[RCL] Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:7-18; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21 Acts 17:22-31 In our first lesson this week, we are placed in the midst of the story as Paul, traveling from northern Greece (Thessalonica and Beroea) south to Corinth, stops for a few days in Athens. The city is depicted as a hotbed of intellectual…

Acts 17:22-31 Whereas realtors talk about the three most important things as being “location, location, location,” preachers focus on “context, context, context.” There is the context of the passage being preached, of course, but at least as important is the context into which we preach. In this selection from Acts, we see Paul skillfully using…

Acts 17:22-31 In this passage, we see Paul addressing an audience almost exclusively made up of Gentiles in a Greek setting where Christianity is foreign, the concept of a monotheistic God is laughable and the idea of resurrection downright ridiculous. Paul is speaking a foreign concept to an audience that is curious, yet skeptical. Aren’t…

Acts 17:22-31  The Book of Acts marks a shift from the gospel focus on the acts of Jesus to an emphasis on the life of the early church. This passage contains Paul’s speech to the Athenians in which he reveals the identity of the “unknown God.” The context of this speech provides a rich back story….