Is Your God Alive? Acts 17:22-32

A lot has changed in 2000 years, but similarities still abound. Spirituality is still very popular today, as it was when Paul preached this sermon in Greece 2000 years ago. Also, just like in Greece, Christianity still has those who mock it.

It's relatively acceptable to believe in a higher power, but if you start talking about God dying and then resurrecting from the dead, you may very well get laughed out of the room. To this day the resurrection still has it's scoffers. However our belief in Christ's resurrection is what gives us hope for our own resurrection - a resurrection to a new heaven and earth; to a body not tainted by sin, death and disease.

Acts 17:22-32
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

29"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." 32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."

Questions
1. How do you respond to attacks on your faith?
2. Why do you think the resurrection is so essential to Christianity?
3. What part of this passage made the biggest impact on you?

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