Paul vs. The Philosophers

Passion Creek Church

Paul vs. The Philosophers

October 13, 2024 • Caleb Martinez • Acts 17:16–34

In Acts 17, Paul finds himself in a city very different than what he’s used to. Grand temples, pagan altars, and false idols fill the great city of Athens. When he begins sharing the good news of Jesus with the people of the city, he’s mostly ridiculed. But eventually, he’s invited to share his beliefs in front of a small crowd in the Areopagus court. As Paul explains who the true God really is, he confronts and dismantles the pagan idolatry that fills that city. He proclaims the good news that God is bigger than any temple, can’t be contained in any statue, but is also nearer to us than our very breath. Today, our world is the same as Athens. We can be tempted, like the Athenians, to share devotion that solely belongs to God with other worldviews, religions, and ideologies that oppose the way of Jesus. But to truly seek first the Kingdom means we too must confront and dismantle the idols in our lives and give all of our worship and devotion to the King.

The Making of a Model Church

October 6, 2024 • Trey Van Camp • Acts 17:1–15, 1 Thessalonians 1:1–8, 1 Thessalonians 2:13

As a church planter, Paul was always on the lookout for “foxes” that can ruin the good soil of the Kingdom — things like cynicism, gossip, and bitterness. But when he meets the Thessalonians and the Bereans, he encounters something different. Rather than brushing him off or blindly accepting his message, the Bereans model healthy skepticism. They are students of God’s Word who orient their lives around His truth. Similarly, the church in Thessalonica is later commended by Paul because of their response to the gospel. Rather than simply believing the right things, they commit to living the right way. Today, we can learn from both the Bereans and the Thessalonians. Being students of God’s Word means we have the right theology and the right practice. By reorienting our daily lives in response to the gospel, we too can become a model healthy church free of evil “foxes.”

A Businesswoman, A Slave Girl & A Jailor

September 29, 2024 • Acts 16:15–40

In https://ref.ly/acts%2016;csb?t=biblia, Paul and Silas finally reach Europe. As they arrive, they encounter three different people in different seasons of their lives, yet all in need of the gospel. Lydia, a successful businesswoman, reorients her wealth and resources toward God and his Kingdom. A demon-possessed Slave Girl is set free by the power of Jesus. A Roman Jailor about to take his own life finds both physical and spiritual salvation. In each of these encounters, the outcome is the same: the Kingdom breaks into their everyday lives and changes everything. Like these three people, all of us are in need. Some of us need literal and physical saving, and others of us simply need hope. Regardless of our status, financial situation, or season of life, Jesus promises to meet our needs. But to allow him to do this requires us to surrender our lives, our needs, and our resources to him.

How God Guides Us

September 22, 2024 • Trey Van Camp • Acts 15:35–41, Acts 16:6–10

Most of us know what it’s like to receive a dream from God — we have a sense of purpose, direction, and perseverance to walk in the calling God has laid out for us. But at some point, we hit resistance. Rather than bring us through upward mobility, our God-given dreams bring us through disappointment, difficulty, disagreement, or detours. In these moments, it’s tempting to give up on the dream altogether. The apostle Paul experienced this well. He’d been given a glimpse of what it would look like to participate in bringing God’s Kingdom down from heaven to earth but quickly experienced every kind of setback. But rather than give up on God’s calling over his life, Paul was obedient. By looking at Paul’s story from https://ref.ly/acts%209-16;we?t=biblia learn that God-given dreams come with setbacks. But these are always for our guiding and purging. God’s “no’s” guide us to a better “yes” and purge our souls from sinful passions and desires.