“He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

(Acts 17:31)

The day is fixed – that means it can’t be changed.

The judgment is righteous – that means no mistakes will be made.

The world is judged – that means none will be left out.

The proof that it will happen? An empty tomb outside of Jerusalem.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.”

(Acts 17:26)

Two things from this passage.  First, Paul’s “one man” reference is to Adam.  If the book of Genesis is just a figurative account, then Paul’s argument for God’s providential care is moot.  We must accept the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation, or the foundation of our trust in the New Testament crumbles.

Second, isn’t it wonderful that God has set the boundaries of your life?  Boundaries keep us safe, and they give us freedom to live with purpose.  God knows your times and seasons, and He will safely guard you from anything that is “out of bounds”.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”

(Acts 17:23)

Worship is like swimming.  Without training and knowledge, we’ll flail our way to the bottom.  We are meant to worship, but we aren’t meant to worship blindly.  We need to know Who we are worshipping and how He wants to be worshipped.

Jesus’ disciples asked Him how to pray, and Jesus instructed them in righteousness.  God rebuked kings like David, Saul, and Uzziah for inappropriate worship, and Ananias and Sapphira were struck down for offering God a gift in the wrong way.  Unaccepted worship goes back as far as Cain and Abel!

Should we worship? Absolutely.  We should just be reverent to Who and how we do it.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.”

(Acts 17:21)

We have a cultural addiction to newness.  Ironically, that addiction is nothing new; the Athenians had it, too.  We love new technology, new ideas, new experiences, and new philosophy.  Whatever is the latest must be the greatest, right?

Yet, God is called the Ancient of Days for a reason.  His ideas are the old ideas.  His laws and standards are the ancient paths made for all of us to follow.  Chasing the new can lead to forgetting the old.  Furthermore, the love of newness keeps us from growing and maturing.  If I’m always starting over with the latest things, I never grow in things like perseverance or patience.

It is only through commitment to the same old thing that we become better.  Repetition leads to mastery, and patience leads to character.  Following Christ isn’t new, but it is renewing.  The pathway stays the same, but we are transformed, and our hope is renewed day by day.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him.  Some were saying, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?”

(Acts 17:18a)

The Epicureans and the Stoics believed the exact opposite things.  One believed in following your senses and desires (the Epicureans); the other believed you should restrain all desires and endure hardship (the Stoics)… yet both of them thought Paul was an idle babbler.

Christianity never pleases the world’s philosophies.  It is neither luxurious nor rigid enough.  It has too much self-control and too much grace.  In short, the world hates it because it isn’t of this world.  It doesn’t belong because it isn’t meant to.

Christ preached a kingdom that is heavenly, and He preached it with wisdom from above.  Do not expect a heavenly message to fit into a box fashioned by men.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.”

(Acts 17:16)

The secret sauce to Paul’s evangelism is found in this verse.  When Paul went to Athens, he was just planning to wait for Timothy and Silas to join him.  He tried just waiting, but he couldn’t.  He was provoked by the idolatry in that city.

The lies and deception of Satan he saw bothered him, and he couldn’t remain silent.  To ‘provoke’ means to irritate, stimulate, make angry, or exasperate.  The pure evil he saw within the city of Athens irritated, angered, exasperated, and stimulated Paul to action.  A whole city deceived by Satan?  Not on Paul’s watch.

We won’t shine our lights until we are bothered by the darkness.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”

(Acts 17:11)

In Christianity, the traits of questioning and examination are praised, not condemned.  There is no such thing as “blind faith” in the New Testament – such terminology is man-made and anti-Scripture.  The Bereans were lauded for their honest skepticism.  The did not accept doctrine based upon emotionalism or traditionalism or cultural preference.  They compared what was being taught to the Scriptures and examining it for truth by comparing it to truth.  They asked questions, they listened actively, and then they made sure to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (see Php 2:12).

We’d better not check our brains at the door if we are going to follow Jesus.  He requires us to love God with all our heart… and all our mind, too.  Christianity asks you to be a critical thinker and a student.  There is no room for a passive faith.  The Word is active and sharp, and those who wield it must do so with diligence and care.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

(Acts 16:30)

I love the way the Philippian jailer spoke this sentence.

“Sirs” – he showed respect and humility.  He recognized that Paul and Silas knew something he did not and spoke with deference.

“what must I do” –When we realize what Jesus has done for us and what a magnificent price He already paid for our sins… this is the only question that is left.  He has done all that I cannot; what is left for me to do?

“to be saved” – The jailer recognized what was at stake.  He recognized the totality of his danger.  He needed more than just help or assistance.  He needed salvation.  Until we appreciate all is lost without Jesus, we will not turn our all to Him.  It is saved and lost that is in the balance.  Heaven and hell are the only options.  There is no in-between.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

And when she and her household had been baptized, she [Lydia] urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

(Acts 16:15)

Lydia’s hospitality was pushy.  Lydia didn’t wait for Paul to ask for help.  She didn’t sit by the phone waiting for the needy to call for assistance.  She found the need and filled it.  She prevailed upon Paul for the opportunity to be hospitable.

Let our love and hospitality be like Lydia’s.  Find the need; seek it out.  Search with an active eye for the good you can do.  When you begin to look for needs, you will find no end of ways to let your light shine.

Take a long, hard look around the church building next Sunday – consider the lives of those there, and you will see ways you might bring a “cup of cold water” to refresh the saints.  As you drive through your community, read the news, and interact with those in the world around you, view those interactions through the lens of “what good can I do today?”, and opportunities will arise like hidden gems in the roughness of this broken world.

Be like Lydia – be pushy with your love.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren…”

(Acts 16:1-2)

Timothy didn’t come from a glorious spiritual heritage.  His mother and his grandmother were believers (see 2 Tim 1:5) and committed to the faith, but the implication of Acts 16 is that his father wasn’t.  The details are never laid out, but Timothy had grown up in a household divided.

Yet, Timothy turned out to be Timothy.  A well-spoken of young man who went on to become the greatest apprentice Paul ever had.  In fact, Paul eventually referred to him as a “son”.  We can’t choose where we begin, but we can choose who we end up becoming.  We can’t choose the family we are born into, but we can join His family.  Timothy’s father is never mentioned again by the Holy Spirit, but Paul and Timothy’s father/son relationship is honored throughout the New Testament.

Do not despair if your “pedigree” is less than stellar.  Also, do not overly preen if you come from a strong family heritage – your parents’ faith won’t save you.  In Christ, we are all made into a new family with one Father.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites