•Paul’s Missionary Campaign in

Macedonia and Achaia

[Acts 15:36 – Acts 18:17]
(Paul’s Second Missionary Journey)
CHAPTER 17
 3 Sections

1. Paul and Silas in Thessalonica [vv1-9]

2. Paul and Silas in Berea [vv10-15]
3. Paul in Athens [16-34]
Paul and Silas in Thessalonica [vv1-9]

Paul & Silas

Travelled to
Thessalonica
through
 Amphipolis
 Apollonia
Went to the
synagogue
For three Sabbaths
Paul and Silas in Thessalonica [vv1-9]
For three Sabbaths
Held discussions with
the people,
quoting and explaining
the Scriptures
And proving from
Scriptures that the
Messiah had to suffer
and rise from death
And this Messiah is
Jesus
Paul and Silas in Thessalonica [vv1-9]
Results of Paul & Silas’ preaching
Some Jews
Many of the leading women
A large group of Greeks who
worshipped God
Believed and followed Paul and
Silas

Other Jews – jealous

Gathered loafers from the street
and formed a mob
Paul and Silas in Thessalonica [vv1-9]
Set the whole city in an uproar
Attacked the home of Jason
To find Paul and Silas
When Paul & Silas was not found, they
dragged Jason and some other believers before the city
authorities
shouted that these men who had caused trouble
everywhere had come to their city and was being sheltered
by Jason in his house
accused them of breaking all the laws of the Emperor and
claiming that there was another king, Jesus
threw the whole city into an uproar with their words
Paul and Silas in Thessalonica [vv1-9]

The authorities
Made Jason and the others pay the required amount
of money to be released before they were set free
Paul and Silas in Berea [vv10-15]

Paul & Silas

Left for Berea at night
Went to the synagogue
& talked to the people
The people of Berea
was so different from
the people in
Thessalonica
Paul and Silas in Berea [vv10-15]
The Jews in Berea
More open-minded
than the Thessalonian
Jews
Listened to the
message with
eagerness
Studied the Scriptures
every day to see if what
Paul said was true
Paul and Silas in Berea [vv10-15]
Results
The Jews in Berea,
many Greek men
and Greek women of
high social sanding
believed
 Paul and Silas in Berea [vv10-15]
Thessalonian Jews
When heard of Paul’s preaching of God’s word
in Berea
Came and started a mob

Paul
taken by the believers away to the coast and
then to Athens
Instructed through the men that Silas and
Timothy should join him as soon as possible
Paul in Athens [vv16-34]
Paul while waiting for Silas and
Timothy
Noticed the city was full of idols
Became sad
Held discussions
in the synagogue with the Jews
and Gentiles who worshipped
God
daily in public square with the
people who happened to come
by
Paul in Athens [vv16-34]
Response from the listeners
Some Epicurean & Stoic
teachers saw him as an
ignorant show-off - did not
know what he was talking
about
Others – said he was talking
about foreign gods [Jesus & the
resurrection]
Brought him before the
Areopagus, the city council
Paul in Athens [vv16-34]
Paul’s ‘intro’ in the Areopagus
Stood up and told them
He recognised that they were
very religious
When walked around and
looked at their places of
worship, he saw an altar
dedicated ‘To an Unknown
God’.
Paul in Athens [vv16-34]
Paul’s teaching in the Areopagus
‘The Unknown God’
Lord of Heaven & earth –
created the world & everything
in it
Does not live in man-made
temples
Does not need anything from
man – He is the one who gives
life & breath & everything else
to mankind
Paul in Athens [vv16-34]
From one man He created all
races
 made them live throughout
the whole earth
 Fixed beforehand the exact
times & limits of the places

where they would live so

that they would look for
Him and perhaps find Him
Paul in Athens [vv16-34]
Quoted their poets - they were
God’s children and they exist in
God
God’s image was not anything
that could be shaped into an
image of stone or silver or gold
by man
God had overlooked the
times when people
did not know Him
Paul in Athens [vv16-34]
God now was commanding
all men to turn
away from their
evil ways because He
had fixed a day for
judging the
whole world with justice
God would judge by means of a
man He had chosen and had
given proof of this to everyone
by raising his man Jesus from
death
Paul in Athens [vv16-34]
Response to Paul’s preaching
Some of them made fun of
Paul
Others – wanted to hear him
again
Some men joined him &
believed – Diorrysius, a
member of the Areopagus,
A woman name Damaris &
others
Possible lessons to be learnt
1) Sharing the Gospel bears a cost!
2) Be prepared for opposition when doing God’s work!
3) To have the ‘Bereans’ attitude towards God’s word.
4) Seize every opportunity to share the Gospel.
5) Know what and when to share the Gospel.