The Book of Acts tells how the early Church grew after Jesus’ ascension. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, giving believers power to preach boldly. Peter and Paul were key leaders in spreading the gospel, which moved from Jerusalem to the Gentile world. Even through persecution, the Church grew strong through prayer, unity, and generosity. God used ordinary people, including former enemies like Paul, to carry out His mission. Christians today are called to be Spirit-filled, faithful, and bold as they continue the work that began in Acts.
[Music] Good morning my good friends. I hope
you had a wonderful weekend in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Acts of the Apostles
chapter 17 is where we left off. But before we continue, I want to tell you this story. There
was a man whose parents gave him a very unusual name. They named him Odd. And all his life people
made fun of him. They laughed at him. They mocked him. Sometimes people will come by him and say
that was an odd day or that was an odd movie. That was an odd event. And uh when he grew
old, he said, “I am tired of this.” So he gave an instruction and said, “When I die, do
not put any name on my tombstone.” Sure enough, when he passed away, they buried him just like he
said without putting any name on his tombstone. But then when people pass by the cemetery and they
notice a blank tombstone they stop and they said that’s odd. So you see the same mockery followed
him even after death. Why am I saying this? decisions that we make while we are here on earth
will follow us into eternity when it comes to salvation. If you make the decision today while
you are still alive to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior, he will follow you into
eternity. You will spend the eternity in heaven. But if you refuse to receive Jesus Christ
as your Lord and your Savior while you were still alive on the earth and you die in that
Christless condition, it will follow you to that place called hell. Have you made that choice
today? The choice to spend eternity in heaven. The only way to make that choice is to receive
Jesus Christ as your Lord and as your savior. Let’s go ahead and continue today’s teaching.
I want to give you a summary of what we covered in chapter 16. So in chapter 16, Paul started
his second missionary journey with Silas after he parted ways with um Barnabas. So now they
journeyed through um Syria and Cilicia and then they came to Adobe and then Lystra. So while Paul
was at Listra, he met a young um faithful disciple named Timothy. Now Timothy father was Greek and
his mother was Jew. So Paul took Timothy someone that he decided to mentor the one he decided to
pour out his life in him to bring him in the ways of our Lord Jesus Christ. He circumcised him. The
reason why he circumcised Timothy is not because circumcision is required for salvation but in
order to avoid offense so that Timothy will be accepted because the Jews there knew that his
father was Greek. So he was not circumcised. Now as they journeyed from one city to another city,
they wanted to go to Asia to Bithynia. But the Holy Spirit redirected them into Europe. So Paul
at night had a vision, a Macedonian man standing in that vision saying, “Come over to Macedonia and
help us.” So quickly the missionary team concluded that God was calling them to go into the area
of Macedonia, which is what they did. And when they got in there, the first city they visited
was Philippi. On the Sabbath day, they went by the river where some women were worshiping. And
God opened the heart of one of them called Lydia, a purple merchant, to receive the gospel. And
she was baptized with her household. And now in another occasion while they were going for prayer,
there was a slave girl who followed them around saying, “These are the men who has come to show
us how to be born again.” For several days, she followed them until Paul commanded that spirit of
divination to come out of her. She was set free. But because she made money for her owners through
fortunetelling, they became furious. So they laid hold of Paul and Silas and they brought them
to the city officials who did not give them any fair trial but commanded that there be flood
and they cast they were cast into the dungeon. there at midnight they were praising and
praying God and praising and praying and God used an earthquake and shook the whole
building a miracle that led to the conversion of the jailer. So the Jailer and his family
were also baptized, and they came to faith in Christ Jesus Christ. They came to faith in Christ
Jesus. And uh the next morning the city officials, the magistrates commanded that Paul and Silas
be set free. But you know Paul, he said, “No, you have to come here yourself to set us free. for
you commanded that uh Roman citizens be flogged without trial. You come and set us free. And
that’s what the magistrates did. They came and apologized. And Paul and Silas went to the house
of Lydia from there and they strengthened and encouraged the brethren before departing for
uh Macedonia for I’m sorry for Thessalonica. So that’s what we covered uh last week. Um let’s
go ahead and um and start today’s teaching. But before we do that, let’s have a word of prayer
together. Father, how grateful we are to be called your children to come into your presence
in the name of Jesus Christ. It is only in his name that we can come without any fear, shame or
condemnation. David in Psalm 139 said, “Search me, oh Lord, and know my heart. Try me and know my
thought and see if there is any wickedness in me and lead me into that part that is everlasting.”
Father, we pray that by your word, you will point out to us the areas where we offend you. Father,
sometimes we think that we have arrived and everything is perfect. But then your word said the
heart is very deceitful above all and desperately wicked who can know it. We pray that you will
show us those areas that we offend and give us the grace to repent and do those things which are
pleasing in your sight. As we cover chapter 17 today, by your Holy Spirit, please teach us, give
us guidance, give us light, illuminate our minds. Help us not only to hear today, but to be doers.
