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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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Glad that you could join
us today as we take a look
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at lesson number 10.
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We are nearing
the end and looking
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at a very
significant subject today.
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We are looking at "The
Mission to the Unreached,"
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and this is part one of two,
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and you're in for a
real treat as we study today.
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So let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we wanna thank You
for being with us and guiding us
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through this quarter as we
take a look at Your mission
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and our mission.
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And as we look at
reaching the unreached
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today, we ask that You
would bless us in that.
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We thank You in
Jesus' name, amen.
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>>Jeff Scoggins: Amen.
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>>Eric: And we're
grateful to have with us today
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Jeff Scoggins, who is currently
serving as the president
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of the Minnesota Conference.
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But, Jeff, when you
wrote this, you had a different
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area of focus.
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You're taking that experience
now and bringing it to Minnesota
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and other places, but you were
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the Adventist
mission planning director--
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>>Jeff: Correct.
>>Eric: ...so, kind of
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overseeing a lot of the
projects that were going on
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around the world that
have to do with missions.
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So you've got a lot
of experience in the area
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of reaching the unreached.
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And this quarter,
this particular lesson
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is talking about Paul.
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Give us a little
overview of Paul and mission
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as we kinda get started.
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We're gonna look at
several different elements here,
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but talk to us a little
bit about Paul and his strategy
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and research in bringing
the message of the gospel
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into a cultural
context, as it were.
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>>Jeff: Very good. Yeah,
we're going to be spending
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our time in Acts, chapter 17,
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which is
specifically the section
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of when Paul went to Athens.
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You'll remember in
the story that he had
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been on the run basically.
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He had come to Berea from
Thessalonica, where they had run
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him out of Thessalonica,
and things were pretty good
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in Berea, but then some
of the Thessalonians came
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to Berea and started
making trouble for him.
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And so he left his companions--
that was Timothy and Silas,
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if I remember
right. They stayed there,
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and he went on to
Athens; people accompanied him.
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And while he was in Athens, he
asked--he sent his escort back
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and said, "Send
my companions down."
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And you have to
remember, of course,
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then they weren't flying
somewhere, and so that meant
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there was going to be
some time. >>Eric: Right.
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>>Jeff: And so Paul, he is stuck
in Athens until his companions
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could get there to be with him.
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And so he does not stay still.
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Now, Paul, Paul, you get the
feeling just couldn't, and so
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he starts to work; he
starts to do some things.
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And for Paul,
he's not interested
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in just
cookie-cutter evangelism.
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He knows that different things
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work for
different people, right?
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And so, he begins to do
some work while he's there.
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>>Eric: Okay, so Paul's there.
He's waiting for his companions
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to join him; he sees
the people of Athens,
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realizes, knows that
they need the gospel.
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What were some of the strategies
that he begins to follow
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or employ in trying to reach
this group of people that maybe
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might be a little
different from strategies
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he would use elsewhere?
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>>Jeff: Okay, the thing
that I think is really critical
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in this story is the
fact that Paul didn't
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just dive in with whatever
he had done somewhere else.
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What Paul did--
well, first of all,
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he worked in
three different ways.
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First of all, he
went to the Jews.
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That would've been who he
would've been most comfortable
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with, you know, the same people,
the same dietary restrictions,
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all of that stuff, right?
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But Paul is more
mission-minded than just working
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with his own people.
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And he also--it
says that he worked
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with the Gentile believers.
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So these were people that
had already been converted,
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but they were still Gentiles.
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And so he worked with them,
so he could've been pushing
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the envelope a little bit
with them, but he wasn't content
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with that, either; he was
more mission-minded than that.
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And so Paul spent time in the
marketplace among the pagans.
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And what he was doing--we
find out later in the story--
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is he's studying them;
he's having conversations;
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he's talking to
people; he's learning about
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what makes them mad and
what are they interested in
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and those kinds
of things. And so,
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he's talking to people
enough that he starts to
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make some waves, and
people start to notice.
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And so he's talking to
these people, and some--
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it says Epicurean and
Stoic philosophers come and say,
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"We need to hear
what you're talking about.
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You're bringing some
strange new ideas here."
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And so you get the
feeling that he was having
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some fits and starts.
Some people were just,
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"Who is this guy?"
You know, "He's nuts."
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And then some
others were saying,
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"Wait a minute, let's
at least listen to him."
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So, the big thing that he did
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was he started
studying them, yeah.
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>>Eric: So he's learning
about them before he goes
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to actively share.
>>Jeff: Right, well, you know,
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and he was sharing, but it was
on one-on-one personal basis,
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he didn't go in
and do, you know,
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the big Areopagus
meeting right at then,
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not that he couldn't, he
had to be invited for that,
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but still, he was
working one-on-one and learning.
