Mars Hill

This location overlooks the city of Athens, and is just below the Acropolis. Paul presented to the city of Athens to minister to the pagan Greeks. In meeting them where they were, he spoke to them about their “unknown God”. The message below was given at the location known to us as Mars Hill.

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.  For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.  The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,  for

“‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:22-31

Paul understood the importance of speaking to people from where they were in the moment. He didn’t go to a church to share the gospel, he went to where the people were. He took time to know where they were coming from, what they believed. He took something from their culture and helped them understand how it applied to the God he served. This is a lesson that we should all learn, as Christine Caine has said “You can not clean the fish before you catch it.” We must meet people where they are, allow Holy Spirit to draw them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and then we can help disciple believers into a closer relationship with Him.

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