Bereans, Faith-Sharing 101 & Success

Chapter 17

v. 5 - "some bad characters" - not much to say here, but I find this very weird. Most thugs are irreligious, so how'd they get them to join in to start a riot over theology?

v.11 - be a Berean - this says that the people in Berea listened to Paul, but went back to the Scriptures every day to see if what he was saying was true. In the 15 second sound byte era we live in, this is SOOO needed. For the most part, our election process has become a joke. Ignoring this is also how you get cults. In our way-too-fast-paced society, most of us would say we don't have time to check someone's sermon or lesson against what the Bible says - but that could come back to haunt us.

vv.22-31 - great speech - Paul says about himself in 1 Cor. 2:1 that he didn't have eloquence or superior wisdom. ??? This speech would stand in opposition to his self-analysis. This is a fantastic speech and an excellent model for faith-sharing. Here's some things to note from this speech:

• Paul didn't go wave his Bible down at city hall. He was preaching at the synagogue and got an invitation to go speak at the Areopagus (v. 19).
• Paul observes them before preaching to them (v. 22). He starts his speech with an observation that they are "religious."
• Paul understands his audience. He can't simply jump to the Old Testament prophecies with a non-Jewish audience to prove Jesus is the Savior/Messiah. This audience isn't even looking for Messiah. He goes from synagogue to a secular/academic setting seamlessly. Unbelievable.
• Paul compliments them (v. 22). Better said - he finds something about them to compliment. In this case it was how "religious" they are. He could've blasted them for idolatry (which is what they were about), but he finds a point of commonality.
• Paul quotes Greek philosophers to show them he's not some beatnik and that he's familiar with their culture (v. 28).
• Paul gets the conversation to Jesus (v. 31). He starts by talking about gods, then turns to God and worship, and then gets to Jesus. If our spiritual talk doesn't eventually get us to Jesus, we're probably not being bold enough.

v. 26 - one of my favorites. ...and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. How does our life/decisions/behavior change if we truly believe that we exist at a certain place and at a certain time that God has chosen? It goes to the idea of purpose, which so many people struggle with every day. This is revolutionary thought, if we can adopt it.

v.32 - success - was Paul "successful" with this speech? Depends. If I define "successful" as tons of people responding and giving their lives to follow Jesus, then the answer is "no." If I define "successful" as faithful in representing what God is like and being bold enough to speak on His behalf, then the answer is a clear "yes." Some listeners sneered at him, while a handful of others became followers. Another good reminder for me that God is REAL big on faithfulness and doesn't really need me for results (that's His responsibility and He's perfect at it).