PAUL'S MINISTRY IN EUROPE AND THEN IN EPHESUS (17:1-19:20). Ministry in Europe (17:1-18:22). Fruitful Ministry in Thessalonica and Berea (17:1-14). Having been requested to leave Philippi, Paul and his party took the Roman Road, the Via Egnatia, out of Philippi, a road which went through Amphipol... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews, and Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures.' Moving down along the Via Egnatia from Philippi, parallel... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Opening and alleging that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead, and that this Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim to you, is the Christ.' The basis of his reasoning were those portions of Scripture which revealed that the Messiah would suffer, and rise again from... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.' As so often the hearers were divided. Some were persuaded by their reasoning and the Scriptures that they cited, taking their stand with Paul and Silas... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But the Jews, being moved with jealousy, took to them certain vile fellows of the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city on an uproar, and assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them forth to the people.' Thus ‘the Jews', that is those who were not willing to respond to the new m... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, crying, “These who have turned the world upside down are come here also, whom Jason has received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they troubled the multitude and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.' Both the crowds (those who had been used as pawns by the rabble-rousers) and the politarchs were troubled at the thought that such... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night to Berea, who when they were come there went into the synagogue of the Jews.' Recognising the unpleasant nature of some of the people who were at the root of the trouble, who were no doubt types of gang leaders, the believers recognise... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.' For the Bereans were of a different bent to the Thessalonians. Living in a quieter town they were more relaxed and les... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Many of them therefore believed, also of the Greek women of honourable estate, and of men, not a few.' The result again was that ‘many' believed, including ‘many' Greek women of honourable estate and (Greek) men ‘not a few'. Comparing this verse with Acts 17:4 we are probably to see the ‘many' as... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed of Paul at Berea also, they came there in the same way, stirring up and troubling the multitudes.' But news of what was happening gradually filtered through to Thessalonica (not immediately. There was time for a pe... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And then immediately the brethren sent forth Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy dwelt there still.' The believers, however, were well up to it, and recognising that Paul was the main target, and not wanting their fellow-townsmen to be over-disturbed, they smuggled him away to t... [ Continue Reading ]
EFFECTIVE MINISTRY IN ATHENS (17:15-34). His Berean guides saw Paul safely to Athens. This had not been where he was originally aiming for. After Thessalonica his intention had probably been to proceed along the Via Egnatia towards Rome. But God had had other ideas. He had had Berea in His sights,... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and receiving a command to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him with all speed, they departed.' His companions from Berea brought Paul to Athens, and on arrival there Paul clearly decided that he would begin a ministry there, for... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he beheld the city full of idols.' While he was awaiting the first arrival of Silas and Timothy, Paul walked around the city, and as a result of all the evidences of pagan worship and idolatry his spirit was provoked w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘So he reasoned in the synagogue with Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him.' So each Sabbath he went into the Synagogue and reasoned with the Jews, proselytes and God-fearers, and on other days he went into the marketplace and spoke with those who met... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And certain also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him.' In the marketplace he met among others certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. The founder of Epicureanism (Epicurus) saw the world as being a result of the totally random movement and combination of ‘atoms'. This being so... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you? For you are bringing certain strange things to our ears. We would know therefore what these things mean.' But they were interested to know what he was teaching, and... [ Continue Reading ]
‘(Now all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.)' The enquiry was not antagonistic. Indeed the lives of these people and the strangers who came among them consisted in examining new philosophies. They loved t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, in all things, I perceive that you are very religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore you worship in ignorance... [ Continue Reading ]
“The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life, and breath, and all things.” But Paul does not intend for Him to remai... [ Continue Reading ]
“And he made out of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us, for ‘in him we live,... [ Continue Reading ]
“Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like to gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man.” He then further emphasises that to speak of men as the ‘offspring of God', by which these writers indicated a close relationship between men and God as th... [ Continue Reading ]
“The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked, but now he commands men that they should all everywhere repent, inasmuch as he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained, of which he has given assurance (literally ‘faith') to all men, in t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We will hear you concerning this yet again.” ' Central to Paul's message had continually been the resurrection, and it was on this point that his hearers were divided. Some mocked at the idea (for previous mockery o... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Thus Paul went out from among them.' Having completed his words Paul went out from among them. We are hardly right to suggest that he stopped short in order to do so. And there is no suggestion that they cut him short. It is rather that Luke finishes in this way because he wanted to emphasise that... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But certain men clave to him, and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.' The result of Paul's activity in Athens was a number of believers, which included prominent people. ‘They clave to him'. That is, they firmly took their stand... [ Continue Reading ]