Bible ReadingActs 17:16–3416. While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols.
[42:20]17. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
[42:46]18. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
[42:56]19. They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you are presenting?”
[43:21]20. “Because what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean.”
[50:52]21. All the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.
[51:16]22. So Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, “People of Athens, I see that you are extremely religious in every respect.”
[51:43]23. “For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”
[52:04]24. “The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth—does not live in shrines made by hands.”
[52:40]25. “Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.”
[52:51]26. “From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.”
[53:06]27. “He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”
[53:17]28. “For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’”
[53:40]29. “Since, then, we are God’s offspring, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.”
[53:50]30. “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent.”
[54:03]31. “Because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
[54:13]32. When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him, but others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.”
[01:06:02]33. So Paul left their presence.
[01:06:13]34. However, some people joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
[01:06:19]Matthew 22:37–3937. He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
38. “This is the greatest and most important command.”
39. “The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
[34:31]Matthew 9:36–3836. When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.
[01:25:11]37. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.”
38. “Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
[01:26:41]John 1:1414. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
[01:18:57]Observation questions- What does Paul see in Athens, how does it affect him, and where does he go as a result of what he sees?
- What details does Paul notice about the Athenians’ worship, and how does the altar “To an Unknown God” become a starting point for his conversation? [51:43]
- In Acts 17:24–29, what specific contrasts does Paul make between the living God and the idols of Athens?
- What three responses do people have when they hear about Jesus’ resurrection, and which two people are specifically named among those who believed? [01:06:19]
Interpretation questions- Paul begins with something familiar to the Athenians, but he does not leave out repentance, judgment, or the resurrection. Why is it important for a Christian to connect the gospel to a person’s real life without changing the message of the gospel? [56:22]
- Acts 17 says that God is not far from people, yet it also says that God commands all people to repent. How can both God’s closeness and the call to turn from sin bring hope to someone who feels distant from God?
- Paul says that the resurrection of Jesus is God’s proof that Jesus will judge the world rightly. Why would the resurrection be necessary for both the seriousness and the hopefulness of the gospel? [01:04:31]
- Jesus is full of grace and truth. How might an unhealthy emphasis on only truth or only grace contribute to people being wounded by churches or staying away from Christian community? [01:18:57]
Application questions- Who are the people regularly present where you live, work, learn, play, or worship? What might change if you began to see them not merely as familiar faces, difficult people, or strangers, but as people loved by God who need Jesus? [01:27:21]
- Is there a person or group of people whose sin, beliefs, or behavior makes it easier for you to withdraw, complain, or feel superior? What would it look like to respond with the kind of compassion that moves toward people rather than away from them? [49:35]
- Think of one person who may be de-churched, spiritually curious, skeptical, or far from God. What could a patient next conversation look like—perhaps listening to their story, asking a thoughtful question, sharing part of your testimony, or asking how you can pray for them? [01:10:06]
- Have you ever treated a first conversation about faith as if it had to produce an immediate decision? How does the reality of ridicule, curiosity, and belief encourage faithfulness in ongoing gospel conversations? [01:07:54]
- Are there traditions, preferences, routines, or comforts that may be taking a place in your heart that belongs only to Jesus? How can you tell when a good tradition has become an idol that keeps love for people and gospel mission at a distance? [01:24:08]
- Is there someone you know who has been hurt by a church? How could you show both grace and truth in a way that does not minimize their pain but points them toward the healing and healthy community Jesus desires? [01:20:31]
- What would it look like this week to walk or drive through your neighborhood, pray specifically for the people there, and ask at least one person, “How can I pray for you?” [01:28:47]
