11/21/22

A mindset by Gary Rose

I know a couple of things about this dog. First his name is Troja and secondly, what I can see in the above picture. I have had this picture for a few years now, but still cannot decide exactly what this dog is thinking. I keep coming back to this picture because of the intensity of his stare and the longing in his eyes. Intense, absolutely intense! Now, from my limited knowledge of dogs, my best guess is that Troja’s focus is for his master whom he loves very much!

In thinking about this, I ask myself the question: What do you focus on, Gary and WHY? The following Scripture immediately came to mind…

Romans 8 ( World English Bible )

¹There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

³For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh;

⁴that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

⁵For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

⁶For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace;

I remember the saying “you are what you think about all day long” and how true it is. If you set your mind on the things of this world, that’s what you will become – of this world. However, if your mind repeatedly is set on the things of God, that is the Spirit- You will ultimately transform everything in your life to conform to God’s will. You will change for the better. I have no idea exactly what you will look like, but perhaps when you think about what Jesus has done for you, a longing look of love will be on your face and in your thoughts.

Today, I wish that for you. Love God, REALLY LOVE GOD and rejoice in the future with God in heaven. Others will notice it too and wonder what YOU ARE THINKING...

Can You Know the Mind of God? by –Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

https://thepreachersword.com/2018/06/14/can-you-know-the-mind-of-god/#more-12494

Can You Know the Mind of God?

There’s an old story about the preacher asked to teach a young boys’ Bible Class in the absence of the regular teacher. So He decided to find out how much they knew about the bible.

After asking a few simple questions like, “Who made the earth, sun and stars?” he asked them, “Who knocked down the walls of Jericho?”

All the boys acknowledged their ignorance. None of them could tell him who knocked down the walls of Jericho.

At the church’s next business meeting, the preacher expressed his dismay at the young boys’ lack of Bible knowledge, “Not one of them knows who knocked down the walls of Jericho.”

The group was oddly silent until finally, one man spoke up. “Preacher, this appears to be bothering you quite a lot. But, I’ve known these boys since they were all born and they’re all good boys. If they said they don’t know, then I believe them. Let’s just take some money out of the repair fund, fix the walls, and forget about it.”

Sadly, some folks are almost that ignorant regarding what the Bible says. However, maybe worse is that many today, sometimes even among professed Christians claim to know the mind of God about things not revealed in the Bible

In his letter to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul makes very clear about what we can know about the mind and will of God.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. (1 Cor 2:9-12)

Too often I hear people claim things like this, “I just know this is what God wants me to do.” Or “I just feel lead by God to do ________.” Or “I know God wants me to be happy and would want me to ______.” Or “I just feel deep down in my heart this is right.” You get the picture.

How can I know the will and mind of the Almighty? Only one way. By reading what has been revealed by the Holy Spirit. There is no other way.

Paul expressed it this way in Ephesians 3:3-5.

“how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets.”

People too often try to figure out what God wants without ever consulting His Word, the Bible. I’ve known of couples who divorce without any scriptural reason, remarry and claim it was the will of God. “God wants me to be happy,” they conjecture.

Homosexual behavior today is accepted, promoted and even celebrated as something that Jesus would approve of if He was alive today. Yet, absolutely nothing in the Biblical record indicates that He would approve of this kind of sexual conduct.

Some churches today engage in all kinds of secular activities, provide entertainment, pursue business interests and promote social reforms, all the while forgetting their God-given mission for the church revealed in the book of Acts. They believe they are doing the will of God, yet God has not sanctioned their activities.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways and God thoughts are above ours, just as “the heavens are higher than the earth. It is useless and dangerous to speculate on what God wants apart from what He has revealed to us in his book, the Bible.

I have even heard of those who claim to be Christians pursuing some course of action while asserting that they believed this is what God would want for their lives. Yet, there is no revealed evidence suggesting their beliefs are valid.

All of this is a subjective approach to the Bible and to our religious activity. An objective approach is to simply let God speak through what He was given us in His Word. All other ideas are nothing more than human opinion.

Let us return to reading the Bible. Studying the Bible. Believing the Bible. And then behaving in the way the Bible directs us.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

A Failed Prophecy of Christ? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

https://apologeticspress.org/a-failed-prophecy-of-christ-5956/

A Failed Prophecy of Christ?

Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Alleged Discrepancies Inspiration of the Bible New Testament

From Issue: R&R – March 2021

According to The Skeptics Annotated Bible, in Mark 9:1, “Jesus falsely prophesies that the end of the world will come within his listeners’ lifetimes.”¹ Skeptic Dennis McKinsey calls this prophecy² “one of those classic predictions that has haunted his supporters ever since, forcing them to concoct an endless number of rationalizations to explain its failure.”³

What exactly did Jesus predict in Mark 9:1? Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” Jesus prophesied that some of His listeners on that occasion (including His disciples—Mark 8:34) would still be alive to “see the kingdom of God come with power” (NIV).

