doing in Berea, they came there also and he was placed on a ship that brought him to Athens. And this is where we pick up our story in Acts 17.
• Paul could have said, “I’ve been chased out of two places; I’ll just sit back, relax, and wait on my buddies Silas and Timothy to join me, and I’m not going to stir up anything.” But the key here is God decided to stir up something within him. Verse 16 says Paul was stirred up or greatly disturbed; it carries the notion of experiencing sharp pain. It’s very hard to ignore sharp pain. On the other hand if it’s discomfort you just keep it moving. Question: What caused this uproar in Paul? He saw the city full of idols.
• In that day it was said of Athens that it was easier to find an idol than your friend. Athens was home to the most famous of philosophers - Socrates, his student Plato, and his student Aristotle. Although at this time the city was in decline, being part of the Roman Empire, it was still considered to be the intellectual capital of the world. Paul could have arrived there and said, “I’ve always wanted to see Athens, the Parthenon (which is considered the most architecturally sophisticated building in history), and the Acropolis (which overlooks the city).” Instead Paul arrived in the great city of Athens, not as a sightseer, but as a soul winner.
• In order to be stirred up like Paul, we must have open eyes and broken hearts. Notice first he goes to where the people were - the Synagogue and the marketplace. So much for relaxing, as two groups hear him – Stoics (believed that gods were everywhere and in everything; they were the tree huggers of their day) and Epicureans (worshippers of pleasure, and that the chief goal in life was to have fun). These groups give Paul a name - Babbler or Seed Picker. It’s the idea of a person who picks up seeds of thought here and there and fashions them into his own unoriginal, plagiaristic philosophy. But God uses it, as it generates some interest.

V19-23

• Both of the responses Paul received - ridicule and confusion - he used to his advantage, yet when we face people who come off like this, we often write them off immediately as unreachable. In verse 20 they call what Paul said, strange, and that’s because neither group believed in a resurrection, so it captured their attention. They loved to hear new things, not true things. Don’t mistake this as being good, for this is the prevailing attitude of our society, and here’s why it’s so dangerous:
  1. It causes rebellion not submission - 2 Timothy 3:7-8
  2. It challenges biblical truth instead of reaffirming it - 1 Timothy 6:20-21
  3. It produces arguments not peace - 1 Timothy 6:3-5

V24-34

• Paul shows us how to be led by the Spirit and be tactful all at once. Notice these 5 points:
  1. He meets them where they were (v22-23) - instead of tearing them down for their idols, he commends them for having a desire to worship something
  2. He uses the familiar to bridge the gap to the unfamiliar (v23b-24a) - Paul says, “That inscription you have about the unknown God, I know Him, let me tell you about Him.”
  3. He immediately focuses their attention on God and His attributes (v24b-28) - the Greek religion was nothing more than a deification of human attributes; the Greek myths spoke of gods and goddesses that had rivalries and ambitions and acted more like humans than deity
  4. He used language and illustrations they could understand (v28) - he quotes a line from one of their own philosophers; he knows his audience
  5. He makes the message personal (v29-31) - “You must repent,” it’s not enough to say that’s good
• Look at their response to the gospel. Interestingly, we see each in our society today (v32-34):
  1. Some laughed - to a Greek this was foolishness, how can a dead man be raised again to live forever; they mocked Noah for 100 years, until judgment came and they missed the boat
  2. Others procrastinated - “Interesting, I’ll here you again on this matter;” Oh really, Hebrews 3:15 says today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart; no special points for procrastination, it’s the same as rejection, for if they died in this state they would receive the same result as outright rejection
  3. Some believed - no matter the ridicule, the rejection, this makes it all worth it; question: as you look at your surroundings today, are you like most? Sightseeing or are you what scripture commands - soul winning?