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The Unknown God - The Book of Acts · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. For as I passed by and beheld
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  Speaker 1: your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To
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  Speaker 1: the unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare
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  Speaker 1: I unto you. Acts 17.23 As I study the life
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  Speaker 1: of Paul, I will be mindful to study his approach
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  Speaker 1: and how he reached the heart of those who believed
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  Speaker 1: differently than him. With the power of God, Paul delivered
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  Speaker 1: a masterpiece of a speech. He connected brilliantly with people
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  Speaker 1: from a different culture, showing he understood Greek society and
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  Speaker 1: their human needs. In the same breath, I pray that
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  Speaker 1: you give me the same precision and tactfulness that Paul
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  Speaker 1: used to reach the lost. In the same way, allow
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  Speaker 1: me to speak with affirmation, familiarity, inclusive language, encouragement, and
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  Speaker 1: hope as I lead them to the unknown God that
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  Speaker 1: created the heavens and the earth. Release in me the
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  Speaker 1: gifting of speech and communication on a level I've never known.
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  Speaker 1: I am a student and a servant first. Therefore, my
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  Speaker 1: mind is open and ready to receive all I need
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  Speaker 1: to grow. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for making prayer
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  Speaker 1: a priority in your life. To hear the Bible come
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  Speaker 1: to life, stay tuned for the Bible in a Year.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: The Unknown God In our last story, Paul and Silas
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  Speaker 2: were beaten brutally and thrown into prison for casting a
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  Speaker 2: demon out of a little girl. As they dwelled in
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  Speaker 2: the dark and cold chamber, they sang to the Lord,
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  Speaker 2: and a mighty earthquake freed them. Now we see the
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  Speaker 2: violence of Jews in Thessalonica and the curiosity of Gentiles
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  Speaker 2: in Athens. In all of it, God is glorified, inspired
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  Speaker 2: by the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 3: In our previous episode, we heard how Paul and Silas
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  Speaker 3: were in prison for casting an evil spirit out of
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  Speaker 3: a young girl. Though beaten, bruised, and bound in chains,
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  Speaker 3: Paul and Silas blessed the Lord with sweet songs of
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  Speaker 3: worship for all to hear. God then sent an earthquake
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  Speaker 3: to burst open the prison gates, but most importantly, to
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  Speaker 3: rock the soul of a jailer and his family who
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  Speaker 3: came to know Jesus and the power of salvation in
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  Speaker 3: their lives. Today, We'll hear how Paul and Silas plant
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  Speaker 3: a church in Thessalonica among both Gentiles and Jews, and
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  Speaker 3: how they face more opposition from unbelieving Jews. We'll also
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  Speaker 3: see how Paul speaks in words and terms the Gentiles
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  Speaker 3: in Athens can understand to introduce them to the unknown
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  Speaker 3: gods that their hearts long to meet. Let's listen now
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  Speaker 3: to the reading of God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: Paul, Silas, and Timothy walked down a small path into
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  Speaker 2: a synagogue in Thessalonica. Its doors were large and dark,
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  Speaker 2: but inside it resided hundreds of Jews and Greeks alike.
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  Speaker 2: People of different creeds had heard of Paul's teachings, so
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  Speaker 2: they came to see for themselves what the Lord may
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  Speaker 2: be doing. Paul, Silas, and Timothy spoke about the life
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  Speaker 2: of Jesus. For three weeks they proclaimed the liberating message
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  Speaker 2: of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. Some of their eyes
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  Speaker 2: lit up as they came to an understanding of who
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  Speaker 2: Jesus truly was. Some Jews and many Greeks were persuaded
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  Speaker 2: to follow God with all their lives. Both men and
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  Speaker 2: women leaders were raised up and discipled to love the city,
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  Speaker 2: and a beautiful community began to emerge in Thessalonica. Yet
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  Speaker 2: there was a brooding hive of Jews in the city,
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  Speaker 2: jealous of their drawn influence. They formed an angry mob
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  Speaker 2: and searched high and low for Paul and his friends.
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  Speaker 2: When they couldn't find them, They kidnapped a believer by
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  Speaker 2: the name of Jason. Jason was hosting the three men
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  Speaker 2: and was the closest thing they had to leverage against Paul.
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  Speaker 2: They attacked the house of Jason and set the entire
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  Speaker 2: city in an uproar. They drug Jason and a few
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  Speaker 2: other Christians out into the city streets and mocked them.
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  Speaker 2: They beat them in the courtyards and goaded Paul and
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  Speaker 2: his followers to show themselves. When Paul, Silas, and Barnabas
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  Speaker 2: did not emerge in time, the men took Jason's money
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  Speaker 2: and left him. The mob left and the city returned
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  Speaker 2: to its peace. Jason was restored by his fellow Christians.