Skeptics contend that the coming kingdom Jesus mentioned in this passage is a reference to “the end of the world,”⁴ when Jesus returns (Matthew 24:36-25:46; 2 Peter 3:10-13) and when “an entrance will be supplied…abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11). The same eternal, “heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18) that Peter and Paul eagerly anticipated is supposedly the same kingdom about which Jesus prophesied in Mark 9:1. Are skeptics correct?

As is the case with so many so-called “contradictions,” skeptics have once again assumed a sense (or definition) of a word, which cannot be proven. They have chosen a meaning that contradicts the passage rather than considering a logical sense of the word “kingdom” which perfectly fits with Jesus’ prophecy.

Admittedly, at times God’s kingdom is rightly understood in its future sense. After all, Jesus taught: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him…. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’” (Matthew 25:31,34). This “kingdom” is the heavenly phase of God’s kingdom, which the righteous will “inherit” at the end of time (1 Corinthians 15:50).

However, there is a real, biblical sense in which God’s Kingdom exists in the present—and has been in existence since the first century. In fact, long before Jesus correctly prophesied of this coming Kingdom, the Old Testament prophets did so. Isaiah and Micah prophesied of “the mountain⁵ of the Lord’s house” being established in Jerusalem “in the latter days” (Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah 4:1-4). About 200 years later, in the sixth century B.C., Daniel recorded a divinely revealed, prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Daniel 2:1-45). According to Daniel, the king dreamed of a great image with a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of clay. In the dream, a stone was cut out of a mountain without hands and struck the image. The clay, iron, bronze, silver, and gold were crushed and became like dust, carried away by the wind. But, “the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35). Daniel revealed to Nebuchadnezzar that the image he saw represented various earthly kingdoms. Babylon was the head of gold, while the other elements of the image stood for future empires that would rise up after Babylon. History has shown that the chest and arms of silver represented the Medo-Persian Empire. The belly and thighs of bronze were for the Grecian Empire. And the legs of iron and feet of both iron and clay stood for the Roman Empire.

Daniel informed Nebuchadnezzar that it would be during the days of this fourth kingdom⁶ (the Roman Empire) that the God of heaven would “set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed;…it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44). Its beginning would be small, like the stone that was cut out of the mountain without hands, but it eventually would consume all other kingdoms and become a great mountain filling the whole Earth.

What is this kingdom of which Nebuchadnezzar dreamed, and Daniel spoke? What is this great kingdom that would eventually fill the whole Earth? It’s the spiritual Kingdom of Christ—the Church. More than 500 years before the Church was established, God revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar in a prophetic dream that a Kingdom made “without hands”—a spiritual Kingdom of divine origin—would be established during the days of the Roman Empire.

This entity is the Kingdom that Jesus prophesied would come during the lifetime of His first-century hearers. Jesus not only prophesied of this Kingdom in Matthew 16:28 (as well as in the parallel passages in Mark 9:1 and Luke 9:27), He also predicted it just a few verses earlier in Matthew 16:18-19. To the apostle Peter, Jesus said: “I will build My church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven….” Jesus promised to establish His Church and then equated the Church with the Kingdom of heaven, to which He gave Peter “the keys.” What do keys do? They unlock doors, thus allowing entrance. When did Peter open the doors to the Kingdom? Only a few months later in Acts 2 when Peter and the apostles were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (2:4), preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and about 3,000 souls became Christians (2:41), submitting to the authoritative lordship of Jesus Christ—the King of kings (1 Timothy 6:15-16; Ephesians 1:21). On that day, the Day of Pentecost, the Kingdom of God (in its present sense) came “with power” (Mark 9:1), just as Jesus had prophesied.

From Acts 2 onward, God’s Kingdom has existed, and New Testament Christians have been servants in this Kingdom. To the church at Colosse, Paul noted how God “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of his love” (Colossians 1:13). With the Christians in Asia Minor, the apostle John declared that he shared “in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:9). Indeed, the Christians in Asia Minor nearly 2,000 years ago were already fellow citizens in the Kingdom of Christ.

Conclusion

Christians are not “haunted” by Mark 9:1, nor do we have to “concoct an endless number of rationalizations to explain its [alleged] failure.”⁷ A rational, biblical, easy-to-understand explanation exists: words have different meanings, and Jesus used the word “kingdom” in this verse in reference to His Church—God’s spiritual Kingdom in the present. Indeed, those who heard Jesus’ prophecy of Mark 9:1 saw Christ’s Kingdom come in their lifetime.

Endnotes

¹ Steve Wells (2020), The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/mk/9.html#1n, emp. added.

² Referring specifically to Matthew’s account of the prophecy: Matthew 16:28.

³ C. Dennis McKinsey (1995), The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy (Amherst, NY: Prometheus), p. 308.

⁴ Wells.

⁵ The term “mountain” is sometimes used figuratively in the Old Testament in reference to a particular government or kingdom (Psalm 76:1-4; Jeremiah 51:25; Isaiah 11:9; Daniel 2:35).

⁶ Equivalent to “the latter days” mentioned in Isaiah 2:1-4 and Micah 4:1-4.

⁷ McKinsey, p. 308, bracketed word added.

Published March 2, 2021

“Love one another as I have loved you” John 15:12 by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/050-AsILovedYou.html

“Love one another as I have loved you”
John 15:12

Christ is the source of love among Christians.

Jesus told His followers: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34, 35).

This command was new because it tapped a source of love far superior to any love the world had known before. “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).

Love among Christians is exceptional because it is the very love of Christ Himself. How can I not love a brother for whom Christ died, as He also died for me? Together we are engulfed by the love of Christ. Our hearts are “knit together in love” (Colossians 2:2).

This bond of love exists only among faithful followers of Christ. “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5). At baptism we receive the gift of the Spirit: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). This depth of love is found only among those who have been born again, born by water and the Spirit (John 3:5, 7).

God’s love is in our hearts by the power of the Spirit. This enables us to love others in a way that would be impossible otherwise. Christians are able to love even their enemies! (Luke 6:27, 35).

We must cultivate this love to bring it to fruition. “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected [τετελείωται] in him” (1 John 2:5). The banner of God’s love must be unfurled in our hearts by obedience.

Christians learn to love by following Christ.

Only by following Him can we love one another as He loved us. We follow Christ by obeying Him and abiding in His love. “These things I command you, that you love one another” (John 15:17). “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:9, 10).

His commands define love and teach us how to love: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments” (1 John 5:2).

“Speaking the truth in love,” we are to “grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15, 16).

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection” (Colossians 3:12-14).

Christians radiate the love of Christ.

When we love one another as Christ loves us, others can see His love in us and recognize its Source. When we extend His love to others, they can feel the love of Christ. His love spreads forth through us to them.

Jesus tells His followers: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). “He who loves his brother abides in the light” (1 John 2:10).

One purpose of the assembly is to “stir up love” (Hebrews 10:24). In the church of Christ there is a chain reaction of love. Activated by Christ, Christians love each other and radiate His love to all the world.

Christian love is self-sacrificing.

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:12-14).

Of Himself Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

Christian love is abundant.

“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other” (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:9, 10).

“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all” (1 Thessalonians 3:12).

Learning to love as Christ loves us is a life-long assignment. His love is so immense that our love for one another never measures up to His love for us. Thus we are admonished to increase our love, to become more like Christ.

Christian love is genuine and benevolent.

“But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:17, 18).

Christian love is fervent and pure.

“And above all things have fervent love for one another” (1 Peter 4:8). “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22).

Christian love is humble and affectionate.

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (Romans 12:9, 10).

Christian love is patient and compassionate.

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous” (1 Peter 3:8).

Love is the greatest good on earth.

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Paul gives an overview of love’s greatness by listing various attributes: “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

The love of Christ has transforming power.

The love of Christ transformed James and John.

James and John were called “sons of thunder” when they first came to Jesus (Mark 3:17). They wanted to call fire down from heaven to destroy a Samaritan village that refused to provide lodging for Jesus (Luke 9:54). Jesus chided them: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55, 56).

James and John wanted to be exalted above the other apostles: “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory” (Mark 10:37). “And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John” (Mark 10:41).

But James and John learned to love their fellow disciples as Jesus loved them.

James was the first of the twelve to give his life for Christ. Herod “killed James the brother of John with the sword” (Acts 12:2).

When John wrote his Gospel he referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 20:2; 21:7, 20). He had learned that Christ’s love for us is the example to be followed.

In his letters he emphasizes love among Christians. “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (1 John 3:11). “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

The love of Christ transformed Peter.

Before Peter learned the lesson of love, he thought he was more faithful than anyone else: “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be” (Mark 14:29). Before morning light, he denied Jesus three times.

After the resurrection, however, when Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love Me more than these?” he no longer exalted himself, but said simply: “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You” (John 21:15).

Peter emphasizes love among Christians in his letters. “Love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22). “Love the brotherhood” (1 Peter 2:17). “Love as brothers” (1 Peter 3:8). “Above all things have fervent love for one another” (1 Peter 4:8). Add “to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:7).

Through the centuries countless people have been transformed by the love of Christ.

The love of Christ transformed Murray and Joe.

In Toronto, Canada, two boys were skipping stones through the front door and down the aisle of the meeting place of a church of Christ during services. The door was open because of the summer heat. An older brother went out the back, circled around behind the boys and gave them a choice: “Do you want to come in and sit quietly beside me for the rest of the service, or do you want me to call the police?” They decided to go in and sit beside him! After services he told them they were always welcome.

On a subsequent Sunday, before services, one of the boys was standing shyly up the street. The same brother motioned for him to come and he came. The two boys started attending Sunday school. Although they were unruly and disruptive because of their background, Christians patiently showed them the love of Christ. They also attended Omagh Bible Camp (and almost burned the main building down).