Father, we thank you for your goodness towards us. Thank you for the precious blood of Jesus
that washed away all our sins. For your Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Thank you for healing our
bodies. for doors you’ve opened for us. Oh Lord, we are so grateful. So your children this morning
in one accord say let all the glory, honor, power, majesty, dominion belongs to your holy name
forever and ever in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. Everybody said amen. So we are going
to go ahead and continue today in Acts of the Apostles chapter 17. And I read to you from verse
one. Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where
there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three
Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ
had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the
Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a
few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. So you remember that they left Philippi now and
now Paul and Silas traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia to get to Thessalonica.
That’s the second city in the area of Macedonia. And we’ll put up the map again
so that you can see um how they traveled in their second missionary journey. So when
they got to Thessalonica for three Sabbaths, Paul reasoned with the Jews from the scripture.
He used the scripture to explain to them that the Messiah had to die and be raised from
the dead. And this Messiah is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. So the word or the title Christ
is the Greek word Christos. The Hebrew word is Messiah which means uh Messiah translated
as the anointed one. So Paul is telling them Jesus Christ is that anointed one. the Messiah
that the prophets prophesied that will come, the gift and the promise of the father to the
world. So I believe that Paul must have used the scriptures like Isaiah chapter 53.
He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement
of our peace was upon Him. by his stripes we are healed. So I believe he used that kind of
scripture to show them about the suffering Messiah and also a scripture like um Psalm chapter 22
verse 16–17 the one that says they pierced my hands and feet they numbered all my I can count
all my bones, so you know uh Psalm 22 is just a graphic depiction of uh crucifixion of Jesus
Christ. You know a Psalm written even before um Romans adopted crucifixion as a way of
execution. I believe he used a Psalm, another Psalm like uh maybe Psalm 16 verse 10 where David
was writing. He said, “You will not leave my soul in hell or cause the Holy One to see corruption
just to prove to them about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Now when he reasoned with them,
some of them were persuaded. Some Jews they believed including some um uh prominent men and
women Greeks so it was productive some believed let’s talk about Thessalonica. Thessalonica was
founded around 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon who named the city after his wife Thessalonike
who is the half-sister of Alexander the Great. So Thessalonica became a very important trade
and military center because of its location. It was located along um it was located
on the uh Thermaic Gulf and along um Via Egnatia which is a major road linking
Attic to Byzantium. So from the second century, Thessalonica flourished as the capital
of Macedonia. What do we learn from the section we just covered? Now the first
thing we learn if you write a note is the power of Scripture-centered witness.
The power of Scripture-centered witness. So you see here for three Sabbaths Paul
reasoned with the Jews from the Scripture. His approach was not built on um human philosophy
or eloquence of speech. It was not built on human rituals, personal opinions. No, rather he
spoke to them using scriptures, the Word of God to remind us again about the power of the
word of God. You remember in Matthew chapter 4 verse 4 and also in Matthew chapter 4
verse 10 Jesus Christ while speaking to the devil during His temptation in the
wilderness responded it is written. It is written the power of the Word of God. And
then He will quote the scripture to the devil. The gospel that we preach is powerful on its
own when it is not diluted. Because sometimes we think that if we dilute the gospel, we
make it easy for someone to accept it. No, that’s when it loses its power. Paul in Romans
chapter 1 said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation.”
What is the gospel? The gospel is very simple: that we all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. Every one of us, all without exception. We have broken the
commandment of God. We were born with a sin nature because of what Adam and Eve did. So because
God is the God of justice, He must punish sin. The Bible said, “The soul that sinneth, it shall
die,” and “the wages of sin is death.” So because of that Jesus Christ came, God became man so
that He can die in our place. Now anyone who believes that Jesus Christ died for their sins
will be forgiven. So it is a thing of faith. And when you believe that Jesus Christ died for
your sins, you are born again and you come into the kingdom of God. That is the gospel. Very
simple. Then if you do not believe and receive what Jesus Christ did for you, it means that
you have to pay for your own sins. And the wages of sin is death, eternal condemnation in
hellfire. That is the simplicity of the gospel. Every time we water it down, we lose the power
of the gospel. So we must preach it. That’s where the power lies. The way it is written.
Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The second thing we learn from this section is
that the gospel crosses boundaries. You see, the response here included the Jews,
the great prominent men and women. So the gospel is not confined to ethnicity,
to culture, or to social status. No, anyone can come into the kingdom of God. It does
not discriminate. So when we preach, we should not also discriminate. The gospel has the power,
if it’s not diluted, to go to any part of the world and minister to someone there regardless of
their background or where they have been and bring people into the kingdom of God. Remember it is the
work of the Holy Spirit. We are not the ones doing the work. All we do is to be obedient to share the
good news. It is the power of the Spirit of God that will convict people of sin, of righteousness,
and of judgment, the rejection of Jesus Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit of God will
bring people into the kingdom of God. We continue in verse
five.But the Jews [a]who were not persuaded, [b]becoming envious, took
some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in
an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6
But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the
city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 7 Jason
has [c]harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is
another king—Jesus.” 8 And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these
things. 9 So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. So after
Paul’s successful preaching in Thessalonica, the enemy showed up. You know whenever you turn on
the light at night, you know all kinds of insects are attracted. They keep coming. You know, but
you know that light will always dispel darkness. So in this case, some of the Jews who were not
persuaded, who rejected the message that Paul and Silas brought to them, went to the marketplace
and they recruited troublemakers. A mob, you know, there are some people today in our society who
are easily persuaded. Some of them are in a protest without knowing the details. You ask
them, “Hey, can you tell me why are you guys here protesting?” They say, “Uh, they don’t
know, but they’re willing to continue.” So, these are the kind of people that these hostile
Jews went and recruited. So, they threw the city into an uproar. They attacked the house of Jason.
Now Jason was the one who welcomed Paul and Silas. They stayed at the house of Jason. So they went in
there thinking that they would find Paul and Silas so that they could deal with them. You know, who
knows what they planned but they were not there. So they dragged Jason and other brethren to the
city officials and they accused them falsely. They said Jason is the one harboring these men
who have come to turn the world upside down, claiming allegiance to another King they called
Jesus in opposition to Caesar who is our king. So uh Jason had to post security,
a bond, and then he was released. So here we see persecution of the church.
Persecution of those who preach the gospel, persecution of those who harbor and uh accommodate
ministers and uh uh evangelists. Now persecution was in the day of Jesus Christ. It was
there then and even up to this present day. In the first and the second centuries of Christian
history, it is estimated that about 6 million Christians were martyred for refusing to declare
Caesar as king. You know in those days you would take a pinch of incense and you would put it in a
fire and you say Caesar is Lord or Caesar is king. And those Christians who refused to do that
were killed because of their faith. It did not stop there. I’ll give you another statistic.
According to Fox News, a report released by Open Doors USA stated that 2015 was the worst
year on record for Christian persecution. About 7 million people were killed, which is 50%
more than the previous year. This persecution came from um um Islamic um extremism coming from Boko
Haram, ISIS, authoritarian regimes. Christians were killed, tortured, imprisoned, and buildings,
church buildings destroyed, burned down. The same report gives us the top 10 uh
countries in the order of their cruelty when it comes to persecution of Christians. You
want to know the number one in the list? Oh yeah, I’ll give you all 10 of them. North
Korea was number one followed by Iraq, Eritraa, Afghanistan, Syria,
Pakistan, Sudan, Iran and Libya. So what do we learn from this section here?
We learn that gospel provoke opposition. There are some who will not receive
the gospel that we preach because of pride traditions because of worldly allegiances. There are those who will not
receive because their profits, their gain, position, their power are
threatened by the gospel that we preach. But you remember the Bible says, “What shall
it profit a man who gains a whole world and loses his own soul?” What shall a
man give in exchange for his soul? They fail to acknowledge that everything in
this world is fleeting. They will pass away someday. Nothing in this world is forever. And
there is a day they’re going to stand in the presence of God to give account of the way they
live their life here on the earth. On that day, their celebrity status will not count anymore.
Their power status will not count anymore. The second thing we learn from this section
is that the world recognizes the power of the gospel. You can see here that Paul’s enemies um
unintentionally spoke the truth when they accused Paul and Silas of turning the world upside
down. I believe what they should have said is they turned the right side up because the
world itself was turned upside down already. Paul and Silas came to turn it back the right
side up. That’s what they should have said. So we see in the world in the world we live we see
unbelievers they are aware of miracles they aware of testimonies they see the power of God at work
but the question is this what is still holding them from believing and coming into the kingdom of
God 2 Corinthians 4:4 gives us one of the reasons If you pick it up from verse three,
it says, “If the gospel we preach, if the gospel is hid, it is hid to those
who are lost in whom the god of this world has blinded the mind of those that believe
not, less the light of the gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine on them.”