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  Speaker 2: They met every need of his, as was the custom
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  Speaker 2: of the church by Peter and the apostles. The church
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  Speaker 2: in Thessalonica immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night
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  Speaker 2: to Berea. They had to escape before the mob re-emerged
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  Speaker 2: even more angry than before. So the disciples left, confident
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  Speaker 2: that the Thessalonian church was well equipped to brave the
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  Speaker 2: storms ahead. Berea was a more peaceful city than Thessalonica.
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  Speaker 2: Its Jews were passive and calm. They received the words
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  Speaker 2: of Silas and Timothy well, so Paul left them to
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  Speaker 2: rest among the people of Berea. Paul journeyed to Athens,
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  Speaker 2: the city built on wisdom, philosophy, and corruption. There was
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  Speaker 2: a beautiful dichotomy in Athens. The people there were deep
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  Speaker 2: thinkers and inventive, yet they lacked depth of soul. They
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  Speaker 2: lacked hearts that aligned with the benevolent will of God.
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  Speaker 2: As a result, they were knowledgeable yet shallow. They were
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  Speaker 2: wise yet foolish. They were brilliant yet lost. Paul passed
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  Speaker 2: through the city streets of Athens. He was amazed at
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  Speaker 2: the buildings, libraries, and courtyards. He walked the city streets
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  Speaker 2: with attentive eyes and ears alert to the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 2: As he was walking, he passed by many idols. Each
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  Speaker 2: false god was built to represent a human desire for
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  Speaker 2: pleasure and success. There were gods to sex and alcohol.
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  Speaker 2: There were gods to war and money. There were gods
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  Speaker 2: to physical strength and outward beauty. Paul passed by an
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  Speaker 2: altar with an inscription that wrote, To the unknown God.
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  Speaker 2: Paul smiled and entered into the courtyard where many philosophers
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  Speaker 2: and scholars met to debate and learn. Paul spoke with
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  Speaker 2: Stoic philosophers and inquisitive students. His mind was engaged by
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  Speaker 2: the rhetoric, but he was careful to not lose the
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  Speaker 2: heart of Jesus. As he conversed with the philosophers, they
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  Speaker 2: became confused, saying, What is this babbler saying? And he
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  Speaker 2: seems to be a simple preacher of foreign divinities. Yet
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  Speaker 2: they did not say so mockingly. They truly desired to
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  Speaker 2: understand what Paul was speaking of. Every person in Athens
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  Speaker 2: desired to hear something new. So Paul spoke about the
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  Speaker 2: life and death of Jesus. My brothers and sisters, Paul shouted,
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  Speaker 2: I have perceived that you are very religious, since I
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  Speaker 2: saw an altar to the unknown God in your courtyard.
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  Speaker 2: So Paul spoke about the God they did not know,
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  Speaker 2: the God that made all things and the God that saves.
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  Speaker 3: In today's scripture, Paul, Silas, and Timothy are reaching both
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  Speaker 3: Jews and Gentiles in Thessalonica. Paul knew the Jewish scriptures
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  Speaker 3: better than most and was able to reason through what
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  Speaker 3: God had already revealed to show those who were open
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  Speaker 3: to hearing how Jesus was and is the promised Messiah.
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  Speaker 3: His preaching was compelling, courageous, and convincing. The gospel was
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  Speaker 3: continuing to make powerful inroads throughout the Roman world. The
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  Speaker 3: most powerful government in the world is no match to
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  Speaker 3: the power of the gospel. No wonder Paul said, I
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  Speaker 3: am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it
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  Speaker 3: is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes,
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  Speaker 3: to the Jew first and also to the Greek. That's
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  Speaker 3: Romans 1, 16. Men and women are coming to faith
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  Speaker 3: in Christ and are now growing in their faith, being
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  Speaker 3: discipled in each new city as churches are forming. As
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  Speaker 3: was always the case, of course, the Jews who refused
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  Speaker 3: to believe were very opposed to the work these men
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  Speaker 3: were doing. And once more, Paul and the others had
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  Speaker 3: to deal with lies and even persecution. But this did
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  Speaker 3: not deter them. They knew this was to be expected.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus himself had told the disciples that they would face
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  Speaker 3: rejection and persecution, and even death in his name. We
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  Speaker 3: also need to remember this. Comfort and popularity are not
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  Speaker 3: the marks of effective followers of Jesus. If we are
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  Speaker 3: to be about the work and witness of the kingdom
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  Speaker 3: of Christ, the enemy will oppose us. There is reason
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  Speaker 3: to rejoice and persevere, however, and not bow to the
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  Speaker 3: pressure of the world. We must not be silent in
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  Speaker 3: our generation. With the church in Thessalonica in good hands,
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  Speaker 3: Paul and Silas left by cover of night to Berea,
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  Speaker 3: where they found that the Jews were thoughtful and eager
