Called in a Market Place of Ideas

called in a marketplace of ideas I thought what does that mean and I do agree with Jim Jim said

about prayed about alpha not just being an exchange of ideas and I thought us being called

to a marketplace of ideas is not merely about us adding to the exchange of ideas

called to the marketplace of ideas is our calling is to witness to the gospel witness to the good news

of Jesus Christ and to proclaim the truth so we don't just add another idea into the melting pot

and let them all mix up and settle together our calling is to come in and to speak truth and

proclaim the good news to people and so I thought okay if our call to that marketplace for ideas is

to witness to the truth of the gospel then I took the word witness that just happens to have seven

letters and I started to think about all those self-help books out there that are seven habits of

the most effectively successful amazingly beautiful gorgeous people in the world

I thought well that's obviously talking about us witness we are going to look at seven

habits of the apostle Paul and how he witnessed and I've used the word witness as an anachron so

if you remember anything today you might just remember one letter the letter that what I'm going to say

related to it speaks to you the most okay so I'll give you permission to just remember one letter

or you can remember all seven it's up to you so in the reading that Kate read we see Paul

in Athens and the reason he's in Athens is because he's been preaching around Greece and every time he

preaches with Timothy and Silas and all the rabble rousers start a riot and get them kicked out of the town that

they're in and so eventually he ends up in Athens on his own and while Timothy and Silas have waited

have stayed in Berea where he was before and Paul is in Athens simply just waiting for his friends to come and join him

and while he's there he gets this opportunity to go to Mars Hill and to speak at the Oropagus of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus

that was his marketplace at that time in Athens while he was just waiting for his friends so we're going to look at the tools that he used

in the hope that we will then be equipped to use those tools that are available for us when we are in our marketplace

so W

in Athens Paul was watchful

he didn't just go down the beach and have a pint and kick back his heels while he was waiting for his mates to turn up

he may have done at some point but what we read in Acts 17 is that Paul went around looking at all the statues that were in the city

and the Roman author Pliny records that there was 73,000 idols in the city

I think Paul would have had sensory overload at all that idolatry that was going on

but he didn't just look and get disgusted and indignant and leave

he allowed what he was seeing to be discerning in his spirit

and the word tells us that

the NIV says he felt distressed

but the King James says that he felt stirred up in his spirit

now

I read that

not that he was just fed up and miffed about it

but actually he was stirred up and he was

as he was looking around

watching how the people live and watching what they do

he was starting to get excited

and he was like bring it on

this is an opportunity for me to speak to these people the truth

because then as we read eventually in the passage

he even sees

a statue to the unknown God

and straight away Paul's mind and spirit is on it

thinking well

they might not know who they're worshipping but I know who he is

so

I want to just encourage you wherever your marketplace is

to be watchful

and discerning

and to discern the spiritual temperature that's going on around you

he didn't stop there

he decided that he was going to speak to these people

and in his speaking to them

he was totally and utterly inclusive

that's my eye

he was inclusive

he spoke to the Epicureans

and he spoke to the Stoics

now the Epicureans believe that the universe is the result of some big cosmic accident

that gods are simply atomic compounds like all the other objects

and that actually these gods prefer to live in blissful happiness

than to interfere with humans or the world in any way

the Epicureans believe that the sole purpose of human existence was pleasure

and that this could only be achieved by avoiding all competition

which often causes jealousy or failure

and is not pleasurable

or any intense emotional commitment that could result in pain and turmoil

also not pleasurable

I'm sure if we think we all know someone like that

in fact they probably come to your mind right now

that person who always takes the path of least resistance

the one that will do anything for a quiet life

never wants to get involved

always wants to just stay in the background

and enjoy whatever it is they enjoy

and on the other extreme

Paul had Stoics in front of him

they believe in materialistic and deterministic beliefs

to them God was just a force

a principle acting on the material world

always present in all matter that we can touch

nothing to them existed outside of their own material world

and everything that happened was just for the fate

a result of fate for the good of the world

evil didn't exist to the Stoics

because even the natural disasters that we've prayed about today

they saw them as a result of providential fate

and also believed that ultimately

it would be for the good of the universe in some way

and I think we all know people like that as well

que sera sera people

whatever will be will be

they don't have any sense of purpose or direction

or feel any motivation to affect change in any way

because what's the point?