That’s the reason. So we should pray that the eyes of the understanding be enlightened. Perhaps
they will recover themselves from the snail of the evil one who is holding them captive against
their own will. It’s a power of darkness. So we break that power of darkness in the name
of Jesus Christ. We don’t let it to prevail. So we continue to pray for them because we
are not going to pray God save this person, God save this person, God save this person
is not the right way to pray. Why? Because salvation is already available. Jesus Christ
already died. Anyone who believes right now can be saved instantly. So the right prayer is for
the eyes of their understanding to be enlightened. There is something that is blocking them
from whenever they hear the good news, they’re not making the right judgment. They’re not
making the right decision. Something is hindering them. And sometimes it’s the power of darkness. So
we break the power of darkness in their lives in the name of Jesus Christ. So that next time they
hear the gospel, they will embrace it with joy and happiness and they will come into the kingdom of
God. Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So this is a personal challenge for you and I. It
is am I living in such a way that my allegiance to Jesus Christ is unmistakable even if it means
being misunderstood, marginalized or opposed? Can someone look at you and say
something is different about you? Can someone look at you and
say I want what he or she has? That’s our personal challenge.
We are now in verse 10. Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and
Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11
These were more [d]fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with
all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were
so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent
women as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was
preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. 14 Then immediately
the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 So
those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy
to come to him with all speed, they departed. So after the unrest uh which they had in um
Thessalonica when those um hostile Jews gathered um um people from the marketplace, Paul and uh
Silas went to Berea. While they were in Berea, just as is custom, Paul and Silas first of
all went to the synagogue. In that synagogue, the word of God was preached to them. They
reasoned with them as well. But here we are told that um it was um a receptive audience. The
Bereans were described as being more noble than those from Thessalonica in the sense that they
received the word of God with a readiness of heart and they searched the scriptures just to
make sure that those things Paul said were so. So when um they they also produced another
result in this place. So prominent men and women and Jews also believed. But now when
the hostile Jews from Thessalonica — remember Thessalonica now is about 50 miles away from
Berea — when they heard about the success again that Paul and Silas were at Berea preaching
the gospel, they could not handle it. So they traveled all the way down there and they
stirred up opposition again against Paul and Silas in order to discredit the message and the
messenger, to stop the preaching of the gospel. As a result of this, Paul had to go
to Athens where Silas and Timothy remained behind just to strengthen the brethren. So what do we learn from this section here?
We learn the principle of 2 Timothy 2:15, which says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Just
like the Bereans, after Paul spoke to them, they went home and they brought their scrolls.
Remember at this time they didn’t have the New Testament just like we have today. All they
had was Old Testament scrolls, and that’s how Paul reasoned with them from the Old Testament
scrolls. So they went home and they searched, they quickly brought out the scrolls and said,
let’s find out what he said here if it’s true. Remember that faith is not blind, rather
it is informed, and it is scripture-based. Do not take anything anybody tells you, including
myself, at face value. Always do your research. That’s why you have the Bible. Find out if those
things are so. Regardless of how many titles they have after their names, regardless of how
many years they have been in the ministry, Regardless of how many churches they have
started, don’t take anything anybody tells you about Jesus Christ, about the word of God
at face value. Always do your own research. Now, I’m going to give you four reasons today
why we must study the word of God. Why we must do our own research just like the Bereans
did. Number one, if you’re writing notes, we study the word of God to verify the
truth. Jesus Christ in his word said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free.” The truth is found in the word of God. There are so many people suffering today because
of traditions, customs, rituals, human opinions, things that have nothing to do with the word of
God. Why are they suffering? Because they don’t know the truth. They don’t want to search the
scriptures to find out what does the word of God say. So they suffer. The Bible says, “Where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Liberty from sin and also liberty from the burdens of the
law. And there are those who are still burdened today with so many laws, dos and don’ts, things
that have nothing to do with the word of God. Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” He is the truth. If you want to find
out the truth, it is in Jesus Christ. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask
what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Number two, if you’re writing notes, we study the
word of God to strengthen our faith. The Bible says, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God.” The more we hear the word of God, the more we study the word of God and we put in
practice what we study, the stronger our faith is. We become like our forefathers, those who through
faith and patience inherit the promises of God. Now remember that faith comes by hearing the word
of God, not the word of social media or the words of the enemy. No, those ones will open a door for
fear to come in. And you know that faith and fear, they don’t get along. You want to eliminate fear
in your life? Know what the word of God says. “The entrance of thy words giveth light;
it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Number three is to protect us against deception. You know there are so many false teachers today in
the world. Oh yes. So many heretics going around with heresies. Some of them even on the pulpit
today — you turn on social media, everywhere they are there. YouTube, everywhere they’re
there. What are they teaching? They are teaching those who have developed itching ears, who don’t
want to hear anything about what the word of God says. They want to hear things that will suit
their own lusts. That’s who they are teaching. And people are going to them in their thousands.
