THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
If you’ve ever visited another country, you know things can be different.
- We’ve been taught it’s rude to stick your tongue out at somebody, but that’s actually a polite gesture in Tibet.
- We shake our heads when we mean “no,” and nod our heads when we mean “yes.” In Albania, those gestures are reversed.
- We like ketchup with our French fries, or perhaps a little mustard. The Dutch prefer mayonnaise.
Is one of these approaches better than another? No, just different. But even in this rich variety of preferences and styles, one truth is crucial in any cultural setting: the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel can speak into any culture—and does.
As the world becomes more diverse, we’ll encounter different cultures, ethnicities, worldviews, and preferences in everyday life. As we take our final look at the Book of Acts, we’ll see that’s not a problem; it’s an opportunity. The unstoppable gospel can impact any culture for Jesus Christ.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Acts17:16-18
16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols. 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18Then also, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, “What is this pseudo-intellectual 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.
Athens may have been the intellectual center of the world, but it was also a place of idolatry and superstition. Shrines and statues to Greek gods stood at the front door of every house, all around the marketplace, and even at street crossings. Athens alone may have held as many as 3,000 public statues and 30,000 idols. The Roman satirist Petronius Arbiter, who lived at that time, wrote that it was easier to find a god than a man in that city.
All this idol worship broke Paul’s heart, but he chose to do something about it. He walked into the Agora—the marketplace—and sparked conversations. At the Agora he met two types of thinkers:
1. Epicurean philosophers believed the purpose of life was in finding pleasure and eliminating pain. They thought that God, if He existed at all, was not involved in their lives. Furthermore, they did not believe in life after death.
2. Stoic philosophers were pantheists, believing in an ultimate divine principle that exists throughout all the universe. They believed the way to realize your fullest potential was to live by reason. The Stoics believed they could eliminate suffering through intellectual perfection.
Here in the cultural and intellectual center of the Roman Empire—where Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle had once taught, and where intellectuals still loved to debate—Paul dove right into the discussion with philosophers who were worlds apart from him in their beliefs. To be sure, these philosophers made fun of Paul, labeling him a “pseudo-intellectual.” But Paul was not deterred.
When you know the truth and realize people need to hear it, you just engage, whatever the consequences.
Remember the words of Jesus: “No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:15-16).
Acts 17:22-23
22Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. 23For 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.”
When we meet someone different from us, we have a choice. We can focus on the differences and keep our distance, or we can find common ground and come together. We can build fences, or we can build bridges.
Paul was a bridge-builder.
When Paul talked about Jesus, some of the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers tagged him as a blowhard who didn’t know what he was talking about. But others were intrigued. They wanted to hear more. So they escorted Paul to the Areopagus, the Athenian court and the hill where it convened, for a public hearing of sorts.
Paul’s audience didn’t know about Jesus, nor did they believe in one God. Paul had no obvious connecting point to begin a conversation, but he found one: they worshiped, and so did Paul. Granted, they were worshiping the wrong things, but at least they were spiritual seekers. Paul used their spirituality to make a connection.
The construction of an altar “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD” was clearly the Athenians’ attempt to make sure they didn’t unintentionally forget, and thereby risk offending, one of the gods. Paul used their acknowledgment that there could be a god they didn’t know as an opening to introduce them to “The God who made the world and everything in it” (v. 24). Moving forward, he proclaimed the truth about God and His plan to save them.
With the growing diversity in America, most of us rub shoulders daily with people who are very different from us. Separated by language, culture, religion, race, ethnicity, and politics, sometimes it’s hard to find common ground. Yet, when you begin to look for a connecting point, you’ll find it. Love of family, the pain of loss, hobbies and interests, food, work, health—these are things we all share.
Make it a point to look and listen for bridge-building material.
Acts17:30-31
30“Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31because 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.”
It’s great to go where people are and get involved in what they’re doing. It’s great to ask questions and start discussions. But it doesn’t end there. To stop there is like walking away from the marathon just short of the finish line.
During the days of Elisha, the Arameans were at war with Israel. The city of Samaria was under siege and food was scarce (see 2 Kings 6:8,24-25). One day, four lepers, living outside the city because of their disease, decided to go to the Arameans in hopes of finding food. To their astonishment, the Aramean camp was a ghost town. During the night, the Lord had caused the Arameans to flee. They left behind food, clothing, silver, and gold. The four lepers had escaped their dire straits and landed in paradise.
