Category: Devotions

Knowing the story 
Acts 17:23 “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. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”
This is an incredible verse if you know the background history. Paul was one of those who did. This story is recorded in history dating the 3rd century AD.

In the 6th century BC Athens was hit with a destructive plague and none of their gods could do anything about it.

Wisdom was sought and it was decided to send for Epimenides, a philosopher and a religious man who lived in Crete.

When he arrived he found a plethora of gods and goddesses but believed that there must be another God undiscovered that could help the city.

He said that if they let a hundred sheep roam free in the city and the sheep that lay down on the ground be separated for sacrifice then this would heal the city. That’s what happened and the sheep was slaughtered and within a week the city was plague-free. Where the sheep lay down an altar was erected to the Unknown God.

Paul knew this story, he would later quote the philosopher himself.

Here he was in the first century facing the Athenians. How does Paul start? 

He focuses them on their history by talking of this unknown God. Instantly they would know the ancient story of how this unknown God has already entered their city. He is not a foreign God but their God who has already come to them in their story.

Today you may be with someone who isn’t a Christian. In their life it could be that God has already been working with them. In their eyes they might simply see him as Creator God. But this is where you start, with what they have experienced and believed. 

Know your stories, maybe even the history,  that’s the key to successful mission. 

The gospel approach 
Acts 17:22 “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.”
Paul begins his gospel presentation to the non-Jews and the leading intellectual Greeks by praising them for their spirituality. It gives us 3 good lessons.
1. Do not let what is wrong with a person be our focus but start with what is right. In order to connect it needs to be based on the good. Connections fail when we are too keen to highlight the sin.
Of course being religious is not necessarily good. In fact with these people it was anything but good. They had many gods. They were full of duty and no relationship with the one true God. Therefore …

2. Even if what appears to be good in a person is actually defective and they are deceived then this does not stop you from praising them. 
3. Paul chose not to begin with Scripture (as he had done with the Jews) and it shows us that we should not commence with what the person does not know but what they do know.

The new old gospel
Acts 17:21 “(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)”
All day just discussing the latest ideas. 

Today it is the same. There are so many social media to check and then various messenger services. We are throughout the day bombarded with thoughts, opinions and ideas. Most of these not from ourselves

It has taken over our lives. We will never return. On top of this in our generation these new ideas come quick. No sooner are they here than a new idea is being developed.
For the Athenians and the foreigners, this way of life was conducive to the gospel that Paul was declaring. They were open to hear, they wanted to hear and Paul was more than happy to share.
Of course it wasn’t a new idea. The idea of the gospel is as old as time itself. It is an old gospel. There are no new ideas. But for those who hear it as a revelation to their heart it is brand new. 
In all of the information we share and receive may we never forget the old new gospel is as powerful today as it has ever been and people need to hear it more than ever.

The world is waiting for a new message, let us then give them the old gospel.

The gospel is strange to those who hear it for the first time.
Acts 17:20 “You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”

The gospel is strange to those who have never heard it. The Amplified version adds the word ‘startling’ as well as strange. 
The Message helps us to understand what was being said by, “This is a new one on us ….” I particularly like that!

This startling, strange gospel is a new one to many around the world and the stories are amazing when people ask the church planter and evangelist for further meaning! 
His name is Aung Tin, an old man and he has never heard of the Gospel before but has tried other religions and spiritism as well. 
One day one of ELIMs church planters in a nation where only 4% are Christian visited his village. The church planter shared the gospel and during his talk the old man interrupted the presentation saying “I have waited to hear of this gospel and i should have heard of this before, why haven’t I heard earlier?”

The Church planter tried to calm him down but he would not be calmed until he got what he wanted and that was baptism! 

He was baptised and insisted that the Church planter went back to the village to preach the gospel to others. When the gospel was preached there was another baptism of 8 new believers! 

“Why haven’t I heard before?” Is a challenging question and there are still many today asking that question. Our church planter in Asia is certainly doing what he can to hear that question more and more. 
May we all copy him wherever we may be.

What’s in the past?
Acts 17:19 “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?”
It is sometimes what lies behind the story that actually makes the story. When we unlock the past then the present is more understandable. This is clearly seen in our verse today. On first reading you cannot see anything more than what is being said. 

The Epicureans and Stoics take Paul to the Areopagus, a highly respected council. To be a member you had to be over 60 years of age and have had a high government office.

They ask Paul about his ‘new teaching’.

However, Paul knew about the history, six centuries earlier, Apollo who inaugurated the court of the Areopagus had declared in an Aeschylus’s play, “when a man dies, and his blood is shed on the ground, there is no resurrection.” On that same spot Paul declares that God unveiled and confirmed Himself by raising Jesus from the dead. He is writing the wrong of 600 years. 