Some of them who have churches, people are going in there in the thousands. Now you go to a church
and you sit through a service week after week and you are not convicted. What kind of a church is
that? They don’t even open the Bible and read the word of God. Once in a while they may take a text
from the Bible, but that text is out of context. And so many people are going there in their
numbers. You come out of a service knowing more about the pastor or the minister than about
Jesus Christ. Something is wrong about it. In the last days, the Bible tells us
that so many people will be deceived. And it’s happening right before our eyes. So the question is this. I
want you to search your heart. Do an evaluation of the place that you worship.
Is it a place where you are growing every day in your faith, where they teach you the word of
God? Or is it a place of just mere entertainment? A place where the preachers
have become entertainers. The worship team they also become entertainers. A place where the sanctuary of our Lord
Jesus Christ has turned into a theater. So we have to find out this place that I am
going. I’ve been going there now for a year or two or three. Am I growing stronger in
my faith? Am I attending to that spiritual maturity or is it all about entertainment? You
know, make that call today. Make that decision. Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So
we are in reason number four, that number four is to live a godly life. That’s one of the reasons
why we study the word of God. The psalmist said, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that
I might not sin against thee, O my God.” It is through the knowledge
of the word of God that we can know the things that are pleasing to God. It is through the knowledge
of the word of God that we can know how to reflect Christ in our lives. Through the knowledge of the word of God, people can notice a difference in the way
we talk and the way we live our lives. Even though we are not saved by what
we do, it is a fruit of our salvation. There has to be a corresponding
action to our faith. So we study the word of God, we find out,
“What does God say about this? What does he say about that?” In the word of God,
we find out how to lay hold of God’s unconditional promises. Remember, we have
God’s unconditional promises. For example, his love will never fail. Whether
you miss it today or tomorrow, He loves you the same way. But we also know about
conditional promises of God. For example, success is a conditional promise of God.
Is a conditional promise of God. So success, the Bible tells us, seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness and these all the things that be added unto
you. It’s conditional. Give and it shall be given unto you. It is conditional. You
have your own part to play. It is through the knowledge of the word of God that we can
know what we supposed to do so that we can lay hold of God’s promises. Another
conditional promise of God is forgiveness. The Bible tells us in first John 1:9, if we
confess our sins, he’s faithful and just to forgive us, cleansing us from all unrighteousness.
So we want to maintain fellowship with God. We miss the mark. It is our own duty to confess
it to God. And the confession simply means we are acknowledging the same thing God said. He
said this is evil. We say oh yes Lord this is evil and I missed it and I ask you to forgive
me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. We continue now in verse 16. We making progress
today. A tremendous one indeed. I read to you uh verse 16. Now while Paul
waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when
he saw that the city was [e]given over to idols. 17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue
with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who
happened to be there. 18 [f]Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some
said, “What does this [g]babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached
to them Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the
[h]Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? 20 For you
are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”
21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else
but either to tell or to hear some new thing. So why Paul is now in Athens?
Remember he left Berea and also left Silas and Timothy behind
there. So he is now in Athens, Greece. So there he witnessed a city taken over by idols,
you know, images, shrines, temples, all devoted to false gods. So when he went there, he began
to reason with them again in the synagogue, with the Jews. But those who were
not Jews, he reasoned with them at the marketplace. So at the marketplace he
met some philosophers. He met Epicureans. Now Epicureans are the followers of Epicurus
from 341 to 270 BC. Now these philosophers, they believe that the chief goal in life is
pleasure. So when we talk about pleasure here, we don’t—when we, I don’t mean hedonistic
pleasure, you know, like self-indulgence, things like indulging in alcohol,
parties, drugs, you know. No, that’s not the pleasure we’re talking about here.
Rather, we’re talking about pleasure from just living, from friendship, from being
fearless in life. These Epicureans, they believe that everything is made
of atoms including the human soul, and there is no life after death, which means
it all ends here, and we should not be afraid of hell or anything. And it’s so unfortunate that
there are so many people who still believe the same today. For them, they believe in what is
called soul annihilation. They think that when you die and you are not good, your soul will
be completely obliterated, annihilated, cease to exist. But that is not so. That’s not what the
Bible says. Is this not ignorance gone on rampage? Remember what the Bible says: for the Christian
who dies, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That’s your destination. It
doesn’t talk about soul annihilation. But for the one who is not born again, who dies, the Bible
says hell from beneath is moved to meet you at thy coming; for he upholds the dead for thee.