what's going to happen is going to happen

so in those two extremes

and probably everybody in between

on that momentum

Paul was faced with those in his marketplace

as I'm sure we all are

and we might be thinking

well what's you know

how can we share the gospel with people like that?

how can we share the gospel with people

who just want an easy life

when we know Christ is going to ask them

to deny themselves

take up their cross and follow him?

how can we share the gospel with people

who believe in fatalistic happenings in their life

when we know that God calls us to be vessels of change

and to implement change

and God wants to bring transformation through us

nonetheless Paul included all of them

and was willing to answer all of their questions

so I want to encourage you

don't be exclusive in your marketplace

be inclusive

include everyone

now the marketplace to Athens

was a place where

the marginalised

and what the Greeks called

the low life rabble rousers

hung out

they were people who

very often had no employment

and so they would just hang out

in the marketplace all day

hoping that someone would eventually

give them a day's work

and earlier in chapter 17

we actually read

that the people Paul was speaking to

go to the marketplace

and get all these rabble rousers together

and incite them to cause the riot

so I just wanted to drop that in

that wherever you are

there are going to be marginalised people

somewhere in your marketplace

and I want to encourage you to include them

and to just not overlook their presence

and not be frightened to share the gospel

with people who you may not otherwise associate with

Paul was watchful

he was inclusive

and he was also typical

this was a typical day for Paul

verse 17 tells us that he went day by day

this was his regular habit

it wasn't a once a year occasion

or only when he really had to

when he couldn't wriggle out of it

this was his normal everyday expectation

that he would come across people

that he would have an opportunity

to share the gospel with

and this is how we build up our spiritual muscle

by making it a habit

if we're frightened to witness

I want to encourage you

witness more

because you get less and less frightened of it

the more you do it

I'm petrified of the gym

I never ever go to the gym

people tell me if I went

I would love it

I'm not sure about that

but I am telling you

the more you witness

the more you see the point of it

and we sang in one of the songs

the sound of hearts returning to you

that's what witnessing is about

when you get to hear that

a heart returning to the Lord

and you realise that actually

God is asking us to witness

not because he's testing us

but because he loves them

and it's an excuse for a party

who doesn't love an excuse for a party

I love a party

I love music

I love to dance

and I feel like that's what heaven is like

just waiting for a heart

to turn back to the Lord

because the word tells us that

every time that happens

the angels in heaven rejoice

and they throw a party

and we get to be part of that

that's what witnessing is about

it isn't a test of you

of what you know

and of how good you are

it's God's heart

for the person

that he's put in front of you

to speak to

because he loves them

and he wants their heart

to return to him

Paul was watchful

inclusive

typical

and he was non-judgmental

he preferred to commend

rather than condemn

he commended the Athenians

for their religiousness

and their piety

he didn't condemn them

for idolatry

he said

when he got the opportunity

to stand up and talk to them

he said

I see that you're all very religious

because you've got 73,000 statues

to gods

in the town

he didn't say

you're a bunch of idol worshippers

he didn't condemn them

if we want people

to listen to us

we can't condemn them

we have to

start where they are

we have to find a point

to connect with them on

that's why I felt

really deeply

in my spirit today

that the Lord

was not wanting

to condemn us

when we speak about

witnessing people

straight away

think

oh

I'm going to get told off

because I don't do it enough

that isn't what this is about

this is about

looking at how

the Apostle Paul does it

and saying

oh yeah

I could do that

and taking those tools

and equipping ourselves

to do what I think

actually

we all really want to do

deep down

we want to share

the good news of Jesus

because we know

it's good news

so he didn't judge

but he was eager

he was eager

and ready

to answer

the questions

that were thrown at him

and to explain

exactly what it was

that he believed

I thought about

answering questions

I thought

can we really

invite people

in this season

of invitation

that we're in at church

can we invite people

to a counter-cultural

accountability

because that's what

I think we're doing

in the world

people are used to

pleasing themselves

doing what they think

is right