Touched by the love of Christ, both became gospel preachers and dedicated their lives to sharing God’s love with others. Murray Hammond preached in Ontario. Joe Cannon became a missionary to Japan and Papua New Guinea, and in later years (before his passing in 2012) to Ukraine.

Let us cherish and nourish this blessing of love we share in Christ.

Christ is the source of love among Christians. We learn to love by following His example and obeying His commands. He enables us to radiate His love. Christian love is self-sacrificing, abundant, genuine, benevolent, fervent, pure, humble, affectionate, patient and compassionate.

Let us obey the words of Christ: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Amen.

Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

“They did not receive the love of the truth” by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/051-LoveTheTruth.html

“They did not receive the love of the truth”

This is said of those who perish: “They did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). How sad! They could have been saved if they had chosen to love the truth!

Someone who does not like the truth, cannot love the Source of truth.

God is the God of truth.

“The truth of the LORD endures for ever!” (Psalm 117:2). “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth” (Psalm 31:5). How can someone who does not like the truth, love the God of truth?

Jesus is the truth.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). How can someone who does not like the truth, love the Son of God? “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed” (1 Corinthians 16:22).

When Pilate stood before Christ and asked about His kingdom, Jesus explained: “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate responded, “What is truth?” (John 18:37, 38).

They who are “of the truth” listen to the truth because they love the truth.

God’s word is the truth.

“The entirety of Your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160).

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

“The word of truth” is the gospel of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13). “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18). How can someone who does not like the truth, value the word of God?

Someone who does not like the truth, prefers something false.

The unrighteous suppress the truth.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). “Men of corrupt minds” “resist the truth” (2 Timothy 3:8).

Some pretend that truth does not exist.

In our schizophrenic ‘post-modern’ age, many deny that truth can be known or even that truth exists. (Schizophrenic, because they are absolutely sure that they cannot be sure about anything!)

Jesus said something different: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

People deny the truth because they want to escape from the truth. They will be lost unless they repent. Paul tells us to correct “those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25). God wants everyone “to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

Some want to “adapt” the gospel to the “post-modern age.” The gospel does not need to be adapted, it just needs to be preached. Post-modernists are dead wrong. They need to repent and accept the truth.

All who do not love the truth will be lost.

Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, explains that people perish when they do not love the truth.

At Thessalonica Christians were being persecuted. Paul assures them that it is “a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).

Paul affirms that God’s eternal punishment of “those who do not know God” and of “those who do not obey the gospel” “is a righteous thing.”

Paul then discusses “the mystery of lawlessness” and why many are deceived by “the man of sin,” “the son of perdition,” “the lawless one” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8).

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10).

“Love of the truth” is essential. All who reject the truth will be lost.

Truth is exclusive. The sum of two plus two is four. No other answer is correct. The number of incorrect answers is unlimited. When someone rejects the truth, the only alternative is to accept something false.

Because they do not love the truth, “God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12 ESV). Love “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6).

People refuse to believe the truth because they enjoy unrighteousness. They reject the truth because they prefer falsehood. “A strong delusion” sent by God enables them to believe a lie that leads to condemnation.

Sometimes people who do not love God like to listen to God’s word with no intention of obeying it. God told Ezekiel: “So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them” (Ezekiel 33:31, 32).

They listened to Ezekiel for entertainment. It helped them pretend that they loved God.

False teaching tests our love for the truth.

Satan empowers the lawless one to work “signs, and lying wonders” to deceive those who do not love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10).

God allows this as a test to reveal who really loves Him. "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’ - which you have not known - ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him” (Deuteronomy 13:1-4).

Someone who loves the truth, relies on God’s word for instruction: “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:19, 20). Peter gives the same charge: “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11).

Someone who loves God does not listen to false teachers. He knows they are false, he knows “there is no light in them” because their words contradict the word of God: they do not “speak according to this word,” they do not “speak as the oracles of God.”

Jesus, comparing Himself to a shepherd, explains: “the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:4, 5).

Paul warns: “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them” (Romans 16:17).

Love for the truth leads to salvation.

The saved believe and obey the truth.

We are chosen for salvation “through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13). “In obeying the truth” our souls are purified (1 Peter 1:22).

The church of Christ is the pillar of the truth.

“I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

They who love the truth, proclaim the truth.

Some religious leaders try to please men rather than God. They are entertainers rather than sound preachers of the truth.

Paul warned: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3, 4).

Timothy was given a solemn charge: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2).

I once heard Marshall Keeble explain: “‘In season and out of season’ means you preach it if they like it, and you preach it if they don’t!”

A preacher’s job is to tell people what God says, to “preach the word.” God told Ezekiel: “I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD’” (Ezekiel 3:4); “You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse” (Ezekiel 2:7).

The truth is powerful!

“The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

The power is in the word, not in the eloquence of man. God’s word convicts men of sin, and changes lives when heard by people who love God and the truth.