It tells you there’s a destination called hell, and it is waiting for those who are not
born again to receive them as they show up. Now we talk about the other philosophers, called
the Stoic philosophers. Now these ones are the followers of Zeno, and then after Zeno, other
philosophers around 334 to 262 BC. What is their belief? They believe that the chief goal in life
is virtue. Now the virtue they’re talking about here is inner moral excellence that is not
attained through pleasure or through wealth. So what they’re saying here is it got to be good. So if you want to compare both of them
in summary, you can say the Epicureans believe in feeling good, whereas the Stoic
philosophers believe in being good. But what sin does it make? Whether you believe in feeling
good or being good on your own accord, or merit, or self-righteousness apart from Jesus Christ,
the destination of these two perceptions is hell. That’s the destination. A man without Jesus
Christ is lost. Regardless of what they believe, they are lost. So these philosophers now
that he encountered in the marketplace now brought to Paul to Areopagus. This is
also called Mars Hill. This is the place where the aristocratic council, you know, those
who judge philosophical and religious issues, convened. That’s why they sit down with their
overpriced cup of coffee, you know, either they are there to listen to new concepts and ideas or
they are there to express their own new views. So let’s talk about Athens here, because Athens
at this point was a very important city in Greece. So it was founded around the fifth and sixth BC.
It was the center for culture and politics in Greece. Today it is the capital of Greece. So
it is one of the oldest cities in the world, having about 3,400 years of civilization. It is a home for historical landmarks. For
example, they had a Parthenon temple on top of the Acropolis. So this temple was dedicated to
Athena, the goddess of protection, the patronage. So in the fifth century, under leaders like
Pericles, Athens experienced its golden age, excelling in arts, in philosophy, in drama,
in democracy. Renowned philosophers that you and I know — Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
— lived and taught in Athens at this time. As a matter of fact, Plato started the
first institution of learning at this time. So Athens was a polytheistic city with more than
300 gods and shrines and temples. Some of them, you know, were dedicated to Athena and Zeus. So
there was a religious festival going on in Athens, you know, round all through the year.
This is the place where Paul came. And he was so surprised at how every nook
and cranny was filled with idols, idols, and idols. So what do we learn in this
section we just covered here? Because it’s all about application. We study
the word of God, we learn something, and we go and we do it. That’s how we grow in.
That’s how we mature. So we learn here Christians need to cultivate a heart of compassion for the
lost. Just like Paul, you know, he was troubled from within seeing how the city was taken
over by idols. He was troubled from within. So we have to cultivate a habit of
weeping for souls that are going to hell. The best gift you can give to someone is the
gift of leading them to Christ. While silver, gold, and diamond are good and precious gifts,
while a car and a house and money are good gifts, these things are fleeting; they will solve
someone’s problem for a moment. But there is a gift bigger than every one of them put together:
the gift of eternity. Helping someone secure eternity in the kingdom of God is the
best gift you can ever give to someone. So we weep for those souls. We have the heart to
weep for those souls because if you weep for them, He’s going to prompt us to do something.
He’s going to prompt us to minister to them. He’s going to prompt us to pray
for them. He’s going to prompt us to sacrifice for them. Jesus Christ modeled
this habit of having a weeping soul for us. You remember Jesus Christ wept over Jerusalem.
When He rode on that donkey, a colt coming from Mount Olives in His triumphant entrance
into Jerusalem, He wept. He said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone
those who are sent unto you. How often would I have gathered you to myself, just like a
hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not. Behold, your house is left
unto you desolate. And now I say, you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is
He who comes in the name of the Lord.'” On another occasion, Jesus Christ said, “If
you had known this day the things that are made for your peace, but now they have been
hidden from your eyes.” And He tells them what the consequences are: that the enemy will
step in, will destroy your city, the temple, and will take your wives and your children
as captives. Jesus Christ wept. When He saw how they rejected the word of God, how Israel
rejected the word of God, He wept for Jerusalem. That’s the way we should do as well. We should
be more concerned with people who have not yet come to Christ. So what do we do? We pray for
them. Those ones that we cannot reach. Those words that we know they cannot listen to us. We’ve
tried so many times and they will not listen. We begin to pray for them. Set a day aside in the
week as a day when you pray for the lost souls. Write their names down. Make it specific. Call
out their names when you pray. Father, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ according to Matthew
9:38, you said the Lord of the harvest and he will send laborers into his harvest. I pray for these
ones today that you will send someone in their midst by your holy spirit, one that they will
listen to and you mention their names. Mention their names is very important. That’s my prayer
point. Every Monday I pray for the lost souls. Very important. Use the name of Jesus Christ
and break the power of darkness in their lives. For the people that you pray for,
you will not criticize as well. So we must emulate uh the life of our Lord Jesus
Christ when it comes to weeping for those that are lost and giving our weeping a corresponding action
by ministering to them and praying for their for them. We are now in verse 22, the last section of
this uh today’s teaching. So we are getting to the end of today’s teaching. Verse 22. Then Paul stood
in the midst of the [i]Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are
very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship,
I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without
knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 God, who made the world and everything in it,
since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25
Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life,
breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one [j]blood every nation of men to dwell on all
the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their
dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope 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 also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore,
since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or
silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God
overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which
He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance
of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” 32 And when they heard of the resurrection
of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” 33
So Paul departed from among them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed,
among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and
others with them. So now When Paul stood in Areopagus, the place
where he was invited by these philosophers, he started by recognizing their religiosity. He used their religiosity as an entry point,
as a bridge, as a way to connect to them. For he said, “I observe you are religious
people, and you have so many idols here, and I notice one of them with the inscription,
‘To an unknown God.’ That God is the God that I want to speak to you today about.” So he
looked for a very good entry point so that he could connect with them. That’s what he did
here. Now, he began to talk to them about this God. I want you to observe the phrases and the
words that he used to describe this God that he’s talking to them about. Now, the Almighty
Jehovah, he called Him the Creator of heaven and the earth. He called Him Father. He called
Him the Judge. He called Him the Sovereign, the Miracle Worker, the Lifegiver, God who does
not live in a temple built with hands. So he used all these phrases to introduce God just to
show them that the God he’s talking about—the God that he’s talking about—is not the God that they
have in all these places and idols, things that have eyes that cannot see and a mouth that cannot
talk. So he makes a very clear distinction here. And he continues to talk about this God. He said
this God that I’m talking to you about is a God that causes people to come to repentance. He
says in the times of ignorance He overlooked, but now He calls all men everywhere to repent so
that they can come to the knowledge of the truth. So what ignorance is he talking about here? He’s
talking about ignorance of idolatry, worshipping of images, ignorance of evil, ignorance of
sin, whatever it is in your life, ignorance of fornication, of adultery, ignorance of greed,
ignorance of gossip, whatever that is. He says in the past God overlooked these things, but now He’s
saying it’s time for you to repent and come into the kingdom of God. And now what is the knowledge
that he’s talking about here? Knowledge of the truth. He’s talking about Jesus Christ here. So he
used the opportunity to introduce Jesus Christ to them, that through Jesus Christ, whom God raised
from the dead, He’s going to judge the world. And when they heard about the resurrection from
the dead, which is the foundation of our Christian belief, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, when
they heard it, these philosophers—some of them mocked, while others said, “We will hear more on
this next time.” So they say, “Class dismissed.” You know, He has spoken something. We got to
go home now, you know. So that’s what happened in this section. So what do we learn from this
section? Number one, always look for an entry point. Very imperative. Important that when
you engage an unbeliever, looking for an entry point is a good strategy in evangelization of
unbelievers. A very good strategy. Listen. That’s how it begins. For you to get that entry point,
you must listen. Don’t cut them off. Give them the opportunity to speak. The longer they speak
and you listen, you will find a good entry point, and then you can launch in. Use that entry
point to connect and relate respectfully. Look at their worldview and use it as an
entry point. For example, someone who is talking about their success, their success
in life, your entry point can be, “Who do you think has blessed you this way?” And you can
tell them, “Do you know that the Bible says, ‘You shall bless the Lord your God, for it is
He who gives you the power to get wealth’?” You can ask them, “Do you recognize that the wealth
and the success you have today came from God?” If it’s somebody who is talking about their
children, how successful they are, your entry point could be, “Children are a heritage from
the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward.” So looking for that entry point
is very, very important so that you can be able to engage them. It
is not about who wins an argument, because sometimes some of them will argue
with you. Remember that the goal here is to help someone find Christ, not to be the
one who wins an argument. So be respectful about it. Be patient about it. Put on your
garment of tolerance while you engage them. And remember that it is the Holy Spirit who is
going to do the work. The rest is not for the swift; that is the battle of the strong. The
second thing that we learn here is the gospel calls for repentance. The gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ calls for everyone to repent. Remember what Paul said in Acts 17:30,
“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all men everywhere to repent.”
The purpose of the gospel is to give people that access to life eternal to
know Jesus Christ to know God. For God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son. Jesus Christ died for the whole world. The issue of sin is settled once
and for all. Now it is left for anyone who wants to come into the kingdom to come in by faith
alone—faith in what Jesus Christ did. It is not the will of God that anyone should perish.
He does not delight in the death of the wicked. That’s why in Ezekiel it tells us, “Turn ye,
turn ye, why will you die? For He does not delight in the death of the wicked.” And that’s
why God is very patient with us in 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning His
promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing
that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” There is joy in heaven when
one sinner repents. That’s what the Bible says. So my good friends, what I’m
encouraging you today is this week: step out of your comfort zone. Speak to someone
today this week about Jesus Christ through you, through your obedience. Let there be joy in
heaven that someone came into the kingdom. Let there be the singing and the dancing
of the angels in heaven, celebrating that one that you led to Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Blessed be His holy name forever and evermore. I have come to the end of today’s teaching,
and I want to give you an opportunity today: if you are not yet a child of God, if you’re not
yet born again, if you are not a Christian yet, an opportunity to come into the
kingdom of God. The time is taken. He that believes in the Son of
God has life already—life now, life eternal. But he that believes not shall not
see life, for the wrath of God abides on that one, which means it is going on even as I
speak right now. The wrath of God abides on that one who has refused to receive
Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. What do you stand to lose when you
receive Jesus Christ of Nazareth? Nothing. You don’t lose anything. Rather, you
gain life—eternity in heaven. If you would die, you will go straight to heaven and spend
eternity there, which is very important. “Labor not for the meat which perishes,
but for that which endures to eternal life, which the Son of God shall give unto
you.” That’s what the Bible says. Which means we should not be chasing after
the fleeting things of this world. Rather, we should invest in the things of heaven.