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And then we learned later,
he's going around the city,
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he's looking at things, he's
helping to understand things,
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you know,
what's happening there,
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which becomes
critical to the story later.
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>>Eric: So getting
a cultural context,
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an understanding of the
people, likes and dislikes,
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and weaving that
into an approach,
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a strategy to reach them.
>>Jeff: Precisely, precisely.
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>>Eric: All right, so he is
invited--you alluded to that
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a moment ago-- >>Jeff: Yes, yes.
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>>Eric: ...so he's invited to go
speak at this significant place.
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>>Jeff: Yeah.
>>Eric: And that's probably
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diminishing its importance.
>>Jeff: It is; I've been there.
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>>Eric: It's pretty big.
>>Jeff: It's pretty awesome.
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>>Eric: It is.
>>Jeff: Because Luke, even,
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makes the point that the people,
the men of Athens did nothing,
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he says, did nothing
all day long but talk about
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the latest ideas.
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And so, and at first, you know,
I used to think when he said
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that, that he was
saying they were lazy.
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They didn't go do any work or
anything, but I changed my mind.
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This is the group that
produced people like Socrates
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and Aristotle and Plato
and these guys, you know.
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This was what the Areopagus was;
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this was
philosophy at its deepest.
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And I've become more convinced
that Luke was actually saying,
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no, Paul was going
into a lions' den, of sorts,
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of intellectual vitality.
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You know, this was no,
you know, elementary school
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type of presentation
that he was going to
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have to be doing there. And
so this is, the Areopagus is
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the name of a great big
old rock outside of Athens
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or outside of
the old city there.
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And you can still go
and stand there today.
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And so I can just
imagine all these guys,
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these philosophers in their long
flowing robes and long beards,
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you know, there to
listen, to ask questions,
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to find out what
this guy is talking about.
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>>Eric: So now
he's gone into the city,
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he's mingled with people,
he's figured out a few things
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here and there
pulling to some concepts,
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some ideas, some
strategies together.
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Then he gets this invitation.
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So now it's no
longer just about,
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"I'm gonna share with
this person a little bit here,
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share with that
person a little bit there."
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Now he's being
given a platform--
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>>Jeff: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
>>Eric: ...a stage, as it were,
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to speak on. How do you
think that made him feel?
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What do you think was
going through his mind now that
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he's got this invitation to
formally share his thoughts.
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>>Jeff: Right, I
like what Christian author
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Ellen White said about
this; this is, to me is key.
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I wrote it down here
so I could read it to you.
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It said, "It had been
Paul's custom [in his preaching]
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to adopt an oratorical style."
M'kay? Paul was good at this.
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"He was a man fitted
to speak before kings,
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"before the great and
learned men of Athens,...
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"his intellectual acquirements
were often of value to him
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in preparing the
way for the gospel."
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So he was skilled
in what he was doing.
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"He tried to do this in Athens,
meeting...[false] philosophy
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with [true] philosophy,"
"eloquence with eloquence,...
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"logic with logic; but he
failed to meet with the success
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he had hoped for." Okay?
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"His aftersight led him to
[see] that there was something
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"[that he] needed
above human wisdom"--
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even of men of learning.
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"God taught him that something
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"above the world's
wisdom must come to him.
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He must receive his
power from a higher source."
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And so, what she's
saying here is that he went in
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with this idea of, "I've trained
for this; I'm good at this;
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I've had success in my
public meetings and such."
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And yet he didn't get the
response he had hoped to get.
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But anyway, his
strategy for what he used there,
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as he went into it, is
fascinating, if we study it.
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>>Eric: Yeah. >>Jeff: Yeah.
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>>Eric: Certainly worthy
of emulation, to some extent.
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>>Jeff: To some extent.
>>Eric: You know, to not to
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rest solely upon
that-- >>Jeff: Yeah.
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>>Eric ...'cause that
would be a huge mistake.
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>>Jeff: Right.
>>Eric: But it might also be
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a mistake to just go into a town
with proverbial guns blazing
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without knowing anything about--
>>Jeff: Precisely, precisely.
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>>Eric: ...that
culture and those people.
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>>Jeff: And I've seen that
happen with disastrous results.
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>>Eric: Yeah, it's not uncommon.
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You see it happen both ways,
but somehow Paul has managed
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to find that middle
ground, the appropriate ground,
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to learn
something about the people
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but to trust in God
as well. >>Jeff: Yeah.
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>>Eric: So, he has now
this opportunity to share--
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>>Jeff: Yeah.
>>Eric: And takes advantage
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of it. What do you
think he wished he had done?
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>>Jeff: Okay.
>>Eric: And mingle those two
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together a little bit.
>>Jeff: Okay, if we go through--
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now, I think that Luke did not
record everything that happened
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at the Areopagus; he summarized.
