Podcasts about Areopagus

Abide: Staying Connected to Jesus with Jeannie Cunnion – John 15In Episode 152 of Divine Table Talk, Jamie and Jane welcome back author and Bible teacher Jeannie Cunnion for a powerful conversation about one of the central invitations of John 15: Abide in Me.What does it actually look like to abide in Jesus—not just during quiet time or Bible study, but in the middle of busy schedules, difficult seasons, relationships, parenting, work, and everyday life?Together, Jamie, Jane, and Jeannie explore the difference between striving for God and staying connected to God. They unpack Jesus' picture of the Vine and the branches, why fruit is the result of abiding rather than performing, and how we can recognize when we've begun trying to produce in our own strength.They also talk honestly about pruning, surrender, intimacy with Jesus, and learning to remain in His love when God seems to be cutting away things we thought we needed.John 15 reminds us that Jesus isn't asking us to manufacture more fruit. He's inviting us to stay close to the Vine.If you've been tired from striving, questioning a season of pruning, or simply longing for deeper intimacy with Jesus, pull up a chair. This conversation is an invitation to stop performing—and start abiding.Reflection Question: Am I trying to produce fruit for Jesus—or am I staying close enough to Him that fruit becomes the natural result?____________________________________Connect with Jeannie Cunnion:Website: https://www.jeanniecunnion.com/____________________________________Connect with Jamie:Website: www.jamieklusacek.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamieklusacekConnect with Jane:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janewwilliams____________________________________ Get Jamie's Newest Book:Living Loved: An 8-week Journey to Living Fully Loved

Share His Story Through Your Story, Let's Do IT! Acts 17:22-23 22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

Make Sure God's Calling On Your Life Is Reflected In The Activities In Your Calendar Acts 17:16-21 16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Reading Acts 17:30-34 where the Apostle Paul finishes his sermon at the Areopagus warning about God's judgment and telling the people to repent and believe in Jesus. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!

Reading Acts 17:24-29, part 2 of our study of Paul's sermon at the Areopagus, where Paul argues with the Greeks that it is the one true God who gives life and breath and everything. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!

IntroductionThere are certain things in life that we simply like to stay the same. There is a certain comfort in consistency. We know what to expect. We know who people are. We know where we stand.This is true until it is not. Things change, and the challenge is figuring out what to do with the change. This is true today as it was for the early church. The early church knew that Saul was a threat. The church knew that Saul sought to destroy the church. The problem: Saul no longer desires to destroy the church, but to build it up. You can understand how the people wonder if this man has really changed. Has he changed? And those questions really bring us to the heart of this passage. Saul does not become credible simply because he is intelligent, gifted, educated, or persuasive. However, the church does eventually embrace Saul. Why does the church embrace this persecutor?Saul Is Not Immediately EmbracedIt is difficult for us to understand the early church's skepticism. We think of the Apostle Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We think of him as a brilliant apologist who defends Christ's gospel. The early church has to adjust its mindset regarding Saul. This is a man who condoned the execution of your friend. He has papers to destroy you. How do you embrace this man? Saul is a changed man who has encountered Christ, is humbled by Christ, and so now he promotes the church. The synagogue does not embrace this right away, but eventually it does. Why? Luke tells us that Saul grows in strength. Saul does not grow taller or spend more time in the gym. The point is that Saul is growing in credibility. This is why those who hear him are confused by this change. He is the man who should destroy them, but instead he is proclaiming the Gospel. We might think that Saul is just a very gifted speaker. It seems that Saul is very articulate and capable when we read his writings. However, we need to be careful with this. There is always the temptation to put our confidence in personalities. We are impressed by intelligence, charisma, education, speaking ability, or influence. But none of those things ultimately establish his credibility. The thing that establishes his credibility is that Saul stands with the canon's tradition. Saul is preaching the true Gospel. Saul Tastes His Own MedicineSaul was the hunter, but now he is the hunted. The city is watching for him. This is the same language that is used when the Pharisees try to watch Christ (Luke 14). They are not watching to learn from Christ, but watching to destroy Christ. They want to capture Saul to destroy him. And there is something almost humorous about the way Saul eventually escapes. The great persecutor of the church is lowered over a wall in a basket. When Saul reflects on this in 2 Corinthians 11, he does not boast about his significance, but this is a moment he is ashamed of his weakness. The Lord has captured him. Here Saul runs, but later in his ministry he will stand before kings and defend the faith. He will stand before the Areopagus and present the Gospel. He will defend the Gospel against critics even inside the church itself. Ultimately, Saul will learn to depend on Christ, wait upon Christ, and realize that his life is determined by Christ. Saul escapes from Damascus and goes to Jerusalem. Saul Goes into HidingWhen Saul arrives in Jerusalem, the disciples are afraid of him. We are in Stephen's home turf, and the people remember that Saul was venomous against the Gospel. Saul was present when Stephen was stoned. This is another situation where we wonder: will Saul be accepted? Barnabas steps in. Barnabas does not deny Saul's past. He does not pretend Saul had always been a good man. He does not say, "You're all misunderstanding him." Barnabas bears witness to what Christ has done. Christ captured Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul has boldly preached Christ in the synagogues in Damascus. This is not Barnabas sweeping issues under the rug. Barnabas does not say, “Sure he killed some people, but look at the greater good!” He does not say, “Well, sure there are some issues that he needs to address, but look at the large crowd he draws! Can't we overlook a few personal issues?” Barnabas does not appeal to Saul's giftedness, his charisma, but to the substance of Saul's preaching. He preaches the resurrected Christ. Saul defends Christ as the Messiah. His defense is in line with the canonical words of Scripture. It is the canon that gives Saul credibility, as he operates within the confines of the canon. His credibility is not in his personality, but in the tradition of Scripture and Christ's calling on the Damascus road. His mission is confirming that calling. It is about Christ, the Lord's word, and Saul's preaching in line with the Scripture. It is rooted in Christ and in the gospel Saul proclaims. In fact, he is so tied to the message that he suffers for the message. He ends up fleeing Jerusalem. We do not read about Saul again until Barnabas goes to look for him (Acts 11). This does not mean that the church has failed. Yes, there is conflict, persecution, and not a golden-age victory. However, the kingdom is still present. Then Luke gives us that beautiful summary of the church: the church has peace, is being built up, walks in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.The fear of the Lord is not terror. It is the awe and the love for the living God. It is seeking to do his will because this honors him. It is doing it because it is Christ who has redeemed. It is in the power of the Spirit as we walk in the Spirit's comfort. We are thankful that Christ has completed our redemption and secured us once and for all. ConclusionSo, how does Saul gain that credibility? His credibility is not grounded in his personality. It is not about his gifts or his charismatic ability to capture an audience. No, it is something more. Christ appeared to him. Saul witnessed the resurrected Christ. Saul preaches a gospel in line with the prophetic tradition. Saul's contribution to the canon is not Saul standing over the canon, but continuing the testimony that Christ is the suffering Messiah who lives to make intercession for his people. Saul's credibility rests in the fact that his message is in line with the Lord's word. Saul preaches the consistent Gospel. He is not writing new things, but clarifying and making explicit what was hidden prior to Christ's advent. What Saul did not see, now he sees clearly and explains. These are not merely words that we hear week after week. They are words of life. They are the means by which God draws us near to himself. They are the means by which we know Christ. They are the means by which we are reminded that our salvation does not rest upon our own wisdom, strength, or credibility.

