by Patrick Sawyer, Missional Living Pastor
Introduction
The famous Apologist Tertullian once stated, “What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?”[1] Athens was a city of philosophy. The city was known as a meeting place for new ideas. I picture the show Shark Tank, where the philosophers sit around in a room, and one by one, other want-to-be philosophers try to “sell” their philosophical ideas. Verse 21: “Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.”
Athens was known for famous people such as Hippocrates (Father of Western medicine), Socrates (Father of Western philosophy), Plato, and Aristotle. This place was also known for worshipping false idols. Verse 16: “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” Athens was a very pluralistic society. When I think about the culture in Athens, I think about our current culture. I believe a lot of things we are dealing with in our culture today are influenced by old philosophical ideas that still exist today. We are also living in a pluralistic society today, much like Athens.
If Christians are to fulfill the Great Commission, then we must engage the culture, and one of the best examples we have for engaging the culture is studying how the Apostle Paul engaged the culture of Athens in Acts 17.
Paul went where lost people were.
Paul would go to Athens on his second missionary journey. As Paul arrived in Athens, he went to three places: the synagogues (V 17), the marketplaces, and the Areopagus (V 22). As Paul went to these places, he engaged and reasoned the truth of the gospel with the people he came into contact with (V 17).
As Christians, we must live our daily lives on mission. As we go out into our communities, schools, and workplaces, we must always be on mission. The key to living on a mission is to go where people are and build a relationship with them in hopes of having gospel conversations with them. Willis and Coe state, “When we combine our natural rhythms or passions with the gospel and use them to build relationships, powerful things happen. Our passions or placement (where we live, where we go) can help us identify opportunities for sharing the gospel”.[2]
What are some ways you can live on mission in the daily rhythms of your life?
Paul took time to learn the culture/worldview.
Verse 16, “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.”
The word “see” or “beholding” in the NASB means Paul stared long and hard. He really took time to observe and get a good feel for the culture and worldview. As Paul walked around the city, he noticed that it was full of idols.
Verse 22-23: “So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagis, said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship. I found also an altar with this inscription: to the unknown god. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you”
As Paul walked around the city, he learned what we would call their worldview. Basically, your worldview is what you believe about origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. Everyone has a worldview. As we seek to engage the culture, we must first understand their beliefs. We must understand their worldview. We must first learn this to be able to know how to challenge their beliefs and then bridge the gospel.
The truth is that everyone we come in contact with has a different worldview, and we must first understand their worldview and then, from there, challenge their worldview and then connect to the gospel.
What are some ways you can learn the worldview of people you come into contact with daily?
Paul challenged their culture/worldview (Verses 17-20).
The Greek word for reasoned means to converse, to argue, or to discuss. As Paul reasoned with them, he seemed to intrigue them. Verse 18 says some called him a “babbler,” which means one who takes an idea from someone else and passes it off as their own (a plagiarist). Remember, the Athenians always wanted to be amazed and to learn something new, so some were saying sarcastically, “Let’s listen to this guy who is going to take someone else idea and pawn it off as his,” but others seemed intrigued in that he was preaching foreign divinities. So, some were being sarcastic, and some seemed to want to hear in case Paul was able to teach them something. Either way, they were intrigued and wanted to hear more.
As we engage the culture, this is what we hope for. We hope as we engage people in gospel conversations, they are intrigued and want to hear more. The text says they took him to the Areopagus or the court to listen to him more. To engage the culture, we must first understand their beliefs, and then we must challenge their beliefs. We must enter their storyline to know what they believe. [3] This is what Paul did in Athens in Acts 17 and what we should do.
The truth is that if we cannot get a person to question their worldview, then it will be hard to reveal the truth of the gospel. I was talking with a Christian counselor one day who was counseling a girl struggling with gender dysphoria, and he said the only way he could counsel her was first to get her to question her own beliefs, and then he would be able to share the truth with her.
Paul revealed the truth of the gospel to them (Verses 24-31).
Now that Paul had understood their worldview and had challenged them and intrigued them, it was time for him to share the truth of God’s Word with them. As you read this, you see that Paul does not focus on Israel’s history or even quote Scripture, but he centers on creation and draws on philosophical languages. Paul meets them where they are and then will eventually connect to the gospel. Paul realized these people had a wrong view of God and the world.
As Paul engaged, he started with creation. Paul then reveals how God not only created the world but He also sustains the world. Paul reveals how God can be known and desires to be known and worshipped by His people. Paul also shows how they were ignorant in their beliefs, and God has called all of us to repent of our sins and rebellion against God, and if we do not, there is a day coming when God will judge the world. Paul then focuses on the resurrection of Jesus. Paul reveals the gospel and how our hope is not in a philosopher or philosophy. Our hope must and can only be in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only one who can save you and give you peace, hope, and happiness.
See what Paul did? He not only understood their worldview and challenged their worldview, but he revealed the truth of God’s Word to them. As we engage the world, we must do the same. We must replace their worldview with the true biblical worldview. We must speak the truth about creation, sin, repentance, and following Jesus. We must share the entire truth of the gospel, not some watered-down version of the gospel.
Conclusion
As we close, as we engage the culture, there will be some who will believe, and there will be some who will not. In verses 32-34, As Paul engaged and spoke the truth, some mocked, some wanted to hear more, and some believed. The truth is that our role is to share the gospel. It is God’s role to convict and save. As we share the gospel, there will be people who believe (Praise God!), there will be those who want and need to hear more (we continue to share with them), and there will be those who will not believe (we continue to pray for them), but again our role is to share, and it is God’s role to convict and share.
[1] Gerald Bray, Athens and Jerusalem: Philosophy, Theology and the Mind of Christ (St. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2024).
[2] Dustin Willis and Aaron Coe, Life on Mission: Joining the Everyday Mission of God (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014.
[3] Sam Chan, How to Talk about Jesus” Without Being That Guy (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020).