Scripture Reading : Acts 17:16-34
Theme : God-Centered Gospel
- Godless man-made gospel. Athens was the cultural centre of Greece, home to famous philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. The author of Acts noted that the Athenians spent all their time talking about and listening to new ideas (17:21). The Athenians were very religious, but they did not know the true Gospel. They worshipped all kinds of idols created by themselves (17:6), even creating an altar “to an unknown god”, just in case they left out any god who might become angry with them.
- God-centred Gospel preaching. Paul made known to them the one and only true God by preaching the Gospel to them. Paul did not just try to add another god to the pantheon of gods the Athenians were already worshipping. He denounced the idols as “image made by human design and skill” (17:29), and declared to them the need for repentance and the coming judgment.
- God-centred Gospel living. Sincerity is not sufficient to please God. The Athenians were very sincere in their worship, even building an altar to an unknown god. However, Paul declared that this was “ignorance” which God overlooked. The important thing when one hears the Gospel is to repent. True repentance means turning away from sin and turning towards God, and it will be followed by a life of godliness.
Praying the Scripture
- W. Tozer wrote, “Wrong ideas about God are not only the fountain from which the polluted waters of idolatry flow; they are themselves idolatrous. The idolater simply imagines things about God and acts as if they were true.” Worship, no matter how sincere, is idolatry as long as we are not clear on who is the God of the Bible. Pray that we will not be worshipping “an unknown god”, but strive to know Him by reading the Bible.
- Some people think that they can add Jesus to their pantheon of gods. But according to Paul and the God-centered Gospel that he preached, there is only ONE God. Pray that we too will preach such a Gospel, and be ready to tell unbelievers the truth.
- Pray that if we have genuinely repented from our sins, we will live godly lives that is “worthy of the Gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27), because God will “judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.” (Acts 17:31)
经文：使徒行传17:16-34
主题：以神为本的福音
- 无神的人造福音。雅典是希腊的文化之都，是许多著名哲学家（苏格拉底、柏拉图、亚里士多德等）的故乡。使徒行传的作者特意注明雅典人把精力都放在说听新事上（17:21）。雅典人很虔敬，但他们不晓得真实的福音。他们敬拜各样自己所造的偶像（17:6），甚至筑了一座“未识之神”的坛，以免他们疏忽别的神，从而招来祸害。
- 以神为本的福音讲道。保罗向他们传讲福音，从而让他们知道谁是那位独一真神。保罗并没有在雅典人所敬拜的众多神明上再添另一位神。他谴责雅典人的做法，称那些偶像为“用手艺、心思所雕刻的金、银、石”（17:29），并宣告他们需要认罪悔改，日后且有审判。
- 以神为本的福音生活。诚意是不足以满足神的。雅典人非常虔敬，甚至筑了一座坛予那“未识之神”。保罗申明神可以不监察他们的“蒙昧无知”；要紧的是人听见福音后当悔改。真实悔改表示离开罪孽，转归向神，随后有敬虔生活。
用经文祷告
- 陶恕（W. Tozer）写道：“对神的误解不但是敬拜偶像之流的泉源，本身也是亵渎神的。拜偶像者脑里想象神的事，按此而行，犹如它是真的。”无论我们有多虔敬，只要我们对圣经中的神仍有误解，那就是拜偶像了。祈求我们不会敬拜一位“未识之神”，而是竭力查考圣经，认识真神。
- 有人以为他们能在所有的众神明之上再添耶稣。然而，按保罗及他所传讲的属神福音，世上只有一位神。祈求我们也能传讲这个福音，并预备随时向非信徒传讲真理。
- 我们若从罪中真实悔改了，祈求我们能过一个“与基督的福音相称”（腓1:27）的生命，因为神“要借着他所设立的人按公义审判天下”（使17:31）。
