Engaging Culture: Paul's Heartfelt Call to Repentance
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Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "The gospel was never meant to be conformed to culture. The gospel was always meant to transform culture. The problem is, we try to conform the gospel to culture. We try to make it to where people will understand it based on their culture, and we take the gospel and make it something that was never intended to be, because we try to warp it into what people already believe." [24:49]
2. "Are you heartbroken for anyone that doesn't know Jesus Christ? Because it's real easy not to be. It's real easy just to go through life, and until you reach that point where your heart is broken for the lost, the gospel is not going to be something you take to people. If there's no, if you're not heartbroken for them, you're not going to take the gospel to them." [36:22]
3. "He gives them this opportunity to repent. He doesn't just give them information and then be like, do with it what you will. He tells them what they should do with it. He explains the whole thing to them. Now, granted, this looks a lot different than most of the gospel proclamations that Paul makes in Acts that we see before this, right? Because he's talking to Jews who already know about God, who know about the Old Testament, who know about the prophets." [26:12]
4. "So Paul is presenting the entire gospel to the Athenians. He's not trying to water it down. He's not trying to make it something that fits neatly into what they already believe, because here's the thing. He's not trying to make it something that fits neatly into what they already believe, because here's the thing. Here's the deal. The gospel was never meant to be conformed to culture. The gospel was always meant to transform culture." [24:49]
5. "So Paul is not, he's coming in letting them know basically where their mistake has been made. For lack of a better way to say it. He's coming in, not that you guys are so far gone there's no hope for you, but you're already worshiping this God that you don't know. You want to make sure all your bases are covered. So you've got all these idols." [16:57]
### Quotes for Members
1. "He critically engaged the Athenians, okay? He countered what they believed with the truth of the gospel. It wasn't just, nope, you're wrong, this is the truth, see you later. He was able, since he understood the culture, he was able to counter what they believed. He critically engaged them. So this is, by all accounts, a paraphrase of what actually happened at the Oropagus. This was not a five-minute conversation by Paul. This was a long, drawn-out conversation, really. And he was able to engage them because he understood their culture, but he also understood what he believed." [31:49]
2. "So here's Paul. He presents these things, as we saw in that outline, to counter what the Athenians already believed, but not in a way, in a sensitive way, I guess I should say, a culturally sensitive way. Not that he changed the gospel to fit their culture, but showed them how the gospel is counter to their culture, right? Because this is what we see in the way Paul engaged the culture, okay? So here's Paul's example yet again. He was heartbroken for the Athenians." [27:27]
3. "So Paul, standing in the midst of the Oropagus, said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I pass along and observe the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, To the unknown God. What therefore you worship, is unknown. This I proclaim to you. So Paul is not, he's coming in letting them know basically where their mistake has been made. For lack of a better way to say it. He's coming in, not that you guys are so far gone there's no hope for you, but you're already worshiping this God that you don't know." [16:24]
4. "He saw all these idols, and he saw this altar to an unknown God, and was heartbroken for these people because he knew they didn't know the truth. And then he understood the culture. Now this is this is a fine line. This is where we often slip up. Understanding the culture and condoning cultural things are two different things. Paul did not condone the false parts of what they believed in their culture. He confronted them with the gospel." [29:02]
5. "So Paul is presenting the entire gospel to the Athenians. He's not trying to water it down. He's not trying to make it something that fits neatly into what they already believe, because here's the thing. He's not trying to make it something that fits neatly into what they already believe, because here's the thing. Here's the deal. The gospel was never meant to be conformed to culture. The gospel was always meant to transform culture." [24:49]
Ask a question about this sermon
1. "The gospel was never meant to be conformed to culture. The gospel was always meant to transform culture. The problem is, we try to conform the gospel to culture. We try to make it to where people will understand it based on their culture, and we take the gospel and make it something that was never intended to be, because we try to warp it into what people already believe." [24:49]
2. "Are you heartbroken for anyone that doesn't know Jesus Christ? Because it's real easy not to be. It's real easy just to go through life, and until you reach that point where your heart is broken for the lost, the gospel is not going to be something you take to people. If there's no, if you're not heartbroken for them, you're not going to take the gospel to them." [36:22]
3. "He gives them this opportunity to repent. He doesn't just give them information and then be like, do with it what you will. He tells them what they should do with it. He explains the whole thing to them. Now, granted, this looks a lot different than most of the gospel proclamations that Paul makes in Acts that we see before this, right? Because he's talking to Jews who already know about God, who know about the Old Testament, who know about the prophets." [26:12]
4. "So Paul is presenting the entire gospel to the Athenians. He's not trying to water it down. He's not trying to make it something that fits neatly into what they already believe, because here's the thing. He's not trying to make it something that fits neatly into what they already believe, because here's the thing. Here's the deal. The gospel was never meant to be conformed to culture. The gospel was always meant to transform culture." [24:49]
5. "So Paul is not, he's coming in letting them know basically where their mistake has been made. For lack of a better way to say it. He's coming in, not that you guys are so far gone there's no hope for you, but you're already worshiping this God that you don't know. You want to make sure all your bases are covered. So you've got all these idols." [16:57]
### Quotes for Members
1. "He critically engaged the Athenians, okay? He countered what they believed with the truth of the gospel. It wasn't just, nope, you're wrong, this is the truth, see you later. He was able, since he understood the culture, he was able to counter what they believed. He critically engaged them. So this is, by all accounts, a paraphrase of what actually happened at the Oropagus. This was not a five-minute conversation by Paul. This was a long, drawn-out conversation, really. And he was able to engage them because he understood their culture, but he also understood what he believed." [31:49]
2. "So here's Paul. He presents these things, as we saw in that outline, to counter what the Athenians already believed, but not in a way, in a sensitive way, I guess I should say, a culturally sensitive way. Not that he changed the gospel to fit their culture, but showed them how the gospel is counter to their culture, right? Because this is what we see in the way Paul engaged the culture, okay? So here's Paul's example yet again. He was heartbroken for the Athenians." [27:27]
3. "So Paul, standing in the midst of the Oropagus, said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I pass along and observe the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, To the unknown God. What therefore you worship, is unknown. This I proclaim to you. So Paul is not, he's coming in letting them know basically where their mistake has been made. For lack of a better way to say it. He's coming in, not that you guys are so far gone there's no hope for you, but you're already worshiping this God that you don't know." [16:24]
4. "He saw all these idols, and he saw this altar to an unknown God, and was heartbroken for these people because he knew they didn't know the truth. And then he understood the culture. Now this is this is a fine line. This is where we often slip up. Understanding the culture and condoning cultural things are two different things. Paul did not condone the false parts of what they believed in their culture. He confronted them with the gospel." [29:02]
5. "So Paul is presenting the entire gospel to the Athenians. He's not trying to water it down. He's not trying to make it something that fits neatly into what they already believe, because here's the thing. He's not trying to make it something that fits neatly into what they already believe, because here's the thing. Here's the deal. The gospel was never meant to be conformed to culture. The gospel was always meant to transform culture." [24:49]
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