WEDNESDAY September 13, 2023

A Divided Audience

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
Acts 17:32-34

In these verses, I noticed three different reactions to the Gospel message preached by the Apostle Paul in Athens. Some men mocked and started to make fun of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Others hesitated and procrastinated in their decision to respond to the message. They put off accepting Christ because they wanted to hear more on another occasion. A number of men gladly received Christ, and, by faith join the ranks of Christianity.

Those who accepted Christ would be used to help spread the Gospel. It is believed by tradition that when Paul left Athens and continued his missionary journey, Dionysius became the pastor of the church that was founded in Athens. The Gospel continued to move throughout Europe and Asia, just as it is still moving around the world today.

These same three reactions can be seen in the lives of different people in the church today. What is your response to the Gospel message? Have you sat in church, listened to the message given by the pastor, but you have left mocking the Gospel? Have you failed to respond to the Gospel message? Do you procrastinate each week, thinking to yourself, I am not read; I will wait until another time? You may leave the church service and die in a car crash! There is no guarantee you will get another opportunity to respond to the Gospel. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, you are told: Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Why not respond today and join the ranks of Christianity?

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. In the day thou believest, thou shalt surely live. Thou shalt be restored to the favor of God; and in his pleasure is life.
~John Wesley~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!