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  Speaker 3: to examine the Scriptures with an openness to believe. For this,
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  Speaker 3: they were commended as having noble character. Of course, soon enough,
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  Speaker 3: trouble found Paul and Silas again as Jews from Thessalonica
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  Speaker 3: went to Berea to stir up turmoil. We then hear
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  Speaker 3: how Paul left for Athens ahead of the others. As
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  Speaker 3: he awaited their arrival, he went throughout the city, this
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  Speaker 3: magnificent city in ancient Greece. His heart was grieved and
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  Speaker 3: troubled as he saw the abundance of idols. It seemed
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  Speaker 3: that the Athenians were eager to find meaning, to place
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  Speaker 3: their hope and trust in something even if it was
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  Speaker 3: a false god. They worshipped many gods. But ultimately, all
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  Speaker 3: of their attempts pointed to simply human desire. It was
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  Speaker 3: human wisdom. at its worst. Everyone served what they thought
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  Speaker 3: made sense to them. Sadly, this sounds a lot like
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  Speaker 3: our world today, when everyone is worshipping themselves or something
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  Speaker 3: or someone they choose to worship. Paul was surrounded by
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  Speaker 3: people far from God, though they were seeking God in
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  Speaker 3: their own way. In the synagogues, the Jews failed to
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  Speaker 3: see Jesus for who he was, the promised Messiah. And
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  Speaker 3: in the marketplace, he found Greeks who thought themselves wise
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  Speaker 3: but failed to grasp the deeper meaning of life that
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  Speaker 3: was found only in the one true God. Rather than
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  Speaker 3: write them off and forget about them as fools, Paul
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  Speaker 3: engaged them with a thoughtful conversation in words that they
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  Speaker 3: could understand. He had seen their idols and witnessed their
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  Speaker 3: many gods. One in particular had stood out. So when
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  Speaker 3: they brought Paul to the Areopagus, the place where the
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  Speaker 3: city council gathered to discuss these things, here is what
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  Speaker 3: Paul said to them in Acts 17, verses 22 to 23.
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  Speaker 3: People of Athens, I see that in every way you
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  Speaker 3: are very religious. I walked around and looked carefully at
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  Speaker 3: your objects of worship. I even found an altar with
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  Speaker 3: this inscription, To an unknown God. So you are ignorant
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  Speaker 3: of the very thing you worship, and this is what
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  Speaker 3: I am going to proclaim to you. He then told
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  Speaker 3: them about the God that they could know, the God
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  Speaker 3: they could know in the person of Jesus Christ, the
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  Speaker 3: God who loved them and sent His Son to die
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  Speaker 3: on the cross to rise again so that all who
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  Speaker 3: believed in Him could have eternal life. As a result,
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  Speaker 3: some of those gathered came to faith in Christ, even
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  Speaker 3: some of the prominent members of the local government. Paul
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  Speaker 3: didn't change the gospel message to make it acceptable to
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  Speaker 3: these people. He simply spoke in a language and in
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  Speaker 3: a context that they could understand in order to point
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  Speaker 3: them to Jesus, who is, of course, the known God.
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  Speaker 3: The message stayed the same. The invitation to life and
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  Speaker 3: freedom did not change, only the way that it was presented.
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  Speaker 3: Today's reading reminds us that God gives us wisdom and
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  Speaker 3: reason for a reason, and He has given us the
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  Speaker 3: Holy Spirit to help us say the right words at
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  Speaker 3: the right time, using God's Word to proclaim the gospel.
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  Speaker 3: May our witness be strong and true. And as the
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  Speaker 3: scripture tells us, may we be ready to give a
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  Speaker 3: reason for the hope that is in us through Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 3: Dear God, we thank you for Paul's example of sharing
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  Speaker 3: the gospel to people far from you. May we also
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  Speaker 3: boldly speak your name in our culture, in the public square,
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  Speaker 3: in the marketplace, wherever we go, that people will know
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  Speaker 3: who the unknown God is, that you have made yourself
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  Speaker 3: known in the person of Christ, and that all who
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  Speaker 3: put their faith and trust in Him can discover eternal life.
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  Speaker 3: In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham
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  Speaker 3: of Dallas, Texas. You can download the Pray.com app and
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: make prayer and Bible study the priority of your life.
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: And if you enjoyed this podcast, tell someone about it.
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: Pass it on. Let others know because it is our
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  Speaker 3: desire to get God's Word to as many people as possible.
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  Speaker 3: as fast as possible. And if you want to know
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  Speaker 3: more about what it means to be a Christ follower,
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  Speaker 3: what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, then
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  Speaker 3: go to jackgraham.org, jackgraham.org. And we have many resources that
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  Speaker 3: are available for you there. God bless you.