R1540 Witnessing Where Freedom Reigns

Welcome to Bible-based printing of Dr. Don Wilton and a message on witnessing when a witness is on a stand there doing is telling what they know what they saw what they've experienced. It's not as frightening as you might think in today as we study in God's word will go to the book of acts together this message witnessing where freedom reigns change some of our perspectives. We study together you're listening to The Encouraging Word featuring the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton well-known author evangelist Pastor today study what you know we're here for you.

Would love to pray with you and for you at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 meters online and The Encouraging Word.org. Now today's message witnessing where freedom reigns. Dr. Don Wilton you going to need your Bibles we going to be in acts chapter 17 and I know that there are many worshiping with us today that might might wonder what this is all about pole who came to know the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus was once himself a blasphemer and the he persecuted the church. He hated God's people, and he was on the road to Damascus and he met Jesus in his life changed just completely turned around and this man who once persecuted the church spent the rest of his life.

Signed Lord, here I am, send me an God did God seem to this is the great commission. This is Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the world. Yeah, you can see, modern-day Turkey, and then you cross over the GMC and this is modern-day Greece. Lotta people go to Greece today because they love to go to the islands of Mykonos and Santorini in you can go on on Magnus. If you've ever been there. It's a beautiful place in the sea there is just quite spectacular. Do know Greece has always had a part to play and teaches us a lot about ourselves and pulsate out on the second missionary journey became all the way of you fro as an God told him in a vision that he need to cross over onto the mainland of Greece. See the word Macedonia said come over here we we need to hear about Jesus. God determined that Paul and Silas in the team needed to go and so they crossed over went by sea stopple Farid Samo thrice and landed at Neapolis ended up in for the pine went down the Thessalonica and Berea and you might remember in chapter 17. The first part of chapter 17 in Thessalonica and in Berea they went to the synagogues and pull went right into the very place where people were very religious, but they rejected Jesus, they didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah that he was the son of God, but they were very religious people and Paul went right in there and he began to teach them the Scriptures and talk to them about the Lord Jesus, and we know about all the issues that they face.

Then finally he he boarded a ship and it's quite another trip. As you can see, and he came all the way down here to Athens and I'm sure that many of you have been to Athens.

I've been there quite a number times myself.

Athens is a very interesting city. You know what's very interesting about Greece is that Greece is very tied into the world economy it carries. For some reason I can't explain all of these things, but even today with the failure of the stock markets and everything Greece is have to be bailed out and they were raw.

The interesting democracy Greece there's a lot that I could say about Martin Greece but during Paul's time Athens was a very important place you might want to know this just by a point of information that this town will the village and then the city of Athens was actually back then a little bit smaller than Corinth.

Corinth was a bigger city and we going to deal with Corinth, which is just across the US right you will go to Corinth in a little while.

Maybe in the next couple weeks, but right here in Athens.

It's a port city. It's right on the sea it's it's a in many ways, and a magnificent city in Paul's time, right. The thing about Athens was that it was such a melting pot of pagan worship. So if you were to being with pole, you would walk around like he did. And you would've seen a lot of pagan gardens and statues in things made out of silver and things made out of golden and and religion and philosophy and it was just all mixed up in writing in the middle of Athens. There's this huge rock. I mean it's like massive. It's called the Acropolis at the Acropolis.

By the way, means point it's like just this massive big rock. It's huge. And on top of the rock. You'll find a big old temple may it's called the Parthenon not the pension. The Pantheon is in Rome. This is the Parthenon and the Parthenon was built in 447 BC before Jesus came and restarted in full 47 BC and I finished building the Parthenon and about 338 BC, so it took quite a lot of years course back in those days. This is all 47 before Christ. This is like 500 years before Paul even arrived. I just want you to get a hold of aborted laws and an and the Parthenon which was built on top of the Acropolis, which is the big rock that everybody sees on all of the pictures about Athens was a temple dedicated to the God. This theme not and the goddess Athena was the patron goddess of the Athenians of the people of Athens that had a patron goddess. Her name was Finis. So they built a temple to her. Effective three temples on the top of the Acropolis, but that's the main one. They worship Zeus and we met Zeus before, but they worship many gods, they were all over the place affect our I thought to myself. You not love to just get up here today and start telling about all these God's will will just take forever doing that Greek mythology was very important to the Athenians and they worship these guards when they actually believe that these guards could offer them something. Do something for them. Give them life and strength and provide food brought them fertility and take care of the crops and all these kinds of things. That's what they believed in high rubble and stowed they actually believe that they football teams could give them life they actually believe that they bank balance would give them life they actually believe that your monuments with the things that they would worship.) Athens so you got the Acropolis, which is this big rock on the top of it is the temple dedicated to the goddess and down at the bottom of the rock is a place called the I want you to will repeat not done the Areopagus Areopagus sounds like a cartoon creature doesn't all right be Areopagus and Areopagus was actually a person and Areopagus was executed. There going way back in time and the Areopagus was a very important it's another rock you can actually go down the bottom, the Acropolis, and you walk up the steps onto the Areopagus, which has become known as Mars Hill why Mars Hill because when the Romans took control. They called the Areopagus Mars Hill and the word mom was in the Roman tradition referred to the log all wool. Why were they calling this place Mars Hill, the God of war because that's where the Areopagus Council met the top people they met the movers and shakers that was they Supreme Court this is where they gathered on this rock will be Areopagus on Mars Hill and I would bring everybody together and I had the power even to take life and when I got onto Mars Hill the area but got to counsel would gathered together and they would consider all matters of the Athenians they would consider religion and philosophy they would hear arguments that would bring up rulers they would deal with corruption and they had the power that had the power even over the way in which people handled the olive tree because of you missed with an olive tree. You could get the sentence of death. They handle all matters of state. On the Areopagus at the Areopagus Council meetings standing on that place that's way pole stood that's exactly where pole went.

