Mission to the Athenians

Shall we pray?

Father, we ask that by your Spirit you'd help us be attentive,

help us to be trusting in you,

trusting that you speak to us through your written word,

by your Holy Spirit working in us and among us,

and we ask for mercy and grace to see the need around us

as we think about mission,

and we thank you for your word and this message Paul gave in the Areopagus,

and we ask that it would be a living word for us today as well.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Modern Athens, if you've been there,

you'll have maybe seen all the tourists or joined in with all the tourists

who flocked up to the Acropolis with their cameras and guidebooks.

Some will then make their way, as I did some years back,

over to the Areopagus where Paul gave the sermon we just heard read.

And nearly 20 centuries divide us from that moment,

but the challenge he gave, I think,

is very, very much the same for us today as it was then.

Last Sunday we thought about mission,

where we find ourselves,

using text in 1 Peter 2,

and we thought about how we as a royal priesthood

and holy nation set apart by God

are called to proclaim the excellencies

of our God, of our living God.

And we do this recognizing that he's called us out of darkness

and into his marvelous light, 1 Peter 2, 9.

A guiding question,

an overarching question for us this morning,

is this.

How do we connect mission where we are

to the task of taking the gospel to the ends of the earth

until the end of the age?

How do we think them into each other, if you like?

That's an overarching question that we'll run through

and also we'll come back to at the end.

And I think the question has to be asked

because we have tended toward one extreme

or another in thinking about mission.

Let's call one extreme localism.

If we're localists,

we tend only to focus on the task

as it faces us where we are.

We're guided by the motto,

bloom where you're planted,

or as we sang in Sunday school,

brighten the corner where you are.

But we don't tend to worry too much

about how what we're doing here

relates to the witness and needs and concerns

of Christians in other places and times.

We lack a global perspective, in other words.

But then there's another extreme,

and that's the globalist one itself.

If we're globalists,

and I know that's a loaded word these days,

but if we're globalists in this sense,

when it comes to mission,

we tend to think that all the real work

is someplace else,

not here in our own town or city.

Some promoters of mission,

and I've known many,

and they're well-meaning to be sure,

have sometimes given the impression

that you'll surely waste your life

if you don't get on the next plane or ship

to a faraway place,

checking your casket along with your two pieces of luggage.

And what we need, of course,

is to get local and global in right relationship.

Typically, we've thought of missions

as going in one direction,

from the West, Western culture,

to the rest of the nations.

But now we realize that the practice

of sending workers to identified special fields,

as a term I used last time,

is the practice of churches all around the globe.

In other words, our global here

is another church's local,

and vice versa.

For instance, post-Christian Ottawa

can be just as much a special field

for the Christian student from Peru or Uganda,

as a predominantly Hindu deli was for me and Stella

when we lived there for three years.

I say these can be special fields

because it's quite possible to go there

or come here physically

and still not arrive as a special field worker.

Just as it was tempting for John Stott

to say nothing to that man on the train in Wales,

if you remember from last Sunday,

it's equally tempting for me and Stella

to sail through one of her two- to four-year postings abroad

as virtual tourists,

as just one more expatriate couple passing through.

And with that, I think we can turn back to our text in Acts,

which records one moment

in the history of the gospel going to the nations.

And we want to look at two things.

What did Paul say to the Athenians there?

And how is the message a word for us today?

So let's look at the context.

What occasioned his message in verses 16 to 21?

Well, here he is in Mathens.

He's on his second missionary journey.

His first had taken him basically just to Turkey,

modern-day Turkey.

And in this second trip,

which begins in Jerusalem,

he's gone as far as Macedonia.

So he's gone much further west

to Philippi, to Thessaloniki,

to Berea,

which you read about in the first part of Acts 17,

and then down to Athens

before heading eastwards to Ephesus,

back into Turkey, modern-day Turkey,

and then back to Jerusalem.

While he's in Athens,

he can't help but notice something.

The city is full of idols, as we read.

So he sits down and he writes in his travel journal,

Athens, a city full of idols.

Fascinating.

What grandeur in the temples.

