Minsitry Of Paul At Athens Series

Acts 17:16-34 Ministry of Paul at Athens

17:16-21 Paul’s Distress

17:22-31 Paul’s Discourses

17:32-34 Mixed responses to Paul’s preaching

7:16-21 Paul’s Distress

Paul was greatly distressed seeing full of idols in the city of Athens. Paul reasoned with the worshippers at the synagogue and with the god-fearing Greeks about this concern. Paul could not keep quiet with this idolatry community. He had pain and disturbed emotionally and spiritually going through their temples. Paul discussed this with the people whomsoever met on the streets and market places. He faced questions from Epicureans and Stoic philosophers about his theological understanding of the good news and resurrection. Paul has taken to the meeting Dias known as Areopagus. That is the place most of the Athenians used to spend their time doing nothing and talking vain matters. Now Paul presented the latest good news. The commitment of Paul to take the gospel made him be down with his heart and feelings. His thirst for the souls motivated him to pray, observe and share the gospel despite the previous experiences of imprisonment and persecution. Nothing can separate from the love of God.

17:22-31 Paul’s Discourses

Paul addressed the gathering over the meeting place as a people of the religious group. Paul moved around the temple and the city. He was not a tourist but a man with concern who looked at everything carefully and observed each stone and the inscription on them. The thought-provoking script was TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. He caught the point of introducing the gospel. Paul drew their attention to that unknown God, which became his subject of conversation. Paul explained that that UNKNOWN God created the heavens and the earth. He does not live in the temples built by hands. He touched the creation of Adam and the expansion of humanity all over the world. The admirable thing is that God has set the time and determined the exact place of inhabitation for every person to live. God is not far from anyone on the earth. He is the God of all nations, tribes and people groups on the earth. So everyone on the earth is the offspring of God. Therefore, God could not be contained in the images of Gold, silver or stone. God calls and urges everyone to repent, come to him and leave their ignorance. Paul ended his discourse foretelling the day of Judgement, Jesus as the Judge.

17:32-34 Mixed responses to Paul’s preaching

Paul won the hearts of few men who became followers of Christ. Also, some important persons yielded to his Preaching, namely, Dionysius and a woman named Damaris, and many others. But many had their reasons to sneer and postponed their repentance. Few wanted to have elaborate discourses on the subject of resurrection. It is the typical scenario for any preacher. In the history of the Church, the result red with this notation. Since we preach the gospel of repentance, purity and holiness the result has always mixed and troublesome. God has his way of dealing with his creation. He has set time for everyone to decide on him.

Discussion:

1. How do we react to idols and festivals?

2. Observe the essences of the discourse of Paul.

3. How do we deal with the result of sharing the Gospel?

(For further studies in the Acts of the Apostles, kindly refer to this site)