Can you believe that he went slept right there into the midst of all of it and so right there on Mars Hill. You had the connection of the crosscurrents of pagan religion of philosophy of humanitarianism of socialism of injustice, of the orders of state of cultural influx and in Athens of their day.

Let freedom ring.

The Athenians believed in an early fall of democracy in the sense that unlike many of the other cities that we been to.

If you enter Athens you can express your opinion, you could be heard just think about this for a few minutes witnessing where freedom reigns.

Just think about this church of the living God in America every believer in America you know Jesus. Listen up in the context of this beautiful nation all the blessings we have to offer scout cells.

How do we witness with freedom right like many of you I've traveled to many places in the world we got members of our own numbers who have gone out from this church as we speak are in extremely difficult places. My daughter being one of them in places where you can hardly say the name of Jesus and yet we can just like they could in Athens. He could speak in the midst of all of what was going on in the world. So the question is how to pull witness couple of things to think about this is what this is how God speaks to my heart. This is a word for me on how to be with someone he felt the burden just felt the burden he got it he sold the idolatry.

He said I walked around RC on no I recognize I did and you worshiping unknown guards.

I feel a burden for you is you gonna die one of these days and only Jesus can give you life your putting your money in the wrong place your backing the wrong horse you spending your whole life booting idols holding councils and all you doing is getting beside yourself. You are proving to yourselves over and over again your own incapability. You will never take care of yourself. He felt the burden. Second, he understood the challenge. I think what we derive from he understood the challenge he he he got it, and in his world. There were two particular groups. The Epicureans and the Stoics. Both of these groups philosophy and religion as a system not as a faith, your religion is a system, it's your cultural heritage, it's your upbringing. You do this because mama did it.

Both the Stoics and the Epicureans, the Epicureans generally believed that God existed, I wouldn't deny God, and the Epicureans actually generally sort of like oh yeah, no, we don't have any problem with, but they didn't believe that he was not interested nor was he involved in humanity. God existed, but he had no involvement in our lives. That's a classic Epicureans and the Epicureans main purpose in life was pleasure will if you don't believe God is involved in your life live today because tomorrow you gonna die.

That is a classic Mardi Gras philosophy of life. Let's go berserk on fat Tuesday. Let's eat drink and be merry and on Wednesday will discard paint our faces black and will go to church and everything will be okay, so that we can go back to doing whatever you want to on the next day today because tomorrow I'm gonna die. That's a classic Epicurean philosophy it's built on the pleasure principle because God all yet.

I don't worry about a thing on fat Tuesday.

We won't worry about him. On Ash Wednesday we will worry about it because we believe he exists, but he's not involved, nor does he care about my life and God wants you to know that he nodded and he loves you but he cares for you and that you cannot do without him because he loves you so much he loves you will be back in just a moment with more of today's message with Dr. Don Wilton about witnessing where freedom reigns as we interrupt our pastor wants us to remind you where here for you were connecting keyboard keyboard on our website@theencouragingword.org to pray with you and for you to connect with resources that will help you grow your faith would also be happy to pray with you on the phone at 866899 word that's 866-899-9673. We love to connect with you again in connection with things that will help you grow. We also remind you that tonight at 6:30 PM on the TBN Trinity broadcasting network will be sharing another great message from Dr. Don Wilton and I pray you will encourage others to join us and watch together with you that's tonight 630 every Monday night on TV and the Trinity broadcasting network Outback.

Today's message with Dr. Don Wilton. All these Epicureans they were quite a bunch lay.

They believed that the soul at this was in some kind of mysterious way. Once again absorbed again into what it originally was before. It was I don't know what I said but did you get that.

Have you ever gone to somebody and said what's gonna happen to you when you die and they say the I yeah yeah no I guess well I'll find out one of those guys are suppose you know it's I mean it's going to you know God needs a trumpet player in heaven. What about the Stoics. The Stoics really had a worldview they were classic advocates of patriotic duty. The Stoics were they. They believe that people needed to be in harmony with intelligence, which essentially is the very stuff from which rules are made so you'll highest order of business is to do your duty and be in harmony with man's intelligence because man can work it out. How to exist in harmony. Yeah, that's right even the greatest Democratic Republic that is ever been seen in the world ever has proved that man does not have the intelligence to live in harmony. So there worldview essentially was that God was above the world soul, so to speak, and the goal in life was to rise above all things and if you could rise above all things. It means that your emotions could operate on an even keel to both pleasure or pain. In the goal of life is just to be kind of a cool dude just a I, think it's a little bit, he peevish back in the day.

