April 28, 2023 – Friday
Acts 17:18-19 NIV
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?
Comments
Paul is now in Athens Greece, approximately 300 miles South of Berea Greece. He went to the synagogue to preach as he usually did, but also went into the marketplace to teach day by day. It was there in the marketplace that 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers (see links below) 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 (see link below), where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
You may wonder why they were so interested in what Paul had to say. To understand you must know 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) They were professional thinkers and said to Paul, 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.
That was an invitation Paul would not turn down. Thus, 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. Then from verse 24 to verse 31 Paul taught them that they should not worship idols, but God. And then shared the Good News of the resurrected Christ, Jesus.
Unsurprisingly, 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. 34a Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Some of them sneered! Sounds like a reaction we would get today from many people. But others wanted to hear more! This shows the power of the Word of God. And then some became followers of Paul and believed! Paul did not quit, even when he became discouraged, he did not quit. The result, some people listened, truly listened, and became believers in the Resurrected Christ.
Paul was disgusted by all the idol worship in Athens, but he labored on, sharing the Gospel. Even when some sneered at the good news, he did not quit. The result? People became believers and were saved.
Bottom Line: Do.Not.Quit. Do.Not.Give.Up. Make it a point to love going to church on Sunday and whenever else you go. Love going, after all it is a celebration to join with fellow believers in worship and sharing in God’s word. Remember Proverbs 3:5-6, 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Word, teaching us to always persevere. And further to trust and depend upon You. We simply cannot do it on our own. Thank You. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek
PS: My links on a word are not working so here are a few links for you
Epicurean philosophy – https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epicurus/
Stoicism philosophy – https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/stoicism/
Areopagus – https://biblehub.com/topical/a/areopagus.htm