Paul at Athens - Acts 17:16-22 - N. T. - 

Paul waited for them in Athens and there his whole soul was revolted at the sight of a city given to idolatry. In the synagogue he held debates with the Jews and the God-fearing, but in the market place he had debates everyday with anyone who would face him. Even a few Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, 'Does this parrot know what he's talking about?' And, because he was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection, others said, 'He sound like a propagandist for some outlandish gods'.

They invited him to accompany them to the Council of the Areopagus, where they said to him, 'How much of this new teaching you were speaking about are we allowed to know? Some of the things you said seemed startling to us and we would like to find out what they mean.' The one amusement the Athenians and the foreigners living there seem to have, apart from discussing the latest ideas, is listening to lectures about them.

So Paul stood before the whole Council of the Areopagus and made this speech:

Paul's speech before the Council of the Areopagus - Acts 17:23-34 - N. T. -

'Men of Athens, I have seen for myself how extremely scrupulous you are in all religious matters, because I noticed, as I strolled round admiring your sacred monuments, that you had an altar inscribed: To An Unknown God. Well, the God whom I proclaim is in fact the one whom you already worship without knowing it.'

Since the God who made the world and everything in it is himself Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands. Nor is he dependent on anything that human hands can do for him, since he can never be in need of anything; on the contrary, it is he who gives everything - including life and breath - to everyone. From one single stock he not only created the whole human race so that they could occupy the entire earth, but he decreed how long each nation should flourish and what the boundaries of its territory should be. And he did this so that all nations might seek the deity and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. Yet in fact he is not far from any of us, since it is him that we live, and move, and exists, as indeed some of your own writers have said:                              "We are all his children". 

Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like anything in gold, silver or stone that has been carved and designed by a man. 

'God overlooked that sort of thing when men were ignorant, but now he is telling everyone everywhere that they must repent, because he has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged, and judged in righteousness, and he has appointed a man to be the judge. And God has publicly proved this by raising this man from the dead.' 

At this mention of rising from the dead, some of them burst out laughing; others said, 'We would like to hear you talk about this again'. After that Paul left them, but there were some who attached themselves to him and became believers, among the Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman called Damaris, and others besides.

Cf. - Acts 13:5+; 10:2+ - 

Cf. - 1 Corinthians 1:22 - N. T. - And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ.

Cf. - 2 Timothy 3:7 - N. T. - In the attempt to educate themselves, but can never come to knowledge of the truth.

Cf. - 1 Kings 8:27 - O. T. - Why, the heavens and their own heavens cannot contain you. How much less this house that I built!

Cf. - Isaiah 42:5 - O. T. - Thus says God, Yahweh, he who created the heavens and spread them out, who gave shape to the earth and what comes from it, who gave breath to its people and life to the creatures that move in it.

Cf. - Acts 14:15+; 7:48-50 - 

Cf. - 2 Maccabees 7:23; 14:35 - O. T. - It is the creator of the world, ordaining the process of man's birth and presiding over the origin of all things, who in his mercy will most surely give you back both breath and life, seeing that you now despise your own existence for the sake of his laws. 'O Lord, you who stand in need of nothing at all, it has pleased you that there should be in our midst a Temple for your dwelling place. 

Cf. - Psalms 50:12; 145:18 - O. T. - If I were hungry, I should not tell you, since the world and all it holds is mine. Standing close to all who invoke him, close to all who invoke Yahweh faithfully.

Cf. - Genesis 10:1-32 - O. T. - The peopling of the earth - These are the descendants of ....... From these came the dispersal of the nations over the earth, after the flood.

Cf. - Deuteronomy 32:8; 4:29 - O. T. - When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided the sons of men, he fixed their bounds according to the number of the sons of God. But you will seek Yahweh your God from there, and if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul, you shall find him.

Cf. - Job 12:23 - O. T. - He builds a nation up, then strikes it down, or makes a people grow, and then destroys it.

Cf. - Wisdom 13:6 - O. T. - Small blame, however, attaches to these men, for perhaps they only go astray in their search for God and their eagerness to find him.

Cf. - Isaiah 55:6 - O. T. - Seek Yahweh while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near. 

Cf. - Romans 1:19 - N. T. - For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them since God himself has made it plain.

Cf. - Psalms 104:1-35 - O. T. - Bless Yahweh, my soul. Yahweh my God, how great you are! Clothed in majesty and glory........... Bless Yahweh, my soul.

Cf. - 2 Peters 1:4 - N. T. - From Simeon Peter, servant and apostle of Jesus Christ; to all who treasure the same faith as ourselves, given through the righteousness of our God and saviour Jesus Christ. May you have more and more grace and peace as you come to know our Lord more and more. By his divine power, he has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God himself, who has called us by his own glory and goodness. In making these gifts, he has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come: through them you will be able to share the divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice.

Cf. - Acts 2:38+ - 

Cf. - Luke 24:46-48 - N. T. - So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.

Cf. - Acts 10:42+; 24:25 -                                                                                                                                                                                      -  PAGE  127  -

Foundation of the church of Corinth

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth,.......

                                                              -  PAGE  128  -

 -     WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY     - 

Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?' "Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He/She is like a man/woman who when he/she built his/her house dug, deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man/woman who built his/her house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 - 

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ Jesus, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to it function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 - 

I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself, but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come. He/She will glorify me, since all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine." - John 16:12-15 -

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