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Wednesday Night in the Word – Paul in the Areopagus – Acts 17:22-34 – You Are Very Religious
After Paul is invited to speak in the Areopagus, he goes there and expounds the Word of God beginning in with a very interesting sentence, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious…”
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,[c] 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.
29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
What can we learn from Paul’s message to the Areopagus?
Christians must find an ENTRY point to ENGAGE false belief
Preach God as Creator, SUSTAINER, Ruler, and DWELLS closely
God’s judgment demands CORRECT knowledge and REPENTANCE
Three Reactions from those at the Areopagus: MOCKERY, CURIOSITY and CONVERSION
Aug 22, 2012 – Acts 17, 22-34 Paul at the Aeropagus
Notes – Aug 29, 2012 – Acts 17, 22-34 You Are Very Religious, Part 2
Notes – September 5, 2012 – Acts 17, 22-34 You Are Very Religious, Part 3 [Same notes as Part 2, just updated with correct date
Notes – September 12, 2012 – Acts 17, 22-34 You Are Very Religious, Part 4
Morning Worship – How is Your Walk? In the Spirit or the Flesh? Galatians 5:16-26, Part 1
The Scriptures give us an excellent guide by which to examine our lives. The Scriptures teach us that if we truly are born again by the Spirit of God we will live in a way that overwhelmingly glorifies Him. That means that our character will slowly, or quickly, (depending on the person) conform to the character of Christ.
This conforming to Christ will be evident to all that know them. You will see it in their eyes, you will hear it in their speech, you will observe it in the way they treat the people that they are involved with, you will wonder “what has happened to Mark?” “Something is different about him, he seems to have been changed somehow.” That is because he was once walking under the bondage of the elemental spirits, under the bondage of the law and now through Christ, he has been set free to live for God to his fullest potential as a Christian and child of God.
Our time in the Word at Woodland in September will be spent in one specific passage, Galatians 5:16-26, which contains the passage most of us can quote by memory, the “fruit of the Spirit.” I plan to spend a little extra time in these verses to help us take a long hard look at our lives, me included, to verify what type of walk we have. Are we walking in the Spirit or the flesh?
Come join us at Woodland Baptist Church to ask this question and be honest with ourselves and God about where we stand and then, based on what we find…MAKE CHANGES to live a life more in conformity to God’s will. AMEN? AMEN!
10 Reasons We Have Not Reached the Unchurched by Thom Rainer
I am often amused when I hear myself identified as an expert in any area. If I am a perceived expert, it is because I have had the wonderful opportunity to listen to thousands of people over the past few decades. They are the experts; I am little more than an interested reporter.
Though much of this information could be regarded as dismal, my ultimate assessment is not that pessimistic. I believe in the God of miracles. If my conclusions focused on human ability and goodness, I would have little hope. But my conclusions presume the God of creation is on His throne.
For now, let us focus on what is wrong. Let us look with stark honesty and candor at the ineffectiveness of most American believers when it comes to sharing their faith. And in coming weeks, let us look at reversing the trend through God’s power.
1. Spiritual Lethargy
One of the main reasons many Christians do not share their faith is simply explained by the word disobedience. Spiritual lethargy takes place when we fail to obey Him. The problem for many Christians is that they are not growing spiritually, and lack of spiritual growth inevitably leads to a diminished desire to share Christ with others.
2. Growing Inclusivism
One of the faster-growing belief systems today is pluralism (all religions lead to God). A variation of pluralism called inclusivism is a dangerous doctrine that is gaining momentum in many American seminaries, Christian colleges, and churches. This view affirms that Jesus is the only way of salvation, but he can be found in other “good” religions. There is a subtle but growing belief among many Christians that somehow “good” followers will make it to heaven outside of a true Christian conversion. Our message will fall on deaf ears if this belief persists and grows.
3. Growing Disbelief in Hell
At one time, this was a view held almost entirely by unbelievers. However recent books by those claiming to be evangelicals have brought this discussion front and center. Those who truly have a desire to reach the unchurched have a burden to see people in the eternity of heaven, but they also desire to see them escape the wrath of an eternal hell. Denying the existence of hell undermines the urgency of placing one’s faith in Christ.
4. Busyness
Perhaps one of Satan’s most effective strategies is to get us so busy that we fail to do that which is such a high biblical priority. We can be deluded into complacency about the lostness of humanity around us. The unchurched are waiting for you to tell them about Jesus. They need to be on your to-do list. What priority do you give to reaching the lost?
5. Fear of Rejection
In research on this subject, I found that only one in four unchurched persons we be resistant to faith discussions. But nearly four out of ten of the unchurched will be receptive to your concern for their eternity, and more than one out three will simply be neutral to your attempts. Simply stated, fear of rejection is unfounded. The few with an antagonistic attitude are not rejecting your personally; their anger is merely a reflection of something in their past. Fear of rejection is an often-used excuse by Christians for their failure to witness. And it is just that: an excuse.
Have you used any of these reasons not to reach the unchurched? How did you overcome them? What have you done to combat them in the future?
6. A Desire to Be Tolerant
The message of the gospel, in some senses, is intolerant. The one true God insists there can be no other gods. He is a jealous God and leaves no room for other gods. In the post-modern culture of 21st century America, Christians should know the criticisms of intolerance will come. The great concern is that many Christians are unwilling to take a narrow view because they do not want to be labeled as intolerant. But Jesus never waivered in His insistence that He is the only way to the one and only true God.
7. Losing the Habit of Witnessing
Some Christians have been very active in sharing their faith with the lost and the unchurched. But, for a myriad of reasons, they get out of the habit, and it no longer becomes a priority. Witnessing, like prayer and Bible study, is a discipine. It is a habit to learn, to retain, and, if lost, to regain.
8. Lack of Accountability
Programmatic evangelism in local churches is sometimes denigrated because it is seen as a “canned” approach to witnessing. But one of the strengths of many of these programs is that some inherent system of accoutnability is built into the program itself. Accountability is likely to engender more witnessing attempts to the unchurched. Attempting more evangelistic encounters creates a habit of witnessing that then increases our zeal for evangelism.
9. Failure to Invite
When is the last time you invited an unchurched person to church? When is the last time you offered to take a person to church, or, at the very least, meet him or her at church? It’s a simple gesture, yet so few Christians do it.
10. We Go to Churches That Do Not Reach the Unchurched
We only reach one person for Christ each year for every 85 church members in the United States. That is a frightening and terrible ratio. One of the key reasons we do not reach the unchurched is that most Christians in America are members of churches that do not reach the unchurched.
I’ve now covered ten of the most common reasons Christians fail to obey the Great Commission. This list is not exhaustive though. In God’s power, however, we can reverse this trend and reach the unchurched in America.
Which area do you struggle with the most? Which area can you identify as one that can be easily improved in your life?