In this episode of The Christopher Perrin Show, Christopher Perrin welcomes Dr. Louis Markos for a wide-ranging conversation about the Greco-Roman, Judeo-Christian legacy and the renewal of classical Christian education. Markos traces how his Greek heritage, early love for Homer and Plato, Jewish mentors, and long academic vocation prepared him to defend and pass on the liberal arts tradition. The conversation explores why Christians can read pagan classics with discernment, how general revelation prepares cultures for special revelation in Christ, and why the church has often received, purified, and redirected what is true, good, and beautiful outside its visible borders. Perrin and Markos discuss Athens and Jerusalem, Tertullian and Augustine, Plato and Hebrews, Paul at the Areopagus, Dante, Milton, C. S. Lewis, Mortimer Adler, John Dewey, and the dangers of both progressivism and dead classicism. They also consider how classical Christian schools form students in virtue, courtesy, confidence, joy, and participation in the great conversation. The episode closes with Markos describing his forthcoming Dante project with Classical Academic Press and pointing listeners to his ClassicalU courses on Greek and Roman mythology and Dante.Episode OutlineMarkos's early formation: Greek heritage, Homer, Plato, Jewish mentors, and the call to become an English professorBringing Athens and Jerusalem together: the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian inheritance in classical Christian educationFrom Achilles to Christ and From Plato to Christ: pagan classics as preparation for the gospelDiscernment and general revelation: why Christians can receive truth, goodness, and beauty outside the churchTertullian, Augustine, Basil, Aquinas, Calvin, and the church's long debate over pagan learningMission, culture, and baptism: plundering Egypt, reclaiming temples, and receiving what can be consecrated to ChristProgressivism, dead classicism, and the need for a living classical tradition ordered toward wisdom and virtueWhat classical Christian schools should cultivate: joy, confidence, courtesy, great books, and participation in the great conversationKey Topics & TakeawaysA Received Tradition: Markos's love for the classical inheritance began through family, teachers, and reading. His Greek heritage, the Odyssey, Plato, and great mentors shaped his desire to pass on liberal education.Athens and Jerusalem: The episode centers on the union of the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian traditions. Markos argues that the pagan classics can prepare readers for Christ when received through Christian discernment.General Revelation and Discernment: Christians need not demonize every non-Christian source. General revelation means that God can speak through creation, reason, conscience, imagination, and culture, even though special revelation in Christ remains supreme.Receiving Without Syncretism: The church has often received and purified cultural goods without collapsing them into the gospel. The task is not to baptize everything, but to discern gold from dross.Classical Education as Formation: Markos contrasts true classical education with both progressivism and dead classicism. The goal is not mere drill, novelty, or college prep, but the formation of wisdom, virtue, eloquence, and rightly ordered loves.A Joyful School Culture: In a healthy classical Christian school, students show confidence without cockiness, courtesy without stiffness, joy in learning, and a sense that they belong to a larger conversation.Questions & DiscussionWhat does it mean to “pass the torch” of the classical Christian tradition?Consider how Markos received the tradition through family, teachers, books, and mentors. Who helped hand this inheritance to you, and how might you hand it on to others?How should Christians read pagan classics with discernment?Discuss the difference between receiving what is true, good, and beautiful and uncritically baptizing everything in a culture. What examples from Homer, Plato, Virgil, or Dante help clarify this distinction?Why is the distinction between general revelation and special revelation so important?Reflect on how creation, conscience, reason, imagination, and culture can prepare people for the gospel while still requiring fulfillment in Christ and Scripture.What dangers come from both dead classicism and progressivism?Compare a school that treats drill as an end in itself with one that treats novelty, utility, or ideology as the goal. What would a living tradition look like instead?What would you hope to see in the halls of a healthy classical Christian school?Discuss Markos's description of students marked by joy, confidence, courtesy, humility, vocabulary, quiet order, and participation in the great conversation. Which of these signs is most needed in your own context?Suggested Reading & ResourcesPassing the Torch by Louis MarkosFrom Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics by Louis MarkosFrom Plato to Christ by Louis MarkosThe Myth Made Fact by Louis MarkosClassicalU Course: Myth Made FactClassicalU Course: Dante's Divine Comedy

What happens when preachers get their first-ever shot at Feast of Creation texts? Matt Skinner, Karoline Lewis, and Cody Sanders dig into Season of Creation preaching for this brand-new addition to the lectionary. They explore John 1's cosmic logos, wrestle with chaos and order in Genesis 1, and unpack Genesis 2's dust-formed humanity. The team connects Psalm 148's cosmic praise to Paul's Areopagus speech in Acts 17. They challenge preachers to move beyond creation care language toward genuine relationality with the wider web of life. Scholars like Ellen Davis and Rabbi Julia Watts Belser inform the conversation throughout. Preachers gain fresh angles on humanity's place within creation, not above it. Watch for practical insights you can bring straight into your Season of Creation sermon. Subscribe for weekly lectionary commentary from Working Preacher's Sermon Brainwave team.Find Out More About the Feast of Creation

Acts 17 - Calvary's Philosophy of Ministry - Pastor Dan PlourdeMESSAGE NOTES:http://www.calvaryword.com/Acts2026/a1470.pdf

This week we join Paul before the Areopagus in Athens and discover how the true story of the Gospel reveals the identity of the “Unknown God”, exposes our unknown idols, confronts the false worldviews that have shaped us, and sets us on the path of the abundant life in God's unfolding Kingdom.

Agamenón ganó la guerra de Troya. Volvió a casa, se metió en la bañera después de diez años fuera, y su propia mujer lo mató ahí dentro. Esa muerte no es el final de la historia: es el penúltimo plazo de una deuda de sangre que su familia llevaba cuatro generaciones pagando.De ahí sale, generaciones después, el primer juicio con jurado de la historia occidental — el mismo tipo de tribunal que hoy te juzgaría a ti si alguien te hiciera daño.En este episodio: los banquetes que devoran a los propios hijos en la casa de los Atridas, el sacrificio de Ifigenia en Áulide, el regreso y el asesinato de Agamenón contado por su propio fantasma en la Odisea, la venganza de Orestes y las Erinias que lo persiguen, y el juicio en el Areópago donde Atenea inventa algo que ningún dios había hecho antes: repartir la decisión entre un jurado de ciudadanos.Una precisión sobre algo que digo en el episodio (min. 0:35 y 8:15): lo llamo «el primer juicio de la historia», que es la forma en que lo cuenta el mito, no un dato histórico — se conservan actas de juicios por homicidio mucho más antiguas, como una de Nippur de hacia 1850 a.C., y códigos legales todavía más viejos, como el de Ur-Nammu, de alrededor del 2100 a.C. Lo que el Areópago representa de verdad es otra cosa: el momento en que la decisión deja de tomarla el pariente de la víctima y pasa a un jurado de ciudadanos.Soy David García, apasionado por la mitología y creador de Mitos y Más.▶ Versión en vídeo, con las ilustraciones del episodio:https://youtu.be/GchI_osvXHA

Bryce sits down with author Solomon Schmidt — who started publishing books at age 12 with his "History Bites" series and went on to write about figures like Alan Dershowitz before turning his attention to J.K. Rowling — to talk about his new book, "JK Changed the World." Solomon shares how researching a Tolkien-and-C.S.-Lewis-themed UK tour led him into the world of Harry Potter, and walks through the case he makes in the book: that Rowling wove deliberate Christian symbolism and allusions throughout the series, despite not publicly identifying as a born-again Christian. He and Bryce also dig into Rowling's public stand against gender ideology, the personal history Solomon says shaped her views, and the legal jeopardy she faced in Scotland for speaking out — plus how Solomon himself has faced review-bombing and cancellation attempts since the book's release. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Intro, welcome Solomon Schmidt 00:40 — Solomon's background: starting "History Bites" at age 12 05:00 — How the Alan Dershowitz book project led him toward J.K. Rowling 06:39 — Designing a Tolkien/C.S. Lewis tour that expanded into a Harry Potter tour 09:29 — Early skepticism: growing up hearing Harry Potter was "satanic" 11:22 — Christian critiques of the series and Rowling's own interest in the occult 12:36 — The deliberate Christian symbolism Solomon says Rowling built into the books 19:11 — Biblical parallels debate — Paul at the Areopagus and "meat offered to idols" 23:26 — Rowling's public stand against gender ideology and the backlash she faced 24:29 — The personal history — domestic abuse, sexual assault — Solomon says shaped her views 28:14 — The Scottish hate crime law controversy 32:16 — Where to get the book, release date (June 23) 34:00 — Where to follow Solomon and his History Bites tours LINKS

At the most basic of levels, what elements of Christianity make Christianity? Today, we continue our sermon series from the archives on Hebrews 11, the Bible's great hall of faith. In this message, Paul examines the Apostle Paul's address to the Areopagus and three doctrines that are essential to faith in God.To hear more sermons from Paul, visit PaulTripp.com/Sermons.

