Paul Reasons with the Thinkers in Athens
Month 11: Standing Firm in a Tough World · Bible Story
Today's Scripture
Read together: Acts 17:22–28
22 Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. 25 Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 28 ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’
Memory Verse
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.”— Colossians 2:8 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: John 12–13
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Jesus washes the disciples' feet — love that stoops low.)The Heart of It
Athens was the smartest city in the world. It was full of famous teachers, brand-new ideas, and idols on every corner. When Paul arrived, he didn't run away from the big thinkers. And he didn't shout them down either. He walked right into their meeting place and started a conversation. He even noticed an altar they had built "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD." And he said, in effect, "That God you don't know? Let me tell you about Him." Paul knew his Bible. But he also knew their world. He could even quote their own poets back to them. "We are His offspring." He was kind, calm, and clear. And he aimed every word at one Person: Jesus.
Here is what Paul understood, and we need it too. God is not far away or impossible to know. He made the whole world. He gives every person life and breath. And "in Him we live and move and have our being." We don't have to be the cleverest person in the room to stand firm among smart people. We just have to know the God who made the room. Being surrounded by big ideas didn't shake Paul. He was rooted in something bigger: the truth about the living God who made everything and raised Jesus from the dead.
Around the Table
Paul was in a big city full of people who didn't know God. He bravely told them, "God made you, and He loves you!"
Let's do it: Stand up tall like brave Paul and say, "God made the whole world!"
Paul talked with the thinkers, not down to them. He listened first. Then he told them the truth about God, and he did it kindly.
Let's talk: Why is it better to talk kindly with someone than to argue and yell?
Paul met smart people on their own ground. He even quoted their poets. But he always pointed to Jesus and the resurrection.
Let's go deeper: Where do you meet "Athens," places full of ideas that leave God out? How could you be a kind, clear voice there?
💬 Conversation Starter
Imagine someone built a statue "to the God we don't know." What is the first true thing you'd want to tell them about Him?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
The same God who made "the world and everything in it" () is not hiding. He has made Himself known in creation, in the Bible, and most clearly in Jesus. When someone says God is impossible to know, we can answer kindly that the Maker has actually spoken ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
Paul's sermon on Mars Hill is a master class in engaging culture without surrendering to it. Notice that he starts where they are ("I see that in every way you are very religious") before he challenges where they are. That's the posture for a father raising kids in a skeptical age. Not panic. Not retreat. Just informed, affectionate engagement. You don't need a seminary degree to do this. You need to know your God well and your neighbor a little. So read the room your children live in. Then, like Paul, build a bridge from something true they already sense toward the Christ they need.
Draws on: Natasha Crain, Talking with Your Kids about God.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, You made the whole world, and You are not far from any of us. Make us brave and kind like Paul. Help us be ready to tell people about Jesus wherever we go. In Jesus' name, amen."
God is not unknown. He made me, He holds me, and He has shown me His Son.