Many years ago I reprimanded a former classmate because in a recorded sermon he had not quoted or alluded to a single scripture! He explained that he was speaking to unbelievers so did not think they would be interested in what the Bible said!

Paul said something different: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Once when visiting relatives in Abilene, Texas, they invited us to a special service on the ACU campus. Many congregations had dismissed Sunday-evening service so members could attend. Some 10,000 were assembled to hear a popular speaker.

He confided that on a Dallas golf course the day before, when a friend asked what he was going to speak about in Abilene, he told him that he did not know yet.

During his 45-minute discourse, he quoted a total of eight words of Scripture, which he misapplied. What was his theme? He told us how great the congregation was for which he preached.

What a wasted opportunity! If someone like Marshall Keeble had spoken, someone who preached the gospel powerfully and without compromise, “if they like it or if they don’t.” No doubt among 10,000, some would not have liked it. But lovers of truth would have been moved by the power of the gospel to give or rededicate their lives to God.

Do we love the truth?

Much depends upon it: our eternal destiny in heaven or hell. Let us love the truth, learn the truth, believe the truth and obey the truth so we can be saved by the God of truth through His Son who is the way, the truth and the life. Amen.

Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

Finding one's self (Who am I) by Eugene C. Perry

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Perry/Eugene/Charles/1922/Articles/whoarewe.html

Finding one's self
(Who am I)

(The following is an adaptation of remarks made as a senior member at a recent family reunion. ecp)

Often, when people get involved in deviant behaviour, seem directionless or manifest other symptoms of troubled lives, we hear the remark, “He/she just needs to find himself/herself?” The person is not lost but rather is confused or unsure of his/her place in the family, community, nation, world. Where do I fit in? What do I stand for? It involves being lost in the sense of needing to decide/determine/find one’s place among the diverse world-views and value systems of a pluralistic society.

A very real part of who I am has to do with FAMILY. That is to say that family usually has much to do with one’s world-view, value system and life-style. WHO ARE WE?

To begin with, in a general sense, all are a part of God’s family. We are His children, His creation. We are daily recipients of His loving care. He provides what is needed to sustain our lives as well as the example and direction that enables us to live “full” lives (Jno.10:10).

Unfortunately, there are those who outright disown this relationship. Others just fail to cultivate or recognize it. God is our father and ideally this defines us – enables us to find ourselves and thus to know who we are and where we stand – our value system and life-style.

In a more particular sense, we are children of [mutual ancestor] whose name many of us bear and who provided us with example and, hopefully, direction. Once again, some might go so far as to deny or reject the relationship and influence while others tend to ignore or neglect to cultivate it. Most of us, however, acknowledge and even take pride in the relationship and accept it as a real part of who we are.

Ideally our forebears are worthy of recognition and their example and instruction defines who we are and influences our life-style and value system which is thus passed down from generation to generation. In our family many generations have been people of faith, defined by a desire to know and do God’s will. Bible study and church attendance have been characteristic along with honesty and a strong work ethic. Many of us, like our forebears, met and married as a result of associations in Bible Schools or churches.

We are a part of this heritage and it will be a part of who we are and what we stand for unless we have either disowned the relationship or are neglecting its significance and influence.

I remember and was impressed by my parent’s dedication to work on the farm. It seemed to take precedence over all else except church. When there were church services or gospel meetings we somehow managed to get some time away from the work. We would sometimes walk seven miles to attend such meetings and walk back home afterwards. Family traits that we were taught include faithfulness, honesty, dependability, hard work and independence.

We were moulded by our parents and this is an ongoing process. Those of you who are parents must face the fact that you have heavy responsibilities in this process. What are you “passing on”? Yes, you are expected to provide food, clothing and shelter. That part usually “comes naturally”. The greater burden on you is the preparation of your children for life by passing on values. Too often, this part tends to be neglected or poorly done.

When God chose Abraham to be the father of His chosen people, He said, “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” (Gen.18:19).

As Moses led Abraham’s descendents and passed God’s instructions on to them, he wrote, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ... Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deut.6:6-9).

Both parents must be involved. Timothy’s “sincere faith” “first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice” (II Tim.1:5). Fathers are instructed to bring their children “up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph.6:4). It is most unfortunate when parents do not work together in this task.

This system breaks down when neglect occurs – when parents fail to assume their responsibility and/or when children reject or rebel against parental teaching and influence.

We are sometimes saddened to observe a downward generational process that goes something like the following. Great-grandpa had the Bible in heart and life, grandfather had it in his head, father on his shelf and son in the attic. May this not be the situation in our families.

WHO ARE WE? We are children of God and descendents of godly ancestors.

Eugene C. Perry

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

God speaks to man by Eugene C. Perry

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Perry/Eugene/Charles/1922/Articles/Godspeaks.html

God speaks to man

When God speaks we should be listening. We should by all means be tuned in, on the right wave length, to receive, assimilate and translate into obedient action whatever instruction or admonition God sends our way.