The verse today tells us that we need to think in all circumstances, ‘what happened before?’ ‘What has the past story told us?’

Ignore the past and there will be no inspiration in the present. 

 

Be true to yourself 
Acts 17:18 “A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute 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.”
The team are in Athens and they are beginning to attract some attention. Today we read how two of the most popular philosophies at the time came to tackle him. We will discover in the next several days some of what they believed. 

This morning I am intrigued by their question, “What is this babbler trying to say?” I wonder if there is much babbling today in churches, I hope not!

The word Paul uses for ‘babbler’ means to pick at scraps of knowledge as a bird picks at the ground for small bits of food. Unprocessed thought borrowed from elsewhere. 

They accuse of him of being uncouth. They were used to fancy words to explain philosophical thoughts. Paul was different. He didn’t speak the language of the elite but of the people. 
If ever you need some confirmation to be yourself and not to adopt a ministry style, this is your verse. 

Don’t let others mould you or intimidate you to be someone you never desired or intended to be. 
On top of this, stick with your message, don’t let others take it from you or cause you to change it. Paul had always spoken of Jesus and his resurrection. So here in Athens he keeps to the same message. He gets criticised for it, but this is who he is.

Reaching people

Acts 17:17 “So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the market-place day by day with those who happened to be there.”

Paul engaged in gospel discussions in the synagogue where the Jews were joined with the Gentiles who had repented from their gods of worship and turned to the one true God. He engaged with those in the market place, the ‘whomsoever’ was there and he did it daily.

It doesn’t seem that Paul was too concerned who was there, they were going to receive his gospel message.

We are not short of people to take the gospel message to. They are everywhere.

Paul submitted to the regular services and synagogue practices and the gospel message fitted into whatever was appropriate. But he also was engaged in ad-hoc mission outside in the market place.

We are people of the 4 walls but also of beyond. We are within and without the arrangements of man. Above all we are people of the people, wherever they might be.

Paul shared the gospel every day with those who had come to the market not for the gospel. Paul knew that is how he would capture the most for the gospel.

We are people who innovatively reach the unreached and the ‘not-bothered’ crowds of people.  We do not do events, we are the event, wherever we are.

 

 

Identification

Acts 17:16 “While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.”

Whilst Paul was waiting for his team to catch him up he walked the streets of this amazing city of architecture, history and wisdom. Next to Rome it was the most important city in the Empire, the capital of business and yet through the innumerable temples, shrines and altars Athens was highly immoral. The whole Greek pantheon was there, all the gods of Olympus. Paul absorbed as much as he could, he looked at everything. He identified with it.

John writes, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). It means to pitch your tent. The world is fallen and sinful but God pitched his tent among the unclean. And so did Paul, he identified with the culture around him. As he did, he became distressed.

A report came out this week in the UK newspaper, The Telegraph:

“The state education system is producing a generation of “amoral” children who fail to understand the difference between right and wrong, according to a leading private school headmaster. Richard Walden, chairman of the Independent Schools Association, says teachers must provide pupils with a “rounded” education to equip them with the moral compass they need for life.”

You may agree or disagree. Your nation may be better than the UK. However, today, you should do what Paul did and walk around your city, town and village (v23) and identify with the culture. Surely you will also copy Paul and become distressed by what you see.

 

 

Come asap

Acts 17:15 “Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.”

Paul was now in Athens having left his team behind. Now he missed them and he needed them asap.

Asap, don’t delay.

Asap join me again.

Asap get here as those who escorted me have now left me.

Asap because I am on my own.

Asap for I am feeling small in this place.

Are you separated today from those you love and those who you have worked with?

Sometimes you just have to send the message, ‘Come to me.’

 

What to do when in the line of fire.

Acts 17:14 “The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.”

The team breaks up. Two can stay but the leader has to leave.

It is only temporary though at the time Silas and Timothy do not know this.

The leader has gone for now. He has been sent. They have stayed.

Paul is in Athens alone.

His ministry of late can be described as reaching the highs and lows. The adrenaline of success coupled with the subsequent attacks of the enemy can leave a leader drained. Was Paul drained? Luke doesn’t say and the reason for having to leave was obviously more that the threat on Paul by the Jews was bringing the young Church into dangers. The more successful Paul was the more the attacks came upon him and the Church. Sometimes that is hard to sustain. Sometimes you just have to leave.

If you notice you are the target then:

1. Get some believers to decide on a course of action with you, be accountable.
2. Act immediately, it is not going to get better or easier.
3. Get away from the situation.
4. Protect what you are leaving by appointing your replacement.