But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
— 1 Timothy 3:15

Today I want us to look at the meaning of the word “church” as it was understood in the First Century AD when the Church was first emerging. This teaching goes a little deeper than we usually go — but for lovers of the New Testament, it will be filled with insight and revelation.

The term that the Holy Spirit chose to describe the newly emerging Christian community was the Greek word ekklesia. This word is a compound of the Greek words ek and kaleo. The word ek conveys the idea of an exit or a separation, and the word kaleo means to beckon, to call, to invite, or to summon. When these two words are joined, they form the word ekklesia, which describes those who are called and separated to a prestigious assembly.

The earliest examples of the word ekklesia is found in writings about Athens, where it was used to denote a prestigious assembly of Athenian citizens who regularly met to discuss civil matters. At these meetings, the distinguished citizens determined laws, debated public policy, formulated new policies, argued and ruled in judicial matters, elected the chief magistrates of the land, decided who should be banished, and so on. To be called out from society and invited to be a member of this assembly was a great honor.

The reason the Holy Spirit chose the word ekklesia to describe God’s people becomes more and more evident as one studies this subject. The New Testament meaning of ekklesia is clear: The local church is a body of individuals who have been called out, called forth, and separated for the purposes of God. The church is God’s assembly in every town and city — composed of people who have been saved and called out to make eternal decisions that will affect the very atmosphere of their local region.

God never intended for the local church to be simply a quiet, hidden body of believers. Rather, He intended for a church to be His voice and ruling power in each community — a special assembly comprised of people who have been called out to make decisions that will impact the atmosphere of their local environment for God.

Therefore, when the New Testament used the word ekklesia to depict the local church, it is conveying an incredibly important message right from the start: God’s plan for each congregation was not that they hide and cower in fear, but rather that they rise to a position of power and influence in the place where God had called them to fulfill their specific assignment for their region. The church was intended to be a brilliant beacon of light in the midst of dark and troubled towns, cities, and regions.

The believers in the early New Testament were suffering terribly as a direct consequence of persecution. Church meetings had to be conducted in secret because swift retribution would be brought upon them if their actions were ever made known. Yet despite the fact that these believers were suffering immensely and forced to meet in secret, Christ still acknowledged them for who they were — His ekklesia, called out from the world and separated to exercise spiritual power over the bleak and seemingly hopeless atmosphere that surrounded them.

Regardless of how dark and oppressive the situation seemed to be or how much these believers struggled, it didn’t change Jesus’ view of them. They were His precious, appointed ekklesia — His governing body in their respective towns, cities, and regions. And that is still how Jesus views the local church! Each body of believers has its own specific assignment, and each believer is assigned to a specific ekklesia! All local bodies fit within a larger common purpose: that of furthering the Kingdom of God on this earth by equipping the saints and being an influence of God’s truth and righteousness to a lost world.

So I encourage you to ask yourself today: Do I know in my heart that I am planted firmly in my God-ordained company of believers? Am I positioned in the ekklesia that holds His assignment for this season of my life? Then renew your commitment to be all God has called you to be to help the ekklesia to which He has joined you extend its influence. As that local body extends His voice into the surrounding culture, the spiritual atmosphere of that region will be changed to the glory of His name!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You for saving me and calling me to be a member of Your precious Church. Help me see Your Church the way You see it — anointed, precious, and powerful. I ask You to help me be faithful in the church where You have planted me so that I will flourish as I use my gifts and talents there and do all I can to be a positive contributing member. In conjunction with everyone else in our church, I ask You to help us be an expression of Your voice that affects the city where I live.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I love the church where God has called me. I use my gifts and talents to help in the various ministries and departments of the church. I give my tithes and offerings there, as God commands me to do in His Word. I pray for my pastor and listen carefully as he preaches what he believes God has to say to us each week. When he looks for someone on whom he can depend, my pastor knows that I am one he can turn to rely upon. I declare that our church is growing, is getting stronger and stronger, and that we are becoming a greater light to our city.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. So what did you learn new about the word “church” today? Was any of this new information and insight for you? What was the primary thing you gained from reading it?
2. How does what you read in today’s Sparkling Gem affect your view of the local church and the role of your pastor?
3. After reading what a privilege it was to be a member of the early ekklesia, how does this affect your view of your membership in your local church?

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.

— Ephesians 1:22

In the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, there is an exquisite display of the treasures of King Tut (Tutankhamun) — the boy pharaoh who died at a very early age and whose tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in the year 1922. I’ve been to Tut’s Tomb in the Valley of the Kings, and on multiple occasions I’ve seen the display of treasures found in his tomb that are on view in the Egyptian Museum. This museum is one of the world’s greatest — filled with artifacts from the ancient world. However, of all the relics on display, there is something uniquely breathtaking about the treasures of King Tut. Each time I’ve been there, I’ve found myself especially fascinated by one group of items in the collection — the walking canes that were used by King Tut.

As one might expect, these canes are long and slender and are decorated with gold, silver, ivory, precious stones, and rare woods. They were not designed to fully carry the weight of an individual, but rather were intended to convey symbolism to anyone who saw Tut walking with these items in his hand. I first realized this fact when I took a closer look and saw the unique carvings on the bottoms of each of these canes.

These walking canes are each shaped like a shepherd’s staff with a u-shaped hook on one end. However, instead of being placed at the top of the cane like a typical shepherd’s staff, these hooks were formed at the base. Engraved along the length of each hook are images of conquered peoples from foreign lands lying prostrate on their stomachs with their arms reaching upward in adoration of the Pharaoh. Every time the pharaoh walked with his cane in hand, these figures literally rolled on the bottom of cane, symbolically bowing before him. This imagery conveyed a strong message — namely, that all of Egypt’s enemies were defeated and directly under the feet of this mighty Pharaoh.

When I first recognized the meaning behind these carvings, I was reminded of the apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:22, where he wrote, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.” Paul’s choice of words in this statement is very powerful, so let’s take a moment to examine the original Greek language.

The word “under” in this verse is the Greek word hupotasso. This word was originally a military term meaning to subjugate or to dominate. It described forcibly subduing a conquered people and putting them in their place, and it is the exact idea that the images on King Tut’s canes were designed to convey. However, Paul’s use of this word in Ephesians 1:21 was not figurative or symbolic at all. Jesus Christ — through His death on the Cross, subsequent resurrection, and ultimate ascension on High — literally put every foe that ever existed under His feet.

Paul elaborated on this in Philippians 2:9, saying, “Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (see Philippians 2:9-11). Nothing in the universe is more highly exalted than Jesus Christ. His throne rules above all — above all human authorities, military authorities, and spiritual authorities. There is simply no one who rules higher or more majestically than Jesus.

Today King Tutankhamun is wrapped in burial shrouds and encased in a coffin. He is dead, but Jesus sits exalted at the right hand of the Father, and all nations, principalities, and powers must forever bow before Him! That in itself is an awesome thought to consider.

But you also have this truth to digest and apply to your life today and every day as well: As you read on in Ephesians, you find out the Father raised you to sit with Jesus in the heavenlies, far above all principalities and powers (see Ephesians 2:6), and He gave you all the authority invested in His name! So you have something over King Tut as well, because the devil and all his demon forces are under your feet in Jesus’ name! Let that truth sink in today — and determine to see and respond to every situation you face from that position of authority that Jesus gave you in Him when you received Him as Savior.

The devil’s strategies are under your feet. As you respond more and more from that position of authority, you will see situations that looked messy or even impossible begin to turn around for the good of all involved — and all to God’s glory!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father of glory, I thank You that when You raised Jesus from the dead, You raised me up and made me to sit down together with Him at Your own right hand. Father I honor You for the blood of Jesus Christ that purchased my salvation. Holy Spirit, teach me day by day to exalt the name of Jesus in every situation of my life, as I crush every strategy the enemy wages against me through the power of Christ’s magnificent name!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I am seated together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. My life is hidden with Christ in God. I am in Christ, and by His Spirit, Jesus Christ dwells in me. He is the Head of the Church, which is His Body on the earth. Since I am a member of His Body, as He is, so am I in this earth. In every situation, I honor the Head by exercising His authority to enforce His will upon the earth.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. People often treat political leaders like their legacy will be remembered forever, but I challenge you to name the last ten presidents of the United States.  Who among them held political office the longest?
2. Which king in the Old Testament was referred to as the king of kings? Nations literally bowed before him, and he changed the course of history. Can you name him?
3. Of all the kings who have ever ruled, Jesus is the longest ruling and most exalted.  It is simply a fact that there will be no end to His Kingdom. What thoughts arise in your heart when you consider the power, glory, and stability that belong to our Lord Jesus Christ?

Far above all principalities, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.

— Ephesians 1:21

Once when I was browsing in an antique shop in Russia, I came across an old, folded document that was covered in elegant, elaborate Russian handwriting. I could see that it was authentic, so I asked the shop owner if I could hold it in order to take a closer look. As I carefully unfolded the paper, I saw much to my amazement that I was holding a personal letter written by a Tsar of Russia to announce the birth of his son! I was stunned to be holding such an important piece of Russian history in my hands.

The imperial insignia was still pressed into the broken wax seal, and on the back of the letter was an inscription with all the names and titles of this particular Russian Tsar. The beautiful handwriting described him as:

Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, of Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod, Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauric Chersonesos, Tsar of Georgia, Lord of Pskov, and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volhynia, Podolia, Finland, Jerusalem, [and so forth, and so forth, and so forth].

The point of these titles was clear: There was no higher name and no greater power than the Tsar of Russia in the realms of his rule. But when I saw this Tsar’s amazing list of names, titles, and ranks, I immediately thought of how highly exalted Jesus is above all others — including kings and queens and nobility of every type. In fact, Ephesians 1:21 says that Christ’s resurrection exalted Him to a position at the Father’s right hand, “Far above all principalities, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the world, but also in that which is to come.”

