In Translation
Opening Prayer
You alone are God. You alone are worthy of worship. You are Lord of the universe and Lord of my life.
Read Acts 17:16–34
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
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.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Think about the values, interests and challenges in the places you frequent: work, at school or at the gym.Paul’s address at the meeting of the Areopagus is a master class in the art of fitting content to the context. Athens was a cosmopolitan melting pot of cultures and religions. Its residents’ greatest enjoyment was to sit around thinking and discussing ideas (21); they were open to anything and everything.
There are several things we can learn from how Paul chose to preach in this setting. Firstly, he showed he had an understanding of who they were and what mattered to them (22,23). Secondly, he set out the contrast between the one true God and their idols (24). Thirdly, he quoted their own philosophers—Epimenides and Aratus—to make his argument (28). And lastly, in no way does he water down or change the fundamentals of the Gospel (30,31). The death and resurrection of Jesus is central to Christianity; it was shocking and even ridiculous to most of those listening to Paul that day. It is still shocking and ridiculous to most who hear it today. And yet it is the power of salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16).
Apply
In what settings can you share your faith? How can you share the Gospel in a way that relates to those you are in relationship with?
Closing prayer
God, help me to see through the eyes of those I know. Help me find and use the right words to share Your Gospel.
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