living autonomously

and what we're asking

them to do

is join

this family

of God

join a community

that actually

holds accountability

very highly

we are accountable

to God

we are accountable

to one another

and nobody

seems to be

asking that

I don't get

many non-Christians

come up to me

and say

can you tell me

where I can go

to be accountable

or who I can be

accountable to

so I wondered

can we answer

questions that aren't

even being asked

but then I thought

well Paul did

the Athenians

were quite happy

to worship

an unknown God

they didn't seem

bothered

that they didn't

know who he was

but Paul came

and answered

that question

without them

asking it

and questions

can be really

scary

because what

we think of

is I'm not

going to know

the answer

I don't know

that I'm not

knowledgeable enough

and they can

frighten us

but the Lord

told his disciples

in Luke 21

make up your mind

not to worry

beforehand

how you will

defend yourselves

for I will

give you words

and wisdom

that none

of your adversaries

will be able

to resist

or contradict

God has promised

he'll tell us

what to say

and it isn't

always the answer

to the question

that's being asked

years ago

I used to run

an open coffee

morning in the

church

and I saw

a big motorbike

pull up

in the car park

one morning

and a man

got off

took his helmet

off

and stood

in the middle

of the car park

and looked around

and he looked

clearly lost

he was a tall

fair haired

handsome young man

and he just kept

looking around

this little car park

so I went out

to him

and I said

morning

can I help you

and he couldn't

look at me

he looked up

straight away

and he started

mumbling

and I immediately

thought

he's not well

there's something

troubling him

so I said to him

what's your name

and he said

my given name

is Carl

but my real name

is the pale horse

rider death

of the apocalypse

and he couldn't

look at me

he was looking

like this

my real name

is the pale horse

rider death

of the apocalypse

at which point

my heart started pounding

my palms

started sweating

I felt the blood

draining from me

and I said to him

like every good

British person would

do you want to come

and have a cup of tea

so he came in the church

with me

and I made him

a cup of tea

and he sat down

and I rang across

to the office

and got one of the

male pastors

to come over

and I was just

quietly praying

while Carl

was just

pouring out

his heart

about how God

had called him

to be the antichrist

and he didn't want

the job

but someone

had to do it

and he needed

to know

what the call

involved

what did it mean

to be the pale horse

rider death

of the apocalypse

and the male pastor

that I'd asked

to come

tried to

explain

revelation

to him

but

I actually

don't think

the pastor

had a clue

what he was

talking about

and didn't

know anything

about what

this young lad

was asking

and he was

really deeply

troubled

and serious

about what

he wanted

to know

and at a

certain point

I thought

I've got to

stop this

so I said

to him

Carl

I said

can I tell

you what

I know

so he looked

at me

all hopeful

and he said

yeah

and I said

to him

I don't

know anything

about the

pale horse rider

death of the

apocalypse

but I do

know

that you

are not

him

I do

know

that God

has a plan

and a purpose

for your life

that is for your

good and not

for your harm

I do

know

that he loves

you

and he wants

to be in

right relationship

with you

and I just

began to speak

to him

about what

I do

know

not what

I don't

know

about

who would

do that

who would

talk about

what they

don't know

nobody wants

to do that

but I thought

I do know

the truth

and I do

know the

gospel

and I just

began to

share that

with him

and I

watched his

demeanour

change

and this

heaviness

lifted off

him

and he

began to

just

kind of

sink a

little bit

his shoulders

went down

he relaxed

his face

relaxed

he stopped

babbling

and he began

to just

listen

and at a

certain point

I said to him

can I pray

with you

and we

prayed

and it was

a really

powerful

encounter

that he had

with the

Lord

and he

went off

peaceful

a few

weeks later

he came

back

just to

tell me

that he

was well

and he'd

obviously

been off

his meds

then

but after

I'd prayed

with him

he could

think

clearly

and he

was able

to go

back to

his doctor

and he

got back

on some

medication

and he

he came

well

and said

to me

I just

wanted to

say

I have

never

heard

anything

so powerful

in all

my life

as those

things you

were telling

me

the gospel

the good

news

and how

simple

is it

we know

that Jesus

came

as a man

we know

that he

was crucified

and that he

rose again

and we know

that his

desire

is for

all of

us

to know

him

and receive

eternal

life

that's

what we

we are

able to

share with

people

and that's