Let’s take an in-depth look at this verse to learn exactly how exalted Jesus Christ is in this universe. First, we see that the apostle Paul declared that Jesus is exalted “above all….” In Greek, this word “above” is huperano, which means high above or far above and refers to both rank and dignity. In the context of this verse, it means quite simply that no one in the universe has a higher rank, name, or position than Jesus Christ! Furthermore, to affirm Jesus’ highest position, Paul added the word “all,” which is a translation of the Greek word pas, meaning anything and everything. By using these two words together, huperano and pas, he left no room for misunderstanding or doubt regarding his message — that Jesus Christ holds the highest and most exalted position in the entire universe. He is literally “above all.”

Paul went on to describe the specific categories that Christ is above. First, he stated that Christ is “above all principalities….” The word “principalities” is from the Greek word arche, and it denotes rulers of the highest level. This encompassing term refers to all human rulers, including kings and politicians. However, it must be noted that the word arche is also used in Scripture to refer to angelic beings. This means Paul was declaring that Christ’s exalted rank is far above all human rulers and angelic beings. The natural and the spiritual realms are both under the dominion of Jesus Christ, and there is absolutely no one in any realm more highly exalted than Him.

Paul then mentioned Christ’s superiority over “powers.” The word “powers” is the Greek word exousias. This word describes people who have received delegated power, and therefore is often translated authorities. In the context of Ephesians 1:21, this word exousias refers to people who hold public office and wield authority entrusted to them by their superiors or through an election. Paul was teaching that although these individuals yield substantial power and influence in the affairs of the world, their authority pales in comparison to that of Jesus Christ. At the time Paul penned these words in the First Century AD, this was a very dangerous and powerful statement to make, because Roman political powers were actively persecuting the Church and attempting to suppress the message of the Gospel. However, Paul wanted his readers to know that no matter what authority a politician might try to exert over the Church, Jesus had a rank that was even higher than most powerful human authorities.

Next Paul wrote of “might,” which comes from the Greek word dunamis. The word dunamis denotes explosive power, but it also was regularly used to describe the full strength of a military force. By using this word, Paul declared that Jesus is exalted in His authority and power even above all the military forces in the world today.

As if this list is not already complete enough, Paul added one more word. He stated that Christ is supreme above all “dominions.” This is the Greek word kuriotes, which means lordships. It could refer to any world system, political, financial, or any system of any type. There simply is no system more high-ranking that the Lord Jesus Christ!

Finally, to make sure he has included everyone and everything on his list, Paul added “…and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come….” In one sweeping statement, Paul declared that Jesus is Lord over all. He is literally superior to rulers (arche), elected leaders (exousias), military powers (dunamis), and constitutional authorities (kuriotes). He is literally Lord over all!

Today that old Russian document I found in the antique shop is framed and belongs to a high-ranking politician in Moscow to whom I gifted it. It is a remarkable document about a dead Tsar who persists only in distant memory as a historical figure. In Russia’s history, no one was more highly exalted than the Tsar; however, in all of human history, no one has ever been more highly exalted than Jesus Christ. He is alive today and sitting at the Father’s right hand, where He reigns forever as:

King of kings, Lord of lords, The Blessed and Only Potentate, The King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, The Anointed One, The Christ, The Messiah, The Chosen One, The Lamb of God, The Glory of God, The Word of God, The Only Begotten of the Father, Emmanuel, Son of Man, Son of God, Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, The Power of God, The Wisdom of God, The Only Wise God, Prince of Peace, Redeemer, Chief Shepherd, Great Shepherd of the Sheep, Great High Priest, Universal and Supreme Head of the Church — God in the Flesh!

 

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I acknowledge and declare that You are literally and utterly Lord over all! You reign supreme and powerful above everything and everyone that is or is to come. I worship and exalt You, Jesus. No one and nothing is equal to or greater than You! I reverence and submit to your Lordship, and I resist any work of the flesh or the devil that would defy Your Lordship in my life!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that Jesus is my Lord, and I exalt Him as Supreme Ruler over every area of my Life! Every title conferred upon Him establishes a specific victory in my life. Jesus rules as my Prince of Peace; therefore, anxiety, agitation, and fear may not dominate me. Jesus reigns as my Redeemer; therefore, sickness, poverty, oppression or any work of the enemy may not establish any control or influence over me. I walk in truth that Jesus alone is my Lord, and this truth makes me free indeed!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. What does it mean to you personally when you say “Jesus is Lord!” ?
2. What areas of your life do you need to surrender to Jesus’ Lordship? Why not make a list so that you can pray over it and make it a matter of personal consecration?
3. The name of Jesus wields ultimate authority over all the works of the enemy. What situation in your life, family, or business needs to bow to the name of Jesus? How will you enforce the Lordship of Jesus in that situation?

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved….

— Colossians 3:12

If you know Jesus Christ today, it is no accident. God personally summoned you to know Him. The fact is, God looked out into eternity and saw you — and He said, “I want you. I’m calling you out of this lost world to belong to Me!” God literally chose you for Himself, which ought to be one of the truths you speak to yourself every day!

How can we know that to be true? God gives us that assurance in Colossians 3:12, where it says, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved….” This verse is very important for us to understand because it tells you and me what God thinks of us. This is vital for us to get into our hearts, because we need to know what God thinks of those whom He has redeemed.

Pay close attention as we dig into this verse. Let these truths sink deep into your heart — because they have the power to transform the way you think about yourself!

Colossians 3:12 begins by saying, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God….” This word “elect” is the first word that reveals what God thinks of us. It is the Greek word eklektos, which is a compound of the words ek and lego. The word ek means out, and lego means I say. When they are compounded, the new word literally means, “Out, I say!” In other words, God loved us so much that He called us out from a lost eternity and began the process of making sure we came to Christ. For that reason, the word eklektos can be translated elected or selected, carrying the idea that we are personally chosen by God.

The verse continues, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy….” This word “holy” is the Greek word hagios, which in ancient times described awe, respect, and reverence for a holy place or a holy shrine — a place separated and set apart from other places. Consequently, the word eventually came to refer to something that was separated from the rest of the world and was thereby sanctified, consecrated, or holy. The use of this word in the New Testament tells us that once we came to Christ, the blood of Jesus separated us, consecrated us, and made us holy. He removed our past sins and threw them into the sea of forgetfulness, separating our sin from us as far as the east is from the west (see Psalm 103:12).

The word “holy” (hagios) means that God Himself respects you as a holy dwelling place for His Spirit. God sees you as consecrated and sanctified, different from others, so special that you are in a totally separate category from the rest of the world.

So the next time the devil tries to tell you that you’re too fat, too skinny, too homely, not spiritual enough, undeserving, or inferior in any way, read the preceding paragraphs to him as a rebuke! Then the first thing every morning, look in the mirror and declare: “I am holy! Jesus’ blood separated me from my past! He wiped it out and cleared the slate! He threw my sin into the sea of forgetfulness and separated it from me forever. Now I am clean, set apart, and consecrated — and God Himself respects me as the temple of His Spirit!”

All these things are absolutely true about you. That’s why you must do your best to live in obedience to God’s Word and to avoid grieving the Holy Spirit who resides within you (see Ephesians 4:30). Whenever you do anything out of order or anything that would bring grief to the Holy Spirit living within you, just confess your sin to the Father, and you will be immediately and completely cleansed by the blood of Jesus (see 1 John 1:9).

Next, Colossians 3:12 goes on to say, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved.…” This word “beloved” is the Greek word agapao, which comes from the word agape, the Greek word for love. The tense used in this verse is very significant, because it means God has loved us in the past; He still loves us in the present; and He will continue to love us in the future.

Do you remember moments in your past when you were so very aware that God loved you? Were there moments when you felt overwhelmed by God’s forgiveness, acceptance, and tender care for you, even at times when you knew that you had done something wrong and didn’t deserve His love? The psalmist David wrote that God’s love is unfailing. In Psalm 36:7 (NIV), David said, “How priceless is your unfailing love….” In fact, David and the other psalmists were so aware of God’s “unfailing love” to sustain them that they wrote about it 70 times in the book of Psalms.

Are you still aware today that God loves you with an everlasting, unfailing love? God’s love for you has never changed. He loves you today as intensely as He loved you yesterday! You may have done things that were not appropriate for a child of God to do. But nonetheless, you are His child, and He loves you with an everlasting love. Even if you’ve largely ignored God and you need to ask His forgiveness, He never forgets that the Holy Spirit lives in you, and He respects you as a dwelling place of His Spirit. And the really great news is this: God’s love for you tomorrow will also be unfailing. It will never change. Even if you fail, God’s love for you will not fail. His love is steadfast and unchanging toward His sons and daughters.

Before I finish this point about you being the “beloved” of God, I want to take some time to explain further what the word agape really means, since it is one of the Greek words Paul used in Colossians 3:12 to reveal what God thinks of you.

This word agape refers to what I call high-level love, for there is no higher, finer, or more excellent love than agape love. In fact, the word agape is filled with so much deep emotion and meaning that it is one of the most difficult words to translate in the New Testament. Trying to explain this word has baffled translators for centuries; nevertheless, I’m going to try to clarify the meaning of this powerful word.

Agape occurs when an individual sees, recognizes, understands, or appreciates the value of an object or a person, causing the viewer to behold this object or person in great esteem, awe, admiration, wonder, and sincere appreciation. Such great respect is awakened in the heart of the observer for the person or object he is beholding that he is compelled to love it. In fact, his love for that person or object is so strong that it is irresistible.

In the New Testament, perhaps the best example of agape is found in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In the phrase, “For God so loved the world,” the word “love” is the word agape.

This means that when God looked upon the human race, He stood in awe of mankind, even though man was lost in sin. God admired man; He wondered at man; He held mankind in the highest appreciation. Even though Satan held mankind captive at that moment, God looked upon the world and saw His own image in man. The human race was so precious to God and He loved man so deeply that His heart was stirred to reach out and do something to save him. In other words, God’s love drove Him to action.

You see, agape is a love that loves so profoundly that it knows no limits or boundaries in how far, wide, high, and deep it will go to show that love to its recipient. If necessary, agape love will even sacrifice itself for the sake of that object or person it so deeply cherishes. Thus, agape is the highest form of love — a self-sacrificial type of love that moves the lover to action for the sake of the beloved.