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And so the summary is
actually quite important.
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So if you look
down beginning at--
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let's see here, verse 19:
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"They...brought
him to the Areopagus,
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"saying, '[We need to know.] You
are bringing...strange things
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to our ears,'" in verse 20.
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And then Paul stands in
the midst of the Areopagus,
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and he starts to
talk to them in verse 22.
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>>Eric: Now,
we're in Acts, chapter--
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>>Jeff: This is
Acts, chapter 17.
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>>Eric: Seventeen,
very good, thank you.
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>>Jeff: Yes, Acts, chapter 17.
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"Men of Athens, I
perceive that in all things
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you are very religious."
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Okay, so look at how he starts.
Does he start out saying,
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"Guys, I've been looking
around, and you guys are wrong.
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You are just messed
up." No, he doesn't do that.
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What he does is he looks around,
and he sees something that
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the Holy Spirit can work with,
and that is sincerity. Okay?
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Maybe they're
misguided, yeah, sure they are,
00:11:05.19\00:11:07.30
but he sees
that they're sincere.
00:11:07.30\00:11:08.80
And so he says, "I see
that you are very religious."
00:11:08.83\00:11:13.30
So he starts off
with a compliment
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and some respect, okay?
00:11:15.14\00:11:17.41
So at this point
they're with him,
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they're nodding,
yeah, that is true.
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And he says, "[I'm]
passing through and considering
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"the objects of your worship,
[and] I even found an altar
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with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD."
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Okay now, this is fascinating,
really, what he does here.
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He later shows--he says, "I've,
you know, read your poets"
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and these kinds of things,
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and so he
establishes this throughout.
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He finds a hook that
he can grab on to here.
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And he says, "What
you admit you don't know,
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I know what it is."
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And can you imagine all
these guys sitting around?
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I can imagine
their ears perking up.
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It's like, "Interesting,
you know what this is."
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So, anyway, maybe
we're gonna have to save
00:12:05.05\00:12:09.52
the rest of that,
then. >>Eric: We might.
00:12:09.56\00:12:11.56
So that's a hook for you, too.
00:12:11.59\00:12:13.80
And don't go away,
'cause we're gonna find out
00:12:13.83\00:12:15.86
exactly what Paul was
talking about, this unknown God.
00:12:15.90\00:12:20.04
But we've been talking this
quarter about reaching people
00:12:20.07\00:12:23.41
about the opportunity,
the privilege that we have,
00:12:23.44\00:12:26.37
the responsibility that
we have to reach people.
00:12:26.41\00:12:28.68
And if you've been
enjoying this quarter's
00:12:28.71\00:12:30.45
"Sabbath School"
lesson, I know that you are also
00:12:30.48\00:12:32.35
going to enjoy
the companion book
00:12:32.38\00:12:34.62
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:12:34.65\00:12:36.52
It is, of course, called
"God's Mission My Mission,"
00:12:36.55\00:12:39.69
and it adds deeper insights,
additional information,
00:12:39.72\00:12:43.89
powerful, powerful
resources on how to reach others
00:12:43.93\00:12:48.66
for Christ and be more effective
in your own witness to others.
00:12:48.70\00:12:52.70
And you can find that
book very easily by going to
00:12:52.73\00:12:55.57
itiswritten.shop.
00:12:55.60\00:12:57.57
Again, that is itiswritten.shop.
00:12:57.61\00:13:00.14
Just look for the book
"God's Mission My Mission"
00:13:00.18\00:13:03.61
and the author is
Gary Krause, K-R-A-U-S-E.
00:13:03.65\00:13:07.38
You'll find it
there at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:07.42\00:13:09.18
We're going to be back in
just a moment again with Jeff
00:13:09.22\00:13:11.82
as we continue looking
at reaching the unreached.
00:13:11.85\00:13:15.56
We'll be right back.
00:13:15.59\00:13:17.19
>>John Bradshaw:
While you're familiar with
00:13:21.10\00:13:22.36
the "It Is
Written" television program,
00:13:22.40\00:13:24.63
I wanna invite you on a journey
00:13:24.67\00:13:26.94
to understand more about what
It Is Written is doing to take
00:13:26.97\00:13:30.11
the gospel of Jesus
Christ to the world.
00:13:30.14\00:13:32.51
We are going to
visit India, Mongolia,
00:13:32.54\00:13:35.24
Guatemala, Moldova, Zimbabwe,
00:13:35.28\00:13:37.85
the Philippines, and more,
00:13:37.88\00:13:39.48
work made possible by
It Is Written Missions.
00:13:39.51\00:13:44.09
It Is Written
mission teams regularly visit
00:13:44.12\00:13:47.49
parts of the world where
the need for Jesus is great.
