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Asa-Ministries
International
Bringing The Good News Of Jesus Christ
To All Nations
Making
Disciples Since 1992
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The One and Only Gospel
Acts 17:16 - 34
Acts 17:1 - 34
OPEN
- As
we begin, share with the group one thing you have learned this month
in the study we are in.
DIG
- As we read this
passage, look for what it teaches us about God.
- Let's
begin our study with an atlas. Anyone have a map in the back of your
bible? Let's locate where Athens was on which missionary journey of Paul.
- What
do you know about Athens in Paul's day? What city would you compare it
to today? By the way, how has Athens been in the news lately?
- What
do you observe about Athens from this passage?
- Note
that it says "All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived
there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening
to the latest ideas." Would you say this is true of American? Do
they love to talk about the latest ideas?
- What
do you learn from Paul's approach? What do you think Paul's philosophy,
or strategy in reaching Athenians?
- Notice
that Paul does not mention Jesus by name in this passage. Do you think
this is an intentional omission? Why would Paul do this?
- What
evidence do you see of Paul's knowledge of the culture in this
passage?
- Note
that he quotes Greek writing in verse 28. Do you think he actually
read Greek literature, or just picked this up in conversation?
- Do
you think. . .
* We should intentionally avoid reading secular literature, or
* We should be intentional about reading secular literature, or
* We should read secular literature if we feel like it; there is
neither virtue, nor danger in reading it, or
* We should be careful and discerning about picking and choosing what
secular literature we read.
- Paul
seems to go to great lengths to get in rapport with the Athenians.
What does this teach us about how we should do church or do our
evangelism?
- Someone
look up 1 Corinthians 2:1 - 5 and read that for us. Paul visited
Corinth just after Athens. I might also note,
that, as far as we know, Paul never established a Church in Athens,
which was rare for him. What does this passage teach us that Paul
might have learned after the Athens experience?
- In
another passage, Paul teaches the importance of adapting the
presentation of the gospel to the audience. Someone look up 1 Cor.
9:19-23, while we listen. When we have read it, I am going to call on
one of you to summarize what we read, so be ready.
- Here
are two principles that we must hold on to in our personal evangelism
and in the way we run our churches. One is that we must stay close to
the cross. The other is that we must adapt the presentation of the
Gospel to our audience. Do you think churches tend to do too much in
accommodating the gospel to the world, or do to
little in relating the gospel to the world?
- What
would be an example of the legitimate adaptation of the presentation
of the gospel message so that it communicates with our world.
- What
would be an example of an inappropriate adaptation toward a secular
audience?
- Suppose
someone had stood up in this audience and said, "Paul, with all
due respect. We are religious. We are sincere. We are good, moral
people-as good as any Christians you would find. If we are not good
enough for your God, I think your God is too picky." How do you
think Paul might have responded?
- This
month we have been talking about the exclusiveness of the gospel. What
is God so narrow?
- How
would you respond to a friend who "complained" that
Christianity is just too narrow?
- Let's
close by focusing our attention on verses 26 - 28. What does this
passage teach us about God?
- Is
God far away, or close?
- Is
God easily responsive, or hard to get through to?
- Could
everyone in this room be very close to God right now if they wanted
to?
- Let's
close in prayer, asking the God who is in this room, to be in our
lives. Let's invite Him again to be in every corner of our lives.
2. Acts 17:16-34
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly
distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17So he
reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well
as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18A
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. 19Then 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? 20You
are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want 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.)
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus
and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very
religious. 23For 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.
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 hands. 25And
he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he
himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From
one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole
earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where
they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and
perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each 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 man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such
ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For
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 all men by raising him from
the dead."
32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them
sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this
subject." 33At that, Paul left the Council. 34A
few men 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.
3. Ask it if you dare!
4. Alternatively, you could display it on a display map if you
have one. There is something to be said for people finding it themselves.
Here is a map from my WORDSearch Bible.
5. Do American love their talk shows?
6. 1 Cor. 2:1-5 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come
with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony
about God. [2] For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except
Jesus Christ and him crucified. [3] I came to you in weakness and fear, and
with much trembling. [4] My message and my preaching were not with wise and
persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, [5] so
that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
7. 1 Cor. 9:19-23 Though I am free and belong to no man, I
make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. [20] To the
Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became
like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win
those under the law. [21] To those not having the law I became like one not
having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's
law), so as to win those not having the law. [22] To the weak I became
weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all
possible means I might save some. [23] I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
8. One thing churches all across America are doing is starting
"contemporary" worship services. These services employ music that
is more relevant to the music of our culture. I think this is a positive
step. I grew up as a missionary's kid and see this as a sound, basic
missionary strategy.
9. Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be
saved."
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