Atheist Penn Jillette is one half of Penn and Teller, a duo that has been headlining Vegas shows for years with comedy and the art of illusion. Penn has never been shy about his disbelief in God, often writing about his conviction in articles and best-selling books. Yet in an on-line video blog that can be found on YouTube, Penn shares a story about the time a gracious Christian businessman gave him a Bible as a gift. Penn goes on to use the story as an opportunity to point out that Christians who don’t evangelize must really hate people. Here’s the direct quote from his video blog:

I’ve always said, you know, that I don’t respect people who do not proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that, uh, well, it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think that people shouldn’t proselytize, [saying] “Just leave me alone and keep your religion to yourself”—uh, how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize them? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed beyond the shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming to hit you, and you didn’t believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you, there’s a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.

Wow! How ironic is that: an atheist pounding Christians for not sharing their faith? He is exactly right! If we aren’t willing to share our faith with people, we mustn’t really love them.

This is the situation in which Paul found himself in Athens. As he walked through the city and saw all of the idols, his love for the people compelled him to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. It wasn’t an easy task! Athens was a completely pagan culture, but he was willing to minister to the people by telling them the truth about God. Let’s see how he does it!

Distress over Idols and Pagan Philosophies (16-23)
Athens was the famous capital city of the Greek Empire which had ruled the world for four hundred years. It was one of the most prominent cities in the whole ancient world. By Paul’s day the Greeks had been overrun by the Romans and Athens had lost much of its political influence. In spite of this, it retained its profound reputation for possessing the highest culture in the world. The city was adorned with magnificent architecture, spectacular sculpture, exceptional literature, outstanding oratory, and brilliant philosophy. Athens was the home of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and Zeno, the father of Stoicism. The city’s cultural heritage was simply staggering.

Regardless of the magnitude of Athens’ cultural achievements, the apostle Paul was not impressed. He considered these buildings pagan temples and the statues of the gods and goddesses worthless idols. The stood as abominations to the one true living God of the universe. As Paul walked throughout the city, he was distressed by what he saw. The Greek word translated here as “distressed” also carries the connotation of “irritated”, “upset”, and “angry.” He was distressed about the idols because of his love for the people’s souls. He knew that this city desperately needed to here the gospel of Jesus Christ.

At this, he decided that he could not wait any longer for Silas and Timothy to join him and he launched his ministry by preaching in the local Jewish synagogue and to whoever came through the marketplace. Historically, the marketplace was where people gathered to discuss moral issues. Among a forest of idols erected to Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Hercules, and Hermes, he continued day after day to proclaim the good news about Jesus’ death and resurrection to anyone who was willing to listen.

While he was preaching in the marketplace, a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to argue with him. Epicureanism was founded by Epicurus, who was indifferent toward the gods and taught that pleasure is the highest end in life. They were like modern deistic or agnostic secularists who have no need or time for God. Stoicism was founded by Zeno, who did pay attention to the pantheon of gods and taught that ultimate peace could be achieved by rational thinking, self-sufficiency, moral obedience, and living in harmony with nature. Both of these pagan philosophies are attempts to bring some kind of meaning to life. Since Jesus and the idea of resurrection did not fit into their belief systems, they cast Paul off as a foolish babbler who was promoting a foreign god who they had never heard of before.

So, the philosophers take Paul to the Areopagus which means “hill of Ares” (the Greek god of war to meet with the city council. This was the usual place where people from Athens and foreigners met to discuss new ideas. They were curious to see what this new religious fad might be. Paul takes the opportunity to stand among them, critique their religion, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. He acknowledges that they are very religious people, but hey worshipped God’s they do not know. He is about to tell them about a God they can know!

I don’t know about you, but I completely empathize with Paul’s distress over this vast array of idols and pagan philosophies. We are in the same situation in American today. Our culture has been overrun with worthless idols and pagan philosophies. There are many challenges ministering in a pagan environment.

Now I don’t know of a single person today who worships a statue of Zeus or Hercules, but I do know people who put their trust in other religious trinkets and superstitions. Just last week I was visiting with a man who has been diagnosed with cancer. He confessed to me that he is religious, but he hadn’t been to church in almost 20 years. Then he showed me the hundreds of angel figurines he has stationed all around his home. He has put his trust in worthless idols carved out of wood and plastic. He worships all right, but he doesn’t worship the one true God.

Even still, the idols that most Americans worship are not carved religious images. The biggest idols in American society today are money, sex, possessions, work, fame, and television. Now it is interesting to note that there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, but when they are treated like gods, they are idols. For instance, everyone needs money to survive; but when our whole lives revolve around making or protecting our money, it becomes an idol. A recession is always a helpful indicator of whether or not we worship money. If you spend time worrying about money, it is probably an idol!

Moreover, possessions aren’t necessarily wrong, but when they consume our lives they become idols. I know many people who work themselves to death so they can retain their possessions, and they feel like they have to keep accumulating more things to be happy. It is no wonder so many Americans are buried in credit card debt. I have heard people say, “I would like to give to the church or charity, but I have a mortgage and a car payment.” We are a very religious country; the problem is that our religion is consumerism!