Although I do not claim to be an authority, I will make some observations on this subject. I cannot but have questions when I hear of the variety of strange messages men are claiming that they receive from God. Pilgrimages, mass suicides, polygamous marriages, “holy” wars, etc. have been proclaimed to be responses to divine messages.

We are forced to the conclusion that men often make plans, decide what they want to or think they should do, and then manage to convince themselves and announce that such was revealed to them as God’s will. The same process has, I fear, even been true regarding doctrines that relate to salvation, worship and Christian living.

There is a difference between being open and receptive to God’s communications and looking for and expecting his support for preconceived plans, ideas and concepts. Whatever the manner of communication, it is important that the message not be “wrested” to fit our agendas. When someone tells you that God spoke to them, that they heard his actual words, do you wonder why you never had such an experience?

Through the history of his dealings with humans, God has communicated in a variety of ways. Certainly, “what has been made” speaks to us of “his eternal power and divine nature” (Rom.1:20). He had a conversational relationship with Adam, Enoch and others. He spoke to and through patriarchs (fathers of families), prophets and chosen people. He communicated in visions, dreams and demonstrations. In considering this the writer of Hebrews began the letter, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,” (Heb.1:1). However, these former processes are contrasted with, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,” (v.2a).

Since Jesus is not physically with us today, it appears that he has made provision for us to hear his message from others whom he chose for the purpose rather than in some mystical way, perhaps “better felt than told”. The inspired writer proceeds to point to the “binding” nature of the messages received “by angels” and uses this to warn us of the grave consequences of ignoring “such a great salvation,” (Heb.2:2,3), the message by his Son.

The message of God regarding our great salvation was spoken by Jesus himself, refreshed in the memories of his apostles by the Holy Spirit (Heb.2:3,4) and confirmed for us (its source established) by means of miracles. The New Testament scriptures have long been recognized as the end result of this process, written by those that heard Jesus and saw his great works and later were enabled to do similar works to establish what they spoke and wrote. This body of teaching, “the faith”, is described as “once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). Hence, it appears that we should not expect any new or different message from modern day theologians, scholars or “prophets”.

There are those who are seriously asking whether God is speaking to churches today through “theological voices” as he did through Paul and the other New Testament writers. Today’s scholars cannot be God’s messengers in the same way that the apostles were. They have not seen or heard Jesus nor has he promised them a Comforter to put his message in their minds.

On the individual, personal level, communication from God via the scriptures may seem too general and to God by prayer, too one-way. Because of this some claim that God actually responds verbally or, perhaps, in some still small voice. Others, having no direct message, feel that they do not experience God in an intimate way. Current literature on “Experiencing God” appears to be an attempt to respond to these feelings.

Some are urging us to practise “listening prayer”. Certainly, we should, while praying, let God know that we are open to his message and really do seek his response whether it is through scripture, circumstances or our brothers and sisters. It is not uncommon to hear, in a prayer, the request that God “guard, guide and direct us”. Yes, we need protection. Yes, we fumble around and are lost without his guidance and direction. God has taken care of much of this through the scriptures and our relationship with one another in his family.

God’s message is provided to and for the seeker. (John 7:17, Matt.7:7,8). Cornelius’ prayer resulted, not in God telling him what to do to be saved, but in his coming to this knowledge through God’s chosen agent (Acts 10). God’s medium today is the New Testament scriptures and not individual direct messages and not some modern day prophet speaking differently then those scriptures, either more or less.

We must tune in, - study with open minds and receptive hearts. Let us, first of all, be willing to receive and submit to the clear and obvious rather than look for less likely messages delivered in some other way.

God speaks to us today through Jesus and those he appointed. Let us tune in, be receptive and humbly obey.

Eugene C. Perry

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

"GOSPEL PREACHING IN THE FIRST CENTURY" Paul Under House Arrest In Rome by Mark Copeland

https://executableoutlines.com/topical_series/gospel-preaching-first-century/gp_08.html

"GOSPEL PREACHING IN THE FIRST CENTURY"

Paul Under House Arrest In Rome

INTRODUCTION

We have looked at seven examples of gospel preaching in the first century...

Three by the apostle Peter
Two by the evangelist Philip
Two by the apostle Paul

Our final example of gospel preaching is a third by the apostle Paul...

Found at the end of the book of Acts
Upon his arrival, and during his extended stay in Rome

[It was after a harrowing journey by sea involving shipwreck, as Paul is placed under house arrest awaiting his appeal to Caesar in Rome, Italy...]

THE SETTING(S)

AUDIENCE WITH JEWISH LEADERS...

Paul had just arrived in Rome - Ac 28:16
He called Jewish leaders to explain the reason for his arrival - Ac 28:17-20
They graciously grant him an opportunity to explain his beliefs - Ac 28:21-23

VISITORS FOR TWO YEARS...

Paul was allowed to live in a rented home awaiting his trial - Ac 28:30
For two years he taught those who came to visit him - Ac 28:30-31

[In both settings, at the beginning and during the course of his imprisonment, let's now look at...]

THE SERMON(S)

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOD...

A major theme of Paul's preaching

"he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God" - Ac 28:23
"preaching the kingdom of God" - Ac 28:31
As mentioned previously by Luke - cf. Ac 19:8; 20:25

A major theme of others' preaching

By John the Baptist - Mt 3:1-2
By Jesus Christ - Mk 1:14-15
By Philip the evangelist - Ac 8:12

As summarized before, this theme likely entailed:

The need to seek first the kingship and sovereignty of God - cf. Mt 6:33
Sovereignty now exercised through His Son, Jesus - cf. Mt 28:18; Ac 2:36; 5:31
In which all can now participate - cf. Col 1:13; Re 1:9
By responding to the call of the gospel - cf. 1Th 2:12; 2Th 2:14
Remaining faithful to Christ, even to death - cf. Re 2:10, 26-27; 3:21

CONCERNING JESUS CHRIST...

Another major theme of Paul's preaching

"concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets" - Ac 28:23
"teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ" - Ac 28:31
As mentioned previously by Luke - cf. Ac 17:1-3; 18:28; 26:22-23

As seen from such passages, this theme proclaimed:

That Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead
That He would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles
That Jesus is the Christ foretold by the Law and the Prophets

CONCERNING THOSE WHO DID NOT BELIEVE...

Some did not believe what Paul preached - Ac 28:24
The Holy Spirit had foretold such disbelief through Isaiah - Ac 28:25-27
Rejection by the Jews would grant opportunity for the Gentiles - Ac 28:28
As Paul had proclaimed to Jewish audiences before - cf. Ac 13:46-47

CONCLUSION

Once again, we see that gospel preaching in the first century...

Proclaimed the kingdom of God and Jesus as the Christ
Warned of the danger and consequences of disbelief

Summarizing what we have seen in these eight cases of gospel preaching...

The gospel contains facts to believe

Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures
He now reigns as king, and will one day return to judge the world

The gospel contains commands to obey

Faith, in Jesus as the Son of God who died for our sins
Repentance, making the decision to turn from sin and live for God
Confession, of one's faith in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God
Baptism, immersion in water for the remission of sins

The gospel contains promises to receive

The remission of sins, through the blood of Christ
The gift of the Holy Spirit, empowerment for holy living
The promise of the resurrection and eternal life, providing hope and comfort

Many gladly received the gospel as preached in the first century, and responded accordingly. Yet many did not, and so judged themselves unworthy of eternal life.

How about you? Have you heard and obeyed the gospel as proclaimed in the first century? Not some perverted gospel (cf. Ga 1:6-9), but that gospel preached by the apostles and preachers of Jesus Christ? I pray that you have, for the time is coming...

"...when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." - 2Th 1:7-8

Only the pure and simple gospel of Christ can spare you from the judgment of that Great Day!

"GOSPEL PREACHING IN THE FIRST CENTURY" Paul At The Areopagus In Athens by Mark Copeland

https://executableoutlines.com/topical_series/gospel-preaching-first-century/gp_07.html

"GOSPEL PREACHING IN THE FIRST CENTURY"

Paul At The Areopagus In Athens

INTRODUCTION

We have looked at six examples of gospel preaching in the first century...

Three by the apostle Peter
Two by the evangelist Philip
One by the apostle Paul

We now consider a sermon remarkable in that it was preached...

Not to Jews or even Gentile God-fearers (like Cornelius)
But to pagan philosophers and polytheists

[It was during Paul's second missionary journey, in the city of Athens, Greece...]

THE SETTING

PAUL HAD JUST ARRIVED IN ATHENS...

Known as a center of learning and artistry, but also for its idols
Petronius said that it was easier to find a god than a man in Athens
Provoked by the idolatry, Paul began preaching at every opportunity - Ac 17:16-17

Reasoning in the synagogues with the Jews and Gentile worshipers
Reasoning daily with any who happened to be in marketplace

HE ATTRACTED ATTENTION OF PHILOSOPHERS...

In particular, Epicurean and Stoic philosophers - Ac 17:18

Some of whom viewed him as a proclaimer of foreign gods
Because Paul was preaching of Jesus and the resurrection

They brought him to the Areopagus (Mar's Hill) and invited him to speak - Ac 17:19-21

A rocky hill about 370 feet high, not far from the Acropolis and the Agora (marketplace) in Athens - Holman Bible Dictionary
A place where Athenians and visitors spent their time discussing new ideas
Not having heard of the doctrine of Christ, they wanted to know more

[With such an invitation, you can imagine Paul's delight to accommodate them...]

THE SERMON

THEME: THE GOD THEY DID NOT KNOW...

Acknowledging their devotion, he makes mention of one altar in particular - Ac 17:22-23

An altar with the inscription: "To The Unknown God"
So devout, they sought to worship a god they did not know

He uses the opportunity to preach concerning the True God they did not know! - Ac 17:23

MAIN POINTS...