What's the significance of Paul's ministry at the Areopagus? In this episode, Emma Dotter explains what the Areopagus is in Acts 17:16-34. She explores sharing the gospel with people who see the world differently than us. She encourages listeners to be curious, listen well, and seek to understand what people believe so that they're able to lovingly share Jesus. // ADDITIONAL VERSES MENTIONED: // RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY: Learn more about the Areopagus: https://www.gotquestions.org/Areopagus.html // RELATED JOIN THE JOURNEY EPISODES:  “S4:263 – Introduction to the book of Acts” (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...)   “S4:269 – Acts 15-17” (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3NShJvbx2EPozwMwxJq2Hm?si=98ac89d64476429c)   // WHAT IS JOIN THE JOURNEY? Join The Journey is a realistic daily Bible reading plan that helps followers of Jesus at Watermark Community Church and beyond enjoy abiding in Jesus together. Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents guide their kids in Bible reading through interactive and age-specific lessons. In 2026, we're studying the book of Acts—one passage per week. For another year, teaching on Sunday will align with each week's passage. Then, for the next six days, we'll return to the same passage with fresh focus, exploring insights about who God is and how we can enjoy him more deeply. Monday through Saturday, we'll approach the same passage from a different perspective each day—whether observation, interpretation, prayer, or another spiritual practice—to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for God's Word. Then, watch or listen to the video podcast to tackle the week's toughest verses and discover key historical, theological, and practical insights. Daily Bible lessons for adults: https://jointhejourney.com Daily Bible lessons for parents and families: https://jointhejourney.com/jr Weekly Bible podcast for kids: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...  // MORE RESOURCES FROM JOIN THE JOURNEY:  Digital Bible study resources: https://jointhejourney.com/resources Previous years' print curriculum: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Waterma... Contact the Join The Journey team: jointhejourney@watermark.org 

Love, Community, and Truth: A Conversation with Natalie Runion In Episode 144 of Divine Table Talk, Jamie and Jane welcome Natalie Runion—USA Today bestselling author, speaker, worship leader, and founder of the Raised to Stay community—for an honest conversation about love, biblical community, and living in truth. Drawing from her experiences in ministry and the messages of her bestselling books Raised to Stay and The House That Jesus Built, Natalie shares how believers can pursue healing without abandoning the Church, embrace authentic Christian community, and hold tightly to truth while extending grace. Together, they discuss the beauty of imperfect people pursuing a perfect Savior and why healthy relationships are essential to spiritual growth. Whether you've experienced church hurt, are longing for deeper community, or simply want to love people more like Jesus, this conversation will encourage you to remain rooted in Christ and committed to building His Church. Learn more about Natalie, her ministry, speaking events, books, and the Raised to Stay community at: NatalieRunion.com ____________________________________ Connect with Jamie: Website: www.jamieklusacek.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamieklusacek Connect with Jane: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janewwilliams ____________________________________   Get Jamie's Newest Book: Living Loved: An 8-week Journey to Living Fully Loved

We krijgen niet altijd antwoord op al onze vragen, maar wat voor invloed heeft dat op ons geloof?  Bobby treedt in de voetsporen van Paulus en preekt het evangelie vanaf de berg Areopagus. Athene was in de tijd van Paulus een stad vol kennis en filosofie, waar de boodschap van het evangelie een verfrissend perspectief bood.

This talk was given by Jack Cross at St Jude's Church, Southsea. The reading was Acts 17:16–34, Paul's address to the Athenians at the Areopagus. Jack explores what he calls Paul's "masterclass of evangelism" in Athens, drawing out two essential pillars that should undergird every form of sharing the Christian faith. The first is being genuinely in love with God — not attending church "just in case," but being wholeheartedly committed to Jesus. The second is knowing the people you are trying to reach, learning their context, their concerns, and their language so that the unchanging gospel can be communicated in ways that truly connect. Jack illustrates both pillars with vivid personal stories, including an unexpected talk on relationships in a Thai prison and his involvement with youth work in Portsmouth. Jack is honest about the reality that even the apostle Paul received mixed results in Athens — some mocked, some were curious, and some believed. He encourages the congregation not to measure success by immediate responses but by faithfully playing whatever role God gives, whether sowing, watering, or harvesting. The talk closes with a warm invitation to let God's love become the starting point for all evangelism, and a challenge to consider the specific contexts and communities each person is uniquely placed to reach.

Bryan Thomas preached from Acts 17:16–34, where Paul proclaims the “unknown God” in Athens. He emphasized believers are called to proclaim God clearly in a world that is spiritually confused, intellectually proud, and full of false worship. Paul was provoked by the city's idols, but instead of retreating, he engaged Jews, marketplace hearers, philosophers, and the Areopagus with the truth of Jesus and the resurrection. The church is exhorted to proclaim this unknown God by taking comfort in God, having confidence in the faith, and living with clarity of mission. Our comfort in God should make us lovingly uncomfortable with the lostness around us. Our confidence grows as we remember what God has done and trust what He has promised. Our mission is to speak faithfully, leave results to the Holy Spirit, and be prepared to share Christ with those who need Him.

In this episode of our spring series, The Way Forward, we walk through Acts 17:16-34 to explore Paul's encounter in Athens. As Paul engages with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers at the Areopagus, he provides a model for how we can navigate unfamiliar cultures and carry on thoughtful, faith-filled conversations in our own time.How do we move forward when our efforts seem to go unnoticed, or when we feel like we are investing in places where there is little immediate "fruit"?In this talk, we reflect on:The challenge of exceptionalism: How the gospel invites us to dismantle the walls we build between ourselves and others.The "Unknown God": Paul's sermon on the universal intent of God's care and renewal.Overcoming discouragement: Why your life's service, creativity, and love are never just "throw-away lines," even when the results are hidden from view.Join us as we explore what it means to faithfully pursue the "way forward" in the far-off places of our lives.Scripture Reference: Acts 17:16-34 ★ Support this podcast ★

In Acts 17:16–34, Paul preaches at the Areopagus in the religious and philosophical city of Athens and as he does, he meets people where they are, learns their story, tells God's story, and entrusts the results to God. Pastor Trey McClain preaches from Acts 17:16–34.

A short clip. A blunt question. And apparently, more than a few people had thoughts about it.When Dr. Alan Strange asked his evening class whether anyone really believes some nations or ethnic groups are superior to others, the clip made the rounds, and the comment sections lit up. In this episode of MarsCast, we slow the moment down as Dr. Strange walks through what Paul was actually doing at the Areopagus, why the gospel "relativizes" natural kinship without dismissing it, and why the impulse to rank peoples by blood runs straight into the unity of the human race that Scripture plainly teaches. The church has spoken on this before. The question is whether she'll speak clearly now.

A short clip. A blunt question. And apparently, more than a few people had thoughts about it. When Dr. Alan Strange asked his evening class whether anyone really believes some nations or ethnic groups are superior to others, the clip made the rounds, and the comment sections lit up. In this episode of MarsCast, we slow the moment down as Dr. Strange walks through what Paul was actually doing at the Areopagus, why the gospel "relativizes" natural kinship without dismissing it, and why the impulse to rank peoples by blood runs straight into the unity of the human race that Scripture plainly teaches. The church has spoken on this before. The question is whether she'll speak clearly now.

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man … The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:22-24, 30-31)

We are religious by design because we are eternal by design. In this second installment of our Forever series, we travel with the Apostle Paul to the Areopagus in Athens—a place where the brightest minds gathered to debate higher ideals, yet still built an altar to an "Unknown God".We explore what true worship looks like when we move past Netflix, TikTok, and modern-day distractions. From the ancient definition of worship as "shrinking back in awe," to the heavy Hebrew concept of Kavod (glory), we ask a penetrating question: Does God carry weight in your everyday habits, speech, and finances? Finally, we look at the staggering global statistics of where we are born, challenging us to stop wasting our lives and start leveraging our resources, our time, and even our children—stewarded like arrows—for the global fame of Jesus.

This video continues the Book of Acts series in chapter 17 starting from verse 11. The Bereans are described as more noble than those in Thessalonica because they received the word with readiness and searched the Scriptures daily to verify what they heard. Many in Berea believed including honorable Greek women and men while Jews from Thessalonica stirred up the people against Paul. Paul is sent to Athens where his spirit is stirred by the city's idolatry and he disputes daily in the synagogue and marketplace with Jews, devout persons, Epicureans, and Stoics before addressing the Athenians at the Areopagus about their superstition and the altar to the Unknown God.