Also, I am amazed at how Epicurean and Stoic philosophies still thrive in America today. Many people believe that there is no afterlife; when we die, our bodies are buried, that’s it. So if this life is it, we may as well experience as much pleasure as we can. I see this philosophy posted on bumper stickers that bear the phrase “Life is short! Play hard!” This means that we should have as much fun as we can before we die.

I also hear this philosophy in most of the pop music that is played over the airwaves. A few years ago chick rocker Sheryl Crow had a hit song called “If It Make You Happy.” The chorus goes like this:

If it makes you happy
It can’t be that bad
If it makes you happy
Then why the hell are you so sad

Seriously, just ask someone what is their goal in life. I guarantee at least 7 out of 10 will say, “My goal in life is just to be happy!”

How about us? What is our goal in life? If the apostle Paul walked through the streets of our lives, what kind of pagan philosophies would he hear and what kind of idols would he see? Anything that is more important to us than God is an idol. What do we put our trust in? Are we distressed by the ramped idolatry and prospering pagan philosophies in America today?

Declaration of the One True God (24-31)
As Paul stands up and preaches to the Areopagus, he describes in detail the one true God whom they could know. He presents five doctrines that reveal the nature and work of the true God. He begins with the doctrine of creation. In verse 24 he affirms that the one true God is the creator of the world and everything in it. He is the Lord of heaven and earth and he neither lives in temples built by human hands nor is served by human hands as if he needed anything. God created humans; humans did not create God. Humans need him for everything; he doesn’t need humans for anything. He is the source of all of life.

Likewise, the doctrine of God’s sovereignty flows from the doctrine of creation. Since God is the creator of everything, it makes sense that he reigns supreme and is in control of everything. In verse 26 Paul says that God made the nations and “determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” God is sovereign; therefore, humans should seek a relationship with him. He is not far away! Paul even goes on to quote one of the Greek’s own poets to help them understand sovereignty. Humans can only “live, move, and have their being” because of God’s creation and sovereignty.

Thirdly, Paul highlights the doctrine of repentance. In previous generations God had overlooked ignorance about himself, but now that he has revealed his plan of redemption through his son Jesus, he is holding everyone accountable. He calls all people to repentance. This is means to turn away from worthless idols, false religions and philosophies, and sinful lifestyles, and to embrace the one true God.

Paul presents the forth doctrine in the form of a warning. The one true God is a God of justice and judgment, and he has set a day for his son to come back and execute judgment on the world. This is the consequence for refusing to repent!

And finally, Paul concludes his sermon on the one true God with the doctrine of resurrection. This is God’s attestation to all people and universal proof of God’s call to Jesus to be judge. Jesus, who was crucified, dead, and buried, rose victorious on the third day and will one day return to the earth.

Paul’s sermon was a powerful summary of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He used these doctrines to introduce the one true God of the universe to a pagan culture. Now they had enough information to make a decision. Would they repent or reject?

As we think about Paul’s presentation of the one true God, I would just like to ask us a few questions about these doctrines: Do you believe that God is the creator of the world and everything in it? Do you believe that God is completely sovereign and in control of your life? Have you renounced your idols and repented from your sins? Do you believe that Jesus is coming back someday to judge the earth? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins and rose from the dead to give you eternal life? And finally, do you have a relationship with the one true God?

Decisions about the Gospel (32-34)
The council and crowd at the Areopagus had just heard Paul’s sermon on the one true God and had a basic introduction to the Christian faith. Verses 32-34 show the three different responses he received (or decisions they made). I want to summarize the decisions in three words: denial, delay, and disciple.

First, many denied Paul’s message! When he mentioned that God resurrected his son from the dead, they sneered and stopped listening to him. Greeks did not believe in resurrection. They were convinced that once you die, that is it! This hopeless pagan belief is exhibited in Greek mythology when the god Apollo says, “When the dust has soaked up the blood of man, once he has died, there is no resurrection.” This group decided to hang on to their cultural belief and denied the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The second response to Paul’s sermon was delay. Whereas most of the people in the Areopagus denied the gospel, the text says that there were some others who wanted to hear him again on this subject. They neither accepted nor rejected his message, but they kept an open mind until they find out more about this God.

And finally, there were a few in the crowd who, in spite of their pagan predisposition, decided to become disciples. They were persuaded by Paul’s message about the one true God, repented of their sins, put their faith in Jesus Christ, and became committed followers of Christianity. Luke specifically mentions a woman named Damaris and a man named Dionysius. As a member of the Areopagus council he would have had significant social standing. Church tradition credits him as later becoming the bishop of Athens.

It is disappointing to see so many deny the gospel and so few become disciples, but such is the case when ministering in a pagan culture. Like in Paul’s day, today it seems like the majority of people in America and around the world want to hold onto their cultural beliefs, superstitions, idols, and pagan philosophies rather than becoming disciples of Jesus Christ. But God has called us to be faithful in being his witnesses to the ends of the earth. We can expect most people to deny our message, but we shouldn’t let this discourage us. Let us continue to share the message of Jesus Christ in our homes, schools, workplaces, and communities. You never know when someone just might respond positively and become a true disciple.

And for us who are sitting here this morning, what is your decision? Have you been denying Jesus? Have you been delaying Jesus? Or have you really become a disciple of Jesus?