Filed under: god | Tags: acts, damarius, dionysius, god, paul, silas, timothy
Read Acts 17:16-34.
1. OK, so we left off with Paul sneaking out of town and going up to Athens. Silas and Timothy were going to catch up with him.
2. Yeah, Athens would be full of idols. It was full of people who thought that they were enlightened. So…it would almost be like a Borders or a Barnes and Nobles. Have you ever seen some of the junk they have in there?
3. Paul didn’t “preach” as much as it seems that he “reasoned.” He was definitely trying to appeal to logic when talking to people about what was going on in Athens. I have to appreciate that.
4. I know the guy who the Epicurean philosophers followed were all about the pursuit of pleasure. I’m not sure that the Stoic’s were in to.
5. Yeah, they were trying to knock Paul down a few notches. Apparently, they didn’t know Paul.
6. Then again, it appears as if they were at least a little curious. They invited them to this Areopagus (which was some kind of place where they sat around, ate grapes, and discusses philosophy). So…at least they are going to let Paul talk. Then again, it seemed like they were into “trendy” new religions and philosophies, so they might not be that sincere…
7. I guess the Athenians would be considered religious. They are obsessed with thoughts of a higher power. I like that Paul tries to start with what they have in common.
8. From there, though, Paul gets going. He points out this alter “To an unknown god.” The people of Athens were just trying to cover their religious bases. Maybe they felt like God couldn’t be known. Either way, Paul tells them; oh, He can be known, alright…
9. He tells them that God isn’t so small that He would fit in a shrine or need the service of people. Have you ever thought of that fact? Ultimately, God doesn’t need us. He allows us to be included in His plans. But He is definitely not at the mercy of us.
10. He tries to point out to them that God is real, and we are His offspring. This is definitely more of intimate picture than the Athenians were probably used to.
11. Oh, and he also tells them that there is no excuse for not believing in God anymore, now that Jesus has lived on this earth and risen from the dead. So…these Athenians can’t say, “Well, how was I supposed to know?”
12. I guess some of them weren’t into the idea of resurrection from the dead. Maybe they thought Paul was telling ghost stories. I don’t know. But others seemed interested, and they followed Paul and believed. Dionysius, proved he was a smart guy. And Damarius proved she was a smart lady.
