The Unknown God - The Book of Acts

In this Bible Story, we are able to read the letters written by Paul to the church in Thessalonica. Paul encourages them to continue in their pursuit of a quiet and peaceful life that honors God. This story is inspired by Acts 17. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Acts 17:23 from the King James Version.

Episode 233: Paul, Silas, and Timothy were teaching at a synagogue in Thessalonica. Crowds from all over gathered there to hear what they had to say and many came to a saving faith in Jesus. Yet some of the Jews were angered by this change and hired a mob to find Paul and kill him. When the mob couldn’t find Paul they brought out Jason instead and had him beaten. Meanwhile, the rest of the believers encouraged Paul, Silas, and Timothy to flee to Berea. There was peace for Silas and Timothy there, but Paul moved on to Athens where he would reason with God-fearing Greeks and be brought before the Areopagus.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray for As I passed by and beheld
your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription to
the unknown God, whom therefore ye ignorantly worship him. Declare
I unto you Acts seventeen twenty three. As I study

(00:22):
the life of Paul, I will be mindful to study
his approach and how he reached the heart of those
who believed differently than him. With the power of God,
Paul delivered a masterpiece of a speech. He connected brilliantly
with people from a different culture, showing he understood Greek

(00:44):
society and their human needs. In the same breath, I
pray that you give me the same precision and tactfulness
that Paul used to reach the lost in the same way.
Allow me to speak with affirmation, familiarity, inclusive language, encouragement

(01:07):
and hope as I'd lead them to the unknown God
that created the heavens and the earth. Release in me
the gifting of speech and communication on a level I've
never known. I am a student and a servant first.

(01:28):
Therefore my mind is open and ready to receive all
I need to grow in Jesus name. Amen, Thanks for
making prayer a priority in your life. To hear the
Bible come to life. Stay tuned for the Bible in
a Year, brought to you by Bible in a Year dot.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Com the Unknown God. In our last story, Paul and
Silas were beaten brutally and thrown into prison for casting
a demon out of a little girl. As they dwelled
in the dark and cold chamber, they sang to the

(02:13):
Lord and a mighty earthquake. Freedom. Now we see the
violence of Jews in Thessalonica and the curiosity of Gentiles
and Athens. In all of it, God is glorified. Inspired
by the Book of Acts.

Speaker 3 (02:30):
Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
in a Year podcast. But before we began, I want
to let you know about a unique ebook that's yours
to download absolutely free today. Is called Breaking Free from Stress,
and my prayer is that it will help you conquer
the daily task and pressures and burdens that bring stress

(02:50):
in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
from Stress today by visiting Jack Graham dot org slash
Stress Jack Graham dot org slash Stress. In our previous episode,
we heard how Paul and Silas were in prison for
casting an evil spirit out of a young girl. Though beaten,

(03:11):
bruised and bound in chains, Paul and Silas blessed the
Lord with sweet songs of worship for all to hear.
God then sent an earthquake to burst open the prison gates,
but most importantly, to rock the soul of a jailer
in his family who came to know Jesus and the
power of salvation in their lives. Today we'll hear how

(03:32):
Paul and Silas plant a church in Thessalonika among both
Gentiles and Jews, and how they face more opposition from
unbelieving Jews. We'll also see how Paul speaks in words
and terms the gentiles in Athens can understand to introduce
them to the unknown gods that their hearts longed to meet.
Let's listen now to the reading of God's word.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Paul, Silas and Timothy walked it down a small path
into a synagogue in Thessalonica. Its doors were large and dark,
but inside it resided hundreds of Jews and Greeks alike.
People of different creeds had heard of Paul's teachings, so
they came to see for themselves what the Lord may
be doing. Paul, Silas and Timothy spoke about the life

(04:17):
of Jesus. For three weeks, they proclaimed the liberating message
of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. Some of their eyes
lit up as they came to an understanding of who
Jesus truly was. Some Jews and many Greeks were persuaded
to follow God with all their lives. Both men and women.
Leaders were raised up and discipled to love the city,

(04:38):
and a beautiful community began to emerge in Thessalonica. Yet
there was a brooding hive of Jews in the city.
Jealous of their draw and influence, they formed an angry
mob and searched high and low for Paul and his friends.
When they couldn't find them, they kidnapped a believer by
the name of Jason. Jason was hosting the three men

(04:59):
and was the closest thing they had to leverage against Paul.
They attacked the house of Jason and set the entire
city in an uproar. They drugged Jason and a few
other Christians out into the city's streets and mocked them.
They beat them in the courtyards and goaded Paul and
his followers to show themselves. When Paul Silas and Barnabas
did not emerge in time. The men took Jason's money

(05:22):
and left him. The mob left, and the city returned
to its peace. Jason was restored by his fellow Christians.
They met every need of his, as was the custom
of the Church by Peter and the Apostles. The church
in Thessalonica immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night
to Berea. They had to escape before the mob re emerged,

(05:42):
even more angry than before. So the disciples left confident
that the Thessalonian Church was well equipped to brave the
storms ahead. Berea was a more peaceful city than Thessalonica.
Its jews were passive and calm. They received the words
of Silas and Timothy well, and so Paul left them
to rest among the people of Berea. Paul journeyed to Athens,

(06:04):
the city built on wisdom, philosophy, and corruption. There was
a beautiful dichotomy in Athens. The people there were deep
thinkers and inventive, yet they lacked depth of soul. They
lacked hearts that aligned with the benevolent will of God.
As a result, they were knowledgeable yet shallow. They were wise,
yet foolish. They were brilliant yet lost. Paul passed through

(06:28):
the city streets of Athens. He was amazed at the buildings, libraries,
and courtyards. He walked the city streets with a tent
of eyes and ears, alert to the Holy Spirit. As
he was walking, he passed by many idols. Each false
god was built to represent a human desire for pleasure
and success. There were gods to sex and alcohol. There

