Hi there and welcome to Van Life Devotions. We are in the beautiful city of Athens and where I am standing is the Areopagus known also by its Roman name “Mars Hill”. This very spot was the scene of a remarkable message by the Apostle Paul and the commencement of the first church in Athens.
According to Acts 17 Paul left Thessalonica and came to Athens. When he arrived in Athens and walking around the streets, he became troubled to see the city full of idols. So, Paul went to the synagogue to discuss with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks what he sees and then went to the marketplace where he preached out in the open about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Athens was like the epicentre of philosophies and religious thoughts and practices and so in the marketplace were teachers from these backgrounds who started debating back at Paul. They made Paul come here where there was a form of a council that met here. What their purpose were we don’t really know however they asked Paul to share what he was teaching. Being on this very spot I want to read Paul’s excellence response in Acts chapter 17 verses 22-31.
“Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead."” (Acts 17:22-31 NIV).
This is considered a wonderful gospel presentation starting with God and His creation, concluding with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some believed and were saved, others mocked Paul and rejected his message, and still others were open-minded and desired to hear more.
What did happen is the church commenced and in time grew. One of the new converts mentioned in Acts 17 was Dionysius. It’s been said that he was appointed by Paul to be Bishop of Athens; however, he was beheaded by Emperor Domitian in 96 AD.
Paul’s short time in Athens is very relevant to our world today. Many in our community are in fact very religious with a good percentage follow New Age practices. People are hungry for something deeper than what secularism can’t offer. Paul saw their spiritual hunger and spoke the truth boldly. One of my previous churches attended New Age festivals to sell Christian books and gifts, and I was surprised by people’s openness to the gospel. Some would mock us, others were opened minded and wanted to hear more, while some believed and became followers of Jesus. Those close to you may also just be open to the reason that you believe.
Let’s pray.
God of Truth and Living Hope. We pray for our friends who are very religious but are yet to find salvation in you. May we be bold to share the hope we have in Christ. O God, preserve us who travel; surround us with your loving care; protect us from every danger; and bring us in safety to our journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Comments