What a remarkable,

what remarkable form and beauty in the statues.

Right?

No.

I made that up, right?

Because that's not what happened at all.

The images and statues of the many gods

literally, literally,

tore him up inside.

That's what the text says.

His spirit was provoked within him.

Maybe he doesn't quite state it.

Other translations say greatly distressed.

Casiodoro de Reina,

the fellow who I've been studying,

a Spanish Protestant reformer,

in his translation of this,

says,

Su Espíritu,

and I know we have a few who speak Spanish here,

Su Espíritu se deshacia en él.

His spirit was disintegrating inside him.

The many shrines spoke of a city

that was given over to idolatry.

So, what did Paul decide to do about this?

Well, he decided to raise the issue.

In fact, he raised it daily, the text says.

First, he discussed the matter with who?

Well, the Jewish people.

That's who you went to first.

And he discussed the matter with the Jewish leaders,

along with those God-fearers that we know of,

who were drawn into the orbit of the synagogue,

and who were listening to the things and ways of God,

but not Jewish.

They were God-fearing Gentiles.

So, he discussed it with them, too.

And then, he would go into the marketplace

and discuss it with whoever he happened to meet there.

And at some point,

enter, here we are on a stage,

enter some very learned philosophers

into these conversations.

Their passion is for novelty.

And they were curious.

Along with all the other expats there in Athens,

who were from Rome and who knows where else,

these thinkers didn't want to miss out

on any of the latest ideas

that might be coming around their way.

And there were two groups among these philosophers.

We read the Epicureans,

and well done, Matt, pronouncing these.

The Epicureans believed that gods

were not involved in the world,

and believed in the pursuit of pleasure.

The Stoics said, no.

The good life has to be disciplined,

has to be virtuous.

And as for their understanding of God,

well, the Stoics didn't have God

way up far off and remote.

The Stoics had God enmeshed in creation,

God and creation basically confused.

Someone among them decided to dismiss Paul as a babbler,

as if to say, well, this guy's really unsophisticated.

But someone else said, wait,

let's hear him out,

because he seems to be talking about some new gods

that we might really want to know about.

They go by the names Resurrection and Jesus.

So they brought him to the Areopagus

so he could explain things formally to the group.

Once there,

and we know,

and we're now moving into the message itself,

starting there in verse 22,

Paul does something quite remarkable.

Ultimately,

he uses the opportunity to address the people

on the matter that troubles him the most,

which we've seen,

their idolatry.

But he doesn't actually start there.

Had he been addressing a Jewish audience,

he would have started with the Old Testament,

with the Hebrew scriptures.

But he uses natural religion,

if you like,

or natural revelation as a kind of bridge.

The bridge isn't just the fact

that they have an altar

that's dedicated to the unknown God.

That's part of it.

The bridge is that general seeking after God

that is common to all humanity.

It's a general religiosity, if you like,

which is manifested in a desire

to make sense of things,

such as divine providence,

the fact that God rules the earth,

that God governs the world

that he made and loves.

We know Paul has this in mind

when we read verse 26.

Where he says that God

has determined allotted periods

and the boundaries of our dwelling place.

And they have a sense of this.

They have a sense of this truth.

And that's why they have,

their philosophers, that is,

their poets,

have come up with phrases like,

in God we live and move and have our being.

And we are his offspring.

In other words,

their best wisdom

had led them to conclude

that God was close at hand

and that humans,

in some way,

were like God.

And of course,

Paul can affirm this.

These true things

that God has revealed

through natural means.

But then,

at that point,

he starts to challenge them,

doesn't he?

He tells them that God

is maker of all things.

He's not part of creation.

He's not one item within it.

He tells them that God

is sovereign Lord

of heaven and earth.

In other words,

he's not in any way

limited by it.

He tells them that God

is not in need of anything.

Rather,

we need him.

We depend on him.

And he says that God

is not to be thought of

as contained in anything.

or pictured as

any created thing.

Now,

the Epicureans

would have

been tracking

a little bit

with some of that.

They probably

enjoyed hearing

that God

does not need anything.

