Wednesday night bible study September 24, 2004

Acts 17:16-34

• Epicurean Philosophers

• Supreme good is happiness but not just momentary pleasure or temporary gratification

• By Paul's time it had moved to a sensual system of thought

• Stoic Philosophers

• Taught people should live according to nature oand recognize their own self-sufficiency and independence. While at the same time suppress their desires.

• By Paul's time it was more about being proud of what they had done or been about to suppress

• Babbler

• A Greek word meaning seed picker

• A bird would fly around the market and pick up a seed that had fallen to the ground

• This word also described people that were loafing around the market place and hearing wise sayings or teachings and repeat them without truly knowing what they meant.

• Areopagu

• Means "hill of Ares"

• Ares was the Greek God of thunder and war.
  Roman equivalent was Mars.

• Mars hill

• Prided themselves in having authority in the area of religion and morals.
  Thought of themselves as people that introduced new religions and foreign gods.

Religious or Superstitious

• This Greek word could be used to congratulate people or to criticize them.
  The only way to know what it meant was to listen to the rest of the lesson.

• Paul used it to complement them so they would hear what he had to say.

What distresses you or does not distress you spirtually about people that live in Poquoson

What do you think that God wants you to do about this?

Who do you know that know little or has no background of the Gospel?

How would you talk to them about Christ?

Compare that to Paul

Paul uses idols and Greek poetry as a point of contact to spread the Gospel, how can we use movies, TV, Books, music, etc to spread the Gospel?