Some of you still look like hippies where everything is just cool.

They just told don't get a commune and live out there on the farm and will just can't be beatniks man and you just share everything and it's it's going to be wonderful Stoics pull do with this is what he walked into and he loved Jesus and he knew Jesus was alive. He felt the burden he understood the challenge so he went to the hornets nest you in the Areopagus tomorrow zero. They took him they he knew that this was the place that ultimately protected them God worship this. This was the place. This was the Council of Athens. This was it. I tell you he went and stood on that rock the base of the Acropolis is very place that could take life even that had the power is place that the Romans dedicated to the God of war long as you can all hold on here and do it solve all the problems right. In the hornets nest wanted to duty connected with the people. This is really a Christian apologetic all the way the word apologetics means a defense. He defended the gospel and this Christian apologetic the sermon that Paul preached on Mars Hill heat heat guarding amongst the people he spoke their language, he make them where they were spoke about their guards and their conflicts and they people they situation.

He spoke about creation where we come from my purpose today is not to unpack the all the nuances of this Christian apologetic some great apologists like Ravi Zacharias that I'm actually trying to get to come and share with us on occasion, wonderful great men and women of God and in the midst of the sea presented God's truth, he just said Tim listen. It's about Jesus God raised him up. He spoke about the resurrection he just went right thing to the empty tomb that Jesus is alive is change my life and what was it all about in verse 32 through 34. He left the results up to God. Look what happened. Dionysus came to know Jesus, by the way, Dionysus was in a rapid guide.

He was a member of the Council.

There were many others in the gonna follow that path, which is why I'm asking you today. If you give your heart to Jesus will not cure ostensibly for any other purpose and that is to talk about the fact that God made us in his image that he loves us that Jesus died for us upon the cross that on the third day, by the power of God.

He was raised from the dead and that he's calling you, just like pull cities calling people everywhere to repent. Because it's in him that we live and we move and we have been. I'm just one of us hundreds of thousands and so many of you are to my life was changed forever.

I've studied I've traveled around, I'm privileged to be loved by congregation like this. I have family and grandkids.

I love ballgames I love to go fishing and then brag for three years afterwards even if I catch a razor blade in the thing I love about iPhones you can catch a razor blade and by the time you finished working on it. It's a real big fella on. I love to be around people and I man I love barbecue. I was updating the town of Custer on Tuesday.

Not I but one of the biggest barbecue ribs.

I mean, it would've made you slap your any right it was delicious. I love life you love life.

Look at this place we live in, but my life is being changed by Jesus. This is my Mars Hill. This is our Areopagus where we all your monsoon your Areopagus is your hope it's your work at your school. It's that football stadium that you in.

It's the fishing rod you hold in your hand.

It's the business that you run it's the trip that you take. It's the vacation it's sitting down a good plate of barbecue. It's shaking a hand that's how Mars Hill lets out Areopagus, where you standing today. You don't have to look for a hornets nest by buzzing all around us in America. Do you know Jesus, I want to invite you to give your life to Christ best friend that you live or have your whole life will be turned around in my experience, I know you know what Jesus is done for me. He's given me enjoy a fulfillment not of perfectness given me the means to be forgiven. How many times do you suppose I've needed to be forgiven.

Hundreds of times is constantly sin against God. Not constantly let people down and he forgives me because he loves me because he was raised from the dead, and you know, above all else, one day one day when I die. Jesus would come again. I'm going to heaven to be with trees and live with him forever. I look around I just see thousands of people are going to be there with me.

Thousands upon thousands that are there already including Paul and Barnabas and Silas and John Mark. You can be there to. We'd like to pray with you today.

I'm calling you out. My friend the name of Jesus right there in the midst of the Arauca got counsel right there in the midst of the people I'm calling you to step up and stand out. Step out, we'd like to pray with you and help you can give your life to Christ right where you are.

Give your heart to Jesus. Everything else falls into place.

I promise you that because he makes the difference because it's in him that we live and we move we have our being. Jesus is the one that makes a difference. Our pastor will be right back in just a moment, but if you like to speak with someone you have questions, let's talk right now at 866899 word that's 86689673 or keyboard keyboard@theencouragingword.org doctors more from Dr. Don, are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now they are gone. I know that on the center and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news, Kenneth the Lord is spoken to you. Let's talk about it. Let's put resources in your hands.

You can call us right now at 866899 word 866-899-9673 or online@theencouragingword.org website.

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That number is 866-899-WORD not just now in the broadcast 24 hours a day. Would love to speak and pray with an 866-899-9673 or online@theencouragingword.org. Seating the Sunday service of much of them afterwards with friends on a country lies many outstanding pastors to Christian stations pastor Wilson congregation