The lepers ate and drank their fill and hid their plunder (see 7:5-8). Then they remembered their kinsmen starving back in the city. “Then they said to each other, ‘We’re not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will catch up with us. Let’s go tell the king’s household’” (v. 9, emphasis added).
Those of us who know Jesus are a lot like those lepers who found hope. We have found the answer to our deepest need, but it’s also the answer to the deepest needs of all those people “back in the city” who don’t yet know Jesus as Savior. This is a day of good news! The gospel is too good not to share.
As Paul spoke at the Areopagus, he couched the message in terms familiar to his listeners. He quoted their poets and spoke their language. But he still got down to the gospel. The Athenians struggled to accept God as Creator and Judge and to believe in Jesus’ resurrection, but on these points, Paul did not compromise the truth of the gospel.
Paul met them on their grounds, brought the truth of Jesus into the conversation, and crossed the finish line in communicating the gospel. The rest was up to God.
LIVE IT OUT
We have an imperative to take the gospel to the world, but the nations have also come to us. Therefore:
- Get educated. Learn about the different cultures of the people in your community. Ask about their customs, heritage, and beliefs. Attend an ethnic festival or performance. Become a student of different cultures in an effort to start discussions.
- Get spiritual. Follow Paul’s example by attending a worship service within a different culture. Seek out common ground in order to build bridges between that culture and Christ.
- Get official. Talk with a staff person at your church about forming a ministry outreach to serve the different cultures in your community.
Yes, things are different in other countries and in other cultures. Those differences are neither bad nor good, yet they present a wonderful opportunity to share the good news about Jesus.
Teacher Notes:
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What are the cultures and subcultures in our community?
- Hispanic, African-Americans, Muslim, Asians, Mixed race families, religious groups, socio-economic groups (poor, middle-class, blue-color, professional, etc.), political philosophies, sexual differences (LGBT community), Red-Necks, Liberal, Conservative, Progressive, Christian, Boomers, Gen Xer's, Millennials, ect....
- America is a very diverse country: cultures, ethnicities, worldviews, and preferences.
- Most of us tend to gravitate toward people who are like us.
- The gospel however, is for more than people who are “just like us.” The gospel speaks to any culture at any time and in any place.
A Different Way to Do Missions
I applaud our international mission efforts, but let consider another significant way you can do missions. Stay home. Why…because they’re coming to us.
American is increasingly becoming culturally diverse. More and more ethnic groups are coming to America. Many among us bemoan this because it feels like we’re losing “the American way of life” (whatever that means). But what if American Christians stopped seeing this as a threat and saw it as an opportunity? The world has come to us, and we have the opportunity to show them Christ.
Note this:
- 22 million people come from other countries each year to visit our country.
- Close to 900,000 students come from 220 countries to study in our colleges and universities. About 25 percent of those students come from countries that prohibit Christian missionaries.
And then you have to consider those who have come to our country with work visas, to join family, or as refuges. Opportunity abounds to take the gospel to the world just by stepping into our own neighborhoods.
For the moment, let’s set aside our American citizenship with our “America first” mindset and see this as citizens of the kingdom of heaven (Phil. 3:20). For the sake of the kingdom of God, reach out to your Muslim neighbor, the Korean family, the influx of refugees in your community, and that guy at work from that country you can’t pronounce in eastern Europe.
To do so will mean stepping outside our comfort zone and separating Jesus from our Americanized version of Christianity. Paul gives us a great example this morning.
- He regularly went to synagogues and persuaded his fellow Jews that Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah. But when he had the opportunity to share Jesus with a group of philosophers and thinkers in Athens, he set aside the Old Testament and references to Jesus as Messiah. He talked in terms familiar to them. (See Acts 17.)
- As we share Christ with the world that has come to our doorsteps, we also impact the countries from which they came. Those with family in their native countries could tell them about the one true God—Jesus Christ—they now follow. Forty percent of the world’s 220 heads of state once studied in our country. Think of the impact had those 80+ leaders been exposed to the gospel and accepted Christ while studying in America.
Great opportunities are here. And we don’t even need a passport and plane ticket.
Today we look at Paul’s encounter with Greek philosophers and we’re going to observe how Paul was able to impact a completely different culture with the gospel.
I. Acts 17:16-18 (NIV)
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.
Why was Paul in Athens and what was he doing?
Paul was alone in Athens, the great city of culture, waiting for Barnabas and Timothy to join him. Rather than wait idly or just rest and relax, Paul saw a need and an opportunity to communicate the gospel to a culture so different from his own. He finds a way to bring Good News to an entirely new group of people. Paul goes into the city.
