Introducing...

I've been struggling to decide what I want to write about in this first blog post. I know that old saying is true: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression," so I want to make this post both interesting and encouraging in hopes that you'll come back for more.

I considered introducing myself to you, but then I figured I could just use the "About Me" section for that. I considered introducing Washington Avenue church of Christ to you, but we have an entire website for that.

Then I decided. 

For the past few Sundays in worship, we've been looking at Paul's sermon on the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). The sermon begins in verse 22 and ends in verse 31. Often when we think of Paul, we think that he was a "long winded" preacher. We think about Acts 20:7 where we find him preaching until midnight. 

But here in Acts 17, Paul is preaching to some of the greatest minds in the ancient world and he preaches a sermon that is less than two minutes long (at least what we have recorded). But Paul had a lot to say in his two minutes. And in this two minute sermon, Paul makes a very important introduction!

Photo credit: http://holylandarchive.com/photos_src/GSATAG15_400.jpg

Acts 17:22-23 - Paul shows his listeners respect. That opening line is a masterpiece—an amazing example of how to be kind yet firm. Notice what he did. Paul was talking to people who didn't believe in either God or the Bible, so he didn't start by quoting Scripture. These people didn't care about the Scriptures! And so he will go on to quote one of their own poets; he quotes an inscription on one of their statues, but not a single Scripture. Instead, he starts with a compliment, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious.” (NKJV)

He took the time to pay attention to who these people were, he understood where they were coming from, and then he uses their own words to tell them exactly what they need to hear!

He latches on to this statue that had been dedicated, “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” And from a legal point of view, he avoids the accusation that he was preaching a new god, but he is telling them about a God they already worship—a God they worship in ignorance—not a slam, but an opportunity to fill them in, to enlighten them concerning a God they already know deep down inside. 

Acts 17:24-29 - This is where Paul gets to the "meat" of the sermon by introducing the people of Athens to this "Unknown God." Today, we hear a lot of people telling us that it doesn't matter what we believe as long as we're sincere or as long as we're serious about it. While it is important to be serious when it comes to matters of faith, it is also important to be informed. It's important to be both serious and accurate!

Paul, then, introduces God as our Creator, as the Lord of heaven and earth, as the Giver of life, as the Maker of nations, as One who wants to be found, and as our Father.

In his opening line, Paul may have complimented these people for being religious, but he didn't leave it there. He came back with a very powerful argument! Paul pointed out the foolishness of worshiping objects made with our own hands.

Acts 17:30-31 - Then we come to the conclusion. This is what we might call the invitation. Paul issues a call for action. Paul wasn't just spouting off facts to give the people of Athens another theory to discuss. Instead, Paul's message and his introduction to the one, true and living God actually means something and has a practical application.

And here it is: GOD IS NO LONGER OVERLOOKING IGNORANCE! 

Not knowing is not an excuse. But instead of making excuses, God wants people to make changes. God wants all people to repent. God wants all people to repent because there is a day of judgment coming. This is a day when God will judge the world in righteousness. Everyone will be there. No one can avoid it. We will be there along with the Greek philosophers from ancient Athens.

Paul says that we can know this is the truth because God has raised Jesus from the dead. Paul started this sermon introducing these people to the Unknown God as the Creator (verse 24), and now he closes his sermon by explaining that this same God will also be their Judge (verse 31).

The rest of the story...

At this point, we see that everyone in the audience responds, just not all in the same way. In fact, we see three responses. 

1. Mocking. There were some who thought it was a joke. There were some who quickly dismissed Paul and his message, refusing to believe and refusing to hear any more on the subject.
2. Waiting. There were others who weren't convinced either way. They weren't sure if they were ready to leave their idols for the God of the Bible, but they wanted to hear more. They wanted to keep searching and investigating.
3. Following. Then there were others who believed and began to follow Paul. They were willing to give up their idols. They were ready to turn to God.

Some have said that Paul’s preaching here in Athens was a failure, but I'd disagree. With great respect for his audience, Paul introduced them to the Unknown God, he briefly but carefully explained who God really was, and then he challenged them to do something about it.

It seems that people today generally respond in one of the same three ways the Athenians responded.

For those of us who believe and are following God, the question is this:

What will we do about this information?