Out of the Frying Pan....

Paul gets rushed out of Berea after some Jews from Thessalonica find out he is preaching the message there and follow him there to stir up trouble. Their hatred for the gospel was so deep they traveled 45 miles to try and stop it. Some of the new believers realized they needed to step up and get Paul out of there, so they went to the coast and boarded a ship to Athens. Oh, Athens. The center for philosophy, universalism, and a city of idols worshipped by those who wanted to have the latest thing. Athens was the "trends central," and whatever was "hot" was what they fell to worship and promote. Does this sound familiar? It should! America is a hotbed for trends and has been for many years, but the difference now is that religious trends have replaced a very present gospel message. The city of Athens had never heard anything Paul would share with them, and they were interested. Here is how He presented his case. Acts 17: 17 He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. 18 He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”

This did not quiet Paul, and he continued to tell them about the unknown God. They even had a statue for "just in case" they had missed one. And they had missed one—THE ONE!! Their interest caused them to take Paul to the city's high council. The following is what happened next. Acts 17: “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said. 20 “You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” 21 (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.) 22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.

The next words Paul spoke "rocked their world," and the response was less than good. Acts 17: 24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. 27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. 30 “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. 31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

Paul's preaching moved into a realm of understanding only those who know Jesus and His salvation can fully grasp. The "learned" leaders were confused, at best, and what a person does when they are convicted many times is make fun of the messenger and the message. Acts 17 32 When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt. Paul had shared the gospel's message in full detail, and the response by some of them was to laugh at him and the message he shared. But.......God was not through. Acts 17: but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” 33 That ended Paul’s discussion with them, 34 but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. One of the members of the council became a believer, and also another lady named Damaris believed. The message came through, God moved, and lives were changed.

Never underestimate the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Know that even the educated elites have to deal with the pure truth of the Word of God. This should give us all a "holy boldness" and empower us to trust God to use the message of the Word of God, even when it comes up against the worldly knowledge that most trust in. Man's most significant attempts at knowledge pale when put up against the wisdom of God and His Word. Trust His Word!!!

Paul went out of the frying pan in Berea into the fire in Athens and God protected him and the message and lives were changed. If you know someone who is not a believer perhaps God is putting them on your heart to share the message and let the Word speak and convict. Only God can satisfy the longing for true happiness. C.S. Lewis said it well when he said the following: “Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” People seek God and don't even know it, so when we offer God through the gospel's message, they find what they genuinely seek. That is POWER!!

Vesselogicla Out,

David Warren