Fr. Peter George Flynn reads Paul's famous speech to the Athenian philosophers on the Areopagus — the most intellectually demanding moment of his missionary career. He unpacks Paul's brilliant rhetorical move: using the altar to the Unknown God as his opening, quoting the Greeks' own poets, and arguing that what their best thinkers were groping […] L'articolo Catechesis – St Paul at the Areopagus: What Went Wrong? – Fr Peter George Flynn OFMConv proviene da Radio Maria.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 12th of May, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Gospel of John 14:6. Remember, Thomas said to Jesus, “We do not know the way,” and “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Then we go to the Book of Acts 17:22: “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;…” That was because they were seeking to find the truth. They had many different gods but there was one inscription and it is found in verse 23, and this inscription says,”TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.”Now Paul was speaking to these learned wise men, and he was telling them about Jesus. Of course, when he saw this inscription, he said to them, “This is the Unknown God that you are seeking. His name is Jesus Christ and He is the One that you are worshipping, even if you do not know it.” I want to say to you today, there is no other god, there never was and there never will be. We need to tell people. There are many confused people, good people, and wonderful people, and they believe that all roads lead to Heaven. They do not all lead to Heaven. There is only one God and He has only one Son. His Son is Jesus Christ.Folks, it will make you unpopular. I know that because I have become very unpopular often when I say in love, “there is no other god”. You see, if you say to a person, “I love God”, they will not mind it because God is who you perceive him to be. Some people worship the trees, some people worship the stars, but when you say, “There is only One God and His name is Jesus Christ”, then all Heaven breaks loose! People say, “How can you say that?” “How can you be so self-righteous?” You say, “No, it's what the word of God says. It is what the Bible says, and we believe He is the Word, as it says in John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word and His name is Jesus. I am so proud to tell people that, and I tell them that He died for all men, not just some men, of different ages, different colours, different creeds.So today, do not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ! Have a wonderful day.Goodbye.

In Acts 17, Paul enters Athens, a city filled with idols, competing beliefs, and rival philosophies, and from within that culture points people toward the God they do not yet know. Rather than condemning from a distance, he listens, engages, and speaks with both courage and gentleness. This Sunday, Phil will explore Paul's model for evangelism and invite us to consider how we might faithfully witness to Christ in our own cultural moment. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/ut_xfEO0PYA

Paul at the Areopagus, Hill of Ares, Mars Hill, War Hill, or we might say Paul at the Pentagon. What did Paul preach while quoting two pagan poets? He preached Jesus, the resurrection, the necessity of repentance, and the coming day of judgment.

May 10, 2026: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard. Amen. Happy Mother's Day, and many good wishes to those celebrating. It is a joyous occasion for most – offering a time to appreciate the love of their moms with maybe flowers, a visit or a call, or some other way to thank them. For others, this is also a difficult day, or one that brings about mixed feelings at least. For they are those whose mother's have died, or those whose mothers are absent – in whatever way that may mean – or those mothers who have lost a child, or those women who could not have one. For these people Mother's Day can be troubling, awkward, or even painful. And if that is you, know that we, your parish family, are holding you in prayer. And so, as I say each year, that is that is why I like to think of today as less about Mothers specifically, and more about women – mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, nieces, aunts, and friends. Women who have been a part of our lives – nurturing, mentoring, loving, caring. That is what we really celebrate today – the journey of women – us, if we are women, and those women who have been a part of our lives. And there was a woman listening to St. Paul in the passage we heard today from the Acts of the Apostles, but you wouldn't know it based on the reading for this morning. As the story we heard goes, St. Paul was speaking before the Areopagus. What we didn't hear was why. See, while he was waiting for his preaching buds Silas and Tim to arrive in Athens (why is a whole other story), Paul had been walking around town seeing among the bustling city lots of monuments to various Gods, even an altar that, as he would later note, was inscribed with this: “to an unknown God.” As Paul does, he taught people in the synagogues and the streets about Jesus. Now, this is where the previous verses get funny, and why I think they should be included. It goes like this: “…some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Some said, “What does this pretentious babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities.” … So they took him and brought him to the Areopagus and asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? It sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to know what it means.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there would spend their time in nothing but telling or hearing something new.” That is part of what is missing from the story. The part we did hear was this… St. Paul then speaks before the council, mentions the bit about the “unknown God,” and in classic Paul style, uses their own poetry to counter the notion of such a thing. He quotes Aratus (a Cilician poet) in the phrase “For we also are his offspring,” and likely refers to Epimenides of Crete with the phrase “For in him we live and move and have our being” to counter the idea that any God would be unknown to their own creation. Socrates would have been proud of his use of their own words, and given that Paul was university educated, with excellence in rhetoric and debate which we see in his writings, it also isn't surprising. Then Paul told them about Jesus – about his life, death, and resurrection. For reasons that confound me, that is where the lectionary stops this reading. But on this day, when we celebrate the women in our lives, we need to hear, as the late Paul Harvey would say, “the rest of the story.” The text continues with this: “When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed, but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” At that point Paul left them. But some of them joined him and became believers, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.” Now, there are are a few things to note about Damaris, especially on a day when we celebrate women. First, that she is mentioned at all by the author. In his book Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony, New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham argues that named individuals in the Gospels and Acts are not random, but rather were known to the early Christian communities as key witnesses, leaders, or teachers. This would be especially true of any women named. Second, some try to link Damaris by marriage to Dionysius, the other convert mentioned in this story. Nowhere does it say that, and the author of Luke-Acts, being a stickler as he was, would have done so if it had been the case. And third, is that she is standing there listening to St. Paul speak before the Areopagus in the first place. The Areopagus was a place for centuries where the learned, the most respected in that region, the most powerful, would listen to and debate ideas, pronounce judgements over serious criminal matters, and wrestle with larger questions of science, philosophy, & religion. Damaris would have had to have been wealthy, intellectually gifted, powerful, or all of the above. So, there is a lot for us in this larger story about St. Paul, a bunch of Greek philosophers and judges, and Dionysius and Damaris. And we need to hear it too, especially amidst all that is happening in the world today. For starters, there the inscription on the altar that Paul saw and spoke about. One wonders who constructed it, and why? As I was thinking about that, I was struck by this one part of the Psalm we heard today. The Psalmist speaks of God as one, “Who holds our souls in life.” Think of that for a moment. What does it mean that God is one that “holds your soul in life?” There is such a sense of care, of nurturing, of love in that imagery – and most of all – of knowing. That God knows us. The thing is, we hear this not only in that Psalm, but throughout the scriptures of our faith. We hear that same message, or something like it – over and over and over again in many different ways. From Genesis 1 to the final chapter of the Revelation to John, our scriptures remind us that, as those Greek poets Paul quoted made clear – God created us, and in God we have our very being – God holds our soul in life with great love. This is why at the Easter Vigil and in Lessons & Carols we get texts that span the entire bible – to tell the story of God's relationship with us through time as a reminder that our God didn't begin loving us when Jesus was born, but he was born to us because God has loved us from the beginning of time. That God does indeed hold our souls in life…or really, in love. And that type of relationship, the one God has with all of creation, rooted in unconditional love – means that God knows us – knows us deeply – even if God is unknown to us. All of which brings me back to whoever built that altar. The thing is – it wasn't built because they thought God doesn't exist. Why bother? No, it was built because they could sense God's presence – could sense that there was something larger than themselves – they just didn't know how to name what they were feeling. This was a seeker – something we all have been, and hopefully still are, or we wouldn't be here right now. We don't stop seeking just because we walk in the doors of a church and sit in the pew. Or I sure hope not. It is practically in the DNA of the Episcopal Church to seek, to question, to wrestle with what we think we know. And seeking is as much about what is sought as it is about the one who is searching. The spiritual seeker wants to understand the Creative force they can sense in the world, but learns as much about themselves when they do. Understanding is about knowing – about seeing and being seen. And the truth is that we not only seek God that we may know God, but also that we may feel seen and known ourselves. So many people in the world today yearn to be seen – not looked past, ignored, or pushed aside. They want to be listened to, not because they think they have all the answers, but because in listening, we see them a bit more. That is why it is so important to lift up Damaris in this story. So many women in scripture get ignored or go unnamed – and even our lectionary cuts them out. But the patriarchy rooted in sexism isn't just a part of faith traditions like ours. Women all across time have been left out of our history books – their inventions, courageous acts, writings, or leadership unacknowledged – their names unknown. If we are to ever know God the way God yearns to be known, we cannot ignore or abuse what God creates, especially those made in God's image – the women as well as the men. For when we do, when we ignore and abuse the very soul God holds in life – we willingly do the same to God. Which brings me back to Damaris. She was noted by the author of Luke-Acts, and we should not make the mistake so many do and take no notice of her. We will remember Damaris today. We will say her name and tell her story. But there is something else going on in this story – something missing from our world today (not to mention the lectionary). Paul was doing as evangelists are meant to do – all of us really – he was talking about his faith. That's a good thing! Yet, the lesson we most need now though does not come from Paul. It comes from the Athenians, and begins in the part left out from the passage, which I mentioned earlier. Sure, some thought he was a “pretentious babbler,” which, if you read a lot of Paul's writings you might agree with them. And yet, they didn't throw stuff at him, push him aside, or arrest him for saying things they didn't like or understand (as we know happened to Paul in other places). What did they do? Well, this is why this earlier part is so important, and why I cannot figure out why it was left out – I mean, how can you understand the full scripture of you don't hear it? Just a reminder, this is how they responded: They said to Paul “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? It sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to know what it means.” The text goes on to describe all of the people in that region, saying “Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there would spend their time in nothing but telling or hearing something new.” And when they listened more to Paul in his speech before the Areopagus, they didn't throw him over a cliff for speaking about something they hadn't heard before – nor did most of them immediately accept what he said. In the final part of this story, again left out of the lectionary for today, they said instead “We will hear you again about this.” We should not be surprised by their response. Anyone who had to read Plato in school knows Socratic dialog, which originated in Ancient Greece long before Paul or Jesus were born. For that matter, anyone who reads some of the epistles of St. Paul see in them this method of question and answer to get to truth. Some scholars have pointed to striking similarities between Socrates in Athens and Paul in Athens – something the learned author of Luke-Acts may have been trying to bring to mind. But while interesting, especially if you enjoy trips down the philosophical rabbit hole, the most important part is in the invitation to dialog in the first place offered by the Athenians in the face of something they either did not know, or did not believe to be true. If only we today would do as these Athenians and the others in Athens at the time of Paul's travels are doing in this story. Instead, most people would just change the channel, walk away, yell and scream, or Gerry-mander them into silence. If you are in our government, you would arrest and indict them, or push to have them taken off the air. What would the world, or really – let's narrow that down…what might our country be like if we were to listen more to what we don't understand, invite those who offer different opinions to speak to us, or at the end of a contentious town hall say “We will hear you again about this.” If we think about it – listening is one of the ways we see others, one of the ways we say to them that they are known to us. One of the ways we become known to them too. And seeing someone, getting to know them a bit, is the first step toward loving them as we are called to do. It is also the first step toward knowing God. So as we leave here and head out into our own public squares – divided as they are – let us question as the Athenians what we hear from others, not to shut down, but so that we can better understand, see, and know – them, the truth, and the God who created it all. And let us hear of the resurrection of Christ and have our hearts moved in such a way as we become like Damaris – leaving this place to proclaim the good news in such a way that we cannot be pushed aside and be forgotten or ignored. For there are far too many yet for whom God is still unknown, who yearn to be known themselves, who dream of being seen and loved by One who would hold their soul in life. Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Sermon-May-10-2026-1.m4a The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge May 10, 2026 The Sixth Sunday of Easter 1st Reading – Acts 17:22-31 Psalm 66:7-18 2nd Reading – 1 Peter 3:13-22 Gospel – John 14:15-21

