Sermon Topic: Rising to the Challenge
Sermon Text: Acts 17:16-34 (to be read during sermon)
Rosa De Burca, former employee of UNICEF (1994-2003). As the Child Protection Officer she traveled with a colleague to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1997 in an effort to help refugees who had fled inland because of abuses by rebel forces. One colleague took a picture of them before they boarded the plane, thinking he’d never see them alive again. De Burca and her colleague were met by heavily armed rebels when their plane landed but instead of torture or death the rebels took them on the two and half hour walk to the site of the refugees. De Burca and her colleague sat amongst dead bodies as they tended to 12 malnutritioned and dehydrated children. By the end of the trip more than 3,000 children were brought to UNICEF’s base in Goma (DRC).
Rising to the Challenge of The Great Commission
- A work that has risks, is bigger than we can imagine and has life and death repercussions.
- Apostle Paul in today’s text - realities of religious pluralism, mixed cultures and diverse beliefs and values were very much like our own times. This master strategist can teach us a lot about making Disciples of Christ “in our going” (Matthew 28:19).
Historical and textual background
Paul and Silas were preaching in Thessalonica. The leading Jews felt threatened and intimidated by the message Paul offered. He was offering something to the Greeks that the Jews up to this point were not able to give them. Because they feared losing their power over the people they incited a mob who was intent on making life tough for the preachers and their new message. Sounds very similar to their theatrics against Jesus that led him to be unjustly beaten, tried and sentenced to death.
As a result of the uprising Paul and Silas were rushed to Berea. In Berea the gospel was warmly received, until the Jews in Thessalonica heard about it, and went to Berea and created a stir. They just didn’t want the competition in their neighborhood at all. At this point, Paul was quickly sent to Athens, waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him once they left Berea. While Paul is waiting in Athens for his ministry associates to join him, he is deeply troubled by the things he saw, primarily the absence of God. Of course, being the Spirit-filled follower of Jesus Christ that he was, Paul did not merely pray about it, cry over it and ask God to intervene. He quickly recognized he is God’s intervention plan.
1. Paul presented Christ in a time of RELIGIOUS PLURALISM
- Not a new concept. This Scripture is an example of the relationship between the Roman Empire and the Jewish people. People could worship their God as long as they made token offerings to the Roman gods.
- V16… Note God-fearing Greeks in the middle of a religious climate of multiple belief systems and practices.
- "Distressed” Paul.
- Though he respected people’s right to choose he didn’t endorse it or it didn’t “sit well” with him.
- When one is not “distressed” with such things fallacy becomes palatable. Maybe we need to pray to be distressed regarding certain things.
2. Paul presented Christ in the context of CULTURE
- Vs17-18…
- "reasoned” with Jews and Greeks of the synagogue, (note God-fearing Greeks) and Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in the marketplace.
- Tentmaker ministry … people giving leadership to church but holding down jobs to subsidize their income because their church can’t afford a full salary. Concept from Paul. Left Athens to go to Corinth and spent time with Aquila and Priscilla (husband/wife). 18:3, “because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.”
- Text – in the marketplace – not just hanging around but probably making tents, earning a living and in the process of work and life he engaged people with the gospel.
Zoom in on the significance of the talk of Greeks, Epicurean and Stoic classes. Fascinating!
- The GREEKS were such advanced people that they had indoor plumbing in a period marked as early as 2000-1400 B.C.! They were skilled in multiple trades, were very athletic and were rich in their State religion to the Mother goddess, Demeter. Previous sermon – always on a quest for truth, the deeper life lessons that stirred up the status quo and created controversy – to Philip and Nathanael, “We want to see Jesus, can you help us?”
- EPICUREAN philosophy was founded in two basic philosophies. i) Pleasure (enjoy it while you can), and, ii) Friendship. These were the ideal values to be sought, while avoiding civic activities or involvement. An Epicurean follower would not be interested in helping the poor. They wouldn’t make a donation to the Food Bank or Christmas Kettle! A typical response of a follower of Epicurean philosophy would say of the poor and disenfranchised, “They need to accept their fate from the gods as we do and stop expecting someone else to solve their problems.”