To that extent,

they were going along.

But not so

with the Stoics

who had God

confused with the world.

And this spoke directly

to their confusion.

But Paul continues,

and this time

he challenges

the Epicureans as well

because he tells them

that God

from one man

made the nations

and guides them

providentially.

And this went directly

against their belief

that God

was not involved

in his creation,

that things were

governed by chance.

And it also

contradicted

the Athenian belief

that the Athenians

themselves

had sprung up

from where?

Well,

from their own soil

directly.

Attica.

So what do

all these things

imply about

their religion

and what God

now requires

of them?

Well,

as far as

their religion

goes,

Paul says

that it belongs

to that period

of ignorance,

that period

of sins,

which in Romans 3

he says

is a time

that God

passed over

in order

to display

what?

To display

his righteousness

in Jesus.

When it comes

to what God

requires,

Paul says

that the

grand event

of Jesus'

resurrection

from the dead,

which anticipates

the judgment

of the world

by Jesus,

means that

all people

everywhere

must now

turn from

their sins.

And on that

occasion,

well,

most hearts

remained hard.

We can say

that their

tradition,

the weight

of their

tradition

was weighed

heavy.

Their greatest

minds had

taught them

to think,

well,

a body

is evil.

And so

that resurrection

was really

quite out

of the question.

It sounded

like just

sheer nonsense.

And only

a few

on that

occasion

believed

in Paul's

message

as we read.

So,

let's move

from that

to our

second question.

How is this

a word

for today?

I think

it's a word

for us

in three

possible ways.

it's a word

for us

this morning

if we've

wandered

into Athens

and we've

gotten lost

in the city.

It's a word

for us

this morning

if we've

gone to

Athens

as mere

tourists.

And Paul's

message is a

word for us

today if we're

asking what

is our

place in

the task

of taking

the gospel

to the

nations.

So let's

start with

the first.

Getting

lost in

Athens.

As many

of you

I expect

know,

the story

of Christianity

has been

described as

the story

of two

cities.

Athens,

Jerusalem,

and Athens.

Others

have taken

that up

and identified

other major

cities

further on

down the

road,

but fundamentally

Jerusalem

and Athens.

Jerusalem

stands for

our foundation

in the

prophets

and apostles

and in

the mighty

deeds of

God

in history.

Whereas

Athens

stands for

what?

Well,

Athens

stands for

human

wisdom,

traditions

of men,

all understood

as a kind

of evolving

work in

progress.

So Paul

can say

to Timothy,

he already

notes that,

he can say

always learning

and never

able to

arrive at

the knowledge

of the

truth.

Always

learning,

but never

able to

sink your

teeth into

truth and

grasp it.

What makes

Christianity a

story of

the two

cities is

that our

marching

orders from

the beginning

involve learning

how to

announce,

how to

proclaim a

message that

originates in

Jerusalem,

but in

such a way

that Athenians

might be able

to understand

it and turn

to the living

God along

with us.

But sadly,

we sometimes

forget those

marching orders

and we get

lost in

Athens.

And here are

six steps we

might take to

do that.

Now, please

note, this is

going to sound

like I'm trying

to promote

these ideas.

I once got in

trouble because I

took the approach

of Uncle Screwtape

in an article I

wrote and I

had it posted

online and

all the, you

know how you

can read the

comments down

below and

they said,

this man's a

heretic, let's

get him out of

here.

And I

wasn't actually

advocating these

views, I was

expressing them

as how we

might get

lost in

Athens, right,

if we weren't

careful.

Step one,

concerning Jesus,

consider the

thought that what

matters most

about him is

an idea, the

idea of

mediation between

God and

humanity.

Call it

logos, call it

reason, which

means reason,

but don't ground

it in any

particular moment

in history.

When it comes

to the teaching

about his

death and

resurrection,

well, don't

get bogged

down in

discussions about

the tomb and

whether it got

emptied or not.

Consider that

what really

matters is that

he now lives

in our hearts.

Step two,

concerning God

and creation.

