Sequel to the encounter of Saul of Tarsus with the Lord Jesus on the way to Damascus on a mission to persecute the disciples. Saul was converted miraculously. After his conversion, he started using his Roman name, Paul went away for three years to learn about Christ. In Acts 12:1-3; the Lord commissioned him and Barnabas into the ministry and he began his first missionary journey from Antioch. Although the Jews persecuted him from city to city. Paul set up congregations all over Asia Minor. There was a dispute about circumcision which was resolved in Christian council meeting in Jerusalem and Paul used the opportunity to give account of his first missionary journey.
Back in Antioch, Paul and Silas went on a second missionary journey (the background of this project). Responding to a vision, Paul visited Macedonian his first convert was Lydia the purple linen at a prayer session, the salvation of Philippians jailer and his household, then their journey to Thessalonica and Berea. The same (mob) followed Paul and Silas to Berea using local things to drive Paul and Silas away. They later preached in Athens, Corinth and other cities before returning to Antioch through Ephesus and Caesarea.
Paul called an apostle and on many occasions during his evangelistic journey encountered persecution inform of riot, imprisonment, beatings, shipwreck and so on. These scenarios still continue till today, most especially in Africa that we have pockets of religious riots, killings and persecution of Christians.
Apostle Paul used different methods as he moved from one religion to the others. For example, the method he used in Thessalonica is different from the one he used in Berea.
Also his academic prowess helped him to minister to the Hellenists, that is the gentiles that are highly philosophical and not like the Jews that are inclined towards signs and wonders.
Thessalonica, this city was built by Cassander in 315BC and named Thessalonica in honour of his wife, daughter of PhilipII of Macedonia and half sister of Alexander the Great. Thessalonica was the principal seaport of Macedonia when Macedonian was divided into four districts, Thessalonica was made the capital of the second district. It became an administrative seat when Macedonia became a Roman Province.
Paul and Silas found the city to be a thriving metropolis of some importance. These apostles spent three Sabbaths in this city and made many converts. The Jews in the city organized a riot to kill Paul. For their safety, Paul and Silas were sent away by night to Berea. They left behind Timothy and other brethren. Soon afterwards, the opposing Jews from Thessalonica arrived in Berea to deal with Paul Acts17:10-15. In less than one year after leaving Thessalonica, Paul was in Corinth where he wrote his first letter to the Thessalonica Assembly.
Berea is about forty miles southwest of Thessalonica. It was the first city of Macedonia to surrender to the Romans at the end of the third Macedonia war (167BC), it was then included in the third of the four districts into which Macedonia was divided. At Berea Paul and Silas were rejoined by Timothy. Paul used Bible study methodology hire because the Bereans were more knowledgeable and nobler than the Thessalonica brethren because they searched the scripture to ascertain if what Paul was teaching them was true.
Athens: Although Athens had since long lost the political eminence, she continued to represent the highest level of culture attained in classical antiquity. The scripture, literature, and oratory of Athens in the fifth and fourth centuries BC, indeed have never been surpassed. In philosophy, too, she occupied the leading place, being the native city of Socrates and plato, and adopted home of Aristotle, Epicarus and Zeno. In all these fields Athens retained her prestige and political glory as the cradle of democracy. The Romans gave Athens the right to maintain her own constitution as a free and allowed city within the Roman Empire.
In the first place, Apostle Paul was a dogged evangelist, immediately he was released from a prison in Philippi and passing through Amplipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica. He entered into the synagogue of the Jews. He was undeterred, he was resilient. He expounded the scriptures to the Jews that Christ is the savior. He convinced them. Some Grecian were also convinced of this new found faith of turning to Jesus Christ from Idolatry. (1Thessa1:9). Apostle Paul ministered both to the Jews and Greek.
Persecution was following him from city to city. Paul and Silas were sent to Berea by night. And as his custom, he went to the synagogue of the Jews. In Berea, the evangelistic outreach was more successful because the Bereans brethren were more open-minded than those of Thessalonica. They accepted the message with all eagerness and examined the scriptures daily to see if these things wee so.
Apostle Paul used bible study methodology here. He was able to win the souls of high caliber men and women. Hence, his evangelistic outreach segregation. He witnessed both to the high, mighty and low likes, both to Jews and Gentiles alike.
In like manner, persecution also arisen and Paul and Silas were sent to Athens.
In Athens, His spirit was stirred when he saw the city enmeshed in idolatry, thus, he convinced them in the synagogue (the Jews) and in the market. Thus, not only in the worship centre moral questions in the market place as he was invited by these philosophers with the authority of the magistrates. He used this opportunity to stand on Mars Hill to preach the gospel to them (Acts 17:22-31). It was in this Athens that he met two opposing school of thoughts: Stoic and Epicureans. He used his knowledge and academic prowess to convince them. A strategic city of culture of classical antiquity. Also the native city of Socrates, Plato, Zeno, Epicurus and so on
accorded a free city within Roman Empire. Paul success here is as a result of the Holy Spirit using Paul’s academic credentials as a philosopher, lawyer and poet.
If the address at Antioch in Acts 13:16-41 is intended to serve as a sample of Paul’s preaching to a Synagogue congregation, the present speech on Mars Hill is equally well designed to serve as a sample of his preaching to Pagans(of the much briefer summary in Acts 14:15-17). Here he did not quote Hebrew Scriptures which would have been quite unknown to his hearers; the direct quotations in this speech are quotations from Greek poets. But he did not condescend to his hearers’ level by arguing from first principles as one of their own philosophers might do. This is called “Contextualization in evangelism”.
His argument is firmly based on bibilical revelation, it echoes throughout the thought, and at times the very language of the Old Testament, like the bibilical revelation itself, his argument begins with God the creator of all and ends with God the Judge of all.
Apostle Paul informed them, the Athenians that God’s purpose in this arranging time and place so providentially for men and women well being. It was, says Paul in order that they might seek God and find him ever since the creation, he says in Rm 1:20, the things that God has made have pointed clearly to his enclosing power and divinity. If human beings beguiled and confused by false worship, have failed to perceive the nature of God in the works of creation, they are without excuse.
In a nutshell, Apostle Paul was an all-round evangelist by the reason of his versatility.
When he left Thessalonica and was not able to go there, he used correspondence to strengthen the brethren there (1Thessa 2:18).
In Athens, he used doctrinal view point and discourse (resurrection). This made the philosophers(Stoic and Epicurean) to give him opportunity to stand on Mars Hill to preach the gospel.
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