Beacon Baptist Church
Beacon Teens 2021-22
  • N. Hunter Strength
    Beacon Baptist Youth
    9.25.22
    Acts 17 - Mars Hill
    Being a Christian Witness

    Introduction:

    On Wednesday we examined the story of Paul and Silas being known as men who turned the world upside down and how we all want to be people who make an impact on those around us. As we looked in that passage we found that we should be a people who are courageous, not in our own abilities, but courageous because we know that God is for us and with us in our daily efforts to honor Him. With that in mind, we turn to Acts 17 and we will find Paul heading onto Athens where he will preach one of my favorite sermons in the Bible. I believe that in this sermon we have much to learn about interacting with those around us when it comes to sharing the gospel. So, with that in mind, if we are going to be a people who make an impact on our community, we must learn to be concerned with the souls of our community and reaching them with the good news. Let’s take a look at four major themes in this passage.

    Pray For Eyes That See (v16)

    We all have worldviews, don’t we? A worldview is the lens through which we see everything around us. Atheists have worldviews, Muslims have worldviews and so do Christians. We see life differently, we smell the roses differently, we love our friends differently, why? Because we see the world through the lens of the good news of the Gospel. But we weren’t always like that, were we? We didn’t always see God’s hand in the sunsets and creation. We didn’t always see our neighbor as an image bearer of God who is dead in sin. Something happened to us. And that something is the saving work of God in our lives and now that we are saved, God has changed how we see things. One thing that we see is how blind the world is to the sin that controls it. The wrong doings, the abortions, the lying, the cheating, the violence, the abandonment, the breaking of promises, the addictions, etc. these are things that are all around us and as Christians we should be looking out for those things around us. We should also be sure to continually pray for God to open our eyes to see the idolatry that consumes not only my own life that I might fight it, but the idolatry in our culture.
    What would you say are some examples that you’ve noticed in the lives of lost people in your community? Now, we don’t merely want to see these things so we know who not to go around. No, we should be aware of them and this brings me to my second point. If we are going to reach our community, we should pray for eyes that see and secondly, a heart that feels.

    Pray For A Heart That Feels (v16)

    As Paul sees these idols we read that “his spirit was provoked within him”. Now some will say that this means he was really mad. And while that is true to some extent, he was also deeply concerned for those around him who were slaves to idolatry. So this is a sense of righteous anger that God is not being served, but it is also a sense of deep heartache for those dead to sin and in bondage to these false gods.
    With that being said, we should ask ourselves, “How does the sin consuming those around me affect me?” Does it grip your heart to know that the people beside you in school, kicking the ball with you on your team, or the guy walking down the sidewalk could be dead in his sin and enslaved to such things? If we are going to be effective in reaching those around us, we don’t merely need eyes that see, but heats that hurt for such a condition. If we obey the commission to reach these people without hearts that yearn, Tim Keller says, “If your life doesn’t reflect both sweetness and thunder, you will either be a coward or obnoxious when it comes to sharing your faith. Some people, for example, are good at the ministry of truth, but they are terrible at the ministry of tears.” In Paul’s ministry here, we find that he demonstrates gentleness and compassion (v22) while also being bold and clear with his mission. There is no place for being a jerk for Jesus, but there is also no place for being a coward either.
    Psalm 67:1-5 says, “ 1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah. That your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!”
    Is this our hearts desire? To see the people of the world living to bring forth praise to God? Being a people full of concern and compassion will greatly encourage us in our mission to reach our community.

    Pray For Feet That Go (v17)

    As a result of this, Paul immediately begins outreach efforts. First, by doing his usual thing of taking the gospel to the Jews in the Synagogue first and then he goes to the marketplace to reach the gentiles there. Now, as we look at this, there is much that we can gather. One commentator I read does a great job at pulling the practicality out for us here. He points out two areas of outreach that we can effectively mimic similarly.

    First is religious outreach.

    Obviously we live in a culture here in NC that provides us with opportunities to meet people who claim to be religious yet they are no more saved than anyone else without Christ. Let this passage be an encouragement to continue or begin Bible studies with those people and pray that God might use that to open their hearts to receive grace.

    Second is public outreach.

    General Outreach (17)
    Not everyone is familiar with Christianity, we can see that beginning to be the case as many are moving to this area for school and that brings them from places where the gospel isn’t as prominent. With that being the case, we need to begin reaching out to them and trying to develop opportunities to minister to them.
    One way, John Stott picks up on, that Paul is effective in his evangelism is that he knows how to use questions. This is something that Jesus did as well. If you are trying to see how to steer a conversation or witness to someone and you aren’t sure what to say, start by asking questions. This lets you know where they stand and you can pray for the Spirit to show you an area you can address in that person's life with the gospel.
    You and I should walk through our day with gospel shoes on. Let it be apart of your daily outlook to ask yourself, “Lord, are you going to place an opportunity in my path to share the gospel today?”
    Outreach to the Skeptics (18)
    Who are the epicureans and stoics?
    (Gill) Epicureans believe that the world was not made by any deity, or with any design, but came into its being and form, through a fortuitous concourse of atoms, of various sizes and magnitude, which met, and jumbled, and cemented together, and so formed the world; and that the world is not governed by the providence of God; for though he did not deny the being of God, yet he thought it below his notice, and beneath his majesty to concern himself with its affairs; and also, that the chief happiness of men lies in pleasure.
    (Gill) Stoics believed that there is but one God, and that the world was made by him, and is governed by fate; that happiness lies in virtue, and virtue has its own reward in itself; that all virtues are linked together, and all vices are equal; that a wise and good man is destitute of all passion, and uneasiness of mind, is always the same, and always joyful, and ever happy in the greatest torture, pain being no real evil; that the soul lives after the body, and that the world will be destroyed by fire. (explain why this system sounds good but is powerless)
    Skepticism is rapidly growing, especially with a leading skeptic like Bart Ehrman over at UNC. This is an area where the Church should be dominant by having prepared responses to these challenging questions being asked. And thank God for some of the apologists in the Church that do well in equipping people to handle those things.
    One writer said this about skepticism, “skepticism infects every arena of culture, making the need to preach the Christian worldview in an appealing way necessary across every sphere. Whatever your point of influence—the world of filmmaking, music writing, journalism, science, education, law, politics, art, or parenting—do not retreat from culture. Like Paul, engage it humbly, boldly, and intelligently.”

    Pray For A Tongue That Speaks

    As Paul speaks with this group of people, he is taken to this area called Mars Hill where discourse is often had concerning different religions and philosophies. This is where we find several more of the helpful tools in Paul’s belt.

    Paul Makes a Point of Contact (23a)

    Paul Exposes a Point of Conflict (23b)

    Paul assumes nothing
    Like with writing, you need to know your audience. Paul goes on to show a few things:
    God is the Creator (24)
    God is Self-Sufficient (25)
    God is Over All Nations (26)
    God may be known, but we are blinded by sin (27)
    Paul makes cultural connections.
    (27) He uses the story of Cyclops
    He quotes Epimenides of Crete and Aratus (28)
    Paul Makes a Point to Charge (29-31)
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