- STOICISM school of philosophy was a major philosophy in New Testament times. Its underlying teaching was the belief that people can attain happiness by being in control of their lives. Virtue was the key to happiness and the favour of the gods. Virtue was the only thing worth working toward. Aside from that, nothing else was worth your time or interest.
So, Paul finds himself in the routine of work in the middle of a city. The religious and intellectual did not know Yahweh (Hebrew name for God), they had no interest in helping people who needed support, and were concerned only about being in control of their lives. The whole city reeked with the stench of self-satisfaction, self-glorification and self-exaltation. If it feels good, do it. If it works for you, it’s right and proper. Worship whatever gods you want, and mix together a smorgasbord of values and beliefs and you’ll do just fine. As long as you aim for virtue you can’t go wrong.
Not an easy thing to face. So too in our society. Don Posterski is an Albertan born Canadian, living in Ontario. He served as a pastor but is more widely known for his writings and research. One of his books is called “True to You – Living our Faith in our Multi-minded World.” He speaks of “emerging cultural etiquette.” He is addressing the need for the Christian community to “enhance our ability to deal with diversity.” He reminds us that “Christian evangelists feel about as welcome in the modern world as skunks at a garden party.”
Dr Mark L. Y. Chan, PhD in Hermeneutics and Christology (University of Nottingham), is a Lecturer in Theology at the Trinity Theological College, Singapore. He rightly notes, “Christians who persist in proclaiming Christ as Truth-Incarnate risk being tarred with the brush of narrow-mindedness or even bigotry.”
- The ministry of The Great Commission is not an easy task
- Our loyalty to the claim of Christ as “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn4:6) will not sit well with many people. It’s a fact of life.
- Of course if we’re not “distressed” by lies and half-truths it won’t matter.
3. Paul presented Christ in a culture IGNORANT to Jesus
It could be something like this video, Who Was Jesus?
In this climate of religious options and multi-cultural value systems Paul teaches us to
a. Be ready
- Vs19-21…
- 1 Peter 3:15 – “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
A seventeen year old Christian had engaged a classmate in conversation soon after the 9-11 attacks on New York City. The classmate was in depression about the attacks and it filtered into life in general. She searched for meaning in the rubble and evil desperately wanting peace that somehow this will all fit into a bigger plan. She spoke with her classmate and asked what there was to inspire one to embrace life. The response was, “I don’t know.”
Paul was ready. The audience to whom Paul spoke was the Areopagus, a type of philosophical review board for new ideas and teachings. This board wanted to know! It was new to their ears and they wanted to understand!
Paul’s ministry was not to impress the Greek community with his profound philosophy to which they could add their own or modify Paul’s to suit their taste. As a matter of fact, accusing Paul as a “babbler” (v. 18) was a strong, outspoken suggestion that he had no idea what he was talking about. The picture is one of a seed-picker, as a bird picks seed on the ground or a person scavenging for food scraps. In other words he was grasping for straws to promote some cockamamie idea. What did Paul do? Acts 17:18 tells us, “He preached Jesus and the resurrection.”
- Paul wasn’t interested in telling people they were wrong. He simply engaged them with an alternative – Jesus
In this climate of religious options and multi-cultural value systems we must
b. Be faithful
Paul felt his ministry in Athens was a failure. He mentioned it in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, speaking about his fear, weakness, and how he thought he lacked eloquence. Yet his message was skilled with keen insight as he used the pluralism, culture and climate to his advantage to present Christ – Vs22-31…
The results of Paul’s ministry were fun-makers, fence-sitters and followers – Vs 32-34...
WRAP UP
- There are hundreds of possibilities for beliefs about gods and divine authorities and powers
- We don’t need to try to remove ourselves from culture as if we came out of suspended hibernation from the early ages. We can live and interact in our multi-cultural reality
- God wants to use you where you live and work, to engage people about Christ.
- We’re not to fight with people about ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ but show them an alternative – Jesus!
- God does not leave us in our strength to do this, but will give us what we need – Acts 1:8, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
- Are you Rising to the Challenge?
