Acts Lesson 24 ➣ Paul Continues His Mission, 50AD ➣ Acts 17:1-34 ● Paul and Silas had departed from Antioch, Syria, for Paul's Second Missionary Journey in 48AD. ● Passing through the towns of Derbe and Lystra, then through the regions of Phrygia and Galatia, they traveled west to the city of Troas on the coast of the Aegean Sea. ● Paul collected two additional ministry partners along this route: (1) young Timothy joined the team at Lystra; and (2) doctor Luke, author of Acts, joined the team at Troas. ● In the middle of the night at Troas, Paul saw a vision of a Macedonian man calling him to "Come over to Macedonia and help us." ● The next day, Paul and his team departed for Macedonia and arrived at the city of Philippi, where they would win Lydia and her household to the Lord. ● Shortly afterward, Paul cast an evil spirit out of a slave girl, resulting in his and Silas' imprisonment; but God brought a midnight earthquake, resulting in the jailer's salvation. ● After being released from prison and saying farewell at Lydia's house, Paul, Silas and Timothy departed from Philippi, leaving Luke to stay with the new believers.

Throngs at Thessalonica ▲Reasoning in the synagogue

Acts 17:1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,'" he said.

▲Receptivity and salvation Acts 17:4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.

▲Resistance and rioting in the streets Acts 17:5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

▲Retreat to a safer setting Acts 17:10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea.

Bible Believers at Berea ▲Scripture searching at Berea

Acts 17:10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

▲Souls saved at Berea Acts 17:12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

▲Spiritual stalkers at Berea Acts 17:13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.

▲Sailing south from Berea Acts 17:14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

Arrogance and Arguments at Athens ▲Paul's distress over the spiritual state of Athens

Acts 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

▲Paul's discussions in the synagogue and in the streets of Athens Acts 17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

▲Paul's discourse to the scholars at Athens ■The summons to the Areopagus

Acts 17:19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

■The sermon to the Athenians Acts 17:22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 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. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

1) God is the comprehensive creator Acts 17:24 "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 hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

2) God is close and contactable Acts 17:27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

3) God commands compliance and will call us to court Acts 17:29 "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 man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.

4) God's confirmation is Christ, the resurrected Lord Acts 17:31 He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

■The salvation of some Athenians Acts 17:32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

Response #1 – Contempt Response #2 – Curiosity Response #3 – Conversion

Acts 17:1-34 1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,'" he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. 5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. 10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. 13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 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. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 24 "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 hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 29 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 man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 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 all men by raising him from the dead." 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

Thessalonica !Thessalonica was an important trade city on the northern coast of the Aegean Sea; it was the capital city of Macedonia, about 100 miles west of Philippi. !While in Thessalonica for 3 to 4 weeks (50AD), Paul worked "night and day" to provide for his own physical needs, probably working at his tentmaker (Acts 18:1-3) trade. 1 Thessalonians 2:9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached… 2 Thessalonians 3:7 We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day... !Paul left Thessalonica secretly at night because of the rioting; he desired to return again immediately thereafter, but did not do so because of Satan's hindrances. 1 Thessalonians 2:18 We wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again--but Satan hindered us. !While in Corinth, Paul would write two letters back to the Thessalonians just months after visiting there.

Berea !Berea was located about 45 miles southwest of Thessalonica; it was a much smaller city, though it was large enough to have a Jewish synagogue. !Paul gained a traveling partner from his relationship with the Bereans—named in Acts 20:4—Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea.

Athens !Athens had once been the intellectual center of the world but was in decline in Paul's day; it was famous for its blend of superstitious idolatry and "enlightened" philosophy. !Athens was named for the Greek "goddess" Athena (her Roman name was Minerva), the "goddess" of wisdom, skill, and war. !The Areopagus (Rock of Ares), later called "Mars' Hill" by the Romans, sat northwest of the Acropolis and was the location of one of the chief courts of Athens. !The Greek "god" Ares (his Roman name was Mars) was the "god" of war.

Paul's Second Missionary Journey

–––––––––––––––––––– 49-52 AD

Luke added at Troas

Timothy added at Lystra

Paul and Silas start at Antioch

EGYPT

Rome

STOICISM at Athens !pantheistic theology !spark of divine in every human !no afterlife !mastery of self is chief goal !emotion is an enemy !passive fatalism to the divine order !universe runs in endless identical cycles !temperance, bravery, and justice commendable !the physical body means nothing !satisfaction through fitting into your place in universe

EPICUREANISM at Athens !simple pleasure (not sensual) is the highest goal !there are no gods or higher life forms !no afterlife !no basis for fear or superstition !goal in life is imperturbability (let nothing bother you) !avoid the curse of love !form friendships only for personal gain !be virtuous only for your own personal usefulness !eliminate pain from your own life, whatever the cost

Standing on the Areopagus Looking southeast toward the Acropolis