When you put together the meaning of these three words in Colossians 3:12, you gain a deeper revelation regarding what God actually thinks about you. He has personally chosen you; He has separated you from your sin; He respects you as the dwelling place of His Spirit; and He loves you so much that His thoughts are continually turned toward you, causing awe, admiration, and wonder to be drawn from His heart. That is what God thinks about you!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I am in awe of Your great love toward me. Thank You that even before the foundations of the world, You looked into eternity and saw me personally. When You fastened Your gaze upon me, Your heart of love opened toward me and You deliberately chose me that I might know You. Holy Spirit, You are the treasure within my earthen vessel. Help me see myself as the Father sees me. Then empowered by the confidence of His love and favor, strengthen and guide me to walk as a continual demonstration of that love to others for the glory of Your name!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am personally summoned by God to know Him intimately. When God sees me, His great “agape love” for me compels Him to behold me with an admiring gaze as when one beholds a treasure with awe and wonder. I am the chosen dwelling place of God’s own Spirit. Therefore, I am valued greatly and esteemed highly by Him. I believe and receive God’s great love for me, and today I walk in the reality of its irresistible strength and power. I am continually aware of His love for me, and for that reason, I remain secure and my faith in Him never fails!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Describe a moment when God’s unfailing love for you left you feeling overwhelmed and speechless.  How did that moment and expression of God’s love for you change your walk with God and your relationship with others?
2. As you meditate on how God thinks about you, how does that change the way you think about yourself?
3. Did you realize you were the special dwelling place of God and that God respects you as a consecrated dwelling place? If you really embrace that truth, how will that help to shape your self-image?

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them.
— Acts 17:32,33

There are a wide variety of reactions to the preaching of truth. I’ll give you an example from my own life — a personal experience I will never forget when I received multiple mixed reactions to a message I preached. I remember how stunned I was at the different ways people responded to what I ministered. To me, the message was thrilling, life-changing, and powerful, and I was so excited about the prospect of preaching it. I could hardly wait for the day to come to deliver what God had put on my heart, since I anticipated that people would respond to it the same way it had affected me. However, when I preached the message, people’s reaction was not exactly what I expected!

By the time I had finished preaching, it was obvious that some people were visibly blessed. However, others were upset and even furious with what I had said! Then there was a third group that wouldn’t immediately respond one way or the other, saying that they wanted to put their opinion “on hold” and think about what I had taught for a while.

I was shocked. I wondered, How in the world could this message produce such a mixed reaction, and how could it possibly anger people? I assure you that my intention had not been to make anyone angry, but only to speak a word from God that would set people free.

I was so perplexed that I decided to make copies of the message and send it to several nationally known ministers I respected and ask them to listen to it and give me their reaction to the message. As I waited to hear from them, I wondered what kind of response they would give me to this message. As the written responses came back, one after another said, “Not only is this message needed, it is very needed — and I would like to schedule you to come preach it in my church!”

Anyone who has been in the ministry long can testify that there is often a mixed response to the teaching of truth. What thrills one person can be a source of irritation to another person. When I was a younger man in the ministry, this varied reaction was confusing to me. But through the years, I have learned to expect the preaching of God’s Word to elicit different responses from different people.

Since you will one day stand before Jesus to give account for what you preach, it is crucial that you inwardly know you are saying exactly what He wants you to say; then you must trust the Lord with the results. As God’s messenger, you are ultimately responsible to speak what He puts on your heart, regardless of the response from your listeners.

When Paul concluded his message in the Athenian court, he had a very mixed response to his sermon. Acts 17:32,33 tells us, “And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them.”

This verse tells us that “some mocked” when they heard Paul’s message. The word “mocked” is derived from the Greek word echidna, which is the word for a poisonous viper. This word echidna is exactly the same word used in Matthew 3:7, Matthew 12:34, Matthew 23:33, and Luke 3:7, when Jesus referred to the religious leaders of his time as a generation of “vipers.” By using this vivid word, the Holy Spirit lets us know that when Paul concluded his masterful message, one group was so furious that they wanted to sink their fangs into him! They were livid and fuming because of what Paul preached.

That was one reaction to Paul’s message, but there were other reactions as well. Acts 17:32 goes on to tell us, “…Others said, We will hear thee again on this matter.” This second group wasn’t jumping and shouting, “Amen!” But the fact that they were open-minded and wanted to hear Paul again constituted a significant victory for the Kingdom of God. This means they were interested — and for judges in the highest court of this pagan land to be interested in the Gospel was a huge development!

This was a massive triumph for Paul’s ministry. Sometimes when a door of opportunity remains open rather than slamming shut, that open door is in itself a great success. Sure, these Athenian judges didn’t walk the aisle or pray the sinner’s prayer. But they wanted to hear more, and that let Paul know that he still had an open door into their hearts.

Acts 17:33 says, “So Paul departed from among them.” The Bible doesn’t explicitly say how Paul felt when he walked out of the amphitheater. However, we do know that he had enraged one group, interested another group, and had no visible proof that anyone would be saved as a result of his preaching that day. It is likely that he felt like a failure or thought he hadn’t performed as powerfully as he had hoped.

Although the response to his message was very mixed, there was a small group of notable people who not only heard it but were deeply touched by it. Acts 17:34 says, “Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” These people believed the truth they heard and desired to know more.

This verse tells us that “certain men clave unto him.” I want you to especially notice the word “clave.” This word is taken from the Greek word kollaoo — a word that means to glue to, to cleave to, to adhere to, to attach one’s self to, or to associate with. There is no doubt that this word conveys the idea of discipleship and faithfully following after someone else. We know that these individuals were saved as a result of Paul’s ministry that day, because this scripture tells us they “believed.”

Among this group of new believers was “Dionysius the Areopagite.” This man’s name indicates that he was named in honor of the Greek god Dionysius, which tells us he had been reared in a very pagan home. The Bible also tells us that Dionysius was an Areopagite. This word is taken from the word Areopagus, which describes the highest court of the land. We therefore know that this newly saved Dionysius was one of the 12 judges who ruled in the highest court in the entire nation.

This man’s conversion was no small victory! Because he was one of the 12 judges who ruled the land, he was well known in Athens and throughout all of Greece. The early Christian historian Eusebius later wrote that Dionysius became so rooted in the faith that he was eventually named the bishop of the church at Athens and died a martyr’s death.

In addition to Dionysius’ conversion, Acts 17:34 says that “a woman named Damaris” was also converted as a result of Paul’s message in the high court. Although the Bible doesn’t give us much insight into Damaris, we do know that, like Dionysius, she was a very wealthy aristocrat. The verse goes on to tell us, “and there were others with them.” The original language implies that although this group was not huge, it was a notable group of people who were probably members of the upper class. The seed of God’s Word became deeply rooted in their hearts, and they kept the fire burning in Athens long after Paul’s departure.

I am sure that Paul must have been perplexed by the mixed reaction he received to his message that day. Just as was true in my case, some were blessed, others infuriated, and others held their reactions to themselves. If you were just counting numbers, it would appear that the message Paul delivered in the Areopagus was no great success. But although the number of people converted wasn’t substantial, the identity of those converted was of great consequence.

By penetrating the upper class of Athens with the Gospel, Paul pierced the most difficult category of people to reach. These were people of influence, people of power, and people of high regard. Therefore, even though there were not vast numbers of new converts, the influential nature of those who were converted provided a significant advancement of the Gospel in Athens.

When you reach people with the message God puts on your heart, don’t be misled by the various reactions people have to you and to your message. Know beforehand that some may be glad to receive what you say, and some may end up mad at you because of the message you have preached. What is most important is that you know exactly what God wants you to say or do and then faithfully stick with that message, regardless of the reactions you experience. You will ultimately answer to Jesus, so when you step out to obey what He has told you to do, do it to please Him!

Make the decision not to permit yourself to be disturbed or disappointed because the numerical response you anticipated is smaller than you hoped. Even if the numbers are small, it may be that you have reached the heart of someone who will one day have great influence and power. That would make your results very successful indeed!

You may not know for many years the full consequences of your obedience. So if you have done your best to say precisely what Jesus has asked you to say, know that you have nothing left to do but rest your case. Then you can leave the rest of the matter in His hands!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I ask You to help me know exactly what I am to say, how I am to say it, and when I am to speak. Then once I have obeyed You, help me trust You with the results. I admit that I’ve been affected by people’s reactions in the past and have allowed those reactions to influence my obedience in the present. Please forgive me for allowing the opinions of man to affect me, even when I know I’ve done exactly what You told me to do. Help me keep my eyes on You when I step out in faith to obey the prompting of Your Spirit in my heart.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am not negatively affected by people’s mixed reactions when I speak the Word of God. People will always respond differently to truth; therefore, I put my trust in the Lord and keep my eyes on Him, not on the responses of people. I will do my best to speak His Word accurately, and I trust the Holy Spirit to assist me. He is my Helper, my Standby, my Assistant, and my Mentor, so I am depending on Him to teach me how to speak as I ought to speak. From this moment on, I will no longer worry or fret about the reactions of people when I do what I am instructed to do with a right heart. Instead, I will rest my case and then leave the results with the Lord.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of a time when you spoke exactly what God put on your heart, and it caused a wide variety of reactions that surprised you? Exactly when was that experience, and what was the message that seemed so controversial?
2. What did you learn from that experience when it was over? Did the Holy Spirit show you how you could have done better? What lessons did you appropriate from that experience?
3. Can you recall a time when you felt like you had failed in sharing the message God had given you? Did you later find out that God did remarkable things in people’s lives as a result of the seeds you planted that day?
4. What conclusion can you draw when you see eternal fruit produced in people’s lives from a time of sharing the truth that you thought was disastrous?

…And some said, What will this babbler say? Others said, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus….

— Acts 17:18,19

When we bring new ideas to a foreign culture, it can create an unpleasant reaction among the local people. That’s why we must be both careful and anointed as we take the Gospel into cultures that have never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ the way we are accustomed to preaching it.

This is the lesson I learned when I moved to a foreign land where words and actions are perceived differently than they are in the nation where I was born and raised. Words and phrases that had always been familiar to me were new and unknown to those I was trying to reach, and I had to be careful in my presentation, lest I turn people off instead of reaching their hearts with my message. For this reason, I had to learn to be very careful and aware of cultural perceptions, customs, and language as I ministered to the people to whom God has called me to give my life.

