October 12, 2025

Athens was the capital city of Greece. The Greeks were an important group of people with famous philosophers like Plato. (And no, he wasn’t the first man to play with playdough.) They had famous military leaders too, like Alexander the Great. But as great as the Greeks were, they were also not so great because they worshiped false gods and made idols.

When Paul “saw that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16), he decided to get to work! He preached the gospel everywhere to all who would listen. Some of the philosophers in town listened. They heard that “he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection” (17:18), but they didn’t understand what he was talking about. “You bring some strange things to our ears” (17:20), they said. So they invited him to speak at their outdoor theater. (The Greeks loved to hear new ideas, and Paul sure had some to share!)

Paul stood up and spoke. He spoke about seeing their idols. He spoke about how they had an altar “to the unknown god” (12:23). Then he spoke about the true and living God. “Let me tell you about the God who made the world and everything in it. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn’t live in temples we make. He doesn’t need anything from us. He made all the nations. He rules times and places. And he wants everyone to seek him and find him. He is near us now! So turn from worshiping your idols and turn to our Creator” (see 17:24–30). He didn’t stop there. Next he talked about Jesus—who rose from the dead and will come again to judge. Good news, right? But instead of rejoicing that he rose from the dead, some people laughed at this. They didn’t believe anyone who died could rise again. But just like God opened Lydia’s heart, God opened hearts that day. Some of the listeners believed. Now that shouldn’t sound unbelievable to us, because we know God’s mercy is deep and wide. And powerful! Paul did his part: he made the gospel known to anyone and everyone who would listen. Not all responded in faith—our hearts are hard and stubborn. But some responded in faith—our God is loving and merciful.