Consider the

possibility that

we can't really

know God as

he is in

himself because

really all we

have are these

images, these

metaphors that we

all invented.

And from

there, consider

how beneficial

this metaphor

might be in

our ecological

age, creation

as God's

body.

Just as I

am my body,

but more, so

the universe is

God's body, but

more.

That will help

us get away from

the idea of that

distant God.

After all, didn't

Paul affirm that

in him we live

and move and

have our being?

step three,

concerning the

Holy Spirit.

Try on the

idea that the

word, well,

that belongs to

the past.

Well, it's the

spirit who now

guides us in the

present.

This will help us

get away from

the idea that

Christianity is all

about things you

have to believe.

When we know

that beliefs,

well, they

basically just

divide people.

Well, the lived

experience of

walking in the

spirit unites us.

speaking of

walking, consider

the possibility

that the past

and the future

are an illusion.

As the Spanish

poet said,

Caminante no

hay camino,

which as a

poem as a

whole teaches

us this,

Pilgrim, there

is no road as

such, since

roads are things

we ourselves make

as we walk

them.

What this means

is that we

should not go

looking for

truth in the

past, in past

events.

We shouldn't

look for truth

in promises

that point us

to the future,

since it's

really only in

the present

that we can

know things

at all.

Step four,

concerning prayer.

With the idea

of being attentive

to the spirit,

consider that our

regular habit in

prayer should be

to let go of

thoughts, words,

and emotions,

as one little

booklet teaches

as we approach

God.

In this way,

the spirit can

speak to our

hearts directly,

bypassing things

that have been

written down.

Step five,

concerning justice,

as we learn to

live in the

present and

discover our

deep unity

with the spirit,

consider the

possibility that

evil is something

that's not really

mainly inside us,

but out there in

the world,

manifested in the

various isms that

we want to

eradicate, like

racism and

sexism and

heterosexism and

casteism and

elitism and

all such things.

Step six,

concerning hope.

When it comes to

the question of

hope beyond this

life, consider

that our deepest

intuitions tell us

this, death is

not the enemy,

but just a

transition from

one room marked

time and space

to a room marked

eternity.

After all,

death means the

release of the

I into the

we so that we

all finally reunite

with the reality

that we came from

and take our

place in the

fullness of God's

body.

That would be a

lost in Athens

catechism for us

if that's what we

chose to let

happen.

Take these things

to heart and I

can assure you that

you will be lost

in Athens.

I have encountered

it in so many

different ways,

trying to think

Christianly about

different things

and that kind

of encapsulates

it as best I

can tell.

In fact,

if you take

these things to

heart, when you

are lost in

Athens and you

recall Jerusalem,

you'll think of

that city

basically as a

crutch that you

needed in your

spiritual infancy.

God's word is

so let's suppose

that we say a

big no to all

of that.

Let's suppose

that we believe

that Jesus rose

bodily from the

grave, that God

is not in any

way confused with

creation, and

that by the spirit

God's word is real

and active in the

present.

Let's say we

believe that.

Let's also suppose

that we believe

that prayer begins

with listening to

God as he's

revealed himself in

his word.

word.

Let's suppose

that we believe

that communities

will only change

as people repent

and turn to

Jesus.

Let's suppose

finally that death

is a real enemy,

but one that

Jesus has defeated

on the cross,

so that if we

are united to him

in his death and

resurrection, we

don't have to fear

death, but we

have a living hope.

And let's suppose

that we keep our

Jerusalem passports,

but decide we

might spend a few

weeks in Athens

as tourists.

Here's what I

think Paul's

message says to

us in that case.

Consider the

lostness of the

Athenians, which

is the same thing

as saying,

consider the

lostness of your

condition before

God's grace in

Christ came to

you.

God's grace in

the past.

The fact that God

overlooked the

idolatry of the

past is no reason

to trivialize the

idolatry.

Paul was deeply

troubled about it.

He could see past

that excellent

craftsmanship and

declare that the

idol worship of the

people of Athens

was demonic.

If you think that's

too strong a word,

have a look over at

what he says in

1 Corinthians 10-15.

what pagan

sacrifice they

offered to demons

and not to God.