00:13:47.52\00:13:51.26
It might sometimes
seem like a hopeless task,
00:13:51.29\00:13:54.20
a mission impossible, except
that it isn't; it cannot be.
00:13:54.23\00:13:58.80
This is mission
possible because Jesus said,
00:13:58.83\00:14:02.94
"This gospel of the kingdom
00:14:02.97\00:14:04.24
shall be preached
in all the world."
00:14:04.27\00:14:06.64
If you can't go there
yourself, you can be there
00:14:06.68\00:14:10.21
with It Is Written.
00:14:10.25\00:14:11.95
"Mission Possible,"
00:14:11.98\00:14:14.38
Watch now on itiswritten.tv.
00:14:14.42\00:14:18.39
>>Dr. David DeRose:
Hello, I'm Dr. David DeRose,
00:14:21.22\00:14:23.22
a specialist in
internal medicine
00:14:23.26\00:14:25.13
and preventive medicine.
00:14:25.16\00:14:26.90
And I've been surprised
over the years in working
00:14:26.93\00:14:29.23
with patients and studying
the medical research literature
00:14:29.26\00:14:32.60
just how powerful hemorheology
is when it comes to health.
00:14:32.63\00:14:38.27
You may be
wondering, what is hemorheology?
00:14:38.31\00:14:40.44
Well, I call it
"the Methuselah factor,"
00:14:40.48\00:14:43.28
and that's the title of my book.
00:14:43.31\00:14:45.58
"The Methuselah Factor" really
helps you connect with things
00:14:45.61\00:14:49.25
that can help your
blood be more fluid.
00:14:49.28\00:14:51.65
You say, "Why
is that important?"
00:14:51.69\00:14:53.59
It's important because it
can help you decrease your risk
00:14:53.62\00:14:56.22
of a stroke or a heart attack,
even lower your risk of cancer.
00:14:56.26\00:14:59.93
But it's a whole lot more than
just preventing killer diseases.
00:14:59.96\00:15:03.63
If you improve
your blood fluidity,
00:15:03.67\00:15:05.87
your mind will work
better, you'll perform
00:15:05.90\00:15:08.80
physically better, and you'll
decrease your risk of dementia.
00:15:08.84\00:15:13.11
So don't hesitate. Dive into
00:15:13.14\00:15:15.44
"The Methuselah Factor."
00:15:15.48\00:15:16.78
Make a difference in your life
00:15:16.81\00:15:18.55
and the life of
those that you love.
00:15:18.58\00:15:20.75
¤¤¤
00:15:21.28\00:15:26.29
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School"
00:15:26.32\00:15:27.79
here at It Is Written.
00:15:27.82\00:15:29.29
We are looking at
"Mission to the Unreached,"
00:15:29.32\00:15:31.89
and this is part one of two;
we're going to look at part two
00:15:31.93\00:15:34.50
next week, but right now,
Jeff, we're here with Paul
00:15:34.56\00:15:37.90
at the Areopagus.
00:15:37.93\00:15:40.10
And, well, he's not there yet,
or at least we're talking about
00:15:40.14\00:15:43.37
what he's talking about here.
00:15:43.41\00:15:44.94
He's talking
about "the unknown God."
00:15:44.97\00:15:46.34
So he's talking with these
individuals, and he's saying,
00:15:46.37\00:15:49.18
"I know
something about this thing
00:15:49.21\00:15:51.01
you admittedly
do not know about."
00:15:51.05\00:15:52.98
So he has their attention--
at least we assume he does;
00:15:53.01\00:15:56.05
he certainly should. And where
does he go with it from here?
00:15:56.08\00:15:59.85
Where does he
lead them from here?
00:15:59.89\00:16:01.92
>>Jeff: The more I read
this story and study it,
00:16:01.96\00:16:04.46
the more I like it because you
can tell that there's something
00:16:04.49\00:16:09.03
of a strategy that's
going on in his mind.
00:16:09.06\00:16:12.77
So he starts out, as we
mentioned just a minute ago,
00:16:12.80\00:16:15.14
with something respectful.
00:16:15.17\00:16:17.17
You know, "I can see you're
very religious," and he himself
00:16:17.21\00:16:20.14
being very
religious, he respects that.
00:16:20.18\00:16:21.98
He doesn't go into the fact that
they're worshiping false gods
00:16:22.01\00:16:24.95
or anything like that.
00:16:24.98\00:16:26.58
He will later, but that's
not what's happening here.
00:16:26.61\00:16:30.49
He starts off with things that
they have in common and things
00:16:30.52\00:16:35.66
that might pique their interest.
