July through September our series is entitled: Paul's Odyssey II
Odyssey means "a long and adventurous journey or experience". It is the second of a three-part series about the life and ministry of Paul. The text for these three months will cover Acts 15 - 18, Paul's second missionary trip.

We have been tracking the Apostle Paul and his team as they left Antioch in Syria and headed westward under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
They have traveled more than 1,000 miles teaching people about Jesus and the Christian faith with many great opportunities but also some incredible obstacles. They've been the object of brutal physical treatment along with a smear campaign. 2 Timothy 3:12

Last week we left Paul in Athens. Below are a couple of weblinks that provide a visual overview of this city which helps us understand what is described in Acts 17.

What would it be like to represent a client, or even yourself, in a court of law?
What is your favorite legal author, movie, and TV show?
If you had to appear in a courtroom and give a defense of your Christian faith, would you feel comfortable?

Our text today is in Acts 17:22-34.
We pick up where we left off last week. Paul has been teaching throughout the city of Athens visiting the synagogue and marketplace. He encountered two groups of philosophers who challenged his teaching and was taken to the Areopagus to be examined by the "thought police."
Acts 17:22-23

A key here is the altar to an unknown god...
- 600 years B.C. the city of Athens was suffering a terrible plague, and many hundreds of people died.
- Having done all they could, the city Elders consulted with a priestess to try and find a remedy and why their gazillion gods, couldn’t bring deliverance. She pointed out that the city was under a curse because a treacherous king in their past had done evil.
- The priestess said there was another god [name unknown] who held the city accountable for their king’s crime, and she told them they would need to send a delegation to the island of Crete to bring back a prophet who would be able to tell them how to appease the unknown deity.
- This prophet came with some very clear directions, and when the city followed his instructions, the plague began to lift and within a week the sick had recovered.
- The writing on the altar bore the inscription "Agnosto Theo"...unknown god.

There are some key takeaways from our text and this story:

1) There are a great many people who worship religion and false idols because they don’t know who the true God is.
2) It’s important to start where a person is. v. 22b-23a
3) God reveals himself to humanity through nature, history, His people, and the Bible. We must learn what someone knows and believes.
4) If we are to help people come to know the God of the Bible, then we must stand up and speak up.

As Paul came before the tribunal, he had to briefly explain the message that he was teaching and bringing to Athens.
He dealt with the main issue at hand...they had no real knowledge of God. v. 23b
The world we live in today is not much different. People are worshippers of something as we talked about last Sunday.
Before all of the wise men of Athens on the Areopagus, the Apostle Paul makes the truth of who God is, the core of his teaching.

Paul provides a Christian worldview with 5 core beliefs. These form the root system for healthy Christians and Churches.

First, God is the Creator of the universe.
Acts 17:24
Romans 1:18-32

Second, God is the Sustainer of life.
Acts 17:25
Isaiah 42:5
Colossians 1:17
Hebrews 1:3

Third, God is the Ruler of His creation.
Acts 17:26
Ephesians 1:9-11
Psalm 103:8

Fourth, God is the Caregiver of humanity.
Acts 17:27-29
Matthew 5:45

Fifth, God is the Adjudicator or Judge of all mankind.
Acts 17:30-31

Those in attendance that heard Paul's teaching and what was left was their choice of how they would respond.
Acts 17:32-34
In this passage we see three ways that people respond to our Christian message: 1. Sneering, 2. Procrastinating, 3. Accepting