Latest / The Daily Word / October 23 – Don't Overlook the Opportunity
Transcript
- Cory: Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good wee hours of the night whenever you are joining us. Welcome to the Daily Word Podcast from Lakeshore Christian Fellowship. My name is Corey Barnes, and I am privileged pastor Architopacampus. And I'm excited to be sitting down with you for another Daily Word episode where we're going to be doing a devotion based out of the New Testament portion of our life journal Bible reading plan. Today is October the twenty-third, and we are reading Acts chapter 17 and 18. And I'll tell you what stood out to me. It comes out of Acts chapter 17 during Paul's time in Athens. It says that Paul is walking around and he notices he's disturbed by how many idols. He sees that people are worshiping in Athens. And he has an opportunity to share the gospel with some of the philosophers in the marketplace. And as he's sharing, certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him, and they wanted to know what he had to say in verse 18. So they take him to the Aero Aeropac Aerop Aeropages Aeropagus. Aeropagus. That's it. Aeropagus. And This is an area essentially in Athens where Athens was affluent and there were people who had all of their needs met. They had enough wealth that they didn't have to work with their hands So instead they spent their days just philosophizing and thinking, and the Aropagus was a place where they would go and listen to people share whatever whatever philosophies, new ideas they had. Basically, if you were in the Roman Empire and you were a thinker and a speech maker, you would traveled to Athens in hopes to to be able to present your case before the Aurapagus and have people think about it. You can kind of think about this like mm maybe almost like I don't know TED talks like like that's that's kinda the thing that's going on here. and basically this place was a spot where they just kind of debated and they heard and they would shoot down ideas these guys just engage their time in whatever was new. We shouldn't be shocked by the fact that after experiencing this, Paul would later talk about the fact that in the last days people would just have itching ears. I think we can probably guess that most of the people that would gather at a place like this likely also just had itching ears. They just wanted to hear what was being shared, whatever would tickle their fancy. But despite that, they gave the Paul the chance to preach the gospel. Now to you or I, maybe we would think that that's just a waste of time. Like these guys, all they do is they listen to what's new and and they poo-poo on a lot of it. So what's the point in my taking the time to share the gospel with them? It feels like it would be falling on deaf ears. It feels like it would be what Jesus called casting pearls. before a swine but but Paul didn't see it that way. Instead he shared the gospel. And at the end of his talking, they were interested and they invited him to come back and talk to them some more. And scripture doesn't really tell us whether he does or doesn't do that. But verse 34 tells us however some men joined him and believed among them Dionysus and Arepa guite the the Arapaite and a woman named Demaris and others with them. this Dionysus D Dionysius the Arapa guy, this guy is obviously like a guy that wouldn't be one that you would think would actually heed Paul's talking because that indicates that he spent a lot of time there. He had heard so many different ideas. And there are people in the world that really are just seeking out the truth and they are just listening. And despite the fact that this may not have looked like the most profitable space to share the gospel because people just listen and then move on, there was frequently fruit from Paul sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. And there were people that came with it. So the the whole point that I want to get to is that any opportunity that we have to share our faith, even if we think it's going to be wasted, even if we think it's going to fall on deaf ears, we should take advantage of the opportunities that come to us. Unless there is a a a leading to you from the Holy Spirit, not To or to remain silent or something, if an opportunity comes, we should take advantage of it because we never know when there may be fruit, and there may be fruit from some of the people that seem least likely to receive the gospel. Think about Paul himself, he seemed the most least likely of anyone to accept Jesus, and yet he did. And we see that demonstrated throughout scripture. that people that don't seem likely to receive Jesus do. So we should take care e take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way. So have you been presented with any opportunities? D don't despise them, don't take them lightly. Recognize the weight of even a small opportunity, even if it's blessing the food, at at a family gathering when you know that there are people there that don't know Jesus. Any small opportunity is an opportunity and shouldn't be despised. Let's pray. Father, I just thank you. I thank you that you're leading each and every one of us daily into different opportunities to be able to share the gospel with people. And even if it seems unlikely that they will respond, even if it feels like maybe we're just talking into the wind, Lord, your gospel has power. And I thank you, Jesus, that you have the ability to stir the hearts of men. You have the ability, Holy Spirit, to come in and convict people of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. And I thank you, Lord, that anytime we share the gospel, anytime we speak the name of Jesus, there is power there. So we just praise you and we thank you, Lord, for giving us the strength and the boldness to be witnesses of what you have done in our lives. And I praise you and I thank you, Jesus, for who you are. Amen.