Acts 17:16 – 34, His Spirit Was Provoked Within Him

Having fled Berea by sea to escape the mob from Thessalonica, Paul now waits in Athens for his companions to join him by land, and “…his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols” (Acts 17:16 NKJV). Reaching out first to those in the synagogue, Paul attracts the attention of pagan philosophers, “And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, ‘May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak’” (Acts 17:19 NKJV)? Pointing to an idol inscribed “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD,” Paul logically leads his audience through his revelation of Jesus as this God as authenticated by His resurrection.
Paul’s address at the Areopagus reveals a timeless strategy for presenting the gospel to a pagan audience. Though most may reject our message as they did at the Areopagus 2,000 years ago, Pastor Kevin exhorts us to continue to proclaim Jesus and His resurrection to our increasingly pagan world today with the same compassion, reason, calm dignity, and conviction as did the Apostle Paul.
Maranatha!
Associated notes, links, and the uncensored audio file are at calvarypo.org under Sermon Archives, Acts, https://calvarypo.org/sermons/his-spirit-was-provoked-within-him-acts-1716-34/