00:16:35.69\00:16:37.09
And so he's got
this hook that, really,
00:16:37.13\00:16:40.16
I can imagine them thinking--
00:16:40.20\00:16:41.86
okay, whether they're
going to agree with him or not,
00:16:41.90\00:16:44.63
this is gonna be fun;
this is gonna be interesting,
00:16:44.67\00:16:46.84
okay? So he has their
attention, and that's key.
00:16:46.87\00:16:52.37
He has their attention.
00:16:52.41\00:16:53.71
So then he says, "The One that
you worship without knowing Him,
00:16:53.74\00:16:58.88
I proclaim to you." I'm
gonna tell you what this is.
00:16:58.91\00:17:01.35
And then he says--he
launches into who this God is.
00:17:01.38\00:17:05.62
And he describes Him, and
notice what he doesn't do:
00:17:05.65\00:17:09.49
"This is a God who
says, 'You must do this,
00:17:09.52\00:17:12.19
"'and you must do this,
and you better not do this,
00:17:12.23\00:17:14.13
or I'm gonna strike
you with lightning.'"
00:17:14.20\00:17:15.56
You know, it's none of that.
00:17:15.60\00:17:16.70
Those are the kind of gods
that they were used to, okay?
00:17:16.73\00:17:20.07
So keep in mind here
his audience is steeped
00:17:20.10\00:17:24.34
in Greek mythology, and probably
a lot of the listeners have read
00:17:24.37\00:17:28.54
some of these, you
know, these weird and crazy,
00:17:28.58\00:17:31.61
immature, angry,
bloodthirsty gods, you know.
00:17:31.65\00:17:37.29
And they spend all of their time
trying to appease these gods.
00:17:37.32\00:17:41.26
They bring food for the
gods, and if they don't,
00:17:41.29\00:17:43.19
the gods are gonna starve,
00:17:43.22\00:17:44.29
and if the gods
get upset with them,
00:17:44.33\00:17:45.93
they're going to
strike them with diseases
00:17:45.96\00:17:47.36
or whatever it may be, right?
00:17:47.40\00:17:48.86
And so he
introduces them to an entirely
00:17:48.90\00:17:52.60
different kind of God
than they're used to hearing.
00:17:52.63\00:17:55.47
And even in our culture here,
we need to think about that,
00:17:55.50\00:17:59.74
because what is the
God that people around,
00:17:59.77\00:18:03.55
if they believe in God at
all, think of our God? Right?
00:18:03.58\00:18:06.95
This is the God
who does acts of God:
00:18:06.98\00:18:09.72
tornadoes, earthquakes, right?
00:18:09.75\00:18:11.62
Or that this is the God
who condemns such and such
00:18:11.65\00:18:15.59
because of his
lifestyle or whatever, you know;
00:18:15.62\00:18:17.26
that's the kind of God.
00:18:17.29\00:18:18.76
And Paul introduces an
entirely different kind of God.
00:18:18.79\00:18:22.13
So just listen to
this, listen to this:
00:18:22.16\00:18:24.10
"God, who made the
world and everything in it,
00:18:24.13\00:18:27.00
"since He is [the]
Lord of heaven and earth,
00:18:27.04\00:18:28.50
does not dwell in
temples made with hands."
00:18:28.54\00:18:30.64
Now, for the Athenians, temples
made with hands was everything.
00:18:30.67\00:18:35.28
The fancier the better, right?
00:18:35.31\00:18:37.48
So He doesn't even live
in a temple made with hands,
00:18:37.51\00:18:39.85
"Nor is He
worshiped with men's hands,
00:18:39.88\00:18:42.12
as though He needed anything"--
00:18:42.15\00:18:43.55
this God doesn't
need anything from us--
00:18:43.59\00:18:46.42
"as though He needed anything,
since He gives [life] to all...,
00:18:46.45\00:18:50.39
breath, and all things."
00:18:50.43\00:18:52.43
So this is a God who is giving.
00:18:52.46\00:18:54.23
"He has made from one blood
every nation of men to dwell
00:18:54.30\00:18:57.67
"on...the face of the earth,
and [He] has determined their
00:18:57.70\00:18:59.23
"preappointed
times and...boundaries
00:18:59.27\00:19:00.90
of their dwellings"--okay,
this is a powerful God;
00:19:00.94\00:19:03.57
He's done all of this--"so
that they should seek the Lord,
00:19:03.61\00:19:08.48
"in the hope that they might
grope for Him and find Him,
00:19:08.51\00:19:13.68
though He is not far
from each one of us."
00:19:13.72\00:19:15.88
So he's introducing a God
here who does all of this,
00:19:15.92\00:19:19.89
but who wants to be found.
00:19:19.92\00:19:23.16
And there's, you know,
this is a God who cares;
00:19:23.19\00:19:28.50
this is a God who is
there to give to them,
00:19:28.53\00:19:33.60
not them give to Him.