I don't want you,

Corinthians, to

participate with

demons.

John Stott records

in that little book

I mentioned last

time how Henry

Martin, a 19th

century missionary

to India, reacted

to the worship

which he observed

there among

Hindus.

As it happened,

he had taken up

residence in an

abandoned

Hindu temple.

And he wrote

this, he wrote

that as he

watched people

prostrating themselves

before their

images, he said

this excited more

horror in me than

I can well

express.

Well, why the

horror?

Stott says that

like Paul in

Athens, Henry

Martin was

motivated by a

passionate love for

the name of

Christ.

And I'll quote

from that book

again.

And here's

where Stott

brings us to

Acts chapter

Acts 17 · chapter mention

17.

In the synagogue

with the

religious, in the

marketplace with

the casual

passers-by, and

on the Areopagus

with the

philosophers, the

apostle preached

the gospel

persuasively and

diligently.

It was

jealousy for the

name of God and

of Christ, profaned

by heathen

idolatry, which

gave him his

zeal for

evangelism.

Indeed, jealousy

and zeal are

the same word.

He burned with

longing that the

Athenians should

know and honor the

God they either

ignorantly worshipped

or actually, by

their idolatry,

denied.

So what's this

business of in

the name?

What's in the

name?

Stott says that

love for Jesus'

name is not a

sentimental attachment

either to his

personal name,

Jesus, or even

to his official

title, Christ, or

to any other

designations in

scripture, a

sentimental attachment

of feelings.

Instead, it's a

concern for the

honor, for his

honor in the

world.

And so what

Stott's implying in

all this is that

we may have to put

our image of God

to the test.

It's true that

God is love and

all love, not just

in part.

His nature is

love.

But it's precisely

because of his

love that he's

jealous.

Think of this.

Think of it if

someone is trying

to insert

themselves as a

third party into

a marriage

relationship.

It's actually

unloving to

tolerate that

person who

would attempt to

do that.

And it's

profoundly out of

love that God

is a jealous

God, that he's

intolerant of

worship of other

gods.

I am the Lord,

he says through

Isaiah.

That is my name.

My glory I give

to no other.

So let's turn to

the third way that

Paul's message can

speak to us today.

As God's spirit

reminds us of his

holiness, of his

desire that all

people everywhere

should turn to

him as the living

God and that

Christ is our one

hope in life and

death as we

sometimes sing.

I think we can be

encouraged and

challenged to go to

the nations with a

love for Jesus'

name.

The Epicurean

Society, if we can

call it that today,

is alive and well.

For modern

Epicureans, God is

not a God really for

us because he's

seen fit to just

let nature run its

course.

we're on our own

and we're left to be

confident in our own

powers.

The Stoic Society is

alive and well too.

For modern Stoics,

there's no misguided

worship in the end

because all things are

divine.

So Epicurean and

Stoic bring us to the

same place as does any

man-made religion.

We're left with an

inflated sense of our

own capacity to know

what is true and good

and lovely and we let

ourselves off the hook

all the time.

So what are we called,

to what then are we

called as we go out to

make contact with such

people?

Well, we're called to

burn with a zeal for

God's glory, first and

foremost.

Yes, we respond to

Jesus' command and we

obey.

But what really,

really, really motivates

us is the zeal for

God's glory, that God's

glory will be manifested

more and more.

It involves recognizing

that apart from faith,

trust in Jesus, we're,

as Paul says in Ephesians

2, we're without hope and

without God in the world.

And it involves praying,

praying for openings to

raise the issue with

modern Athenians.

And it involves doing some

homework because we need

to get to know their

world of ideas, their

habits, and their

worship, since all of

these are bound up

together.

It involves accepting

their offers to speak

when they come.

And it involves declaring

what they most certainly

won't want to hear, but

trusting that the Spirit

might use that very

testimony to change

their hearts and their

minds.

So, let me raise our

guiding question once

again.

What does the local task

have to do with the

global one?

You're probably wondering.

I've left you wondering,

I hope.