Sixth Sunday of Easter   First Lesson: Acts 17:22-31 22Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. 23For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, 'To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 25nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. 26From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. 28For 'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.' 29Since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. 30While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." Psalm: Psalm 66:7-18  7 Bless our God, you peoples; *        make the voice of his praise to be heard; 8 Who holds our souls in life, *        and will not allow our feet to slip. 9 For you, O God, have proved us; *        you have tried us just as silver is tried. 10 You brought us into the snare; *        you laid heavy burdens upon our backs. 11 You let enemies ride over our heads;    we went through fire and water; *        but you brought us out into a place of refreshment. 12 I will enter your house with burnt-offerings    and will pay you my vows, *        which I promised with my lips        and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble. 13 I will offer you sacrifices of fat beasts    with the smoke of rams; *        I will give you oxen and goats. 14 Come and listen, all you who fear God, *        and I will tell you what he has done for me. 15 I called out to him with my mouth, *        and his praise was on my tongue. 16 If I had found evil in my heart, *        the Lord would not have heard me; 17 But in truth God has heard me; *        he has attended to the voice of my prayer. 18 Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, *        nor withheld his love from me. Second Lesson: 1 Peter 3:13-22  13Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; 16yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil. 18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. 21And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. Gospel: John 14:15-21 15"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. 18"I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."

Many Christians lament the fact that the culture is becoming more “secular”. Paul's walk through Athens and his speech on Mars Hill (the Areopagus) offers a pattern for Christians to use when pointing to the “unknown God” that many people today are seeking. 

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said … “The God who made the world and everything in it … commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:16-22a, 24a, 30b-31)