We should come into the kingdom of God. Now, how do you come into the kingdom of God? By
being born again. In John 3:3, Jesus Christ said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God.” How do you get born again? By believing in Jesus Christ, by putting your trust
in what He did for you at the cross, not by your good works. By believing that the way you can
get to heaven is through Jesus Christ alone, not through your good works. That’s how you
get born again—by having a relationship with Jesus Christ. For Jesus said in Revelation 3:20,
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come
in. I will sup with him, and he with Me.” So Jesus Christ is giving us that invitation. He’s
knocking at the door. The door that Jesus Christ is knocking at has only one knob—that is inside
where you are. You are the only one who has the capacity or the ability to open it for Him
to come in. That’s why salvation is not by force. You must make the decision yourself.
The time is taken. What are you waiting for? So I’m going to lead you now in a very
short prayer. Pray this prayer today, my good friends, and believe
it with all your heart, and your sins today will be forgiven.
You will become a child of God. Pray with me: Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus
Christ. I believe He is Your Son who died for my sins. You raised Him from the dead
on the third day. Dear Lord Jesus Christ, please come into my life today. Be my Lord and
Savior. I believe my sins are washed away and I repent from them. Father God, thank You for
the gift of Jesus Christ to the world. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, I welcome you into
the kingdom of God. Please look for a Bible-based church where they teach the Word of God and
become a member so that you can be taught the Word of God and grow in your faith. Remember,
only those who hear the good news, the gospel, and do what He says are the ones who are going
to reap the benefits of the kingdom of God. My good friends, I urge you to be a
doer of the Word of God. Thank you, partners all over the world—those that
are helping us spread the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ through your prayers,
your financial support, and your services to this ministry. If you want to become a partner
with us, please go to our website: www.kuim.org And there is a way there you can subscribe and
participate. My good friends, I want to pray for you before I end today’s teaching. May the Lord
Almighty bless you, keep you, and be with you. May He lift up His countenance upon you and give
you peace that passes all understanding. Wisdom, wisdom from above—wisdom not to make unnecessary
mistakes. I pray that God will open financial doors and opportunities for you today; that
He will send His angels always to come around about you to deliver you from every trouble; that
He will heal every disease in your body today; that He will set you free from that pit
and put your feet upon that Rock, who is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and bless the rest of
your week in Jesus’ name. Everybody said, Amen. Good friends of mine, always remember, we walk not
by sight. We walk by faith. Regardless of what you hear, what the enemy is saying, throwing at you,
don’t worry yourself. Smile. Put your confidence in God, who will never leave you nor forsake you.
And always remember that surely there is an end, and your expectations will never be cut off.
Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. My good friends, I want to introduce to you my
new book titled Spiritual Retirement. You see, we live in a world where so many people
are concerned about retiring physically and they have done nothing about
their spiritual retirement. They have done nothing about that preparation
that must be made now in order to secure eternal retirement. So this book helps us
to understand that preparation. It helps us also to identify the devices of the enemy
to hinder us from reaching our ultimate goal, which is eternity in the kingdom of God. It is
a very good resource for you, for your family, and for your friends. It is a very good gift
that you can give to believers and unbelievers. It is now available on our website www.kuim.org
, and you can also find it on Amazon.com. Remain blessed in the name of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. I am excited to tell you about my new book. The
title of this book is Living in Victory: The Things That Belong to Us. There are so many things
in the Bible, in the Word of God, that belong to us, and sometimes out of ignorance we don’t know
about these things, so we go without. This book is loaded with information telling us about the
things that belong to us and how to lay hold of those things and make use of them now, not in the
sweet by and by. It is available on Amazon, and you can also get it from our website www.kuim.org
. My good friends, I am glad to tell you about my
new book titled Receive Healing Today, and the subtitle is Jesus Is Still the Same. This book
is loaded with topics on Bible divine healing. It tells you how to receive healing from God and
how to keep that healing. It’s going to be a very good resource for you, your family, and even your
friends. This book is now available on Amazon, and you can also find it on our website www.kuim.org
Remain blessing the Lord. [Music]