Acts 17
The message of Christ Jesus never changes. The gospel of salvation in Christ is the same for every generation throughout the ages and for every nation under heaven. The good news is that Jesus died in our place on the cross to bear God’s wrath against our sin, that He was buried and rose from the dead on the third day, and now lives forevermore. And all who repent of sin and turn in faith to Christ will be saved from death and receive abundant and eternal life!
The method of communicating this message to the world, however, changes. Speaking in the synagogue with the Jews, Paul “reasoned with them from the Scriptures…” Jesus as the Christ. They would have understood and acknowledged the authority of Scripture. And many did, in fact, believe!
With the Greeks in the marketplace and before the philosophers, Paul tailored the method to their spiritual level. They were worshipping idols made of material things by human hands. Paul proclaimed what they worshiped as “unknown” the God of heaven, the Creator of all things, and His righteous judgment against the world through His Son whom He raised from the dead! And some believed!
These were “strange things” Paul was bringing to their ears! And not only did Paul simply present the information, he was persuading them to repent as God commands of all people everywhere. That’s still the message our world needs today.
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