This principle doesn’t just apply to missionaries living on foreign soil. There are many people in your own city who don’t know God and who didn’t grow up in church. You can’t assume that they understand the words and phrases that are familiar to you as part of the Church world where you have lived much of your life. The Christian community uses wonderful, meaningful terminology that the world doesn’t know or understand. For example, the words “amen” and “hallelujah” are dear and precious to us. But to a world that is lost in darkness, those words sound strange — and when you use them, it often makes people want to tuck their tails and run!

When unsaved people hear believers trying to reach them with “Christian-ese,” it scares them! This is why we must be careful in the way we present ourselves when we are speaking the Word and representing the name of Jesus. There is no doubt that our message is true and unchangeable. But we are the “packages” who carry the message — and how lost people perceive us is often what determines whether or not the package is ever opened and the message is ever heard or received.

Certainly we are not to compromise the message or to apologize for who we are and what we believe. We should never back away from the gifts of the Spirit, from the supernatural, or from expressions of worship and praise in church. But when we are reaching out to people outside the faith, God expects us to use our heads in the way we approach them. To reach into a lost culture, we must remember that we are leaving the world of “church” and reaching into spiritual darkness to people who are part of a particular “lost” culture. That’s why we must have the help and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as we seek to reach those people with the message of Christ!

Paul’s preaching in Athens clearly demonstrates the reaction that can take place when we cross cultures to bring the message of Jesus Christ. Considering the countless numbers of gods, idols, and various deities that were present in Athens, you might assume that Athenians possessed a high rate of tolerance for new gods that someone may have wanted to bring into the mix. But the fact is that Athenians were extremely dedicated to their Greek gods and had almost no tolerance for foreign gods. They were very committed to their culture and their way of thinking and easily took offense at outsiders who tried to come in and change them.

To get the full picture, you must understand the central role the Greek gods played in Greek life and society. One historian wrote that these gods were such an integral part of the lives of ancient Athenians that they were like members of the people’s families!

When it came to foreign gods, the Athenians had an ambivalent attitude. On the one hand, there were many instances where they accepted foreign deities into their own pantheon. But at the same time, the Athenians had a fiercely protective side regarding their culture. This serious view about new gods and new ideas lets us know that the Athenians appreciated their culture. They didn’t want an invasion of any foreign gods coming in that would mess up their history, ideas, and beliefs. So the Athenian mindset was to evaluate a new religion with great skepticism — and when Paul stood in the market and presented the message of Jesus, the Cross, and the resurrec- tion, this message was radical to his skeptical Greek listeners!

It was completely unacceptable for an ancient Greek to venture out of mainstream idolatry and embrace a new god that, by His very nature as the Son of God, eradicated the validity of all their other deities. In fact, such an action was on the same level as a person who renounced Greek citizenship to join an enemy force on its way to attack Athens! It has been written that if an Athenian rejected their gods in favor of a foreign god, it was the equivalent of treason.

From childhood, every Athenian was taught to obey the religion of Athena and to defend her, if needed, in battle. Athenians had worshiped the gods for generations and were very proud of them. They had been raised all their lives on the legends of their religion, and they fully believed that the gods were the reason for Athens’ prosperity. The people were so devoted to their gods that even if someone privately didn’t believe in them, he would still participate in worshiping them because it was a part of the city’s culture.

Despite all this, the religion of Athens was quite elastic. Every man was free to develop his own creed for living and to fashion his beliefs to fit his own lifestyle, very much the way people are doing today. The Athenians were also very superstitious. They prayed to Zeus for rain, to Hermes for luck in their businesses, and to Asklepios for healing. They believed that if the gods were angry at a person, that person could not escape their wrath. On the other hand, if the gods looked favorably upon someone, they would give that person wealth, health, honor, long life, and prosperity for his children.

Even with all their elasticity in what they believed, Athenians were rock solid in their commitment to their religion. All public meetings, court sessions, and public events opened with a sacrifice to the gods. In fact, it was unimaginable that any important public or private act would be attempted without inviting the attention of the gods. For Athenians, it was second nature to talk to the gods and talk about them with others. It was a natural part of life to sacrifice to the gods and to invite them to participate in their daily affairs.

So when Paul stood in the market and preached “Jesus, and the resurrection” (Acts 17:19), he created an almost scandalous event! The listeners were so upset by what Paul was preaching that they exclaimed, “…He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods…” (Acts 17:19).

The words “setter forth” is from katanggelos, the Greek word for a messenger. This word katanggelos was frequently used to denote a messenger sent from the gods or from God to bring a specific message to the people. This was a correct perception of Paul, for he had indeed been sent by God to Athens to bring the life-saving message of Jesus Christ into the people’s darkness and depravity! But when the Athenians in the market first heard the message, they were terrified by the name of Jesus and by the Gospel that Paul preached, accusing Paul of bringing them a message of “strange gods.”

The words “strange gods” are translated incorrectly in the King James Version. The Greek words used here are xenos and daimonian. The word xenos is the Greek word for a foreigner or a stranger. Today it is where we get the word xenophobia, a term that describes a fear of strangers. But the word “gods” is from the Greek word daimonian, which literally means demons, even though in the Greek world it could also denote gods. I remember when I first studied this word daimonian many years ago and saw that it could be translated either demons or gods. I realized the Greeks had so many demons in operation that when demons spoke, the Greeks thought it was one of their many gods talking to them! Nevertheless, because this word daimonian literally means demons, this part of verse 19 could be translated, “This messenger is introducing foreign demons into our midst!”

Paul’s never-give-up, never-back-up, never-retreat style of preaching created such an uproar in Athens that the day finally came when “they took him and brought him to the Areopagus…” (Acts 17:19). The Areopagus was a criminal court where people were often tried for murder or other serious crimes against society. However, it was also used, as in this verse, to determine whether or not new doctrines were considered legal. There was no higher court in Athens, and for Paul to be summoned to this court meant that he finally had gotten the attention of the city with his “daily” preaching in the market. The highest court in Athens, the most brilliant and respected minds in all of ancient Greece, wanted to hear Paul’s Gospel message for themselves.

When Paul finally stood before this high court, Acts 17:20 tells us that those in attendance said, “And thou bringest us certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.”

Notice they said, “And thou bringest us certain strange things….” The words “strange things” is from the word znidzo, conveying the idea of something that is startling, shocking, surprising, strange, or scandalous. Paul’s message of Jesus, the Cross, and the resurrection was so far out of the range of normality for to them that they found it to be completely scandalous! To hear that God died on the Cross for mankind and shed His own blood for redemption — that was a startling message to their ears! They were shocked by Paul’s words — but they were also so intrigued that they implored him, “…We would know therefore what these things mean.” This sentence in the Greek conveys the listeners’ deeply passionate longing to hear what Paul had to tell them! A paraphrased translation could be, “Please, PLEASE, tell us!” They didn’t want Paul to hold back anything. Instead, they wanted him to make a full disclosure of the Gospel he had been preaching to the crowds in the market.

All around Paul were the brightest, most intellectual, and most sophisticated minds in Greece at that time. This was a huge open door for Paul. These judges of the land were pleading with him to fully explain his message. As the highest court of the land, these men were poised to listen. Then afterward they would be required to pass judgment on Paul’s ideas that were so strange to their Greek way of thinking and to render a legal decision regarding him and his message.

How Paul performed on this judicial stage could determine the outcome of his life. This could be a great open door, or it could lead to a death sentence. It was in a similar court in this same city, at an earlier time in history, that Socrates was judged and condemned to death for indoctrinating young Greek students with new, non-Greek ideas. Certainly Paul, who was an extremely educated man, must have recalled Socrates’ demise as he opened his mouth and began to expound to this high court about the redeeming and saving power of Jesus Christ. Yet Paul forged ahead boldly and preached one of the greatest and most anointed masterpieces that has ever been preached in the history of the Church (Acts 17:22-31)!

As Paul began to preach, every word had to be carefully chosen and spoken under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. There was no room for error in his words on that day.

The good news is that just as the Holy Spirit was with Paul, so will He be with you when you reach beyond your comfort zone to reach people who are different than you. Paul had no experience as a pagan. But because he depended on the Holy Spirit, he was able to effectively cross those cultural boundaries and reach into the Athenians’ world with the saving message of Jesus Christ!

In the same way, God has anointed you to reach the people He has placed on your heart. They may be different than you; they may have a different skin color than yours; they may live in a different part of the world than where you were born; or perhaps they are live on a different side of town. But I promise you that the Holy Spirit holds the key to every person’s heart. He knows how to reach people in every culture. And if you will lean on Him and carefully follow what He tells you to do, He will give you the method and the manner to reach a particular group of people, no matter how difficult it may seem to you. The Spirit of God knows the path to each person’s heart, so learn to lean on Him as you go forth into new territory to speak His name!

Paul never backed down, never apologized, and never violated what he believed in order to preach to the Athenians. But he recognized that he was speaking to Greeks, so he ministered to them in words and phrases that they could understand. (In the next Sparkling Gem, we will cover Paul’s message at the Areopagus in greater detail, and you will be greatly helped by seeing the smart, Spirit-inspired things Paul spoke of when he was beckoned to the highest court in Greece.) In the same way, you should never compromise what you believe when you are presenting the Gospel, but you must be smart in the way you package the message!

