R1504 Standing Strong in the Cross Currents

Standing strong in the crosscurrents. That's today's message from the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton on The Encouraging Word in just a few moments… Taking a straight to the book of acts, chapter 17, but we want you to know we're here for you taking your calls at 866-899-9673 you online and GW online.org you open your Bibles to acts chapter 17 X chapter 17 curators standing strong in the crosscurrents friends.

I want you to get a hold of this as we open God's word because I promise you brought has an Encouraging Word for you.

Just one simple statement today in America we are living in the crossfire of multiple cross currents. It's been like that for many many years.

But today, particularly every kind of philosophy, religion, way of thinking perspective ideology is being thrown it out. People question how do I as a Christian man. Witness in the world in which I live as God's word gives me quite a challenge. This is what God sees to you and me that we ought to be in the world but not all the world. Nowhere does the Bible suggest that you are not going blue. The cave we going live in the cave and shut ourselves off God's word says that as Christian people we ought to be in danger wound in the middle of the crosscurrents available. That's exactly what happened. Poll found himself in the city of Athens. He'd been traveling all over the world telling people about Jesus. And this is what happened. Acts chapter 17 in verse 15.

Those who had accompanied Paul wrote to him as far as Africans and not receiving a Kaman Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible. They departed now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him because he saw that the city was full of idols. And 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 Epicureans and the Stoic philosophers also conversed with him and some of them said what is this babbler wish to say.

Others say it. He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.

And so they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying maybe no. What this new teaching is that you are presenting for. You bring some strange things to our peers.

We wish to know therefore what these things mean not all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived they would spend the time and nothing except telling or hearing something new so poll standing in the midst of the Areopagus sin people of Athens, I perceive that in every way. You are very religious for as our cost along and I observed the objects of your worship. I found also and with this inscription to the unknown God. Therefore, you worship is none.

This I proclaim to you, but God made the world and everything in it being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and brief and everything and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live up on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and having determined the boundaries of each man's dwelling place that they should seek God and perhaps feel they weighed toward him and find him, yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for in him we live and we move and we have our being. For even Athenians as some of your own poets have said, we are indeed of his offspring being within God's offspring. We ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone an image formed by the often imagination of man the times of ignorance God overlooked but now he components all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by man whom he is appointed and of this he has given assurance to all by raising this one from the day when they heard of the resurrection of the dead. Some more, but others see we will hear you again about this.

So Paul went out from the midst but some men joined him and believed in fact, among whom was also Dionysus the Areopagite and a woman named Dan Morris as well as others with them that a wonderful, wonderful story encounter sounds just like us really really does me just tell you something about the Areopagus I would just then not too long ago with the group about people I been there many times the Areopagus today.

It's known as Mars Hill.

It stands just below the Acropolis in Athens if you seen all the pictures of Athens show the temple standing on the hill. It's one of the hallmarks of the great city of Athens, the Areopagus, it was named Mars Hill by the Roman it was a meeting place. It was named Mars Hill off to the God of war and interestingly enough, at Mars Hill this huge rock that I've had the privilege on many occasions of standing there and preaching on that same place. This was where the courts came to sacral issues. The elders of the city would gather their it was the meeting place of philosophy and of religion and of the Lord, the philosophers would, I would give Dennis follows all the things that they believed were important and the religious zealots would come by and they would talk about the varying means of religion, whether they believed in the old the roundness of the so the domicile of the trees all the while on the way breed.

The weather is just simply advise that you feel in the human heart, based upon the nonexistent existence of God. This was the meeting place.

This is way poll found himself a man who was learned could debate with the best of the could get down in the trenches with was considered to be very religious among them, and yet he did not know the Lord Jesus, and he made Jesus and so his poor so my question is one of the new Valley did a number of things. Number one he he was burdened by the you know, in verse 16.

The Bible says that he spirit was provoked within him not. That means that means that when poll came into the cross. Current bothered him just bothered him because he was a Christian man.

He didn't just see the bowl game for the bowl game all your he saw the ballgame but he sold the people who watch the ballgame.

He didn't just here to talk. He sold the people behind the torque. He didn't just hear the questions he was bothered by the bay wall asking why way how many of them were providing the philosophical and religious and legal reasons, providing the basis upon which they could extrapolate and interpret the world in which they live.

He was he was burdened by their didn't mean that he turned and ran buddy was troubled for Paul if it wasn't businesses when he came in and he stood and he looked at the crowd. He really prayed for them before he got because he knew that there were people amongst them didn't know Jesus, please forgive the eruption will be back with the rest of today's message standing strong the crosscurrents with Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment's coming up in its entirety, so don't go away but I pray that you would consider connecting with us in discovering more about who we are at The Encouraging Word our website tewonline.org G is filled with wonderful resources.

Right now the Laura story book and a wonderful surgeon, Dr. Walter being featured right now to be right on the front page TE W online.org with a brand-new website and were discovering new opportunities and ways connect every day that's online@tewonline.org.

We also still continue to connect with people and pray with folks on the phone you don't know our number 8668998668999673 available 24 hours a day is Dr. Donald day happy to be your 2 AM friend if you need to talk or pray with someone need to connect you with some resources to help you grow in your faith, 866-899-9673. Now that today's message with Dr. Don Wilton and you know, he also recognized wasn't just burdened by the name he recognized no verse 17 tells us so he went there and he began to rub shoulders with the very people that he was not any burdened by but that he recognized you know he did he. He recognized what they believed and he recognized what they thought of him infecting this particular passage. There are two groups that are sort of picked out. You may be wondering who they are, epicureans, did you see that in the text. The Epicureans interesting designation for a group of people you know who the Epicureans were back in Paul's day used to hang out there around the Areopagus and permeate the society in which they lived. These were a group of people who Jean Lee believed that God actually did exist, but that God was not interested in humanity, and most certainly was not interested in being involved in human affairs. In fact, the Epicureans very classically head. A main purpose in life. You know the main purpose in life was pleasure.