IntroductionThis guide covers the four Revised Common Lectionary readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A (May 10, 2026). Ascension Thursday falls four days later (May 14), and these texts are shaped by the awareness that Jesus is preparing to leave — and that what he leaves behind is not a void but a presence. Acts shows the gospel reaching into Athens. The psalm testifies to coming through hard places intact. First Peter calls the church to be ready to explain its hope. And John 14 promises the Spirit to people who are afraid of being left alone.From Art in the Christian Tradition, Vanderbilt Lectionary PageThe ReadingsActs 17:22–31The First Lesson — Paul at the AreopagusSummaryStanding before the Areopagus in Athens, Paul addresses a sophisticated audience of philosophers and civic leaders. He opens by observing that the Athenians are clearly a religious people — he even found an altar inscribed ‘To an Unknown God.' That unknown God, he says, is the one he has come to tell them about. This God made the world and everything in it, does not live in human-built temples, and does not need anything from us — God is the one who gives life and breath to all people. God made every nation from one source and set their boundaries, so that people might search for God, who is never actually far from any of us. Paul quotes their own poets: ‘In him we live and move and have our being,' and ‘We are his offspring.' If that is true, then God cannot be represented by gold or silver or stone carved by human hands. God has overlooked times of ignorance, but now calls all people everywhere to turn around, because a day of judgment is coming — appointed through a man God raised from the dead. At that, some laugh, some want to hear more, and a few believe.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The Sixth Sunday of Easter falls just before Ascension, and this reading from Acts, while jumping ahead in the timeline a bit, bridges the two: it shows the gospel already moving outward into the wider world, beyond the familiar territory of Jerusalem and Judea. Paul is standing in the intellectual capital of the ancient world and holding his own. We may want to use this as a moment to reflect on what it means for faith to travel into unfamiliar places.2. Paul finds common ground before he makes his central claim. He does not begin by telling the Athenians what they are missing — he starts with what they have already built and what they are already reaching toward. That approach is worth examining as a posture for the church's engagement with people outside it.3. The description of God in this passage is notable for what it does not say as much as what it does. God needs nothing, is not confined to a building, and is closer to every human being than they realize. This is a picture of God that many in a congregation may not have fully absorbed. A sermon could simply dwell in it.4. The mixed response at the end — mockery, curiosity, belief — is a realistic picture of how proclamation lands in the world. Not every sermon ends with a packed altar call. As preachers, we may need to remind ourselves — and help congregations hold this reality — with some peace rather than treating every unresolved response as a failure.Significant Cautions⚠ This passage overlaps significantly with last week's NL reading (Acts 17:16–31 is the same text). Preachers who used the Narrative Lectionary last Sunday should be aware their congregation has just heard this passage. Consider either going deeper into a specific element they did not explore, or framing the repetition as an opportunity to return to something worth sitting with longer.⚠ Paul's opening compliment about Athenian religiosity has limits — he goes on to call them to turn from what they have built toward the God he is proclaiming. Preachers should hold both moves together rather than presenting Paul as simply affirming whatever spiritual seeking people are doing.⚠ The phrase ‘times of ignorance God overlooked' needs care. It is not a blanket dismissal of all religious life outside Christianity, but it does signal that Paul sees this moment as a turning point rather than a continuation of business as usual. There is truth, even truth about God, that can be learned outside of our religious traditions.Psalm 66:8–20The Psalm — Tested, Tried, and Brought ThroughSummaryThis portion of Psalm 66 shifts from a call to general praise into something more personal and hard-won. The speaker describes a period of severe testing — God allowed the community to be burdened, passed through fire and water, and brought to what felt like a breaking point. But they came through to a spacious place. The psalmist then moves to personal testimony: I cried out to God, and God listened. If I had held on to anything wrong in my heart, God would not have heard — but God did hear, and did not take away steadfast love. The psalm closes with praise for a God who kept listening.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The testing described in this psalm is not metaphorical softness — it involves being ridden over, fire, and flood. This is real hardship, and the psalm does not apologize for naming it. We may use this as an opening for honest conversation about seasons of life that feel like they are breaking something in us.2. The movement from ‘you brought us through' to ‘I cried out and was heard' — from communal memory to personal testimony — mirrors what often happens in a healthy congregation. Corporate faith provides the framework; personal experience fills it in. Both matter, and neither replaces the other.3. The conditional in verse 18 — ‘if I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened' — is worth addressing carefully. It is not a claim that only morally perfect people get heard. It is an observation that a life turned deliberately away from God is also a life turned away from the relationship that makes prayer possible.4. The phrase ‘brought us out to a spacious place' is one of the most evocative images in the Psalter for what deliverance feels like. It is not just relief — it is room. We can use this image to describe what life on the other side of a hard season can look like.Significant Cautions⚠ Verse 18 — about God not hearing those who cherish wrongdoing — has been used harmfully to tell people whose prayers seem unanswered that they must have some hidden sin. That is a pastoral minefield. The psalm is a personal expression of gratitude, not a theological formula for how prayer works.⚠ The testing in this psalm is framed as something God allowed or even directed. That raises honest questions about theodicy that, as preachers, we should not sidestep or resolve too quickly. It is fine to acknowledge that the psalm holds this tension without resolving it neatly.⚠ The call to ‘bless our God' at the opening of this section can feel jarring if a congregation is in the middle of the fire rather than on the other side of it. Preachers should be aware that not everyone in the room is at the thanksgiving end of this psalm's arc.1 Peter 3:13–22The Epistle — Ready to Give a Reason for Your HopeSummaryThe letter addresses people who are vulnerable — outsiders in their communities, prone to mistreatment for no good reason. The writer asks: who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if they do, you are blessed for it. Do not be frightened. Instead, set Christ apart as holy in your heart, and be ready at any moment to give anyone who asks a clear, gentle account of the hope that lives in you. Keep your conscience clear so that those who slander you will be put to shame. It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong. Christ himself suffered once for sins — the just person for the unjust — to bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit. The passage ends with a reference to Noah and the flood, connecting that rescue through water to baptism, which the writer describes not as the removal of dirt but as an appeal to God from a clear conscience, made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The phrase ‘always be ready to give an account of the hope that is in you' is one of the most practical calls in the New Testament. Many people in a congregation have never been asked to articulate what they actually hope in, or why. We can use this as an opportunity to help the congregation practice that clarity — not as a debate technique, but as an honest personal testimony.2. The instruction to give that account ‘with gentleness and respect' is often overlooked. The call to be ready is not a call to be aggressive or combative. The manner of the answer is part of the witness. We can explore what it looks like to speak about faith in a way that invites rather than shuts down.3. The passage puts suffering for doing right in the context of Christ's own suffering. This is not abstract — the writer is speaking to people who know what it is to be mistreated for no good reason. The solidarity offered here is not a philosophical argument but a shared experience.4. The Noah and baptism connection at the end of the passage is compressed and a little hard to follow, but the key idea is worth lifting out: what saves is not the water itself but the resurrection of Jesus, to which the water points. Baptism is described as an appeal — a turning toward God. We can use this to open up what baptism means in practice for people who were baptized long ago and may not think of it often.Significant Cautions⚠ The question ‘who will harm you if you are eager to do good?' can sound naive to people who have experienced serious harm despite living with integrity — victims of injustice, discrimination, or abuse. We need to acknowledge this rather than letting the verse imply that right living guarantees protection (the Job Principle).⚠ Like last week's epistle text, this passage has a complicated history of being used to demand passive endurance from people in genuinely harmful situations. The same cautions apply: this is not a command to remain in danger. Naming that history explicitly can be a pastoral gift.⚠ The Noah passage has been used in Christian history to make exclusivist claims about who gets saved — only eight people, and so on. I think we should resist this reading. The writer's point is not about the narrowness of rescue but about its reality and about what it points toward.⚠ The reference to Christ preaching to spirits in prison is one of the most debated passages in the New Testament. Preachers do not need to resolve what it means, but they should not pretend it says something it does not. It is fine to acknowledge the difficulty honestly and keep the focus on the surrounding text.John 14:15–21The Gospel — The Promise of the SpiritSummaryThis passage continues Jesus' farewell conversation with his disciples on the night before his death. He tells them that if they love him, they will keep his commandments — and he will ask the Father to give them another Advocate who will be with them forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees nor knows the Spirit. But the disciples know the Spirit, because the Spirit lives with them and will be in them. Jesus then says something that sounds paradoxical: he is going away, but he is also coming back. He is not going to leave them as orphans. On that coming day, they will know that Jesus is in the Father, they are in Jesus, and Jesus is in them. The passage closes with a restatement of the love-obedience connection: whoever has and keeps Jesus' commandments is the one who loves him, and that person will be loved by the Father and by Jesus himself, who will make himself known to them.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The word translated ‘Advocate' or ‘Comforter' or ‘Helper' (depending on the translation) is the Greek word paraclete — literally, one called alongside. The image is of someone who comes to stand next to you in a difficult situation. We can explore what it means in practice to live as though that presence is real and active.2. Jesus says he will not leave them as orphans. That word — orphans — is striking in this context. It captures the specific terror of being left without the primary person who oriented your life. This is the emotional reality Jesus is addressing, and it is one many people in the congregation may know in various forms.3. The connection between love and obedience in this passage runs both ways: love leads to keeping Jesus' commands, and keeping his commands is itself the expression of love. This is not about earning anything — it is about the natural relationship between genuine love and the way it shapes behavior. Preachers can help the congregation feel the difference between obedience as duty and obedience as the overflow of a real relationship.4. The mutual indwelling described at the end — Jesus in the Father, believers in Jesus, Jesus in them — is one of John's central images for what resurrection life looks like. It is not a distant, transactional relationship. It is something more like being woven into one another. This image can do real pastoral work for people who experience faith as mostly external obligation.Significant Cautions⚠ The love-obedience connection has been used to make people feel that any struggle or failure in keeping Jesus' commands is evidence that they do not really love him. That reading turns the passage into a source of shame rather than invitation. The context is encouragement, not accusation — Jesus is promising the Spirit precisely because he knows his followers will need help.⚠ The statement that the world cannot receive the Spirit because it does not see or know the Spirit should not be used to draw a sharp line between insiders and outsiders in a way that produces contempt for those outside the church. The passage is about the disciples' particular relationship with the Spirit, not a verdict on everyone else.