The Greeks acknowledged hundreds of gods and goddesses, and Athens, as Greece’s cultural center, was widely recognized for its buildings and works of art dedicated to Greek deities. Luke notes that the city was full of these images. Paul’s spirit was troubled by the idols he saw throughout the city. The Greek word for troubled pictures someone who is highly irritated or even burning with anger.
While in Athens, Paul sought out the Jews and God hearers – that is, Gentiles who worshiped God. While the Jewish population was not large, there was a synagogue in the city where Paul reasoned on the Sabbath with both the Jews and God-fearing Gentles. But Paul also spent time every day in the marketplace, which was not only the commercial hub in Athens but also the center of business, law, and politics. There, he witnessed to the Athenian people who happened to be there.
In other words, Paul looked for every opportunity to share the gospel message with the people in the city wherever he found them. Summarize:
1. Athens may have been the intellectual center of the world, but it was also a place of idolatry and superstition.
2. All this idol worship broke Paul’s heart, but he chose to do something about t. he walked into the Agora – the marketplace – and sparked conversations.
In what ways is our culture similar and different from the one Paul visited in Athens?
Similar
- Diversity of races, religious affiliations or no religion
- Different levels of education
Different
- Modern communications
- Social media
Who were the two philosophical groups that Paul interacted with? What do you know about them?
- Epicureans – pursuit of pleasure and materialism
- Stoics – pursue human reason and self-sufficiency
What are examples of how these philosophies are present in today’s culture?
- Entertainment industry
- Desire to buy more stuff - get latest gadgets
- Litigious mentality (sue anybody for anything where you can make a buck)
- Liberal thinkers in universities
- “you can be anything you set your mind to be” attitude
- Substance abuse
How are these world-views in opposition to biblical values and the Gospel message?
- They’re not dependent on God
- They seek fulfillment in pleasure, not in a relationship with God
- They’re humanistic attitudes … don’t need God, man is his own deity
What made Paul well-suited to presenting the gospel to the Athenians?
- He was a trained philosopher - well-traveled
- His personal experience with Jesus
- Even though he was a very religious Jew, he grew up outside of Palestine
What example can we take from Paul in our effort to spread the gospel to differing cultures?
Point: You must Engage the differing culture.
When you know the truth and realize people need to hear it, you just engage whatever the consequences. We ought to engage our community to determine the spiritual climate and look for the best strategy to proclaim the gospel. Because some people do not have a religious background for understanding the gospel, believers need to be prepared to be able to explain the gospel to others and to know how to defend its truth. Not everyone will understand the message or affirm us as messengers.
II. Acts 17:22-28 (NIV)
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.'
These were pagans, intellectual but still pagans!
How did Paul address the intellectual pagans?
- I see you are religious … very religious
- I note all the different objects of worship … temples, idols, altars
- I even noted an altar to an “Unknown God” – you must have wanted to make sure you got all the deities … didn’t want to skip one you didn’t know about
The lesson had a “Building Bridges” activity. Paul used an important element of Athenian culture to build a bridge to the gospel.
What are some things we can use to build a bridge with differing cultures to share about Jesus?
- Movies
- Music
- Sports
- Books
- Reality TV
- Video Games
What are some things Paul said that demonstrate techniques and concepts to witnessing to differing cultures or beliefs?
- complemented them … “ I see you are very religious”
- he identified with the listener
- found a unique altar “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD"
- Focused on spiritual things
- used that specific item within their culture of idolatry to make the connection to the One, True God
- went on to make the contrast of God with human created idols – this God is The Creator
- Distinguish between true and false ideas about God
- This God is not dependent on human ministrations (offerings, sacrifices)
- This God is interested in having a relationship with men
- Paul quotes some of their Greek poets – some of your great thinkers were on track when they said … used familiar quotes to make a point: 'For in him we live and move and have our being' and 'we are his offspring.'
How would Paul describe America as being very religious, but still lost?
- America has lots of people that do religious things
- There are lots of churches
- We also “worship” lots of things (sports, hobbies, entertainment stars, material things)
- We worship the wrong things – people are lost because they do not know Jesus Christ as savior
Point: You must look for common ground with a differing culture.
When we meet someone different from us, we have a choice. We can focus on the differences and keep our distance, or we can find common ground and come together. We can build fences, or we can build bridges. Paul was a bridge-builder. Also, just because people are religious does not mean they do not need to hear the gospel of Jesus. Believers have an obligation to confront the culture and declare the truth of God.