(06:49):
were gods to war and money. There were gods to
physical strength and outward beauty. Paul passed by an altar
with an inscription that wrote to the unknown God, smiled
and entered into the courtyard where many philosophers and scholars
met to debate and learn. Paul spoke with stoic philosophers
and inquisitive students. His mind was engaged by the rhetoric,

(07:11):
but he was careful to not lose the heart of Jesus.
As he conversed with the philosophers, they became confused, saying,
what is this babbler saying? And he seems to be
a simple preacher of foreign divinities. Yet they did not
say so mockingly. They truly desired to understand what Paul
was speaking of every person in Athens desired to hear

(07:32):
something new. So Paul spoke about the life and death
of Jesus. My brothers and sisters, Paul shouted, I have
perceived that you are very religious, since I saw an
altar to the unknown God in your courtyard. So Paul
spoke about the God they did not know, the God
that made all things and the God that saves.

Speaker 3 (07:57):
In today's scripture, Paul, Silas and Timid are reaching both
Jews and Gentiles in Thessalonika. Paul knew the Jewish scriptures
better than most and was able to reason through what
God had already revealed to show those who were open
to hearing how Jesus was and is the promised Messiah.
His preaching was compelling, courageous, and convincing. The Gospel was

(08:22):
continuing to make powerful inroads throughout the Roman world. The
most powerful government in the world is no match to
the power of the Gospel. No wonder, Paul said, I
am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it
is the power of God into salvation to everyone who believes.
To the jew first, and also to the Greek. That's
Romans one, sixteen men and women are coming to faith

(08:46):
in Christ and are now growing in their faith, being
discipled in each new city as churches are forming. As
was always the case, of course, the Jews who refused
to believe were very opposed to the work these men
were doing, and once more Paul and the others had
to deal with lies and even persecution. But this did

(09:06):
not deter them. They knew this was to be expected.
Jesus himself had told the disciples that they would face rejection, persecution,
and even death in his name. We also need to
remember this comfort and popularity are not the marks of
effective followers of Jesus. If we are to be about
the work and witness of the Kingdom of Christ, the

(09:28):
enemy will oppose us. There is reason to rejoice and persevere, however,
and not bow to the pressure of the world. We
must not be silent in our generation. With the Church
in Thessalon and Aika in good hands, Paul and Silas
left by cover of night to Berea, where they found
that the Jews were thoughtful and eager to examine the
scriptures with an openness to believe. For this they were

(09:51):
commended as having noble character. Of course, soon enough trouble
found Paul and Silas again as Jews from Thessala and
Nia went to Berea to stir up turmoil. We then
hear how Paul left for Athens ahead of the others.
As he awaited their arrival, he went throughout the city,
this magnificent city in ancient Greece. His heart was grieved

(10:14):
and troubled as he saw the abundance of idols. It
seemed that the Athenians were eager to find meaning, to
place their hope and trust in something, even if it
was a false God. They worshiped many gods, but ultimately
all of their attempts pointed to simply human desire. It
was human wisdom at its worst. Everyone served what they

(10:36):
thought made sense to them, and sadly, this sounds a
lot like our world today, when everyone is worshiping themselves
or something or someone they choose to worship. Paul was
surrounded by people far from God, though they were seeking
God in their own way. In the synagogues, the Jews
failed to see Jesus for who he was, the promised Messiah,

(10:58):
and in the marketplace he found on Greeks who thought
themselves wise but failed to grasp the deeper meaning of
life that was found only in the One True God.
Rather than write them off and forget about them as fools,
Paul engaged them with a thoughtful conversation in words that
they could understand. He had seen their idols and witnessed

(11:18):
their many gods, one in particular had stood out. So
when they brought Paul to the Areopicus, the place where
the city council gathered to discuss these things, here is
what Paul said to them in Acts seventeen, verses twenty
two to twenty three. People of Athens, I see that
in every way you are very religious. I walked around

(11:39):
and looked carefully at your objects of worship. I even
found an altar with this inscription to an unknown God.
So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship,
and this is what I'm going to proclaim to you.
He then told them about the God that they could know.
The God they could know in the person of Jesus Christ,
the God who loved them and sent his son to

(12:01):
die on the cross to rise again so that all
who believed in him could have eternal life. As a result,
some of those gathered came to faith in Christ, even
some of the prominent members of the local government. Paul
didn't change the gospel message to make it acceptable to
these people. He simply spoke in a language and in
a context that they could understand, in order to point

(12:24):
them to Jesus, who is, of course, the known God.
The message stayed the same, The invitation to life and
freedom did not change, only the way that it was presented.
Today's reading reminds us that God gives us wisdom and
reason for a reason, and he has given us the
Holy Spirit to help us say the right words at

(12:44):
the right time, using God's word to proclaim the Gospel.
May our witness be strong and true, and, as the
scripture tells us, may we be ready to give a
reason for the hope that is in us through Jesus Christ.
Dear God, we thank you for Paul's example of sharing
the Gospel to people far from you. May we also
boldly speak your name in our culture, in the public square,

(13:07):
in the marketplace wherever we go, that people will know
who the unknown God is, that you have made yourself
known in the person of Christ, and that all who
put their faith and trust in Him can discover eternal
life in Jesus's name, we pray Amen. Thank you for
listening to today's Bible into Year podcast. Before we go,

(13:30):
I want to let you know about a unique ebook
that's yours to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking
Free from Stress, and my prayer is that it will
help you conquer the daily task and pressures and burdens
that bring stress into your life. Download your free copy
of Breaking Free from Stress today by visiting Jack Graham

(13:51):
dot org slash stress. That's Jackraham dot org slash stress