So pray diligently before you barge into new, unknown territory. Do your homework so you’ll know the kind of culture God is calling you to reach. Then ask the Holy Spirit to give you His insights on how to reach the people in that culture. One thing you can know for sure: If you follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and do precisely what He puts in your heart to do, your rate of success will be infinitely higher than it would be if you tried to do it all alone!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit is my Guide and Teacher. Because the Spirit of God is in my life, I am not an orphan who has to figure out everything on my own. I am willing to follow You — to do whatever You tell me to do and to go wherever You tell me to go — but I am depending completely on You to lead me, anoint me, and empower me as I take the steps of faith that are directly before me. Lord, I am willing to take the message to the people You have called me to reach. But I am asking You to show me how to most effectively package my message so they will receive the life-changing truth of the Gospel!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am careful in what I do and what I say as I reach out to people who are lost. They don’t know Jesus; therefore, I must learn to speak to them in a way that touches their hearts and souls. Holy Spirit, You are the One who knows every man’s heart, so today I declare that You are giving me the keys, the words, the methods, and the ways to reach the audience that God has put on my heart. I have the message that saves lives, and the Holy Spirit is teaching me how to package the message so it will be received and people’s lives will be redeemed.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of a time when you saw someone totally turn off an unbeliever because of the way he tried to reach that person? What did he do that was so ineffective? It would be good to write down your response so you can think about it and learn as much as possible from that experience.
2. Can you think of someone who effectively reaches unbelievers and has brought many people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? What is this person doing that is so effective? I suggest that you take a few minutes to ponder this question; then write down the things this person does that causes people to be receptive to the Gospel so you can learn from his or her example.
3. What group of people is God calling you to reach? What do you know about these people? What do you know about their culture and their way of thinking? What are you doing to prepare yourself so you can be more effective in the way that you reach them?

Therefore disputed he in the synagogues with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. And certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? Others said, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus….

— Acts 17:17-19

Our son Philip is a very talented singer and songwriter, who loves to glorify the Lord with his music. Because of these God-given gifts, he was once invited to take part in one of Russia’s most famous talent shows. As parents, Denise and I were thrilled that such an opportunity had been given to Philip, and we knew that this had to be a door opened to him by the Lord. What especially elated us was that he would be singing the song he had written entitled “Two Thousand Years Ago, There Was a Man From Galilee”! It is a powerful song that declares the life of Jesus Christ in a contemporary format.

On the night of the event, Denise and I arrived at the auditorium and walked into the building where the competition was to be held. We were immediately shocked at what we saw! The word “dark” doesn’t even begin to describe what we saw and felt. It felt as if we had stepped into a cesspool of depravity! Through the years, we’ve been in a lot of difficult spiritual environments, but this one won the prize! We were literally taken back by the darkness that abounded all around us.

Walking up the stairs to the hallway that led to the auditorium, we could see dimly lit lights barely piercing through the cigarette smoke that filled the air. The smoke was so thick that we had to wave it out of our faces so we could see where we were going. Once we were seated, through the smoke, we could see prostitutes walking among the tables where the audience had been seated for the show. The prostitutes flaunted themselves to advertise their wares and to alert potential customers that they were available for business after the show. Then I looked over at the bar where drinks were being served. All the bartenders — young, handsome, muscular Russian men — had on very little clothing as they stood behind the bar so they could show off their toned bodies!

As I looked around the room that night, I told my wife, “This is a pretty grim place to be singing a song about the Gospel. I can’t imagine the spiritual opposition our son must feel here. Do you think there is any chance he can win a competition in a place like this?”

Just before Philip went to the stage to perform, he came to our table and sat next to us. Denise and I encouraged our son to sing boldly and without compromise. Soon his name was announced, and we watched as he walked confidently onto that stage. In that very dark, wicked atmosphere, Philip picked up his trumpet and microphone, and with his band playing behind him, he belted out his song, “Two Thousand Years Ago, There Was a Man From Galilee”!

Denise and I were stunned by Philip’s boldness — and astonished at the response of the crowd. The people applauded and applauded and applauded. In fact, Philip was given a longer ovation than anyone else who performed that night! Our son’s boldness, courage, confidence, and refusal to be ashamed of what he believed literally knocked his listeners off their feet! To our surprise, Philip walked out of that building that night as the WINNER of that national event! And as a result of what happened in that very spiritually dark, sinister place, phenomenal doors of opportunity have opened up to him. The acclaim he obtained that night opened the door for him to preach and sing in places he would have never before dreamed possible!

This kind of response is exactly what the apostle Paul experienced when he was preaching in the market in the city of Athens. Acts 17:17 tell us, “Therefore disputed he in the synagogues with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.”

This verse says that Paul disputed in the synagogue and in the “market” daily. We already know what a synagogue is, so I want to focus on that word “market.” This word is a translation of the Greek word agora, which is the old Greek word describing the place of commerce, trade, slave-trading, and debate. The market was a place of commerce, but like all of Athens, it was also a spiritually dark, oppressive place. It was filled with and surrounded by:

• Explicit statues depicting the Greek gods.
• The constant, nonstop, mindless banging of drums coming from the temples of various gods that surrounded the market.
• People headed to the public baths for an afternoon of relaxation and accepted forms of sexual perversion.
• Prostitutes who gathered here to offer their services to the people coming to the public baths.
• Philosophers and debaters who gathered at one central location in the market to listen and argue about their beliefs and points of view.
• Slave traders selling and buying slaves right next to those who traded and sold liv
• People shopping for their food on their way to or coming back from one of the temples in the neighborhood.

This was the “market” where Paul preached in Athens! Certainly this wasn’t the perfect atmo- sphere for preaching. But when a minister is pioneering a work or working in a territory where no one has gone before him, he sometimes has to take advantage of whatever opportunity is available to him. As Paul surveyed the city, it must have become apparent to him that the market was the best place for him to reach the people of the city — so he made the most of the opportunity!

As I travel the world, I often hear people speak about how “hard” their city is to reach with the Gospel. They tell me with great confidence that their city is among the most unchurched, unreligious, occultic cities in the world. But I can assure you with even greater confidence that very few ministers, if any, are preaching in cities “harder” than Athens! There was no church in Athens, so Paul took advantage of the only place available to preach — the Athenian “market.” It was undoubtedly noisy and filled with a wide assortment of traffic and distractions. The market was a very difficult place for Paul to preach, yet he hung in there and preached “daily.” Finally his message became so well known that he was eventually invited to address the most elite group of the city on Mars Hill.

One section of the Athenian market was reserved for philosophers and debaters, who came to draw a crowd and share their ideas. Because Athenians loved wisdom and the attainment of knowledge, people would always gather in this area to listen to the new ideas that were being publicly presented. Then one day when a crowd assembled together to listen as they always did, a newcomer — the apostle Paul — ascended the stone steps to the public podium so he could take his first turn at preaching to an Athenian audience. Thus began Paul’s ministry in that city of “disputing daily” with those who gathered to listen in the debaters’ section of Athens’ market.

Acts 17:18 goes on to tell us, “And certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? Others said, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.”

According to this verse, three groups were listening to Paul that day:

• Epicureans
• Stoics
• Others

Let’s find out more about these groups so we can better understand what kind of crowd Paul was preaching to in Athens.

First, there were the Epicureans. Epicureans were a group of people who didn’t believe in an afterlife. Their philosophy declared that all there is to our existence is the earthly life we are living now. Therefore, we are free to do whatever fleshly thing we desire to do because there are no eternal ramifications for any earthly actions. The Epicureans are the ones who coined the famous phrase, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die.” This was a popular philosophy in Athens because it permitted every form of variance, perversion, adultery, and lasciviousness.

The Epicureans were notorious for gross sensuality and depraved forms of behavior. Because they didn’t believe in the afterlife or in any form of eternal judgment, they indulged in and encouraged fleshly excesses. Later as the influence of Christianity began to grow, they strongly resisted the Gospel message because of its demands for holy living and its declaration of a future judgment.

The second group in Acts 17:18 were the Stoics. Philosophically, the Stoics were diametri- cally opposed to the Epicureans. Whereas Epicureans encouraged fleshly indulgence and lack of restraint, Stoics taught extreme discipline, self-control, and self-denial. You could say that Stoics were the ultimate perfectionists, so consumed with self-perfectionism that they advocated suicide before failure. It was a completely self-consumed philosophy that focused on man’s ability to attain perfection on his own. Later when the influence of Christianity began to grow, the Stoics resisted the Gospel message because it presented man as a sinner, unable to save or redeem himself, devoid of hope without God. Because of their prideful position that proclaimed their ability to attain perfection on their own merits, Stoics perceived the Gospel as an affront and an insult to their intelligence.

Both the Epicureans and Stoics called Paul a “babbler,” which comes from the Greek word spermologos. This word is a compound of the words sperm, the Greek word for seed, and the word logos, the Greek word for words. But when they are compounded as in this text, the new word depicts a person who seeds a crowd with words, thoughts, or ideas. This means the Epicureans and Stoics were asking, “Who is this seed-sower who is seeding us with words, thoughts, and ideas that we’ve never heard before?”

These Greek philosophers didn’t realize how right they were when they called Paul a “babbler”! Every day, he stood in the market preaching and thereby habitually seeding that crowd with the heart-piercing truth of God’s Word. Paul stood at that public podium like a farmer, throwing his “seed-words” onto the ground of the people’s hearts, believing that in some of the hearts of those hearers was good ground. Paul knew what Jesus taught during His earthly ministry — that some hearts are stony, some are shallow, and some are good ground that will produce a 30-, 60-, or 100-fold return. Paul was preaching with the hope that some of the Word he was preaching was falling on good ground that would eventually produce a harvest for the Kingdom of God.

The third group Paul preached to were called others. Whoever these people were, they were shaken by Paul’s message and said, “…He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods….” Acts 17:18 reveals what upset this group: that Paul “…preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.” These people had never even heard of Jesus!

This was the first time any Gospel preacher had ever been bold enough to venture into this environment to speak that name to these Athenians. So when these people heard about Jesus, Paul was telling them something they had never heard before. This was a very rare phenomenon, considering the fact that Athens was filled with man’s wisdom, knowledge, and education. The crowd was hearing about a brand-new god, one they had never heard of before — in a city filled with deities, statues, and idols! This was almost revolutionary!

In that dark spiritual environment, the apostle Paul climbed up to the podium, opened his mouth, and began to preach, sowing the seed of God’s Word into the hearts of that listening crowd. It wasn’t the most convenient place to do it, but the market was the only pulpit he could find. So right there in the middle of the market — surrounded by idols, the swirling smoke of incense, the banging of pagan drums in the background, prostitutes trying to sell themselves, slave traders buying and selling slaves, and people purchasing various items in the market — Paul seized the moment and made the most of his opportunity to preach Christ to the people of Athens.

