LIVING IN A DIVERSE CULTURE – PART 1
Text: Acts 17:16-21
Introduction
1. A conversation I had recently with someone in the church struck me as very profound. He said, “I never knew that inviting people to church was so hard!”
2. The truth is, in the culture we are living in it has become harder than it’s ever been. We’ve always considered the United States to be a Christian nation, but now, we are living in what is considered a post-Christian era in American history.
3. In times past, we could say, “But the Bible says…”. However, fewer and fewer people accept the Bible as the Word of God, and sadly, some Christians have even begun to doubt the Bible.
4. I’m currently reading a book entitled, The Deconstruction of Christianity by Alisa Childers, and in this book, she describes how many people who were formerly strong Christians, are now not only leaving the Church, but are leaving the faith altogether.
5. Yes, it’s getting harder to invite people to church, and even harder to lead them to Christ.
6. We have to change our tactics or lose the game.
7. Read Acts 17:16-21
Transition: From Paul’s time in Athens, we learn we need to…
I. Let God Break Your Heart for the Lost (16-17).
A. He Was Deeply Troubled
1. While it is true that proclaiming the Good News in a diverse society is difficult, that doesn’t mean that we should give up and not make the attempt. Paul shows us this in our text.
a. He went to Athens, and as he usually did, went right to the synagogue and began telling the people there about Jesus using the Hebrew Scriptures as his base. He knew they were familiar with the scriptures, and he used it to his advantage.
b. However, he also spoke in the public marketplace to people who didn’t know the scriptures, and so, he had to change his approach.
c. Instead of using the scriptures, he used something they did understand.
d. This shows us that it is possible to proclaim the Good News without using the Bible for those that aren’t familiar with it, or don’t agree with it.
2. One of the things we see about Paul is that he was able to keep his passions about his beliefs in check when ministering to others. Look at what Luke tells us in v. 16, “While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.”
a. Athens was what we would consider today a cosmopolitan city.
b. It was filled with all kinds of art, sculptures, paintings, and writings of various kinds.
c. It was the place of philosophers like Plato and Socrates.
d. However, it was also filled with all kinds of false religions, idolatry, and wickedness.
e. When Paul saw all of this in the city, Luke tells us he was deeply troubled. This comes from a Greek word that means, “sudden, violent, emotion.”
f. He was filled with a combination of anger and deep sadness. He saw an intelligent and talented people who were living in spiritual blindness.
g. All of this spiritual ignorance made Paul’s blood boil and his heart break.
h. There are two things we need to notice about Paul’s reaction to what he experienced in Athens. First, it caused him to want to share the Gospel with them. He wanted to use all that he had inside of him to bring to them the truth about Jesus. It moved him into action.
i. Second, we should notice what Paul didn’t do; he didn’t shout, criticize, condemn or belittle them. Instead, he had compassion for them.
j. When we meet or see someone that is not living a Christian life, it angers us, but it also should lead us to have compassion on them and want to tell them about Jesus.
k. Unfortunately, too many Christians treat people like this with contempt and condemn them. But these same Christians forget where they have come from; they forget that they too were once lost in sin and were living far from God.
l. We should be like Paul and be moved to compassion for these people. We should be moved to share Jesus with them.
3. Next, Luke shows us how Paul was moved to action. In v. 17 it says, “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.”
a. Like I mentioned earlier, and like we have seen in the preceding chapters, Paul’s first move was to go and minister in the synagogue.
b. When he was there, it says that Paul reasoned with them. This means that he proclaimed the Good News, but he also left room for them to ask questions.
c. Again, Paul does this is a respectful and open way. He doesn’t shove it down their throat, but rather he merely shares the truth with them in a way they could understand.
d. When he wasn’t in the synagogue, he went to the public square, known as the Agora, which was a place of political, cultural, and economic center of the city. In other words, he went to where the people were.
e. Luke tells us that when he was there “he spoke daily to all who happened to be there,” which means he spoke to anyone who would listen.
f. But again, he didn’t belittle or condemn anyone. He just told them about Jesus.
g. This could be the reason that when we are witnessing all we see are elbows and heels! It’s more than just about people not wanting to hear it; it’s because nobody wants to be yelled at and told that they are sinners. Guess what? They already know that!
h. “The good news about the Good News is that we can share it in an inoffensive manner! Ask God for an opportunity to engage in dialogue about your faith.” (Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, Acts, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1999), 299).
i. We need to have compassion on the lost, not contempt.
B. He Had Compassion on Them
1. Illustration: Those of you who have been around the last couple of years know that I spent the summer of 1982 doing missions work in the city of Amsterdam, Holland. It was there that God changed my heart for the lost. While I was there, I encountered some people who were lost, and I mean lost with a capital T! At first, I didn’t want to be there or around these people, but God changed my attitude. I saw a poster that talked about having compassion instead of contempt for the lost.