00:19:33.64\00:19:35.57
And so their minds, I can
just imagine they're thinking,
00:19:35.60\00:19:39.24
"Now, there's an interesting
God, and if it's real,
00:19:39.27\00:19:45.31
that's something I
would like to explore," right?
00:19:45.35\00:19:48.65
And then he says, "For
in Him we live and move
00:19:48.68\00:19:51.82
and have our
being"-- and then he brings
00:19:51.85\00:19:53.22
in this more of
this common ground--
00:19:53.25\00:19:54.86
"as...some of your
own poets have said"--
00:19:54.89\00:19:56.32
so therefore he
inserts into here:
00:19:56.36\00:19:58.69
"I've been reading your
poets, I know what you believe."
00:19:58.73\00:20:02.03
Here it says: "For
we are...His offspring."
00:20:02.06\00:20:03.90
Now, this one makes me laugh.
"For we are also His offspring."
00:20:03.93\00:20:08.90
Five, six words?
00:20:08.94\00:20:10.81
Is that all the common ground
he could find in the poets?
00:20:10.84\00:20:13.48
And yet he snags it
totally out of context.
00:20:13.51\00:20:17.41
But he takes it
as common ground,
00:20:17.45\00:20:20.02
they don't think anything of
it because they're not worried
00:20:20.05\00:20:21.95
about that right now,
right? And so then he says,
00:20:21.98\00:20:24.92
"Therefore, since we
are the offspring of God,
00:20:24.95\00:20:28.36
"we ought not to
think that the Divine Nature
00:20:28.39\00:20:30.79
"is [something] like gold or
silver or stone, [or] something
00:20:30.83\00:20:32.89
[that is] shaped by art
[or of] man's devising," okay?
00:20:32.93\00:20:36.23
This isn't a manmade god.
And in the back of their minds,
00:20:36.26\00:20:39.23
they know their
gods are manmade, right?
00:20:39.27\00:20:41.54
And he says, "Truly"--now,
he's starting to get deeper now,
00:20:41.57\00:20:44.84
and this is--remember we're
talking about a summary here.
00:20:44.87\00:20:47.01
We don't know how
long Paul went on.
00:20:47.04\00:20:49.21
Luke, the author, has condensed;
he's taken the important points.
00:20:49.24\00:20:53.75
So just imagine
he's bringing them along.
00:20:53.78\00:20:56.72
"Truly, these times of
ignorance God overlooked,
00:20:56.75\00:21:00.19
but now [He] commands all
men everywhere to repent."
00:21:00.22\00:21:02.66
Okay, so, okay,
there's been a switch.
00:21:02.69\00:21:06.23
"Because He has appointed a day
on which He will judge the world
00:21:06.26\00:21:11.67
"in righteousness by
the Man who He has ordained.
00:21:11.70\00:21:14.44
"He has given
assurance of this...
00:21:14.47\00:21:16.64
by raising Him from the dead."
00:21:16.67\00:21:18.54
Now, put yourself
there on the Areopagus.
00:21:18.57\00:21:22.18
They were tracking with Paul.
00:21:22.21\00:21:24.75
Now Paul is
starting to go to meddlin',
00:21:24.78\00:21:28.78
all right? Judgment.
00:21:28.82\00:21:30.92
And then there's
this--he springs this thing.
00:21:30.95\00:21:33.59
This is all
verifiable, you can test this,
00:21:33.62\00:21:36.59
you can see it, there's proof
in this guy that was raised
00:21:36.62\00:21:39.76
from the dead. And I imagine
a bunch of squirming going along
00:21:39.79\00:21:44.37
on the Areopagus at
that point, you know.
00:21:44.40\00:21:46.33
Okay, we were with you
till now, but people don't go up
00:21:46.37\00:21:49.44
raised from the dead.
They don't do that, right?
00:21:49.47\00:21:52.47
And so, anyway, he starts
off with this common ground,
00:21:52.51\00:21:57.28
he introduces them to this
God who they're intrigued about,
00:21:57.31\00:22:02.08
and then he crosses a line
00:22:02.12\00:22:06.86
that he had carefully
avoided to this point,
00:22:06.89\00:22:09.79
but he knew that he had to
cross it eventually and says,
00:22:09.82\00:22:12.66
"Guys, what I'm telling
you here is serious business.
00:22:12.69\00:22:15.76
"There's judgment
coming, and if you need proof,
00:22:16.77\00:22:19.03
you can find it here."
00:22:19.07\00:22:20.54
>>Eric: So he leads
them up to this point?
00:22:20.57\00:22:22.94
>>Jeff: He leads them up, yeah.