By his perpetual persistence, Paul eventually got the Athenians’ attention! He seeded that crowd so regularly, so consistently, and with such great effect that Acts 17:19 says, “And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus….” Just so you’ll know — the Areopagus was the most prestigious place in the entire nation to share a new idea! Only the brightest and most astute, intelligent, and clever people were invited to speak in the Areopagus. When Paul started out in Athens, the Epicureans and Stoics found him intellectually offensive. But eventually, even the brightest minds of Athens wanted to hear what he had to say. This was a big score for the Gospel!

I want to encourage you today to make the most of every opportunity you have to preach the Gospel and fulfill your call. So what if you don’t have an ideal place to do what God has called you to do? That doesn’t mean you can’t do it — it just means you have to get creative and find new ways to fulfill your assignment! If you are willing to open your mind and explore new methods and ways of reaching people, I assure you that the Holy Spirit is not short on ideas! He will show you what to do and when and how to do it so you can seed people’s hearts and minds with the life-transforming power of the Word of God!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I ask You to help me become more aware of special opportunities that arise for me to speak Your name and Your Word to people who have open hearts. Forgive me when I get so busy that I forget to tell others about Jesus. I realize that Jesus is the only real solution to life’s problems and that I have a special responsibility to share Him with people who don’t know Him yet. Holy Spirit, I can only do this if You empower me, so today I am asking You to strengthen me and grant me a new awareness when a door of opportunity stands before me. Give me the boldness to speak Jesus’ name in a way that pierces the spiritual darkness and brings answers to those who are in need.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I declare by faith that I am bold to sow seeds of truth and love everywhere I go. I am sensitive to God-given opportunities to share the name of Jesus and the Word of God with people who are in need. Because the fruit of the Spirit is produced in my life, I think of others; I see their needs; and I look for ways to help them find the answers they need. The Holy Spirit is my Helper who is always present to assist me as I listen to Him and follow His leading. I am making the decision today to open my heart wider than ever before so God can depend on me to see and help meet the needs of others. Starting today, I am persistent and bold to walk through every open door and proclaim the name of Jesus and the Word of God to those who need to hear God’s truth, just as others once did for me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Have you ever tried to reach someone with the Gospel who responded by looking down on you as if you were a “babbler”? When that person did this, did you retreat and stop speaking the truth, or did you press onward to sow the seed of God’s Word into his or her heart?
2. If you don’t have an ideal place to fulfill your ministry right now, is it possible that the Holy Spirit has another creative way for you to reach people that you haven’t even thought of yet? Is it possible that you’ve been so locked into your “normal” mode of doing things that you haven’t been able to receive the radical, revolutionary, successful plan that God wants to give you?
3. Why don’t you take a few minutes today to quiet your spirit and allow the Spirit of God to speak to your heart and show you how to make the most of the opportunities that are available to you right now?

 

For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

— Acts 17:23

In yesterday’s Sparkling Gem, we examined Paul’s tactful and effective ministry strategy as he sought to share the message of the Gospel with the highly educated pagan crowd on Mars Hill in the city of Athens. Today I want to focus on his message. As Paul stood in the amphitheater and looked into the faces of the Athenian judges who were listening intently to him, the Holy Spirit dropped a sermon illustration into his heart that was pure genius.

Paul began by saying, “For as I passed by….” The Greek word used here carries the idea of a leisurely walk or a stroll. This is a word that a tourist might use to describe a peaceful, paced walk on a sunny afternoon. The Greek tense used implies multiple strolls throughout the city, which means Paul has taken the time to observe Athens. As a visitor to this historical city, he hadn’t closed his eyes to the city but had taken the time to experience its sights, its sounds, its smells — all the unique characteristics that made Athens what it was.

Paul went on to say, “…And beheld your devotions….” The word “beheld” is the Greek word anatheoreo, a compound of ana and theoreo. The word theoreo means to look upon or to gaze at, and it is where we get the word for a theater.

Like a huge theatrical stage, the entire city of Athens was staged for idolatry. Since idolatry was the biggest show in town, Paul had carefully observed it like a patron at the theater who watches every act of a play. He had studied the Athenians’ devotion to idolatry and knew the level to which this city had sunk into this abominable practice. However, in Acts 17:3, this Greek word theoreo is compounded together with ana, a word that means up. Thus, the word anatheoreo, translated “beheld,” actually means to look upward.

In addition to the thousands of small idols that people kept outside the front door of their private homes, Athens was filled with huge images that towered over the heads of those who passed through the city. These statues were so monstrous that as Paul strolled through the city, he had to look upward to see them! But instead of referring to these idols as the abominations they were, he calls them “devotions.” The word “devotions” is derived from the word sebo, a Greek word that means to stand in awe, to reverence, to worship, or to venerate.

Calling those idols abominations would have gotten Paul nowhere. In fact, using that kind of terminology would have gotten him kicked out of court and evicted from the city! Rather than lose this God-given opportunity to speak to the brightest minds in Greece at that time and impact that city with the Gospel, Paul continued to build a bridge to his listeners. If he had said that the city’s idols were abominations or cursed images, he would have been correct. But instead, he kindly called them “devotions,” which means objects of worship.

As Paul took strolls through the city and observed city life, he could see that the people of Athens were genuinely in awe of their gods, as evil as these idols were. The Athenians truly venerated and reverenced the idols as objects of worship, even though they were nothing more than objects carved of wood and stone — a truth that Paul clearly stated later in his message. But at that point in his message, Paul chose to call them objects of worship, further widening the door of the listeners’ hearts so they would receive the next vital point he wanted to make in his message.

Looking up at the listening judges, he went on to tell them that as he had passed through the city, he had “…found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” Then he continued, “Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”

Knowing full well that idols were precious to the heart of every Athenian — especially to Athenians such as the judges who were seated before him — Paul reached deep into the world of Greek culture and borrowed an idol as the sermon illustration for the message he was about to preach. If Jewish leaders back home had known what he was doing, they might have fainted! Idols of any kind would have deeply offended the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. But the Holy Spirit had shown Paul that the idol to the UNKNOWN GOD was a divine opportunity to declare to these Athenian leaders the identity of the UNKNOWN GOD! Paul then went on to brilliantly make use of this image made of stone to reveal the truth of Jesus Christ to his listening audience!

At this point, Paul had the judges transfixed by his message and shocked by his knowledge of vivid details about the city. Sensing Paul’s sincere respect for them, the men gave him their undivided attention as he prepared to shoot the Gospel arrow deep into the darkness of their souls in such a way that it would penetrate their hearts.

Then suddenly — Paul did another astonishing thing! Right in the middle of his message, he reached into classical Greek literature and quoted the Athenians’ own poets and philosophers! He said, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring” (Acts 17:28).

Today we use this quote in the lyrics of certain Christian songs. But these words weren’t written by Christians — they were written in a heathen context and then used by Paul to reach Greek hearts! The words were originally written by Aratus of Soli in Cilicia in 270 BC and by a Stoic philosopher who wrote a hymn to Zeus in approximately 300 BC. If Paul was trying to impress his intelligent audience, he had done it! They had just learned that this was a serious man — so educated that he could even quote by memory from Greek literature!

It was clear to Paul’s audience that he had read other materials in addition to studying the Old Testament. Because Paul was not only highly educated, but also well-rounded in his education, he could therefore speak freely to this intellectual crowd.

When Paul was a young man studying at the University of Tarsus, he had no idea that he would one day stand before the highest court of Greece and use the information he was studying at that time. What a vivid example this is of our need to cherish what we are presently learning! It is very likely that God will call upon us to use what we have learned in times past to help fulfill our assignment now or in the future.

There are great lessons to learn from Paul’s message on Mars Hill. What did he do right?

• Verse 22: Paul addressed them respectfully: “Ye men of A…” He could have called them wicked sinners, which would have been true — but he would have immediately lost his audience. Paul appealed to them on a higher level of respect and therefore got their attention.
• Verse 22: He called them religious. As we saw yesterday, this was a great compliment to them, which caused them to open their hearts to hear his Paul could have condemned them for being idol worshipers, but this would have shut their hearts and provoked them to evict him from the court and from the city.
• Verse 23: He used an altar as the basis for his ser This object that Paul borrowed from their own culture as his chief illustration surely caused these judges to draw nearer to hear what he had to say. He could have said that this altar was an offense to God, but instead Paul chose to use it as an illustration to lead his audience to the Gospel message.
• Verse 28: Paul quoted the Athenians’ own Greek poets and philosophers, showing them that he was familiar with their culture, literature, and history. This surely impressed the Athenian judges and caused them to respect what Paul had to say. He could have decided to quote only from the Bible, but by choosing to quote from their own literature, Paul grabbed their hearts and provided a common ground that they could relate to.

Imagine how dumbfounded the judges must have been when they realized that the man before them was a man of intelligence, not just an ignorant preacher with weird ideas. By the time

Paul was finished, he had fully preached the Gospel from beginning to end. He had even given an invitation, calling on his listeners to repent!

As you reach the people to whom God has called you to minister, ask the Holy Spirit to help you find ways to connect with them so they will open their hearts to you and to the message you have to share with them. The Holy Spirit knows the key to every person’s heart. He knows every culture and every nation, so nothing takes Him by surprise. If you are willing to listen to the Holy Spirit’s direction and do what He tells you to do, He will show you how to build that bridge into people’s hearts more quickly than you could have ever done on your own. Just open your heart and receive what the Holy Spirit wants to show you!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I am so thankful that You teach me step by step how to be more effective in the way I witness and share Your love with people. You know the key to every person’s heart, so I ask You to give me the key to reach into the hearts of those people You have laid on my heart. I know they are part of my assignment, and I will do whatever You ask me to do in order to reach them effectively. But I ask You to speak clearly to me. Help me understand the proper steps to take and the right things to do so their hearts will be open to receive the love You want to give them.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am growing wiser in the ways I share Christ with unbelievers. Because I pray and seek the assistance of the Holy Spirit, He is helping me, showing me how to touch people’s lives in a way that opens their hearts both to me and to the love of God that I am commissioned to bring to them. I declare by faith that God’s Spirit is guiding me and teaching me how to be more effective in my methods of reaching both the unsaved and those who are in deep spiritual need.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of effective methods the Holy Spirit has given you in the past that have been successful in opening the hearts of unbelievers so you could share the message of Christ with them? What were some of those successful methods?
2. As you think of the people God has placed on your heart right now, what can you do that will draw them closer to you and thus allow you to ultimately share the best news in the world with them? What acts of kindness can you show them that will make an impression on their hearts?
3. For whose salvation are you specifically praying at this time? If you haven’t yet made a list of the unsaved people God has put on your heart, why don’t you do it now to help you remember to pray for them every day?