III. Acts 17:30-31 (NIV)
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."
Point: You must call for repentance when you share the gospel.
What three facts about repentance are in verse 30?
1. God commands people to repent
2. This command is for all men everywhere
3. The command is effective now
How do unsaved people today seek to have their spiritual emptiness satisfied?
- They watch Dr. Phil
- They read great philosophers
- Substance abuse – an escape from life, a need to experience full satisfaction
- Meditation
- Pursuit of entertainment
Paul used Athenian culture and ideas to help them see Truth. What are some ways this could happen in our culture?
- Use movie clips to make a point about spiritual needs
- Use holiday church presentations to invite people – even those from other cultures
- Share personal testimony of how God helped you through tragedies (personal, natural)
- Share a book like “40 Days of Purpose” with someone who seems to be searching
- Invite friends to Christian musical events (contemporary groups, Southern Gospel, classic presentations)
Paul had mixed results from this ministry. How should we react when others don’t take us or what we say seriously?
- Keep praying for them
- For the time being, agree to disagree
- Keep up the friendships
- Be quick to help them in their times of need – your kindness preaches more than your arguments
The gospel includes a call for repentance – turning from one’s evil ways to the Lord. God has appointed a day of righteous judgment by the One Man whom He raised from the dead – Jesus Christ.
Conclusion: The Gospel of Jesus Christ can impact any culture.
The gospel of Jesus Christ will always be an offense to those that do not believe (1 Cor. 1:18-25). Certainly we should try to build bridges of communication to reach the lost, but if we think we can somehow make the gospel palatable to them, we are kidding ourselves. When people make such attempts, they inevitably compromise the message. Paul did not back away from the gospel at Mars Hill. Many people mocked him, but a few believed (v. 34). The power lies not in our rhetoric or our clever arguments, but in the gospel itself. Preach it unashamedly!
Engaging Our Gay Friends, Relatives and Colleagues
It seems that homosexuality has embraced our culture and the culture has embraced homosexuality. It is a part of the fallen nature of things, that man has always been an expert at creating ingenuous ways to celebrate his brokenness. So, men and women in the gay life have no corner on this.
Apart from faith in Christ and submission to the authority of Scripture, we are all experts at rationalizing and justifying what we want to do. The more we live, in any way, outside of God’s design, the more we convince ourselves that what we are doing is OK. This happens on both an individual level and a corporate, cultural level. Homosexuality is not the only thing that was once considered unacceptable or immoral, but later is embraced by the culture (consider abortion and sex outside of marriage).
Scripture says we’re all a mess and that we all need forgiveness and cleansing. Biblically speaking, we’re all in the same boat. We all need the same medicine of the gospel to free us from whatever attachments or idols we cling to— from whatever we have decided “gives us life” apart from Christ. This realization about ourselves should bring to us a growing compassion for others. Believers in Christ should be the first ones to acknowledge that we still pursue our own personal idols, and it is only by the persistent work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we become aware of our own sin and the need to repent of it.
Homosexuality is one of those topics that draws intense and passionate reactions. Complex issues of the heart usually do. Christians are in a sort of no-man’s-land here today. Suggesting to those who have embraced the current cultural position that homosexuality is sinful and not part of God’s design for sexuality appears as uneducated, homophobic and ridiculous. On the other hand, though, suggesting to fellow evangelical believers that God loves and forgives sinners who struggle with homosexuality and that we should do the same may appear compromising and wishy-washy.
While we can oppose the advancement of a social movement that would encourage everyone to embrace this cultural shift by vocalizing our concerns and participating in the political process, for Christians a far deeper response to homosexuality and the gay community is needed. When believers proclaim the gospel of Christ both to gays and to the culture at large in a loving, redemptive manner, punctuated with “grace and truth,” this sets us apart and truly reflects the person of Christ. In such a heated and increasingly emotionalized debate, Christians have a responsibility to represent Christ to a fallen world in four ways.
1. Patiently Listen - “Let every person be quick to hear” (James 1:9). This doesn’t mean looking for loopholes in a debate or seeking a chance to criticize and find fault as you talk about this issue. We must listen in order to understand the “heart thrust” of what a person is saying. This is hard work, a relational skill to be learned. It’s not natural. It takes practice. Listen to what moves other people. Listen for their passions, what they value, what their experience has been (especially with other Christians) and what they fear.