God is the creator of the universe - Ac 17:24

He made the world, He is Lord of heaven and earth
As such, He does not dwell in temples made with hands - cf. 1Ki 8:22-30

God is the sustainer of life - Ac 17:25

He gives to all life their breath and what they need - cf. Jm 1:17
Therefore God is not worshipped as though He needs it

God is the ruler of all the nations - Ac 17:26-27

He has created every nation and determined their rise and fall - Dan 2:20-21; 4:17
Everything is designed to prompt men to seek God, who is not far from any of us

God is the Father of mankind - Ac 17:28-29

From God we come; and in Him we live, move, and have our very being
Therefore we should not think that God is like any idol of gold, silver or stone

God is the Judge of the world - Ac 17:30-31

What ignorance He may have overlooked in the past, such is no longer the case
He now commands all men everywhere to repent
Why? Because of the coming Judgment, in which...
God will judge the world in righteousness
God will judge the world through Jesus Christ - Jn 5:22,26-27; 12:48
As proof such will occur, God has raised Jesus from the dead

-- These five points are from "The Spirit, The Church, And The World", by John Stott

RESPONSE...

Mentioning the resurrection provoked a response - Ac 17:32

Some mocked (to many at that time, the idea of a bodily resurrection was foolishness)
Others were more cordial, offering to listen again at another time

As Paul left, some joined him and believed - Ac 17:33-34

Specifically mentioned are Dionysius the Areopagite, and Damaris, a woman
Others also joined Paul and believed

[Having considered the setting and the sermon, allow me to make some...]

OBSERVATIONS

REGARDING THE SERMON...

Paul used tact - Ac 17:22-23

He acknowledges their spirituality, though misdirected
We should not hesitate to acknowledge the devotion one might have; if in error, our task is to explain "the way of God more accurately" - e.g., Ac 18:24-26

Paul began with the present spiritual condition of his audience - Ac 17:23-27

They believed in supreme beings, but didn't know the True God
With the Jews he began with the Law, with the Gentiles he began with the nature of God; we too should take into consideration where one is spiritually

Paul made use of an accepted authority - Ac 17:28-29

He quotes from one of their own prophets to make his point
When appropriate, we can appeal to an uninspired authority accepted by others

Paul led his audience to the main themes of the gospel - Ac 17:30-31

Such as the need to repent, the coming Judgment - cf. Ac 2:38; 3:19
So our ultimate goal in preaching should be the gospel message

Paul used the resurrection of Jesus as the ultimate proof - Ac 17:31

God has given assurance of the coming Judgment by raising Jesus
Indeed, if Jesus truly did rise from the dead, it is proof of:

The existence of God
The truthfulness of all of Jesus' claims
The reality of sin, judgment, and the need to repent

This is why we need to develop a strong apologetic for the resurrection of Jesus

REGARDING THE RESPONSE...

People responded in three different ways - Ac 17:32-34

Rejection - "some mocked"
Reluctance - "others said, 'we will hear you again on this matter'"
Reception - "some men joined him and believed"

Of those who responded favorably, it is only said that they "believed" - Ac 17:34

Are we to conclude from this that was all they did?
Did they not also "repent", as commanded in Ac 17:30?
The term "believed" encompassed more than simply an acceptance of the facts that had been proclaimed

It involved a complete reception of the message preached
It included an obedience to whatever conditions had been proclaimed by the apostles (such as repentance, baptism)

Just as faith was not explicitly mentioned in Acts 2, or repentance in Acts 16, but is fairly inferred from what we know in other passages, so also with baptism here

"There is, indeed, much to be said for the contention, independently advocated by theologians of varied schools, that in the New Testament faith and baptism are viewed as inseparables whenever the subject of Christian initiation is under discussion, so that if one is referred to, the other is presupposed, even if not mentioned." - G. R. Beasley-Murray, Baptism In The New Testament, p. 272
"Baptism and faith are but the outside and inside of the same thing" - James Denny (as quoted by Beasley-Murray, ibid.)
"Where baptism is spoken of faith is presumed, and where faith is spoken of baptism is included in the thought" - N. J. Engelsen (as quoted by Beasley-Murray, ibid.)

CONCLUSION

Whether Jew or Gentile, philosopher or simpleton, the gospel of Christ is for all...

Where we begin may vary with the spiritual condition of our audience
Where we end must always be the same: Jesus is the only way to salvation!

When one becomes convicted of their sinful condition and their need for Jesus, the proper response should also be the same no matter who we are...

Faith in Jesus as the Son of God, who died for our sins and was raised from the dead
Repentance from sin
Baptism into Christ for the forgiveness of sins through His blood

One's reaction to the gospel will always be one of three ways: rejection, reluctance, or reception. In Athens, people such as Dionysius and Damaris exemplified the proper response. Are you willing to imitate their example...?