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

— Acts 17:22

Once as I was listening to Christian television in the United States, I paused on one channel to hear what a particular minister was saying to his audience both at home and on air. As I listened, I was amazed at the derogatory way in which he was speaking to people. He spoke to them as if they were idiots! This minister obviously thought the way he was preaching to people was funny or cute. But by “talking down” to his audience, he gave the impression that he was on a much higher level than they were and that they were honored to be able to sit under his magnificent and wise teaching.

I was totally turned off by the minister’s preaching style and felt sorry for the people who had to listen to him each week! I thought, I don’t care if I ever hear this guy preach again! The truth is, his message was awesome, but his delivery was atrocious! After all, who likes being spoken to in a condescending manner?

This is why it is so important for us to be careful in the way we reach out to people with the Gospel — especially unbelievers!

One of the best demonstrations of how to reach into the hearts of unbelievers is found in Acts 17:22, where Paul was addressing the high court of Athens on Mars Hill. Paul’s preaching in that idolatrous court is a shining example to us all of how to cross cultural boundaries, how to appeal to unbelievers, and how to address people in a way that opens their hearts instead of closing them. This is Paul’s clearest and most lengthy message directed toward a pagan audience recorded in the book of Acts. There is a wealth of lessons to be learned from his approach to these lost listeners that will help us cut across cultural barriers and direct our message into the hearts of the unbelievers God is calling us to reach.

The verse tells us, “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”

First of all, Paul said, “Ye men of Athens.…” The truth is, Paul was likely speaking to the most pagan crowd he had ever addressed in his entire life! These weren’t just sinners; these were blatant sinners involved in the deepest, darkest secrets of the occult and, most likely, in depravity and perversion of the lowest nature. If he had taken the approach of some, he would have said, “You sinners and rebels!” However, had Paul taken this approach, he would have immediately closed the hearts of his listeners. He would have been viewed as an intellectual idiot, and the door to the Gospel in Athens would have been slammed shut!

What did it hurt for Paul to speak to these pagan leaders with dignity and respect? Whether or not he agreed with them, they were people made in the image of God Almighty, and they represented the highest court of the land. Therefore, although these Athenian men were sinners, Paul addressed them with respect and honor.

Second, Paul said, “Ye men of Athens, I perceive.…” The word “perceive” is the Greek word theoreo, which means to gaze at or to look upon. This is the root from which we get the word theater. By using this word, Paul alerted the high court with the knowledge that he had been watching and studying them and their culture. This let them know that he had not shunned them or shut them out. As a guest in the city, Paul had watched them. As one might study a performance on stage, Paul had witnessed their city, their culture, and their religion.

Third, Paul said, “Ye men of Athens, I perceive in all things that ye are very superstitious.…” I want to draw your attention to the word “superstitious,” which comes from the Greek word deisidaimonia, a compound of the words deilos and daimonia. The word deilos means fear or respect, and the word daimonia is the word for demons, although in Classical Greek language, it could also be used to mean gods.

But Paul didn’t say, “I perceive that in all things you are demonized and eaten up with black magic, witchcraft, Satanism, and demonic activity that will doom your souls to hell!” Instead, Paul appealed to the Athenian leaders on a much higher level. He said, “…I perceive in all things that ye are very superstitious….”

The Greek tense used for “superstitious” is comparative, which means Paul wasn’t just calling them religious; he was actually telling them:

• “…You are deeply religious and devoted to your gods….”
• “…Compared to people I’ve met elsewhere, you are among the most religious I have ever encountered….”

Paul never said he agreed with them or their false doctrine. He just found something about which he could compliment them, thus building a bridge between them and himself. With this one statement, that bridge was built and Paul’s audience received him with interest rather than as an enemy. This method kept the door open so he could deliver his entire message to the end, enabling him to shine the Gospel light into their world of darkness. All of Paul’s listeners would not receive Christ that day. But because he took this approach rather than a negative, condemning, stone-throwing style of preaching, the Holy Spirit was able to reach into the hearts of some of those who heard Paul, and they gave their lives to Jesus Christ as a result.

The truth is, the people on that high court were not just idol worshipers. As long-term citizens of Athens, they were most likely deeply religious and brazen idol worshipers. Because the city was sunken into moral depravity, it is probable that these men on the high court also led morally depraved lives, as was characteristic of Athenians.

But attacking and insulting these men on the high court wouldn’t have gotten Paul anywhere. So rather than insult them, he found common ground on which he could appeal to their souls and buy enough time to deliver the message of the Cross to them. As a result of his approach, there is no sense in this passage that the Athenian leaders felt attacked, talked down to, or insulted. Paul’s approach in speaking to these lost men was so respectable that they permitted him time to explain the Gospel message in full. Thus, this high counsel of men heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly and intelligently in a respectable open forum.

Paul didn’t start his message with a confrontation of sin, but before he had finished speaking to that respectable crowd of judges, they had clearly heard the message and been confronted by God’s requirement of repentance. Paul worked his way into God’s demands as the message developed. If he had started there, it would have been like a slap in the face to his listeners, even though it was truth. That kind of direct approach would have been a sure-fire way to make certain that the crowd never heard another word he had to say!

When you treat people with heartfelt respect, it always keeps the door open, even when they don’t agree with you. In fact, showing sincere respect is a door opener to every person’s heart, regardless of culture, language, or skin color.

When we speak to people who are different than us or who lead a life far from the righteous standard God demands, we must remember that the way we approach them could determine whether or not they ever hear a full presentation of the Gospel. Even if they are sinners, they are made in the image of Almighty God and demand respect as human beings.

So rather than malign unbelievers with disrespectful or condemning words, ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to find common ground on which you can build a bridge into their hearts. Building a bridge with the love of God is always going to be a much more effective way of reaching people for Him than slapping them in the face with ugly words that bring judgment!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I thank You for what I have just read. This has helped me rethink the way I am address- ing people who are lost and living their lives without You. I ask You to forgive me for the times I have approached them in a condescending or a negative way, and I ask You to help me find a way to reach them that will build a permanent bridge between You and them. I pray for their hearts to be open as I share with them so I can shine the truth of Jesus into the dark recesses of their lives. You are the best at reaching all our hearts, Father, so I ask You to teach me to do this as You would do it.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that the Holy Spirit is teaching me how to reach people in a positive way with the message of Jesus Christ. I am kind, tender, sincere, and respectful in the way I speak to all people including people who are lost in sin. I declare that even though I walk by God’s standards of what is right and wrong, I am not haughty or insulting to people who are different than I am. With God’s help, I am learning how to reach out to those who are lost and without God and to those who are sinking lower and lower into a sinful lifestyle. Because of the respect and love I show to them as humans created in the image of Almighty God, their hearts are wide open to hear the truth that God is asking me to speak into their lives.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of a preacher or speaker who “talks down” to people when he or she preaches? Who is that person? Why do you think this person takes this approach when preaching to people who willingly came to his or her meetings?
2. As you read about Paul’s approach to the judges on Mars Hill, what did you learn about your own approach to unbelievers? Based on what Paul did, what do you think you should do differently?
3. Can you think of some common ground you can use to build a bridge of mutual respect between you and the people you are trying to reach? Why don’t you take a little time to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you that common ground so it can become the bridge you need to cross over into their hearts and share with them the life of Jesus?

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him,
when he saw that city wholly given to idolatry.

— Acts 17:16

I am honored to come from a family that has had multiple missionaries in our family tree and to be one of those whom the Lord has called in that capacity. Because I have observed various relatives make great sacrifices to fulfill their calling, I have gained great respect for people who leave their families and relocate to other parts of the world to preach the Gospel. Often they are required to live and minister in regions that are very dark spiritually. But as a result of their willingness to go where others don’t want to go, the Church has been established and societies have been trans- formed. Thank God for such heroic men and women of faith! We must not forget to pray for those who are ministering on the front lines.

You may not live on the spiritual “front lines” as many missionaries have been required to do. But wherever you live, you have probably found that it is not always easy to preach the Gospel. The devil hates the Gospel, and he tries with all his might to extinguish its light. And because he can’t put out the light itself, the enemy often attacks the light-bearer — the preacher. This is the reason we as ministers often find ourselves under attack. But regardless of the assaults that may be waged against us, we just need to stick to our mandate to preach and keep marching forward by faith. As we do, the forces of darkness that try to oppose us will eventually surrender to the shining light of truth!

One such occasion occurred when the apostle Paul entered the city of Athens. Athens was so spiritually dark that Paul’s “…spirit was stirred in him, when he saw that city wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16). I want to give you a brief glimpse into the environment Paul encountered the day he entered Athens nearly 2,000 years ago. I assure you that if Paul could preach in the midst of the wicked atmosphere of Athens, you can fulfill your ministry wherever God has called you to minister!

What Paul saw in the city of Athens was so appalling that the Bible says, “…His spirit was stirred in him….” In the Greek text, the word “stirred” is the Greek word paroxuneto, which is derived from the word paraxusmos, a compound of the words para and xusmos. The word para means alongside and carries the idea of being close. The second part of the word is the Greek word xusmos, which describes something sharp, such as a knife, and normally indicates a very sharp situation. When you put the two words together, the compound word describes someone who has taken something so close to heart that it has become a sharply felt agitation to him.

This word carries such a sense of agitation that the word paraxusmos has been translated to call into combat. I like this translation, because Paul didn’t retreat when he saw the darkness of the city. Instead, he charged full-steam ahead to wage warfare against the evil forces of the city.