00:22:22.97\00:22:24.11
>>Eric: And they're
along with him for a while,
00:22:24.14\00:22:28.11
but then there's, like you said,
00:22:28.14\00:22:29.44
the shifting
point-- >>Jeff: Yeah, yeah.
00:22:29.48\00:22:31.51
>>Eric: ...and not
everybody tracks with him
00:22:31.55\00:22:33.82
from that point
forward. >>Jeff: No,
00:22:33.85\00:22:34.98
they definitely do not.
00:22:35.02\00:22:36.05
>>Eric: So what
does he learn from this?
00:22:36.08\00:22:38.32
What should we learn from
this? What lessons are there?
00:22:38.35\00:22:41.76
What worked? What didn't work?
00:22:41.79\00:22:43.96
>>Jeff: Okay,
well, what happens here
00:22:43.99\00:22:49.10
is they react in
two different ways.
00:22:49.13\00:22:50.90
Some scoff and
say, "We're done."
00:22:50.93\00:22:54.44
Others say, "We
wanna hear you again."
00:22:54.47\00:22:58.54
And we know that he didn't
have a huge success in Athens.
00:22:58.57\00:23:03.91
It was pretty small what
ended up happening there.
00:23:03.95\00:23:07.78
But it was more than
what would've happened
00:23:07.82\00:23:11.39
had he come in, as you said
earlier, guns blazing, right?
00:23:11.42\00:23:14.49
At least it was something;
at least it was something.
00:23:14.52\00:23:18.96
When he goes away from
the Areopagus, there's--
00:23:18.99\00:23:24.17
here, let me just read a little
bit more on this, and this
00:23:24.20\00:23:26.27
comes from the book
"Acts of the Apostles," okay?
00:23:26.30\00:23:28.97
And it describes what
was happening here in some
00:23:29.00\00:23:32.21
of their minds and what the
author here says was something
00:23:32.24\00:23:38.08
that he learned, and
that we need to learn, too.
00:23:38.11\00:23:41.95
She calls it a
treasure for the church, okay?
00:23:41.98\00:23:45.75
So this is interesting.
00:23:45.79\00:23:46.99
"The words of the apostle, and
the description of his attitude
00:23:47.02\00:23:50.06
"and [the]
surroundings, as traced
00:23:50.09\00:23:51.13
"by the pen of inspiration,
00:23:51.16\00:23:52.73
"were to be handed down
to all coming generations,
00:23:52.76\00:23:55.56
"bearing [a] witness of
his unshaken confidence,
00:23:55.60\00:23:57.73
"his courage...[his]
loneliness [in] adversity,
00:23:57.77\00:23:59.27
"and the victory he
gained for Christianity
00:23:59.30\00:24:03.10
in the very heart of paganism."
00:24:03.14\00:24:04.91
All right?
00:24:04.94\00:24:06.24
"Paul's words contain a treasure
of knowledge for the church."
00:24:06.27\00:24:10.75
So to me that means I
need to go through here,
00:24:10.78\00:24:12.78
and I need to figure out what
is that treasure of knowledge
00:24:12.81\00:24:16.05
for the church?
But this goes on here.
00:24:16.08\00:24:19.25
"He was in a position where
he might [have] easily...said
00:24:19.29\00:24:23.53
"that which would have
irritated his proud listeners
00:24:23.56\00:24:28.76
"and brought
himself into difficulty.
00:24:28.80\00:24:30.77
Had his oration been
a direct attack"--okay?
00:24:30.80\00:24:34.80
We need to think
about this right here.
00:24:34.84\00:24:36.47
How often do we do this?
00:24:36.50\00:24:37.77
We put up billboards;
we do, you know, come in,
00:24:37.81\00:24:40.24
and they're smashing
other churches and verbally,
00:24:40.28\00:24:42.78
whatever, you know, like
that. If he had done this,
00:24:42.81\00:24:45.31
this does not draw
people; this drives people away.
00:24:45.35\00:24:48.42
And he says, "[If] his oration
[had] been a direct attack
00:24:48.45\00:24:50.62
"upon their gods or the
great men of their city,
00:24:50.65\00:24:52.95
"he would have been in
danger of meeting the same fate
00:24:52.99\00:24:55.02
that Socrates did."
00:24:55.06\00:24:56.56
And you remember
what happened to Socrates.
00:24:56.59\00:24:58.06
>>Eric: An unpleasant
end. >>Jeff: An unpleasant end.
00:24:58.09\00:25:00.96
"But with a tact
born of divine love,
00:25:00.96\00:25:04.93
"he carefully drew their
minds away from heathen deities,
00:25:04.97\00:25:09.67
"by revealing to
them the true God,
00:25:09.70\00:25:11.91
who was...unknown."
00:25:11.94\00:25:13.34
The treasure of knowledge
to the church is this one:
00:25:13.38\00:25:15.61
he "would have
irritated his proud listeners."
