The Setting:

It's Greece, the 1st century and Paul (who at one time persecuted Christians and was turned about: See Acts 9) was looking for a way to talk to the men gathered in the amphitheatre by using 'things' familiar to their understanding.

What is it this chatterer would like to tell?" Others: "He seems to be a publisher of foreign deities." This was because he was declaring the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. 19 So they laid hold of him and led him to the Ar搪搗p'a搽us, saying: "Can we get to know what this new teaching is which is spoken by you? 20 For you are introducing some things that are strange to our ears. Therefore we desire to get to know what these things purport to be." 21 In fact, all Athenians and the foreigners sojourning there would spend their leisure time at nothing but telling something or listening to something new. 22 Paul now stood in the midst of the Ar搪搗p'a搽us and said:

"Men of Athens, I behold that in all things YOU seem to be more given to the fear of the deities than others are. 23 For instance, while passing along and carefully observing YOUR objects of veneration I also found an altar on which had been inscribed 'To an Unknown God.'
Therefore what YOU are unknowingly giving godly devotion to, this I am publishing to YOU. 24 The God that made the world and all the things in it, being, as this One is, Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade temples, 25 neither is he attended to by human hands as if he needed anything, because he himself gives to all [persons] life and breath and all things.
26 And he made out of one [man] every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth, and he decreed the appointed times and the set limits of the dwelling of [men], 27 for them to seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us. 28 For by him we have life and move and exist, even as certain ones of the poets among YOU have said, 'For we are also his progeny.'
29 "Seeing, therefore, that we are the progeny of God, we ought not to imagine that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, like something sculptured by the art and contrivance of man.
30 True, God has overlooked the times of such ignorance, yet now he is telling mankind that they should all everywhere repent. 31 Because he has set a day in which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and he has furnished a guarantee to all men in that he has resurrected him from the dead."
32 Well, when they heard of a resurrection of the dead, some began to mock, while others said: "We will hear you about this even another time." 33 Thus Paul went out from their midst, 34 but some men joined themselves to him and became believers, among whom also were Di搗搖ys'i暉s, a judge of the court of the Ar搪搗p'a搽us, and a woman named Dam'a斟is, and others besides them.

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I really value the bible as a treasure...,
one must dig vigorously and endure to find what is hidden from non-believers.
If you keep reading this book, eventually you will hear a knock on your door.
If you listen, you will hear about John 17:3.
Reach Out..., half way?

Peace,
Joel's Dad