Here is a teaching on chapter 17 of the book of Acts. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added into that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
First I want to say a quick prayer... Lord I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. Please give us knowledge and understanding to know exactly what it is that we're reading, and wisdom to implement it in our daily lives and to make an impact in other people's lives. Lord please open up our hearts, our mind, our eyes, and our ears to you. Please help us to see the truth, know the truth, discern the truth, and live by the truth. I love you with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Acts Chapter 17:
1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I'm proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
So in verses 1-4 we see here that Paul went into the synagogue and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with the people from the scriptures and he explained and proved that Jesus Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. While Paul was proclaiming the gospel in these synagogues, some of the Jews were persuaded and they joined Paul and Silas and also a large number of Greeks and prominent women. Then we see here in verses 5-9 that the Jews were jealous. These Jews had hatred in their heart and they didn't want anyone to come to Christ. They didn't even want to hear the name of Jesus. So they rounded up some people from the marketplace, they formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Then they went to Jason's house to find Paul and Silas. It doesn't say here exactly who Jason was in these verses, but Jason had welcomed Paul and Silas into his house and he was a disciple of Christ. In the previous chapters of this Bible study on the book of Acts we've seen that other believers let the apostles and the disciples stay with them while they spread the gospel in the cities. So these Jews went to search for Paul and Silas at Jason's house, but when they didn't find Paul and Silas they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials.
In verses 6-7 we see that these Jews were shouting about Paul and Silas who had caused trouble all over the world, had now come there, that Jason had welcomed them into his house, and that they were saying that there's another king called Jesus. So these Jews were trying to get these city officials and the crowd against Paul and Silas by saying that they had defied the law, the decrees of Caesar, saying there was another king, that they had caused trouble all over the world, and now they were there. In verses 8-9 the crowd and city officials were confused and afraid, so they made Jason and the others post bond and they let them go. They didn't know what to do so they just let them go.
10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 Many of the Jews believed, as did a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
In verse 10 we see that as soon as it was night the brothers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. Paul and Silas had to get out of Thessalonica because these Jews were stirring a riot and we're trying to persecute them for spreading the gospel and saying there is another king called Jesus. In verse 11 we see that the Bereans had received the message that Paul was preaching in the synagogues with great eagerness and they studied the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. We can always find truth in the scriptures. The scriptures in the Bible are God-breathed and there are so many words of God in the scripture. At that time they only had the Old Testament, they didn't have the New Testament yet, so they didn't have all of the words of Jesus Christ. Now we can go in and see all the words of Jesus Christ. We know from scripture that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and his words are true. We can ask the Holy Spirit to show us the truth and help us to see the truth, know the truth, discern the truth, and live by the truth. And that is what these Bereans did here. They studied the scripture to see if what Paul said aligned with what the scripture says and what they know is true in the scripture.
in verse 12 we see that many Jews and also a number of Greek women and men started believing in Jesus. Then we see here in verse 13 that when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea they went to Berea and stirred up the crowds there. These Jews had hatred in their heart. They were jealous that Paul and Silas were getting all of this attention by spreading the word of God and telling people about Jesus. So they did everything they could to get the crowds against Paul and Silas and to stop them from spreading the gospel and talking about the name of Jesus. In the world that we live in today a lot of people are against the name of Jesus and spreading the gospel, and they will also do things to stir up crowds when other people are trying to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's important for us to stand firm in our faith and spread the gospel no matter what, and it's not always going to be easy.
In chapter 15 of the book of John Jesus is speaking to his disciples and he says in verses 18-23: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they did not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they will not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well." So in these verses we see here that whenever we're spreading the gospel and we're speaking about the name of Jesus Christ, we're going to have hardships. Just like they persecuted Jesus they could persecute us also, and just like they hated Jesus, or they hate Jesus, they could hate us also. But we have to stand firm in our faith and know that this is our temporary home. The most important thing is having a relationship with Jesus Christ and spreading the gospel in hopes for other people to get saved, have a relationship with Jesus, and have eternal life in heaven also.
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews, and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
So in verses 16-17 Paul was waiting for Timothy and Silas in Athens. He saw that the city of Athens was full of idols and it caused him to be greatly distressed because he knew that there is only one true God, and we should not idolize anything or have any other idols. God is the only one that we should worship, and Paul also knew that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. So Paul went to the synagogue and the marketplace and he was trying to reason with these Jews in these Greeks that happened to be there. Then in verses 18-21 a group of philosophers began to argue with him. Some of them didn't know what he was trying to say and others were saying that he was trying to advocate foreign gods, because he was spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and about the resurrection. So then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus. The Areopagus is also known as "Mars Hill" and it's "the council or court justice which met in the open air on the hill." So they took him here and they asked what new teaching he was presenting to them, because he was bringing some strange ideas about the gospel of Jesus and the resurrection that they hadn't heard before, so they wanted to know what it was about. In verse 21 it says the Athenians and foreigners spent all their time talking about and listening to the latest ideas.
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on the subject." 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
Alright so these are all the verses of chapter 17 of the book of Acts, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. So in verses 22-23 Paul stood up and told the men of Athens that he could see that they were very religious, and that he even saw an inscription on the altar saying "to an unknown God," and now he was going to proclaim something to them about the unknown God that they worship. In verses 24-28 Paul speaks about God the Father, the Almighty, the one who made heaven and the earth, the one who made all of us and everything in this world, and how we are His offspring. In verse 27 Paul says that God did this so that men would seek him, reach out to him, and find him, even though he's not far from each one of us. I just wanted to point that out because that's so important for us to know. We should always seek God, search him, reach out to him, and seek to have a close relationship with him, but he's always right here with us. Whenever we have the Holy Spirit within us and we're Christians, God is always right here, but it's still important for us to reach out to him, let the Holy Spirit guide us, always seek to have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, do the things that God the Father wants us to do, pray to him, worship him, obey him, and follow him.
God the Father is our heavenly Father and we are all his children. Paul says in verse 29 that since we are God's offspring, we shouldn't think of the divine being like gold or silver or stone. God the Father is the Almighty and he's all powerful and so amazing, and we shouldn't worship idols or images carved in gold or silver or stone. Those are things that are made by man's design, but we should only worship the Lord our God, the Almighty. Paul says in verse 30 that before God had overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands everyone to repent. Jesus has come into the world, he died on the cross to forgive us of our sins, and he said that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to the Father except through him. In Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 13-14 it says: "Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;" So God calls for everyone to repent that has had false idols, false gods, and that worship anyone other than him. If they repent, they truly seek to change their ways, and they believe in the one who God sent (which is Jesus Christ,) they will be forgiven.
In verse 31 Paul says that God had set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. Here he's speaking of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, the Son of God, and that God had given proof of this by raising Jesus Christ from the dead. And he's speaking here of Jesus's resurrection of being raised from the dead, and then also the second resurrection whenever Jesus comes back for his people and we have a day of judgment. Then in verses 32-34, some of them sneered when they heard about the resurrection but others said that they wanted to hear more about it. So Paul left the council and a few men became followers and believed. It's important for us to always know and remember that not everyone is going to listen to us whenever we're spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, not everyone's going to believe, and people may mock us. People may not listen or just think that we're crazy, but we still have to stand firm and always spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. If just one person that listens to us is saved and becomes a believer of Jesus then it's worth it. Sometimes people may hear what we say and they might not get it right away, or they might not believe it at all, but it still leaves an impression and that impression may have been a stepping stone to help them to be saved later down the road. So it's important for us to always spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and let other people know about him, how amazing he is, and how he's changed our lives in hopes that they may be saved.
Acts Ch 17 Study Guide
Why did some of the Jews start a riot in Thessalonica?
In verse 8, why do you think that the crowd and city officials were thrown into turmoil?
Why is it important for us to study the Bible?
In verse 16, why was Paul distressed?
Who should we worship? Why?
In verses 24-28, who is Paul speaking of?
Do you truly believe that God is always right here with you? Why or why not?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
So that concludes this Bible study on chapter 17 of the book of Acts. Next week we're going to go into chapter 18, so make sure you stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
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