Acts

Cities offer great opportunities for the gospel and great exposure to sin. In Acts, we encounter both sides of the city. In today’s passage, Paul proclaims God in Athens, where people worshipped what they didn’t know. Acts 17:16 & 23 16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. […] 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, “To the unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

God cares about each individual person, and that’s also how He reaches out to us. If we follow Him, that means putting ourselves in situations where we can share the gospel one at a time. Acts 8:29–31 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

As we start to look at the book of Acts, one thing becomes clear from the beginning on: God did not create us for individual faith. He wants us to be in community, and He uses this community to reach the people with His love and truth. Acts 2:46–47 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.