00:25:15.64\00:25:18.98
"The treasure of
knowledge for the churches"
00:25:19.01\00:25:20.58
is Paul avoided
irritating his listeners.
00:25:20.62\00:25:24.99
[chuckling] And she
calls that a major victory.
00:25:25.02\00:25:28.59
>>Eric: Which is
not rocket science.
00:25:28.62\00:25:29.86
>>Jeff: It's not
rocket science; you're right.
00:25:29.89\00:25:32.09
>>Eric: But too
frequently we make that mistake.
00:25:32.13\00:25:35.20
And I say "we" in
a broad, sweeping--
00:25:35.23\00:25:37.10
>>Jeff: I know, I know.
>>Eric: ...sense; we make
00:25:37.13\00:25:38.93
that mistake and go in
and simply stir things up
00:25:38.97\00:25:43.04
if they don't
need to be stirred up.
00:25:43.07\00:25:44.21
>>Jeff: They don't, yeah.
00:25:44.24\00:25:45.54
>>Eric: And many
times they don't.
00:25:45.57\00:25:46.88
>>Jeff: You're absolutely right.
00:25:46.91\00:25:48.21
>>Eric: It comes back
to Christ's method alone--
00:25:48.24\00:25:49.54
>>Jeff: Yeah.
>>Eric: ...and ministering
00:25:49.58\00:25:51.11
to people, mingling
with them, which Paul did,
00:25:51.15\00:25:53.65
and found out some
of their needs and began
00:25:53.68\00:25:56.62
to help answer questions.
00:25:56.65\00:25:58.49
And a door was at least
opened for some people that
00:25:58.52\00:26:01.96
would not have
been opened otherwise.
00:26:01.99\00:26:04.06
So we haven't much time left,
but give me some takeaways--
00:26:04.09\00:26:08.06
we've got a few
takeaways already--
00:26:08.10\00:26:09.73
a few takeaways from this story
from an evangelism perspective,
00:26:09.76\00:26:14.54
a soul-winning perspective.
00:26:14.57\00:26:15.84
>>Jeff: I would prefer
to leave this with the one,
00:26:15.87\00:26:18.84
and that is, when we go in
and irritate our listeners,
00:26:18.87\00:26:24.41
for whatever reason, it's
not going to draw them to Jesus;
00:26:24.45\00:26:28.75
it's going to push them away.
00:26:28.78\00:26:31.15
And we need to spend our
time studying the people,
00:26:31.19\00:26:35.06
finding common ground, doing
the things that will make us
00:26:35.09\00:26:40.56
palatable to the people,
as messengers of the holy God
00:26:40.60\00:26:44.80
that we serve, the God of love
that we serve, and bring to them
00:26:44.83\00:26:49.14
a God that they are
going to be intrigued by,
00:26:49.17\00:26:53.98
not because of guilt
or anything like that,
00:26:54.94\00:26:57.61
but because they're saying,
"I want to see more of that."
00:26:57.65\00:27:01.32
Avoid irritating our listeners
00:27:02.32\00:27:03.79
and present to
them a God of love.
00:27:03.82\00:27:06.15
>>Eric: So it's fairly
straightforward, fairly simple.
00:27:06.19\00:27:08.92
>>Jeff: I think
that's what Paul learned.
00:27:08.96\00:27:10.83
>>Eric: And yet a treasury.
>>Jeff: A treasure of knowledge.
00:27:10.86\00:27:13.90
>>Eric: A
treasury, so here we go,
00:27:13.93\00:27:15.63
something that we can take away:
00:27:15.66\00:27:17.13
Don't irritate others but show
them a God that they can love--
00:27:17.17\00:27:22.44
>>Jeff: Yeah.
>>Eric: ...who loves them.
00:27:22.47\00:27:23.87
And that's
powerful, straightforward,
00:27:23.91\00:27:26.27
simple, absolutely
simple. >>Jeff: Yeah.
00:27:26.31\00:27:28.28
>>Eric: Jeff,
thank you for that.
00:27:28.31\00:27:29.61
>>Jeff: Thank you.
>>Eric: And thank you
00:27:29.64\00:27:30.88
for joining us this week. Next
week we're going to come back,
00:27:30.91\00:27:33.31
and we're going to be looking
at "Mission to the Unreached:
00:27:33.35\00:27:35.42
Part 2." You won't
wanna miss that one.
00:27:35.45\00:27:38.25
God bless you and
we'll see you next time here
00:27:38.29\00:27:40.09
on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:40.12\00:27:42.96
¤¤¤
00:27:42.99\00:27:48.96
¤¤¤
00:28:21.46\00:28:27.44
(Closed captioning
provided by Aberdeen Captioning)
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