all that

Paul did

share with

people

when he

stood up

and spoke

to the

Athenians

he was

watchful

inclusive

typical

non-judgmental

and eager

and he

was also

sensitive

to their

cultural

environment

he started

where they

were at

with that

statue

to the

unknown

God

he didn't

crack open

his Torah

and unravel

all his

scrolls

and start

reading

deep

Jewish

tradition

to them

he started

where they

were at

and sometimes

I think

we get

frightened

of doing

that

we feel

like

there's

this

sacred

secular

divide

but actually

all truth

belongs

to God

I wonder

if God

has ever

spoken to

you

through a

song

in the

charts

on the

radio

or a

film

that you've

watched

or a

book

you've

been

reading

I know

that he

has me

and I

think

if God

can speak

through

a donkey

to Balaam

then God

can speak

through a

pop song

or a

film

or a

statue

to an

idol

or something

that someone

else is

connecting

with

God can

use that

to speak

to them

so be

sensitive

to the

culture

of your

marketplace

be sensitive

to the

culture

of the

people

that you

are

witnessing

to

be

creative

and remember

that all

truth belongs

to God

and lastly

Paul was

steadfast

he was

bold

in proclaiming

the gospel

he was

willing to

risk his

reputation

because we

hear that

they sneered

at him

they said

what's this

fool babbling

about

but he

wasn't

witnessing

to make

himself

look big

or clever

he was

witnessing

for their

benefit

so that

they could

meet the

God

that he

had

encountered

he was

willing to

risk his

reputation

and his

freedom

he was

always being

thrown in

prison

but it

didn't

matter

he was

steadfast

and resolute

in his

eagerness

to proclaim

the good

news

and so

really I

want to

just encourage

you that

wherever you

are

whatever your

marketplace

is

God is

already at

work there

even though

you might not

know it

we learn

a lot at

college about

missio day

the mission

of God

if we want

people to

come to

faith how

much more

does God

want them

to know

him and

so he's

already about

the business

of gently

revealing

himself to

them he

would have

already been

at work in

people's

lives and

Paul starts

there where

they are what

do they know

and then he

talks about

the two

areas where

God has

clearly

revealed

himself

already

through

creation

and through

our human

consciousness

everyone

who connects

with creation

and nature

knows that

there's something

beyond themselves

something

someone bigger

than them

involved in

the order of

creation and

everyone has

an inner

consciousness

and Paul

talks about

it and says

God is going

to call you

to repentance

for the things

that you've

done wrong

and you can

do that because

Christ died

and rose

again and

so he just

simply shares

the gospel but

he starts where

they're at and

he moves them

to a place where

they can see

oh yeah that

is God

I was at

college and

lived with

four other

people one

of the girls

hated me

she really

detested me

and one night

we were all

sitting in the

lounge and

debating

something and

she was so

angry with me

she flung a

plant pot across

the room just

whistling past

my ear and it

smashed up the

wall and she

screamed at me

we've all been

talking about you

and we're all

sick to death

of this I love

the Lord

business and

she stormed out

the room and

slammed the

door I

went into my

room and I

wept all night

I wept and

wept and wept

and I planned

and plotted all

night to lock

everybody in the

lecture room the

next day and

say you're not

leaving till you

tell me to my

face what you've

been saying behind

my back but

before it was

time to get up

before the crack

of dawn there

was a knock on

my bedroom door

I hadn't slept

all night I'd

been plotting

and I opened

the door and

it was Marie

this girl

weeping outside

my door and

she said I'm

lost and I

need God and

I know that you

can show me

where he is

and she came

in and sat

on my bed and

I was able to

pray and lead

her to the

Lord and she

never ever liked

me not from

that day to

this so I got

her involved in

another church

and she met

the worship

leader and

fell in love

with him they

got married a

year later

they've got two

kids they live

in Swansea

happily ever

after really

involved with

their church

but we're still

not friends

and that's

okay we

don't witness

to make people

like us we

witness because

we have good

news and we

want to share

that with

other people

watchful

inclusive

typical

non-judgmental

eager

sensitive

and steadfast

whichever one

of those the

Lord has been

speaking to you

about this

morning take

it away pray

into it and

asking for the

opportunity and

the open eyes to

see that

opportunity in

your marketplace

over the coming

days

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you