2. Church let’s allow God to let our hearts break for the lost like his does.
a. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36).
b. It is imperative that we have the heart of Jesus for a lost and dying world.
c. Instead of seeing them as someone who is lost in sin, that we see them as someone confused and helpless and in need of Jesus.
d. Rather than seeing someone as “one of those,” let’s start seeing them as “like we used to be.”
e. Let’s be honest, none of us in this room came out of the womb saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
f. We came into this world as sinners lost, confused, and helpless, but someone had compassion on us and told us about Jesus.
g. So, let’s return the favor to someone else; let’s have compassion on them and share Jesus with them.
Transition: Another thing we learn from Paul’s time in Athens is to…
II. Be a Friend to the Lost (18-21).
A. Come and Tell Us About This New Teaching
1. Another thing that Paul did was he got in the ring with some of the big hitters of the day. In v.18 Luke tells us, “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.”
a. Paul got in a debate with two different groups of philosophers.
b. The first group, the Epicureans, believed that the purpose of life was pleasure and happiness; if it feels good, do it.
c. They also believed that if there was a god that he created everything and then just stepped back and let things happen; he didn’t interfere in the affairs of humans.
d. The second group of philosophers were the Stoics. They were completely the opposite of the Epicureans, because they avoided pleasure (talk about a diverse culture, right?).
e. They felt their purpose was to become one with the universe and this was done through duty and self-discipline. This led to pride and self-sufficiency (I am the master of my own fate).
f. Luke tells us that Paul debated with them, which in this context means the batting around ideas.
g. So, again, Paul just had a conversation with them. No shouting or finger pointing from Paul.
h. If anything, these philosophers were the ones shouting and name calling.
i. They accused Paul of being a “babbler,” which refers to someone who picks up scraps of information from different places and then communicates them in an unsophisticated way.
j. This was not a compliment! They were basically calling Paul an ignorant showoff.
k. This shows us that no matter how nice we are about it, there are going to be people who treat us with contempt for our faith in Christ.
l. But we need to be like Christ, and not return their insults.
2. After Paul’s debate with the philosophers, “Then they took him to the high council of the city. “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.”
a. The conversations that Paul had in the marketplace opened up other doors for him.
b. He was invited to speak before the Areopagus, which was kind of like being taken before the Supreme Court. However, by Paul’s time they had been reduced to supervising religion and education.
c. But I want you to notice that Paul wasn’t in trouble, on the contrary, they wanted to know more about what Paul was teaching.
d. You see, these people loved to hear about new ideas and religious beliefs, so, Paul had a captive audience.
e. The word “know” will be used a lot in the rest of this chapter.
f. Here were some of the greatest thinkers in the Western world, and now they had the opportunity to hear about the greatest knowledge in the world - God had entered human existence in order to redeem fallen humans and given them not the opportunity of knowing a philosophy, but the chance to know a person, Jesus Christ!
g. So, without raising his voice, or quoting the Bible, these people asked Paul to “tell us more!”
3. Now look at the editorial note that Luke gives us in v. 21. He says, “(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.)”
a. Luke tells us that Paul had the opportunity to speak to a group of people who did nothing all day long except listen to the latest ideas.
b. It was as if God laid it out for Paul on a red carpet. He got the chance to share the Gospel with people who loved hearing about new ideas.
c. Paul thru out the seed, and now he had a fertile soil for it to fall on. He merely had conversations with people about Jesus and God opened the door!
d. So, be like Paul!
B. Unless Someone Tells Them
1. Illustration: "You don't have to be any more talented, any richer, any slimmer, any smarter, any more or less of anything to partner with God. All you have to be is willing to be used by him in everyday way.” (Bill Hybels, Just Walk Across the Room).
2. Sharing the Good News about Jesus is as simple as making yourself available.
a. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? (Rom. 10:13-14).
b. You don’t have to be skinny, rich, athletic, or good looking to tell people about Jesus.
c. You don’t have to be highly intelligent, talented, or articulate to tell people about Jesus.
d. However, you have to be available and flexible to tell people about Jesus.
e. Every day you need to pray, “Jesus use me today!”
f. Every day you need to pray, “Jesus open doors for me today!”
g. Every day you need to be open to be used by the Holy Spirit.
h. “for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.” (Lk. 12:12).
Conclusion
1. Sharing Jesus with people is about…
a. Having compassion for the lost
b. Being a friend to the lost
2. What’s the point preacher? Be willing every day for God to use you to tell people what’s so good about the Good News.
