CONFRONTING OTHER WORLDVIEWS

Confronting other worldviews.

Paul’s second journey began
with an unfortunate circumstance (Acts 15:37-40).

The reason for the argument:
    On Paul’s first missionary trip,
    Mark (who was young at the time)
    left Paul and Barnabas and returned home
    (early in the journey).

    Paul and Barnabas never traveled together again,
    but apparently there was no lasting animosity between
    them – later Paul spoke highly of Barnabas.

    Paul also made amends with Mark, who was with him
    during his time in the Roman prison.
    (Colossians 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:11)

Paul’s second missionary trip lasted about 3 years.
It was the equivalent of traveling
from Houston to Washington, D.C. and back.

Paul’s previous journey began by sailing to Cyprus;
this one began on land through Syria and Cilicia.

He planned to re-visit the churches he had established
in Asia (including those in Derbe and Lystra,
where Timothy joined him (Acts 16:1-5)).

From there they continued
through Phrygia and Galatia (Acts 16:6).

Paul stayed in Galatia for a while
due to an unspecified illness (Galatians 4:13-14).

From Galatia, they planned to travel northeastward
through Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t
let them, so they went by Mysia and went down to Troas
(Acts 16:7-8).
Note:
    Jesus was directing Paul away from Asia toward Greece.

To escape the threats made against him,
the brothers sent Paul to the coast for safety,
but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea (Acts 17:14-15);
Paul ended up in Athens.

From Athens, he crossed over to Corinth
(the seat of the Roman government of Achaia).
He stayed there for a year and a half and spread the Word
to the Jews and Greeks with much success.
Note:
    This is where he wrote his two epistles
    to the church of Thessalonica (1st and 2nd Thessalonians).

After several other spiritually successful visits throughout
the region, Paul started his homeward journey
(because he wanted to observe Pentecost in Jerusalem).

Aquila and Priscilla traveled with him as far as Ephesus.
From Ephesus he traveled by sea
through Rhodes and Cyprus to Caesarea.
From there he went up to Jerusalem.

On Paul’s second missionary journey,
he traveled through the region of Phrygia
and Galatia (modern day Turkey).
    He started from Jerusalem and went
    north – through Syria (modern day Syria).

    Northwest – to the city of Tarsus
    (in Cilicia (modern day Turkey)).

    West – to the city of Derbe and then
    to the city of Lystra (in Galacia (Turkey)).
    Note:
        Timothy joined him in Lystra (Acts 16:1-5).
        Lystra – where Paul had been stoned
        and left for dead a few years earlier.

    Northeast – to Iconium
    then Northwest – to Antioch (in Galacia (Turkey)).

    He wanted to continue West and preach through Asia (Turkey),
    but the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let him; so he went North,
    then West around the perimeter of Asia.

    On his way around the perimeter, he traveled along the border
    of Bythynia (Turkey); he wanted to enter Bythynia,
    but again the Holy Spirit prevented him from going there.

    This brought him to the region of Mysia (Turkey),
    and he entered the city of Troas (Acts 16:1-12).

    (Acts 17:1-15)
        While he was there, he had a dream of a man
        begging him to come to Macedonia (Greece).

        He sailed North – to the city of Neapolis (in Macedonia)
        and then by land – to the city of Philippi (in Macedonia).

        From there, he traveled West
        to the city of Thessalonica (in Macedonia).
            – After winning some converts there,
              he was forced to leave.

        He went South – to the city of Berea (in Macedonia).
            – Again, after winning converts, he was forced
              to leave (by the Jews from Thessalonica).

        At this point, the believers
        sent Paul South – to Athens (in Macedonia),
        but Timothy and Silas stayed behind.
            – This put Paul in the cultural center of Macedonia (alone).
              Note:
                  The glory days of Athens were gone,
                  but it was still a center for education, and
                  it had impressive buildings and statues.

ACTS 17:

VERSES 16-17:
Paul ended up in Athens by himself (without the
support and encouragement of his traveling companions).

Paul was not the type to sit around and feel sorry for himself.
    – He observed the culture and environment of the area.
      Note:
          He could have become depressed when he saw
          the degree of idol worship practiced by the people
          there, but he saw it as an opportunity.