⚠ The ‘coming back' Jesus describes in this passage is not straightforwardly about the second coming. In John's Gospel it more likely refers to the post-resurrection appearances and/or the coming of the Spirit. Watch out for confident claims about eschatological timelines.Thematic ConnectionsAll four texts this week are, in different ways, about what sustains people when familiar support is removed or threatened. Paul speaks to people whose religious frameworks offer them something real but incomplete. The psalmist has come through fire and flood and has a story to tell about it. First Peter speaks to scattered, vulnerable people and tells them to hold their hope clearly and gently, ready to name it when asked. And John 14 speaks directly to the fear of being left — promising that what comes next is not abandonment but a new and closer kind of presence.John 14:15–21 is the natural preaching center this week, especially with Ascension approaching. The promise of the Spirit — the one who comes alongside, who will not leave the disciples as orphans — is exactly the word that the season calls for. But First Peter's practical charge to be ready to give a gentle account of one's hope is an equally powerful angle, especially for congregations who want to think carefully about how they talk about faith with people outside the church. Either text rewards a sermon that takes its time.Narrative LectionaryIntroductionThis guide covers the Narrative Lectionary reading for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year 4 (May 10, 2026). The primary text is from Paul's letter to the Philippians — one of the warmest and most personal letters in the New Testament. Paul is in prison when he writes it, and he opens by telling the Philippians how grateful he is for their partnership with him in the work of the gospel. Even his imprisonment has turned out to be good news of a kind, and he finds himself genuinely glad no matter what. The supplemental text from Luke 9 gives a sharp image from Jesus about what greatness looks like in the kingdom of God — it looks like a child.The ReadingPhilippians 1:1–18aThe Primary Text — Partnership in the GospelSummaryPaul writes from prison — we do not know exactly which one — to the congregation at Philippi, a community he clearly loves. He opens with warmth and unusual candor: every time he thinks of them, he gives thanks. He is confident that the good work God began in them will keep going until the day of Christ. He holds them in his heart, and he longs for them with something that sounds almost like homesickness. He prays that their love will keep growing in knowledge and discernment, so they can tell what really matters and arrive at the day of Christ full and unblemished.Then Paul gets honest about his situation. His imprisonment, far from shutting down the gospel, has actually spread it — the whole imperial guard has heard about Christ, and other believers have been emboldened to speak more freely. There are people preaching Christ out of goodwill toward Paul, and there are others doing it out of rivalry, trying to stir up trouble for him while he is stuck in prison. But Paul does not seem to care much about their motives. Christ is being proclaimed, he says, and in that he rejoices.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The tone of this letter from the very first lines is worth naming. Paul is in prison. His situation is objectively bad. And he opens by saying he gives thanks every time he thinks of the Philippians, that he holds them in his heart, that he longs for them. This is not forced positivity — it is a picture of what genuine community does for a person in a hard place. Preachers can open up the question of what it means to be the kind of congregation that someone in trouble thinks of with that kind of warmth.2. Paul's confidence that God will complete what God began is stated simply and without qualification. He is not worried about the Philippians' spiritual state. He trusts that the God who started something in them will see it through. Preachers can explore what it looks like to hold people in that kind of faith — not anxiously checking whether they are keeping up, but trusting that God is at work in them even when you cannot see it.3. The imprisonment has spread the gospel rather than stopped it. The whole imperial guard knows about Christ because of Paul's chains. This is a striking reversal — the attempt to silence him has given him a captive audience. Preachers can use this to explore the theme, repeated across Acts and the epistles, that what looks like a setback for the church often turns out to be a door.4. Paul's response to people preaching Christ out of bad motives is remarkable: as long as Christ is proclaimed, he is glad. He does not pursue the rivals or try to correct them from prison. He chooses to focus on what is actually happening — the name of Jesus is getting out — rather than on the impurity of some people's intentions. This is a mature and somewhat counterintuitive posture, worth examining honestly with a congregation.5. The prayer in verses 9–11 is one of the most beautiful in Paul's letters. He prays not that the Philippians will be protected or comfortable, but that their love will grow in knowledge and discernment — that they will be able to tell what really matters. That is a prayer worth sitting with. What would it look like for a congregation to grow in that specific kind of wisdom?Significant Cautions⚠ The joy and gratitude in this letter can be preached in a way that makes suffering sound easy if you just have the right attitude. Paul's joy is real, but it is the product of deep relationship with God and with this community — it is not a technique anyone can simply adopt. Preachers should present it as a witness to what is possible rather than a standard people are failing to meet.⚠ The people preaching from rivalry and selfish ambition are a real presence in this passage. Paul dismisses their motives but celebrates their message getting out. Preachers should not use this as a blanket endorsement of any and all Christian proclamation regardless of how it is done. Paul is making a specific observation about his specific situation — he is not saying that motives never matter.⚠ The confidence that God will complete what God began can become a way of avoiding accountability — if God is going to finish it anyway, why does anything we do matter? That is not Paul's intent. (cf. “God forbid” in Romans 6.) His prayer for growing love and discernment assumes that the Philippians have real work to do. God's faithfulness and human responsibility sit alongside each other in this letter without one canceling the other.Luke 9:46–48The Supplemental Text — Greatness and the ChildSummaryThe disciples have been arguing about which of them is the greatest. Jesus, knowing what they are thinking, takes a small child and stands the child beside him. Whoever welcomes this child in my name, he says, welcomes me — and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Then comes the line that turns the argument upside down: the one who is least among all of you is the one who is great.Key Ideas for Preaching1. Placed alongside Paul's letter to the Philippians, this passage reframes what Paul's partnership and humility actually look like in practice. Paul is grateful, generous with his affection, and completely uninterested in asserting his own status in this letter. The disciples are arguing about rank. The supplemental text makes the contrast sharp: the way of the kingdom runs in the opposite direction from the way of competition.2. The child in this passage is not a symbol of innocence or charm — in the ancient world, a child had no social status whatsoever. Welcoming a child meant extending care to someone who could give you nothing in return. That is the act Jesus holds up as the measure of greatness. Preachers can use this to ask who the equivalent of that child might be in the congregation's own context.Significant Cautions⚠ The image of the child can easily slide into sentimentality — a cute child as a feel-good illustration. The passage is actually quite pointed. It is addressed to people who are in a dispute about their own importance. Preachers should let the sharpness of the original moment come through rather than softening it into a general lesson about being kind to children.⚠ The phrase ‘the least among all of you is the greatest' has been used to romanticize powerlessness — as if suffering itself confers spiritual status, or as if people with no power should be content with their situation because they are actually the greatest. That is a distortion. Jesus is speaking to people with power about how to use it. He is not telling people who are already marginalized that they should be grateful for their position.Thematic ConnectionsBoth texts this week describe what a life shaped by genuine partnership and genuine humility actually looks and feels like. Paul in prison is more concerned with the Philippians' flourishing than with his own circumstances. He rejoices when Christ is proclaimed even by people who mean him harm. He prays not for his own release but that his friends' love will keep growing in depth and discernment. The disciples argue about who is the greatest, and Jesus answers by standing a powerless child in the middle of them. These texts hold together a vision of community where status is not the organizing principle — love and welcome are.The Philippians passage is substantial enough to anchor the sermon entirely. Paul's joy from prison is one of the most compelling images in the New Testament, and there is more than enough in verses 1–18a for a full message. The Luke text works best as a brief bookend — either opening with the disciples' argument to frame what kind of community Paul is describing, or closing with Jesus' answer to let it land as a final image. Either way, the two texts together press the same question: what does it look like to care more about others' flourishing than about your own standing? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! This sermon is based on Acts 17:16–31, the story of Paul in Athens, where he speaks to Greek philosophers and thinkers on the Areopagus, also known as Mars Hill. What might he have to say to these diverse and thoughtful people about God and Jesus? We hope that you'll enjoy this sermon and that it will be meaningful to you this week.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260503dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” Acts 17:22-23 The True God Is Not Unknown During the time of the apostle Paul, the people of Athens worshipped many gods. They were concerned, however, that they might not know about all the gods, and a slighted god may bring some disastrous consequences on them. So, in all their idol worship, they set up another altar to a god they didn’t know. We may look down our noses in our scientific enlightenment at these ignorant heathens. But are we really that much different? What would Paul see if we invited him to walk in our lives? He might not encounter small statues made of silver or gold that we pray to. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t tempted to worship idols. Consider that an idol for us is really anything, anyplace, or anyone that we hold more important than God or what he commands. We need to honestly ask: have we ever set our hearts on money or things that money can buy more than on God and his promises? Or has one click on the computer screen ever led us to seek happiness and pleasure in the wrong places? Satan would have us despair of ever knowing God and the salvation he accomplished for us. He would say, “With all your sin, why would God want to know you?” The truth is that God sought you and me out and revealed himself to us through his Son. The true God is not unknown to us. By the power of the Holy Spirit through the gospel, you and I know God. We know that he has forgiven our sins through Jesus. And for that reason, we will know God forever. Prayer: God, you have opened my eyes to see you as my Savior and know you as my Lord. Continue to reveal yourself to me through your Word that I may grow in my knowledge of your love and grow closer in my relationship with you. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260503dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” Acts 17:22-23 The True God Is Not Unknown During the time of the apostle Paul, the people of Athens worshipped many gods. They were concerned, however, that they might not know about all the gods, and a slighted god may bring some disastrous consequences on them. So, in all their idol worship, they set up another altar to a god they didn’t know. We may look down our noses in our scientific enlightenment at these ignorant heathens. But are we really that much different? What would Paul see if we invited him to walk in our lives? He might not encounter small statues made of silver or gold that we pray to. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t tempted to worship idols. Consider that an idol for us is really anything, anyplace, or anyone that we hold more important than God or what he commands. We need to honestly ask: have we ever set our hearts on money or things that money can buy more than on God and his promises? Or has one click on the computer screen ever led us to seek happiness and pleasure in the wrong places? Satan would have us despair of ever knowing God and the salvation he accomplished for us. He would say, “With all your sin, why would God want to know you?” The truth is that God sought you and me out and revealed himself to us through his Son. The true God is not unknown to us. By the power of the Holy Spirit through the gospel, you and I know God. We know that he has forgiven our sins through Jesus. And for that reason, we will know God forever. Prayer: God, you have opened my eyes to see you as my Savior and know you as my Lord. Continue to reveal yourself to me through your Word that I may grow in my knowledge of your love and grow closer in my relationship with you. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

