Paul in Athens

Acts 17: 16-21

“16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)”

Paul found himself alone in Athens, but he was never one to sit around and wait, so he preached the gospel in the local synagogue to the Jews and the Gentiles that were there.  He soon found himself in debate with a group of Greek philosophers.  They were intrigued by this “new teaching” and took Paul to the Areopagus where he was asked to present his ideas to the people gathered there.

The Areopagus was a hill near the Acropolis, and on this hill learned men formed a council and lectured and discussed new ideas.  To their credit, the people who met there were always open to hearing “the latest ideas.”  But Luke tells us that they spent most of their time talking about these things and not doing.  

I am sure that Paul, who saw himself as a teacher and doer of the one true God’s will, was puzzled by people who seemed to scurry from one new idea to the other without latching onto any one idea in particular.  In a similar way they embraced one god after the other, discarding one as they embraced the other or several others.  For most of them, Paul was giving them another opportunity to sample the “flavor of the week”.

What is it that we expect in our religious life?   

Are we seeking the flavor of the week, or do we seek the truth?

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Calling of God

Acts 17:10-14

“10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and when they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 These Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, including not a few Greek women and men of high standing. 13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Beroea as well, they came there too, to stir up and incite the crowds. 14 Then the believers immediately sent Paul away to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained behind. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and after receiving instructions to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible, they left him.”

Paul had been imprisoned in Philippi, fled Thessalonica in the dark of night for fear of his life, and once again, in Beroea, he preached the gospel in a synagogue.  Paul was many things, but he was not afraid to speak God’s word, even in the most dangerous of situations.  Most of us would have abandoned a mission whose end was to surely result in our deaths.  Not Paul.

Paul once wrote to the Philippian Church these words that still stir us today: “Brothers, I do not count myself to have attained, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press towards the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Paul pressed ever forward, led by the Holy Spirit, inspired by the Gospel of Christ, ever trusting in God’s call for his life.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

An Upside Down World

Acts 17: 1-6

“When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the believers before the city authorities, crying, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…”

Paul preached the gospel in a Thessalonians synagogue.  The God-fearing Gentiles and prominent women who were there responded to Paul’s message in large numbers.  This shocked and concerned the Jews.  Paul’s teachings and the response to his teachings were turning the world upside down.

The teachings of Christ run counter to the teachings of the world.  They are, in fact, subversive to the teachings of the world.  Believers live in an upside down world, where leaders are servants, the first are last, and the poor inherit the world. We love where there is hate, forgive when others call for retribution, and give mercy to the heartless.

And we do all these things, not for fame, money, or power; not for any worldly gain.

We do these things for our love of Christ, who was rejected by the world.

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:22-23)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Roman Citizen Card

Acts 16:35-40

“35 When morning came, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, “The magistrates sent word to let you go; therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul replied, “They have beaten us in public, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they going to discharge us in secret? Certainly not! Let them come and take us out themselves.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens; 39 so they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40 After leaving the prison they went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.”

Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.   I am not sure this is something that they bragged about in Palestine.  After all, Romans were the occupiers, the interlopers, the taxing nation.  Rome made life difficult for the Jews in Palestine and many were mistreated.

Paul and Silas had been led to Macedonia by God’s Holy Spirit.  All the people they met, all the places they went, all the things that happened to them while they were there were used by God for His purposes in very powerful ways. 

Yet, Paul and Silas, instead of just walking away when they were told they were free to go, did something very human and very much like what we would do.

Paul and Silas played the Roman citizen card, not as a means of securing their release (they had already been released) but as a means of embarrassing the magistrates who had them beaten and thrown into prison with no due process.

Paul and Silas, great men of the Church, were like us.

God uses people like us.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Planting Seeds

Acts 16:29-34

29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.”

So, who was the “man of Macedonia” in Paul’s vision?  I think the “man” in Paul’s vision was Lydia, the dealer in purple cloth, Lydia’s household, the slave-girl who was healed (even if Paul’s motive was not pure), the prisoners in the jail cell, and the jailer and his family.  I think the “man” was everyone in Macedonia who came into contact with and was helped by Paul and Silas.

God gave Paul a vision of a man, then put two unusual women in his path; he used Paul’s annoyance to heal, and his imprisonment to save.

During Paul and Silas’ time in Macedonia, the seeds of the Philippian church, the first Christian church in Europe, were planted.

God works in ways that we do not understand, yet it all comes together…

and it is beautiful to behold.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Darkest Places

Acts 16:25-28 

“25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 

Paul and Silas were thrown into the innermost cell of the prison, which would have been the darkest cell.  Their legs were locked in stocks and their wrists were in chains that were fastened to the wall.  

Yet, they prayed and sang hymns to God. In the deepest, darkest cell, in inhuman conditions, Paul and Silas were singing praises to God’s glory and mercy.  And their fellow prisoners listened.

God is present and at work….even in the darkest places.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Paul’s Imprisonment

Acts 16:16-24

“16 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.”

Paul and Silas healed a slave-girl who was possessed by a spirit by which she was able to tell the future.  Once healed, she lost this ability.  The owners of this slave girl were enraged, since they could no longer make money with her future telling.

Paul healed the slave-girl not from a sense of compassion but from being “very much annoyed” with her.  Because he healed her, Paul and Silas were dragged away, severely beaten and thrown into prison. As we shall see, God used Paul and Silas in prison in a powerful way.

God used Paul’s annoyance for His purposes.  God, through His love, can accomplish His will….. despite our sins and lack of love and compassion. 

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)