    – He began a one-man missionary ministry.
          – He debated the different views (his and theirs).

          – He didn’t limit himself to the synagogue,
            he also debated in the market place.

          – He didn’t just confront them occasionally,
            he continued every day.

As a Jewish Christian, he had some of the same views
as the Jews in the synagogue.
    – They believed in the same God.
    – They believed in the same Scriptures.
    Note:
        They had different views about the deity of Jesus,
        and their attitudes toward Gentiles.

Question:
    What other types of views did Paul encounter?
        – Some believed in the old Greek gods of Mount Olympus.
        – Some had lost their faith in any gods.
        – Some were followers of any of the mystery religions.
        – Some were followers of any of the leading philosophers.

VERSES 18-20:
He was confronted by philosophers
from two different philosophies.

Epicureans:
    – Believed pleasure is the primary goal of life (it could
      be sensual, or it could be avoiding any pain or discomfort).

    – Believed the ancient gods
      were unconcerned about human affairs.

    – Denied any meaningful life after death
      (all their attention was on finding pleasure in this life).

    Note:
        The only thing Paul had in common with them
        was experiencing happiness (but his was a joy
        that comes from a surrendered life to God).

Stoics:
    – Believed self-discipline is life’s primary goal.

    – Efforts to master feelings and actions resulted
      in either pride or frustration (depending on
      the level of success).

    – Believed that at death, the spark returned
      to the great soul (from which it came).

    Note:
        The only thing Paul had in common with them
        was his emphasis on self-control
        (but Paul saw it as a fruit of the Spirit, and
        not a personal achievement that leads to pride).

These groups of philosophers
were not impressed with Paul, or his message.
    – They belittled him by calling him a “babbler”
      (someone talking without facts).

    – They also accused him of ‘trying’ to say something
      (implying he was not making any sense).

    – They accused him of advocating foreign gods.
          – Because he was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection.
          Note:
              They probably thought that Jesus was the name of a
              male god and that resurrection was His female companion
              (kind of like the Greek god Zeus and his wife Hera).
                  – The Greek word for “resurrection” is feminine in gender.

    – At any rate, they wanted to stop him
      from preaching to the crowd.

    – They invited him to present his views in a more formal setting.
      Note:
          From their comments, they seemed
          to have a genuine interest in his ideas.

    Note:
        We can encounter
        the same types of opposition in our world today.
        Question:
            How will we react to opposition?

Summary:
– We should use times of waiting
  as opportunities for sharing the message of Jesus.

– We should be disturbed by the idolatries in our society
  (that distract people from the one true God).

– We should be ready to share with those who say
  they believe the Bible, and those who say they do not.

– We should not limit our witnessing to one time,
  one place, or one kind of people.

– We should be prepared to persevere
  in spite of misunderstandings and ridicule.

VERSES 22-23:
Paul was not intimidated by this formal setting.
    – “men of Athens”
      There was at least one woman there (Verse 34).

    – Paul had done his homework on understanding their culture.

    – He was clever as he met them on their ground.

    – He let them know he had observed their environment and
      he drew them in by talking about how religious they were.
      Note:
          In our world, there are many
          who are religious, but not Christian.

    – When he brought up the altar of the Unknown God,
      they probably thought he was complementing them
      (for being so religious that they wanted to
      make sure all gods were pleased and worshipped).

    – Paul again showed his cleverness by using the
      ‘unknown god’ as a springboard to tell them about God.

VERSES 24-28:
As Paul began to introduce them to the true God,
he didn’t quote a Scripture as he might have done
in the Jewish synagogue;
he began with the foundational teaching
of the Bible – divine creation.

To clarify which God he was talking about,
he said He was not only the Creator of all things,
but also the Lord over all He has created.
Note:
    Implied is, He did not create everything
    and let it go its own way
    …He is ruler over it all.

Paul emphasized that worshipping the true God
had no restrictions to a place, or a specific image.

VERSE 25:
He explained what separates Him from
all other gods…He wasn’t made by man.

He is also self-sufficient.
He doesn’t need anything from man since the only
thing man can provide is what God created Himself.