Preaching God’s Word is the highest form of spiritual warfare, for the mighty two-edged sword called the Word of God has the greatest power available in this life to banish the forces of darkness from any environment! In the New Testament, the word paraxusmos usually means to irritate, to incite, to anger, to inflame, or to enrage. Based on multiple uses of this word in the New Testament (see Acts 15:39; Hebrews 10:24), we can easily ascertain that Paul was deeply troubled and ready to pull out his sword of the Spirit to fight because of the wickedness he saw all around him.

The verse goes on to tell us exactly what disturbed Paul so deeply: “…When he saw that city was wholly given to idolatry.” The word “saw” is the Greek word theoreo, which means to gaze at or to look upon. From this same root, the word theater is derived. The usage of this word is important in this context. It tells us that idolatry was so visible that Paul perceived the whole city as a huge stage set for the practice of idolatry. When the verse says Paul “saw” the idolatry, the Greek uses a participle. This means it could be translated that Paul “…saw and continually kept on seeing….”

Yes, that’s right! Everywhere Paul looked, he saw idols, statues, gods, and deities, for they could be found on every street and corner in the city of Athens. He found himself encircled with thousands of marble (but vividly painted flesh-colored), naked idols of Greek gods. As noted in the previous paragraphs, there were so many idols in Athens that the original Greek could literally be translated, “…he saw and continually kept on seeing…” that the city was “wholly given to idols.”

That phrase “wholly given to idols” is from the word kateidoolos, a compound of the words kata and doulos. The word kata gives the idea of domination or subjugation. The word doulos is the word for a slave who is sold to his owner and has no say-so in his life whatsoever. This slave completely belongs to and lives to fulfill the wishes and desires of his master. When the words kata and doulos are compounded, the new word forms the word kateidoolos that is used in Acts 17:17. It means to be completely dominated by, subject to, and sold out to the rule of idols. In other words, the idols were the masters and the people of Athens were the slaves, living their lives under the dominion of idolatry. The worship of idols and multiple gods was so woven into the fabric of Athens that it literally dominated every part of the inhabitants’ public and private lives.

One expositor says that the word kateidoolos can be translated sunk in idolatry, rife with idolatry, or gross idolatry. This makes sense, for it is a known fact from archeological findings and historical records that there were at least 30,000 idols on public display in Athens, not counting the thousands of miniature idols that were kept in people’s private residences. There were so many “gods” in Athens that one First Century historian wrote that it was “easier to find a god than to find a man” in Athens!

It was into this environment that Paul entered in Acts 17. With the sword of the Spirit and the Word of God in hand, he began to preach and wage spiritual warfare!

I realize that extensive information about the ancient city of Athens has already been written. Nevertheless, I would like to elaborate just a little more to give you the backdrop against which Paul stood as he began his preaching ministry in this city that was rife with idols and sunk in depravity. I believe this is important for you to understand because you might be thinking that your city or territory is too dark and difficult to take for the Kingdom of God. But if you compare your environment to what Paul faced in Athens, you will realize something: If Paul could preach in that evil atmosphere, then you can also fulfill your ministry — no matter where God has called you.

Athens was an intellectual city. It had been home to many famous people over the centuries, including the dramatic writers Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes and world-class historians such as Herodotos and Thucydides. In addition, seminal philosophers and orators such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, and Isocrates had also called Athens home. As a city, it was celebrated for its literature, history, music, and philosophy, and it was here that the idea of democracy was first born. Yet it was also in this highly educated, sophisticated atmosphere that homosexuality abounded, especially among the upper class who considered it fashionable to practice homosexuality.

Even today Athenian homosexuality is visible in the vast quantities of ancient Athenian vases that have survived from that period. These vases are covered with renderings of warfare, sports, relationships, life in the sauna, etc. — and an enormous number of them graphically portray homo- sexual relationships in every sphere of life. The vast quantities of these depictions make it clear that homosexuality was considered “normal” in Athenian society.

The Acropolis, the central mountain around which Athens was built, was a vast religious complex covered with a multitude of temples dedicated to a multiplicity of gods, including Apollo, Pan, and Asklepios (the Greek god of healing). The great theater of Dionysus was also there — a theater so enormous that it could accommodate thousands of people per event.

The Acropolis temples and their sculptures were beautiful almost beyond belief. Every temple and statue was not simply the white marble facades that we see today in museums; rather, they were painted in brilliant colors. The columns and ceilings of the buildings were all painted blue, red, and green, and real gold was applied to all the building ornaments. The figures in friezes were painted to look real. For example, flesh-colored warriors fought on a bright red background, and the armor and horse trappings on the sculptures were actually made of bronze. Blues and reds predominated. The temples of the Acropolis buildings were beautiful.

But the most outstanding of all temples on the Acropolis was the Parthenon — a temple so breathtakingly magnificent that it was considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Deep inside this edifice was the monstrous statue of Athena. Forty feet in height, this massive statue was carved of wood and completely covered by ivory to represent flesh. She was also dressed in a huge garment that had substantial jewels and vast amounts of gold interwoven into its rich fabric. In her left hand rested on an enormous shield made of bronze. In her right hand, she held a Winged Victory that was the actual size of a human being. Upon her chest was the breastplate of the gods, and around the base of her shield was a coiled serpent. On Athena’s head was an immense helmet that gave the onlooker the impression that her power was unequaled, and all the gigantic weapons she wore were fashioned of the highest quality bronze.

A great altar was located at the front base of the statue. Upon this altar, nonstop sacrifices were made with as many as 100 or more oxen being offered at one time. Billowing swirls of smoke from all the sacrifices and incense used in worship filled the air, creating a mystical effect. Worshipers stood with mouths dropped open in awe as they looked up through the smoke at the majestic, gold-covered image and Athena’s lifelike eyes peered down at them.

Athena was definitely the main focus; however, there were so many deities in this city that one ancient historian wrote, “A day in Athens without taking account of the gods and their temples would be a day spent with your eyes half-closed.”5

Idols were on every street, at every street crossing, and at every prominent location in the city. The briefest stroll through the city would expose a visitor to countless gods. And none of this takes into account the diminutive temples built at the entrance of every house, where family members would place their own preferred idol and make sacrifices to it every day as a part of their daily routine.

All of this is just a brief taste of the wicked, dark, insidious idolatry that prevailed in ancient Athens. Now you can see why Acts 17:16 says, “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw that city wholly given to idolatry.” As noted earlier, the word “stirred” tells us that Paul was terribly troubled by all that he saw around him in Athens. Making this even more offensive to him was the fact that he was a Jew and wasn’t accustomed to idolatry at all. Idolatry was forbidden by God in the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:4 says, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image….”) Therefore, this abundant display of idolatry would have made Paul feel especially uncomfortable and troubled.

5 William Stearns Davis, A Day in Old Athens: A Picture of Athenian Life (Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1914), p.

Nevertheless, Paul recognized that for that moment in time, he was in Athens for a reason. So rather than grumble that the city was too hard, too dark, or too spiritually challenging, Paul took advantage of the situation for the sake of the Gospel! Acts 17:17 tells us, “Therefore disputed he in the synagogues with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.”

In other words, Paul found a place to preach and begin to declare the truth, thus combating the wickedness of the city! Acts 17:17 says he “disputed” in the synagogues and in the market daily. The word “dispute” comes from the Greek word dielegeto, which means to dispute, to argue, or to contend. The tense used means to repeatedly dispute. Because Paul did this repeatedly, we can assume that he probably ran into opposition. But he didn’t tuck his tail and run! Instead, Paul kept pressing and pushing forward to reach into the hearts and minds of his listeners.

When God calls us to fulfill our assignment, we must be willing to do what He asks and to go where He sends us, even if it means we must work in places that are difficult or in cities and nations where it is spiritually hard. Yes, we may encounter challenging situations that make it difficult for us to do our job. But regardless, we must decide that, with God’s help, we will push through each distraction or problematic situation and refuse to be affected by what we see, hear, or feel.

• What is the assignment God has given to you?
• Does it seem that you are in a hard and challenging environment?
• Are you tempted to give up because the opposition is great?
• Is your flesh recoiling from the place to which you know God has called you?

Don’t give up and give in to your flesh! I guarantee you that if the apostle Paul could do what God asked him to do in a place as dark and difficult as Athens, then you can also do what God has asked you to do where you live! Your situation may be tough; nevertheless, you are probably not surrounded by 30,000 idols! So it’s time to quit complaining about how difficult your situation is and make the rock-solid decision that you are going to conquer those evil forces and get the job done!

Never forget — you are not alone! You have the power of the Holy Spirit within and alongside you to help you fulfill your divine assignment!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I ask You to help me adjust my attitude about the difficult situation I am facing in life. I have been tempted to complain about how hard this assignment is. You have positioned me where I am for a reason. I repent for the times I have grumbled, complained, and entertained my feelings because I was relying upon my own strength instead of Your mighty power. Holy Spirit, You are my Helper and my Standby — I know that with Your power, I can do all things through Christ. From this moment onward, I ask You to help me focus my faith and confident expectation on You. Show me how to navigate my situation and my current station in life by the power of the Holy Spirit who will put me over the top every time!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am an overcomer and can do all things through Jesus Christ. I can do whatever He calls me to do; I can go wherever He calls me to go; and I can fulfill whatever assignment He gives me because His Spirit lives within me and is empowering me! I look away from all that would distract or discourage me as I look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith! What You have called me to do, You have equipped and enabled me to do! I will not complain about the difficulties of life. Instead, I choose to take advantage of every opportunity God has given me and to make the most of every situation I encounter in life. With God’s help, I can turn any difficult situation into an opportunity for advancement and victory!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of a time when you were challenged by a problematic situation that seemed insurmountable, yet you were able to forge through the ordeal and turn it into a glorious victory?
2. What are you facing right now that tempts you to give up? After reading about what Paul encountered in Athens and how he refused to back down in the face of darkness, what changes are you going to make as you face your own situation?
3. Can you think of a time in your life when you almost gave up — but because you kept going, it resulted in a new opportunity opening up for you? What would have happened if you had given up rather than pressed forward?