This past weekend at Eastbrook, we continues our preaching series entitled “Jesus, King of the Nations.” This is the third of a three-part series exploring the Book of Acts this Fall, including “Essential Church” and “Ordinary People in God’s Extraordinary Work.”
This second week of the series we looked at the story of Paul in Athens in Acts 17 with special attention to the peace, or completeness, that Jesus brings.
You can find the message outline and video below. You can access the entire series here. Join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.
“For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:23)
Peace in a Culture of Longing (Acts 17:16-21)
Paul’s distress in Athens (17:16)
Ministry in the synagogue and marketplace (17:17)
Curiosity and concern about Paul’s message (17:18-21)
The Good News and the Fingerprints of God (Acts 17:22-31)
The altar to an unknown God: connecting with longing and the religious impulse (17:22-23)
Listen for the poetry: truths about God and the cultural environment (17:24-28)
The message of Jesus: responding to His life, death, and resurrection (17:29-31)
The Good News of Peace (Acts 17:32-34)
Mixed response
The fledgling church of Athens
Living with Jesus, the King of Peace
Filled to overflowing by faith in Jesus the Messiah
Tracing the fingerprints of God in our environment
Witnessing to Jesus but entrusting outcomes to God
Dig Deeper
Exploring Faith
- How have you seen “the fingerprints of God” in our culture and world?
- What evidence for God has most drawn you to pursue exploring Christianity?
Growing in Faith
- Is there a movie or book or show or current event that you think could be a bridge for meaningfully communicating about God in general or the message of Jesus in particular?
- Who could you watch or discuss this with in the next week or two?
Centered in Faith
- How would you characterize the “environment” in which we live and minister right now? What might be 3-5 key characteristics of our society that are important to understand when sharing our faith so that we can address issues people are thinking about?
- How might you share with others about Jesus this week in a way that brings a connection between the culture and the story of God in Christ?
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Matthew Erickson 