He is not dependent on us for Him to be God,
but we are dependent on Him for life itself.
Question:
    Why then are we expected to tithe?
        – It gives us an opportunity to practice obedience.
        – We show our love and trust in God.

VERSE 26:
It’s important to note that the Greeks had
so much pride about themselves that they
called everyone else (the non-Greeks) barbarians.

Paul told them that all nations stemmed
from the same origin – one man (Adam).

Again, although God made us free to choose,
He did not leave us on our own…He determined
the times set for everyone, and the exact places
where everyone would live.
Question:
    Does that mean He also
    chose the parents of each person born?

VERSE 27:
Question:
    Why would He predestine everyone like that?
        – Because He is a loving God
          who wants each person to seek Him.
          Note:
              He wants the same thing of all of us today.

        – He not only wants us to seek Him,
          but He wants us to be successful in finding Him.
          Question:
              What does that mean to you?
                  – God wants us to have a personal relationship
                    with Him (which is a pre-requisite of salvation).

        – As confirmation of His desire, God is always near
          (even when people are unaware of His presence).
          Note:
              His omnipresence also separates Him from all other gods.

VERSE 28:
Once again we see how observant Paul was
of the culture and environment of this area:
    – He quoted the words of two pagan writers
      (who had written about Zeus, the chief god of the Greeks).
          – “In Him we live and move and have our being”
            (Epimenides – a Cretan).
          – “We are His offspring” (Aratus – who
            was influenced by Zeno’s Stoic teachings).

    – Paul applied their words to the one true God.
      Question:
          Why would he quote their writers?
              – To arouse their curiosity and get their attention?
              – To let them know he understood their beliefs
                 and customs?
                (much like a comedian does when he comes to a new city)
    Note:
        Paul was stressing the fact that all people are creations of God.

Question:
    Why didn’t Paul begin with the Bible
    and go straight to the cross?
    (this was the method he used in synagogues
    where everyone had a reverence for scriptures)
        – He quoted pagan sources which were
          respected by those who were listening.

        – He did the work of a Christian apologist (lawyer) in Athens.

        – He tried to present the best arguments for Christianity
          as a counterpoint to the false world views of those listening.

        – He was stating what he believed and why
          (in the least offensive manner possible).

        Note:
            Jesus used different approaches in different situations.
                – He immediately confronted Nicodemus
                  about the necessity of a new birth. (John 3:1-3)

                – He spent more time setting the stage
                  with the woman at the well. (John 4:4-26)

Summary:
– When sharing with others, we should:
      – Look for familiar points of reference.
      – Quote from the Bible as often as possible.
      – Don’t spend time “bad mouthing” other world
        views; focus on what we believe and why.

VERSES 29-31:

VERSE 29:
Paul points out the absurdity of worshipping man-made gods.
    – How could they be offspring of
      something made by man? What could it offer?

    – When we worship the true God,
      we are worshipping a divine being who can
      communicate with us and listen to us.

VERSE 30:
Up until God inspired Paul to bring the good news, He had
tolerated their worshipping an unknown god…in ignorance.

But now that Paul revealed the true God, He expected
them to repent from their idol worship and to worship Him
(now that they knew who He was).

Three points about repentance:
    1. This was God’s command, not His request.
        Question:
            Why would He make it a command?
                – Since they now knew the difference,
                  continuing to worship a man-made idol
                  would mean they had no chance of salvation.

    2. This applied to all men (not just a select group).

    3. The time to repent is now.

VERSE 31:
Paul went on to explain there would be
a day of judgment by this now “known” God.

Paul hints at mentioning Jesus (and may have been
planning to tell them more about Him), but when he
mentioned that God raised Him from the dead,
his sermon was brought to a quick end.
Question:
    Why?
        – The group of listeners may have found the
          mention of resurrection offensive
          (much like the Sadducees).

Note:
    Paul discussed what it would be like
    if Christ had not been raised from the dead.
        – If Jesus was not raised from the dead,
          then we have no hope.

Summary:
– Those who practice idolatry,
  worship things they have made, and can control.
– The good news calls all people to repentance.
– The resurrection of Jesus
  brings life and hope to all who repent.
– There will be a day of judgment.

Conclusion:
– As believers, we should all
  be prepared to share what we believe, and why.