The more you understand a person’s point of view, the more you can profit from it. Why do they think the way they do? What events have led up to their adopting their worldview? What’s been their experience of Christianity—of other Christians or the church in general? What wounds from their family of origin and from other people lie festering in the background? As adults, we’re a composite of all these things—upbringing, personal wounds, cultural norms and our own heart-generated responses to these powerful, shaping influences. Get to know the persons you are talking to so that you truly know who they are. Otherwise, we tend to conveniently lump them into a group, label them on the basis of what we read in the news, and think this is “knowing” them.
2. Personally Repent - “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans? . . . No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5). Only a redeemed sinner, knowing he stands condemned apart from Christ’s death on the cross, can reach a sinner who doesn’t know he needs redeeming. What’s your motivation when you engage someone with the gospel? Is it to reach lost people with the enduring love that has found you out— a love that has exposed you as a cut-throat and depraved sinner and yet has embraced you with fatherly love? Is it your own awareness that, at heart, you’re a sham, a misfit, a counterfeit, a phony and that there is nothing good inside you to warrant God’s love, yet He still died in your place to make you whole? Do you really care about homosexuals, as men and women who need the love of Christ, or do you only want them to shut up and disappear? Remember that Jesus said, “He who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:47). If you have no love for gays, then you have not understood the forgiving love of Jesus in your own life.
Patiently listening and personally repenting also means loving those who are different, who believe differently. Gays have long been “demonized” by Christians, held up as the examples of the worst kind of people. This is grossly unfair and unloving, not to mention grossly unbiblical. No single group of people corners the market on sinful behavior outside of God’s design. There is simply no place for believers to verbally demean or physically abuse gays. If your neighbor or colleague proclaimed to you that he didn’t believe in God, would you go around mocking him?
3. Gently Instruct - “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone . . . correcting his opponents with gentleness” (2 Tim. 2:22-25). How do you talk to people who don’t believe what you do? An argumentative, win-at-all-costs approach does not conform to what Paul wrote to Timothy. You need to ask the Holy Spirit to instruct your own heart as you instruct others. Engaging someone “with gentleness” does not mean being weak or vacillating in your argument; it means treating everyone with respect and dignity even when they persistently disagree. An unloving and impatient heart is a hindrance to the gospel message. The Lord’s command to us through the words of Paul teaches us here: “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”
“Gently instruct” also means that your words must be grounded in the truth of Scripture, not your own opinion. The real issue regarding what Scripture says about homosexuality is not about whether the key passages are culturally relevant anymore, but whether Scripture in its entirety still has authority over all of life. It should always be the truths of Scripture, and not our demeanor or presentation of it, that people reject.
Do you really care about homosexuals — or do you only want them to shut up and disappear?
Talking to those who are blind to the reality of their hearts but who live in a world that applauds their sin is both a privilege and a challenge. They are victims of their own sin and the lies and sin of others. Therefore, they’re caught. But they’re also accountable before a holy God for their continued choice to live life on their own terms and not submit their lives to the Lordship of Christ. We must represent both aspects of the truth as we share Christ.
4. Mercifully Pursue and then Engage the Heart - “Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire, hating even the garment stained by the flesh” (Jude 22-23). God calls us to be neither reclusive nor rude, but to move boldly into confusing, high-stakes situations with the gospel of God’s mercy.
We bring the gospel where it is most needed: to the vocally anti-Christian pro-gay activist,; to the mild-mannered clergy who says the love of Jesus means affirming homosexuality as God’s gift;, to the confused and scared teenager who fears he’s gay and there’s no other option. Showing mercy means practically caring for people. It means being patiently and persistently available to help those who live in a fallen world. It means lovingly holding our ground against those who say that our beliefs are hateful.
We must not wilt from the irrational heat of those who say that we are hateful bigots merely on the basis that we do not agree with their beliefs.
As we do this, we’re able to move into other people’s worlds. Engaging people by asking good questions, respectfully, is an important part of this. I once approached a man who was marching in a gay rally. Subsequently, I had a two-hour conversation that ended with this man shaking my hand and thanking me for stopping him— in spite of the fact that I shared the gospel with him! I had listened to him, heard his concerns and engaged his heart with matters important to him. Didn’t Jesus do the same? My approach appealed to his heart. Listening, asking questions, and engaging people with respect, even if we have fundamental differences, gets people into their story more quickly than anything else. When we take time to get people into their stories, they become more open to us and to the gospel.
Jesus, of course, was the master of all that we’ve just described. We should be, too. His methods are the most under-utilized and missed aspects of evangelism. They also make the deepest and most heart-felt impact, often leaving people wanting more!
Hope to see you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