So now watch this Paul recognize that he knew who he was dealing with.

He knew that he lived in a world where they would've lost numbers of people that they go in life was just pleasure. Go get as much as you can probably just have fun party pictures have one big party. Let's go for it and recognize that you could go to any one of those people and you could cite them dear believed God, and they'd say. But of course we do.

Of course we did. Are you kidding were from Athens wherefrom the most learned world. This is where the big shots come from. This is Greece. This is this is the home of the future.

This is where the monies made. This is the meeting point of the power of the world where it curates course. We believe in God but kidding me. God is not interested in what we do doesn't mind. God doesn't mind it doesn't mind what we do or how we do it, so as not to concern ourselves with what God thinks our whole life is driven by what we think of it. Then there were the Stoics of course the stomachs of course philosophically would've fallen into the category of having someone about a worldview that they would if you'd gone to his stomach and pulls day) Athens, the Stoics believed that God actually is the world's sole that's pretty impressive.

I mean this is this is this is impressive poll care. God is the world's sole but to the stomach. Very high drive in life was to rise above to Trenton seen humanity to get above to show no emotional response either to pleasure or pain lived today. Are you gonna die. They were kind of the original Mardi Gras specialist. The Stoics fused in with the Epicureans employee. He was burdened by them at it just it just bothered him because he sold the sin end and he recognized them. He recognized what they believed, but he also recognized what they thought of him as a result.

See he was a Christian man poll.

Paul love the Lord Jesus, and he knew that these people out there. Some would kind of be very sarcastic with some would Cronbach go from him. Some would listen to him. Some would debate him, but he knew that not a whole lot of them would really just fall out of the window and accepting. How could you accept someone who believed in something so foolish as God rising from the deed. What nonsense this Christian message. Kind of like going overboard with these philosophers. They were religious zealots, many of them believed that the law of the land was the only thing that mattered that they politics would change the world in which they live and they were totally wrong. They were totally wrong. So what about poor well he engaged you know I love that about poll he engaged verses 19 through 21. I mean, he just right there. He didn't walk away.

Just open the front door stood there welcome them, love them and engaged. I'm not putting words into his mouth, but the key not only engage them, buddy.

He connected with them did.

Did you notice in verse 22 in verse 23. I mean, he sees here people of Athens, I perceive in every way that you are a very religious people, you know, I noticed about poll. He didn't get up the engines shaking his finger in break a sweat. He didn't get up there and get out his Bible and just throw it at them. He didn't even say to them look into that. He stood right in the middle of the engage them and then he connected with them how to be connect with them. He spoke they language he spoke a language he said I see that you're a very religious people and then later on in verse 28 mL even your own poets have said, I like that he took their very own words and implanted into that the living truth of the gospel. You see, that's what he did next. He spoke truth to them. Truth verse 24 through verse 31 10, what a sermon's for the message. I mean, he begins right in verse 24. This God made the world and everything in it, and he made you and he placed you is involved with you and he loves you and he engages and he's not far from here Peter spoke the truth. I think he got down to that point in which he said not just you need to understand God the moms that everyone repent of this poll didn't shy away from because it's sin that separates man from God. He was looking at them and saying to them people of Athens. You take God in and through the Lord Jesus asked of your world. You can have nothing life you will implode from within. And that's exactly what happened.

He stood there and he he just simply opened up the gospel and in the final analysis he he left them.

He did what he did and then verse 33 tells us that he went out from the midst.

In other words, what poll did Eddie's front door was just be every bit of who he was and he left the thing do not happen. The Holy Spirit babies work all here. They were someday of the they just couldn't handle this part about the resurrection that Jesus is alive but you know what the Bible tells us that they were quite a number there that began also questions and they were quite a number there that came to know the Lord Jesus and was set free in their lives were changed forever. You know there's enough potential listening to this message to know Christ to turn our world upside down for reasons just by being the people of God that God has caused us to be in the begins with a personal relationship with him doesn't. Indeed, it does the pastor's been preaching.

I pray that you hurt not just Dr. Don Wilton's unique South African broke what you heard the voice of God speaking through his servant Dr. Wilton. In these moments next as he comes in the studio.

It's just from his heart.

I pray you open your heart to a doctor.has to ask, are you ready to give you a heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now.

Dear God, I know that on the center and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sins and by faith I receive you into my phone in Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news. Welcome to the family of God. Some of you I know have prayed, maybe not the specific words Dr. Don Wilton in your heart. You knowing that this is the time to start Jesus to give your life to. We have wonderful resources and friends that will connect to those resources.

On the other end of this phone number 86899. That's 866-899-9673 you'll find that number on the website as well that TW online.org TEW online, we stand ready to see God do some great work in the 2021 ahead of us. As you have committed yourself or recommitted yourself to Christ. Let's connect online is the place to find great resources like this Laura story offers Welsh business with all the discovering and the near and not surrendering your will and giving control in four-part study. Laura uses her own story to explain why giving is important. We are submitting to go about doing this decision on lines and around did not enjoy having surrendering alive my Laura story you're getting $18 and supports The Encouraging Word, and Lenny wanted even a little printing or anything, you are listener supported ministry listening today at times were still connecting on the phone 866-899-9673 or online@tonline.org