## Study of the Book of Acts - Part 18

(Acts 1:8b) "…Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Tonight we continue to look at the development of Christianity to the Uttermost Part of the Earth.

I. Christianity in Jerusalem 1:1-8:3

II. Christianity in Judea and Samaria 8:4- 12:25

III. Christianity to the Uttermost Part of the World 13:1-28:31

A. The First Missionary Journey 13:1-14:28

B. The Council at Jerusalem 15:1-35

C. The Second Missionary Journey 15:36-18:22

1. The personnel chosen 15:36-40

2. The churches revisited 15:41-16:4

3. The call to Europe 16:6-10

4. The work at Philippi 16:11-40

5. The work at Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens 17:1-34

a. At Thessalonica (1-9)

1) The journey to Thessalonica was about 100 miles from Philippi

2) Positive response to the Gospel v 1-4

a) Some Jews believed

b) A great multitude of devout Greeks

c) A number of influential women

3) Negative response to the Gospel 5-10

a) The Jews that rejected Paul's message gathered up a mob to find Paul and Silas

b) Paul and Silas had previously lodged within the house of Jason - so the mob converged upon it

c) They found Jason and some of the other brethren but Paul and Silas were not with them

d) NOTE the charge if verse 6 "These that have turned the world upside down .... are come hither also."

e) They charged them with political tyranny claiming Jesus is King!

f) The people and rulers of the city were stirred up by the Jews - they were unable to find Paul and Silas - so they required Jason and the other believers to put up a bond which would be forfeitable if there was more trouble g) After Jason and the others were released, they made sure Paul and Silas were safely on their way to Berea

b. At Berea v10-15

1) Berea was 46 miles from Thessalonica

2) Positive reaction to the Gospel 10-12

a) Upon arrival they went into the synagogue and began teaching as was their custom

b) These Berean Jews were more noble than those of Thessalonica

c) They received the Word with a ready mind and they studied the Scriptures daily to confirm Paul's message.

NOTE: This is what all of us should do - not because we do not trust our Pastor - but to anchor our faith and trust in God's Word which is unchangeable.

d) 'Many believed' as opposed to the results in Thessalonica where 'some believed'

e) NOTE: That 'not a few' Greeks both men and women came to believe the Gospel message

3) Negative results v 13-15

a) Jews from Thessalonica came to Berea to stir up trouble for Paul

b) Paul was forced to leave Berea and go to Athens

c) He left Silas and Timothy in Berea to help establish the church

d) Upon arrival in Athens, he sent for them to join him in his work among the Greeks

c. At Athens (16-34)

1) Paul is challenged by the depravity of the city v 16-18

a) His spirit was stirred when he saw that the whole city was involved in idolatry

b) He immediately went to the synagogue NOTE: Paul approached Athens on two fronts:

1] The synagogue - to reach the Jews, and any others there

2] The marketplace - to reach the greater majority of listeners in Greece

c) He encounters the philosophers

1] Epicureans: believed that happiness was the chief end of life

2] Stoics: these were 'nature- lovers' who were pantheistic

3] Their opinion of him wasn't too high (...this babbler)

4] Paul's message remains the same - "Jesus and the resurrection"

2) Paul is taken to the Areopagus 19-21

a) The Areopagus: (Mars Hill)

1] This is where the men would gather and present their arguments - it was a council for religion and education

2] The philosophers were anxious to hear this new teaching - not because they necessarily wanted to hear the gospel but they loved to hear new teachings and arguments

b) The Greeks prided themselves on their wisdom and their open- mindedness toward new ideas

c) We might call them a 'think-tank' or 'brain-stormers'

3) Paul's sermon on Mars Hill v 22-31

a) The introduction

1] 'You are too superstitious' the idea here is that they were very rigid and firm in their reverence of their duties

2] 'to the unknown God' - fearing that they might have over- looked some deity, they had erected an altar to the "unknown god"

3] Paul used this to introduce his message - to them God was the unknown Deity

4] He said that he would tell them about Him so they could worship Him correctly!

b) The Unknown God is declared (v24-29)

1] Since God is the Creator of the world, He is the sovereign Lord over heaven and earth, there- fore, He doesn't dwell in temples made by men

2] He is not sustained by men because He gave life to all things

3] He alone determined the history of men on the earth

4] One of God's purposes in revealing Himself in creation and history is that people would seek Him - because He is not so far removed that we cannot find Him

5] Paul quotes from some poets to support his point that all men are offspring of God - not in the sense that we are all redeemed but we are all created in His image therefore....

6] We shouldn't think that God is in gold, silver, or stone idols made by men

c) The message from God (v 30-31)

1] In the past God has overlooked this ignorance of men making idols

2] But now God has commanded all men everywhere to repent!

3] Paul now introduces them to the message of the gospel

4] God will judge the world through that man He hath raised from the dead

4) The response to the Gospel (v 32-34)

a) "Some mocked"

1] To a Greek, the idea of one who was dead being raised to live forever was nonsense

2] So some of Paul's listeners began to mock or sneer at what they had heard

b) "We will hear again"

1] Others were more open-minded and said they wanted to hear Paul again on the matter

2] They weren't read to accept the message or to reject it for that matter. They just wanted to hear more

c) "Certain men... .believed"

1] Some did believe the message of the Gospel

2] Dionysius the Areopagite was among Paul's converts

3] He is noted here because he was a member of the council that met regularly on Mars Hill

4] Also noted was a woman named Damaris we are not told of her distinction but of it has been noted that certain prominent women were converted under Paul's ministry

Next time: The Ministry in Corinth