Daily Bible Plan – Acts of the Apostels 17 Part 2

14. March 2026

Devotion by Deaconess Ruth Ahiabor

Theme: My Job, My Kingdom Assignment

Devotion: Acts 17:16-34

Introduction

We conclude our study of chapter 17 by looking at verses 16-34.

Starting at Jerusalem, the gospel continues to spread out further and further and from the city of Berea Apostle Paul continues by ship to the historic city of Athens.

A leading city of Ancient civilisation, it was once a power and intellectual centre of the world. By the time Paul arrived, one can imagine that he would have been astounded and ready to be impressed by one of the famous, historic and glorious cities of the ancient world.

The Lord still uses us in our place of waiting

“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But as Paul toured Athens for the first time while waiting for his brothers in the faith, he saw differently; he was blown away by the number of idols all around the city. He was provoked by the sheer magnitude of idolatry, in a city which clearly did not honour God.

From the text in verse 16 it sounds like Paul would have preferred to wait until Timothy and Silas joined him before continuing the work, however, when he saw that the city was “*given over to idols*”, his spirit was stirred up and a holy agitation rose up within him. On one hand he saw the physical beauty and architecture of Athens and yet behind all of that facade, he also saw the spiritual oppression of a whole city so overtaken by idol worship.

What he perceived through his spirit was an emergency, a life and death situation which grieved his heart. And his knowledge of the freedom and liberation that was possible through the power of the gospel, compelled him to preach the gospel immediately without waiting for the arrival of Timothy and Silas.

Idol - meaning - any material image, person or thing worshipped as a deity or regarded with intense admiration, adoration, or devotion.

In our modern world idolatry is all around us as men have become lovers of themselves so it also includes influencers, celebrities, revered role models etc.

Unfortunately, some Christians often move around feeling comfortable and without a sense of urgency or concern for the spiritual state of people in our families, neighbourhood, cities etc. As spirit filled disciples, who are yielding more and more to the leading of the Holy Spirit, may the Lord open our eyes to spiritual things and stir up a holy anger in us, so that He can use us to bring His light into the darkness even when find ourselves in a place of waiting for the manifestation of our next season.

Bridges Builders

“for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Athens was an intellectual city, full of academic arrogance and pride so how was Paul going to penetrate with the gospel?

He did what his custom was; preaching and teaching the same message of the gospel first in the synagogue and then in the marketplace (vs 16-17).

And when he was invited to address the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers (vs 18) he did not begin with exposition of scripture as he normally would do when debating in the synagogue. Instead, he connected with the religious philosophers of Athens using their religious practices as a point of connection between them and himself (17-18,28). Paul used an existing altar dedicated "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD" as a bridge to introduce the true God, addressing their superstitious nature while pointing them to spiritual truth.

A faithful witness

“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭32‬, ‭34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The resurrection wasn’t a popular idea among Greek philosophers so there were mixed reactions to Paul’s preaching and ministry in Athens with some mocking him (vs 32), others interested interested (vs 20) and still some believing (vs 34). This highlights human choices in responding to God's message as we see clearly in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-8).

We are called to faithfully proclaim the message of the gospel and leave the results up to the conviction of the Holy Spirit to change hearts

Conclusion

• The Lord still uses us in our place of waiting, if we remain yielded to the Holy Spirit

• Let’s ask the Lord of the harvest for wisdom and discernment to build the right bridges to connect with the people he has sent us to

• The response to the gospel may not always appear great but we should remain faithful and committed to doing our part

Reflection and prayer

• How do we currently share God's truth in our circles? When we find ourselves in circles which may seem outside of our depth, what can we use as bridges to connect the gospel within our culture/context so that we can share Jesus authentically?

• How do I handle mixed responses when sharing my faith?

• Pray for wisdom to share Jesus in diverse contexts

• Pray for the Lord to open our eyes to discern the things that are around us

Chair time

Read Acts 17:16-34 for a final time