Paul's visit to Athens

represents one moment in

the story of the early

global movement, the

Jerusalem to Athens

movement.

Is that moment, is that

movement still a global

one today?

Well, Jesus says in

Matthew 24 that the

end will come when the

gospel has been preached

to all nations, to all

people groups.

And the last time I

checked, the end

hasn't come.

Therefore, we can

conclude that the

gospel is still going to

the nations.

That would be the

short version.

So, is that going to

the nations a local or

global task?

What's the answer?

Yes.

Right?

And local and global

really only make sense

when we hold them

together.

When we think them into

each other.

So, how do we decide

where we fit in?

Whether we should go to

specially identified

fields, far from home

if necessary, or stay

home and reach out and

evangelize modern

Athenians here where we

are.

And I think this, in

this business, there's

going to be two basic

vocations among us or

callings of God on our

lives.

Some of us are going to

be special field people

with a desire to be sent

out from our home

culture and our home

congregation.

And we're going to be

restless until we

actually get on board

with that.

I think that's key.

We're going to be

restless until we get

on board with that.

I figure my parents were

this sort of send me out

people.

Thinking, the sooner the

better.

Mom felt she was called

to foreign missions even

as a young girl.

And dad, well, he was

converted on his way home

from military service in

Germany.

And then, I mean, there

in that moment, even on

his return, he had

dedicated his life to God

and said, whichever way

you see fit, please use

me.

And he wasted no time in

committing himself to

lifelong service in

Mexico.

For him, I think it was

really simple.

He's a straightforward guy.

He said, the need is

great, the workers are

few, the churches here

at home are many, and I'm

available and ready.

That was his thinking

and that's probably what he

would say to me if I asked

him right now.

On the good advice of my

uncle, he didn't go

immediately.

He got some Bible

training.

And the truth is that the

need in so many parts of

the world is great.

I don't have the numbers

right here with me.

But there are people

groups, ethnic groups, in

parts of Africa, right over

to Asia and through the

Middle East, that are

defined as what the

missiologists called

unreached peoples.

They lack, this is what

it means, they lack a

community of Christians

that's able to evangelize

the rest of their people

group without outside

help.

Now, if you think you

might be in that

category vocationally,

then I would just

encourage you to speak to

someone whose life,

whose calling is to a

special field of work.

There are many ways to

serve, whether you're

young or retired or in

between.

And for the younger

crowd, there's the

Logos Hope, which I know

about quite well because of

the ministry my parents

were with.

And it's a good way to

explore spending a year or

two, if you're a younger

person, getting to know

global mission from a ship,

which docks all around

and sends teams out and

has all kinds of jobs for

people on board as well.

Now, apart from special

field people, there are

come over and help

people.

Check out Acts 16, just

before our passage, and the

call that Paul received to

go and help the people in

Macedonia.

That's how he got over

there, right?

These are Christians who

see the great need where

they are and who

acknowledge that God is in

the business of sending

people to help them in

their work, just as much

as he's in the business of

sending people out from

among them.

And you say, well, it

doesn't sound too

efficient, does it?

One sent here, one

received over here.

Why all the coming and

going, especially when we're

trying to cut down on our

carbon footprint?

Well, think of it this

way.

The sending and receiving

reminds us that we're

interdependent as God's

people.

God sees fit.

He has seen fit to bless

us as we receive the

stranger and sojourner in

our midst, receive what

they have to say.

And he also blesses us as

we go and identify with

other cultures for the

sake of the gospel.

So if we belong to the

come over and help us

group here in Ottawa, I

think we can do like

George always says, let's

pray big.

Let's pray for a flood of

godly immigrants whose

testimony is firm.

Along that, let's pray for

the grace to work together

in reaching out to the

Athenians right here in our

city.

And in all of this, and

here I close, may our hope

be fixed on God's

promise to draw the

nations to himself so

that his glory will

finally be over all the

earth in Psalm 57 5.

Amen.

Young, thank you.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

You're welcome.

We'll see you next time.

We'll see you next time.

Halfway to allow for

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