What does it mean to abide in love when Jesus is leaving? On this Sixth Sunday of Easter, Matt Skinner, Karoline Lewis, and Cody Sanders explore the farewell discourse in John 14:15-21, where Jesus promises the Advocate — the Paraclete — and calls his disciples into an active, world-directed form of love. The hosts trace what "keeping the commandments" really means in John's Gospel, connect the Paraclete to Ascension and Pentecost, and consider how the Spirit keeps equipping the church to love.They also dig into Paul's speech at the Areopagus in Acts 17, examining his surprising respect for his audience's spiritual curiosity and what that might mean for preachers today. Plus: the household codes in 1 Peter, a spacious-place connection between Psalm 66 and Psalm 23, and a mention of Mother's Day for preachers navigating that Sunday dynamic.Mentioned in this episode:Support Working PreacherMay 2026 WP Campaign

"Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them." Acts 17:16-34

Athens was the kind of place that felt spiritually busy and intellectually confident, and Paul walks straight into it with the gospel. We watch him step onto Mars Hill before the Areopagus, speak with surprising respect, and start with what he can honestly affirm: people are more religious than they think. From there, we trace his bold move. He doesn't merely criticize “idols” as ancient statues. He shows how every culture builds objects of trust that promise identity, meaning, and security, and how those functional gods still shape our lives today.  Paul's most brilliant pivot is an altar inscribed “To An Unknown God.” He uses their own admission of spiritual uncertainty to proclaim the God they've missed: the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth who needs nothing from us, yet gives life and breath to everyone. Along the way, we talk about how to witness to skeptics in a pluralistic society, how to listen for the idols under the surface of someone's story, and how to use true insights from literature and culture as a bridge to biblical truth without watering anything down.  The message turns urgent when Paul brings it home: repentance is not self-improvement, it's turning from lesser gods to the living God because a day of righteous judgment is fixed. And the cornerstone claim is not a vague feeling but a public act of God: the resurrection of Jesus, offered as proof that changes what we do with the questions “Who am I, where did I come from, and where am I going?”Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCDzWSS6X30

Join the 3 of 7 team as they discuss Acts 17. ► Check Out Our Partners Barbell Apparel Use code “Chadd” for a FREE pair of shorts with any purchase of $99+ → SHOP BARBELL APPAREL Bare Performance Nutrition Use code “3of7” for 10% OFF → SHOP BPN   ► Support the Podcast → JOIN PATREON → TRAIN WITH US → SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER → VISIT OUR WEBSITE → SHOP OUR STORE   NUFF SAID.

Pastor Luke Simmons walks through Acts 17 and the Apostle Paul's message in Athens to show how the resurrection of Jesus is the most important truth for every generation. Preaching from Paul's address at the Areopagus, Pastor Luke explains:- The God who needs nothing but wants you  - How God has placed you “when” and “where” you are so that you might seek Him  - Why God commands all people everywhere to repent  - How the resurrection of Jesus is God's proof that He will judge the world and can save anyone who turns to Him  This Easter sermon concludes with three ways people responded then—and still respond today—to the risen Christ: mocking, investigating, or believing.  If you're exploring Christianity, returning to church, or celebrating Easter as a follower of Jesus, this message will help you consider what the resurrection means for you and how you will respond.00:00 - Introduction06:49 - God Needs Nothing08:31 - God Wants You13:34 - God Commands Repentance16:41 - God Gives Assurance

To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Jesus  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ ⇒ Get a copy of the MM Companion Journal: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/journal ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Acts 17:22–23 - So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. [23] For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. (ESV) ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: https://venmo.com/CareyNGreen  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ NON-ENGLISH VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/

Find this episode on YouTube: Fr. Andrew Damick and Rev. Mike Landsman of the Areopagus podcast (https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/areopagus/) join the show to talk the state of Protestantism in America, what's happening in the world of Christianity in general, and the different flavors of folks coming into the church.Discover more of these fine gentlemen here:youtube.com/@frandrewstephendamickyoutube.com/@mikelandsman8993Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have: https://conradsdeli.com/ use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.-------------------------------------------✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf

Our reading opens with Paul preaching to the Jews on the Sabbath over the course of three weeks in the town Thessalonica. After a bit of unrest, the travel to the town of Berea by night. The Bereans are noted as being of more noble character than the Thessalonians, receiving the word with eagerness and examining the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul was saying was true. The Thessalonians catch wind of Paul's location and come to town to start trouble again. He moves on to Athens, where he gives his famous sermon at the Areopagus, a place where the Athenian people discussed new teachings and new ideas. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

What does it take to run your race with endurance? The middle of the race is where many people quit, but it's also where endurance is built. In 1 Corinthians 9:25–27, Paul compares the Christian life to a race that requires discipline, perseverance, and spiritual training. Filmed in Athens, Greece, this message from Kyle Ranson explores how Paul endured a difficult season while standing before the Areopagus, one of the most intimidating places in the ancient world. Through his example, we discover why spiritual breakthrough often comes through perseverance, what strict training helps us stay faithful, and how God endures for us as we endure for Him.Recorded live at Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Guest: Anthony Hunt, Next Gen Pastor & Author of The AI-Powered Church From performing as a professional mascot for over 20 years to leading in Next Gen ministry, Anthony Hunt brings a unique energy to the conversation about the future of the church. In this episode, Anthony breaks down the walls of fear surrounding Artificial Intelligence, arguing that when used correctly, AI isn't just a shortcut, it's a partner that can help us reclaim our time for what matters most: discipleship and people. If you are a ministry leader feeling burnt out, a tech skeptic worried about the "soulless" nature of digital tools, or a creative looking to amplify your impact, this episode offers a theological and practical framework for moving forward.

In this message, Pastor Noel explores Acts 17, following Paul's journey through Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. He highlights a central tension for modern believers: the discipline of keeping one eye on the Word of God and the other on the World. By examining Paul's varying approaches—from intellectual reasoning in the synagogues to repurposing cultural philosophy in the Areopagus. Subscribe to AfterWords on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Download a copy of the Exodus JournalVisit us online: rivchurch.comFollow us on InstagramSend us feedback: podcast@rivchurch.comSubscribe to AfterWords on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Visit us online: rivchurch.comFollow us on InstagramSend us feedback: podcast@rivchurch.com

Beginning the Journey: An Introduction to the Gospel of John with Dr. David L. MathewsonSeason Three of Divine Table Talk opens with a rich and thoughtful introduction to the Gospel of John, featuring special guest David L. Mathewson, PhD. Dr. Mathewson—associate professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary—guides Jamie and Jane through the purpose, structure, and theological depth of John's Gospel.Together, they explore why John is written “that you may believe,” how its language and themes shape our understanding of Jesus, and what makes this Gospel uniquely formative for faith and discipleship. This episode sets the foundation for the year ahead, inviting listeners to slow down, read deeply, and encounter Jesus not just as a teacher—but as the Word made flesh.Whether you're new to studying Scripture or ready to go deeper, this conversation will equip and inspire you as we begin our journey through John together.____________________________________Connect with Dr. David Mathewson:Website: https://denverseminary.edu/directory/mathewson-phd-david-lEmail David: EMAILConnect with Jamie:Website: www.jamieklusacek.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamieklusacekConnect with Jane:Website: www.janewwilliams.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/janewwilliams____________________________________ Get Jamie's Newest Book:Living Loved: An 8-week Journey to Living Fully Loved

In this Bible Story, we are able to read the letters written by Paul to the church in Thessalonica. Paul encourages them to continue in their pursuit of a quiet and peaceful life that honors God. This story is inspired by Acts 17. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is Acts 17:23 from the King James Version.Episode 233: Paul, Silas, and Timothy were teaching at a synagogue in Thessalonica. Crowds from all over gathered there to hear what they had to say and many came to a saving faith in Jesus. Yet some of the Jews were angered by this change and hired a mob to find Paul and kill him. When the mob couldn’t find Paul they brought out Jason instead and had him beaten. Meanwhile, the rest of the believers encouraged Paul, Silas, and Timothy to flee to Berea. There was peace for Silas and Timothy there, but Paul moved on to Athens where he would reason with God-fearing Greeks and be brought before the Areopagus.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world’s greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.