Let us pray, for as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription. To the unknown God, whom therefore ye ignorantly worship him, declare I unto you. Acts 1723 as I study the life of Paul, I will be mind to study his approach and how he reached the heart of those who believed differently than him. With the power of God, Paul delivered a masterpiece of a speech. He connected brilliantly with people from a different culture, showing he understood greek society and their human needs. In the same breath, I pray that you give me the same precision and tactfulness that Paul used to reach the lost in the same way. Allow me to speak with affirmation, familiarity, inclusive language, encouragement, and hope as I'd lead them to the unknown God that created the heavens and the earth. Release in me the gifting of speech and communication on a level I've never known. I am a student and a servant first. Therefore my mind is open and ready to receive all I need to grow. In Jesus name, amen. Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life to hear the Bible come to life.

Stay tuned for the Bible in a year. Brought to you by bibleiniyear.com I'm Cheryl.

McCollum, host of the Cold Case podcast Zone seven. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long island serial killer. Hear Carrie Rosson, daughter of the notorious serial killer BTK, weigh in on the accused Long island serial killer's children.

You show like genuine interest and you can't fake it. These guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be walled off, prepared, and if you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call you out and they're going to be like, nope, I'm talking to somebody else. I'm not talking to you.

Hear great insight from one of New York City's finest, Detective Joe Jacalone. A cold case know as well as I do. Cops weren't even aware of it back then, so they're going to have some difficulty putting those cases together. Unless, of course, he confesses. Listen to zone seven with Cheryl McCollum on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hello, I'm Bishop T. D. Jakes, and I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray, called Sleep Psalms.

Close your eyes and focus on God. Picture him as your shepherd that knows you and surrender to him.

Each episode guides you on a serene exploration of psalms, tranquility calming every nerve and restless, mind turning adventure that keeps you up in the middle of the night. Transposing you into the safety of his arms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd. Tonight. Listen to sleep psalms with Bishop TD jakes on the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

The unknown God in our last story, Paul and Silas were beaten brutally and thrown into prison for casting a demon out of a little girl. As they dwelled in the dark and cold chamber, they sang to the Lord, and a mighty earthquake freed them. Now we see the violence of Jews in Thessalonica and the curiosity of gentiles in Athens. In all of it, God is glorified. Inspired by the book of acts.

In our previous episode, we heard how Paul and Silas were in prison for casting an evil spirit out of a young girl. Though beaten, bruised and bound in chains, Paul and Silas blessed the Lord with sweet songs of worship for all to hear. God then sent an earthquake to burst open the prison gates, but most importantly, to rock the soul of a jailer and his family who came to know Jesus and the power of salvation in their lives. Today, we'll hear how Paul and Silas plant a church in Thessalonica among both Gentiles and Jews, and how they face more opposition from unbelieving Jews. We'll also see how Paul speaks in words and terms the Gentiles in Athens can understand to introduce them to the unknown gods that their hearts long to meet. Let's listen now to the reading of God's word.

Paul, Silas and Timothy walked down a small path into a synagogue in Thessalonica. Its doors were large and dark, but inside it resided hundreds of Jews and Greeks alike. People of different creeds had heard of Paul's teachings, so they came to see for themselves what the Lord may be doing. Paul, Silas and Timothy spoke about the life of Jesus. For three weeks, they proclaimed the liberating message of Christ's life, death and resurrection. Some of their eyes lit up as they came to an understanding of who Jesus truly was. Some Jews and many Greeks were persuaded to follow God with all their lives. Both men and women leaders were raised up and discipled to love the city, and a beautiful community began to emerge in Thessalonica. Yet there was a brooding hive of Jews in the city. Jealous of their drawn influence, they formed angry mob and searched high and low for Paul and his friends. When they couldn't find them, they kidnapped a believer by the name of Jason. Jason was hosting the three men and was the closest thing they had to leverage against Paul they attacked the house of Jason and set the entire city in an uproar.

They drugged Jason and a few other christians out into the city streets and mocked them. They beat them in the courtyards and goaded Paul and his followers to show themselves. When Paul, Silas, and Barnabas did not emerge in time, the men took Jason's money and left him. The mob left, and the city returned to its peace. Jason was restored by his fellow christians. They met every need of his, as was the custom of the church by Peter and the apostles. The church in Thessalonica immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. They had to escape before the mob reemerged, even more angry than before. So the disciples left, confident that the thessalonian church was well equipped to brave the storms ahead. Berea was a more peaceful city than Thessalonica. Its Jews were passive and calm. They received the words of Silas and Timothy well. So Paul left them to rest among the people of Berea. Paul journeyed to Athens, the city built on wisdom, philosophy, and corruption. There was a beautiful dichotomy in Athens. The people there were deep thinkers and inventive, yet they lacked depth of soul. They lacked hearts that aligned with the benevolent will of God.

As a result, they were knowledgeable, yet shallow. They were wise yet foolish. They were brilliant, yet lost. Paul passed through the city streets of Athens. He was amazed at the buildings, libraries, and courtyards. He walked the city streets with a tent of eyes and ears, alert to the Holy Spirit. As he was walking, he passed by many idols. Each false God was built to represent a human desire for pleasure and success. There were gods to sex and alcohol. There were gods to war and money. There were gods to physical strength and outward beauty. Paul passed by an altar with an inscription that wrote, to the unknown God. Paul smiled and entered into the courtyard, where many philosophers and scholars met to debate and learn. Paul spoke with stoic philosophers and inquisitive students. His mind was engaged by the rhetoric, but he was careful to not lose the heart of Jesus. As he conversed with the philosophers, they became confused, saying, what is this babbler saying? And he seems to be a simple preacher of foreign divinities. Yet they did not say so mockingly. They truly desired to understand what Paul was speaking of. Every person in Athens desired to hear something new.

So Paul spoke about the life and death of Jesus. My brothers and sisters, Paul shouted, I have perceived that you are very religious since I saw an altar to the unknown God in your courtyard. So Paul spoke about the God they did not know the God that made all things and the God that saves.

In today's scripture, Paul, Silas, and Timothy are reaching both Jews and gentiles in Thessalonica. Paul knew the jewish scriptures better than most and was able to reason through what God had already revealed to show those who were open to hearing how Jesus was and is the promised Messiah. His preaching was compelling, courageous, and convincing. The Gospel was continuing to make powerful inroads throughout the roman world. The most powerful government in the world is no match to the power of the gospel. No wonder Paul said, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and to salvation to everyone who believes. To the jew first, and also to the Greek. That's Romans 116. Men and women are coming to faith in Christ and are now growing in their faith, being discipled in each new city as churches are forming, as was always the case, of course, the Jews who refused to believe were very opposed to the work these men were doing. And once more, Paul and the others had to deal with lies and even persecution. But this did not deter them. They knew this was to be expected.

Jesus himself had told the disciples that they would face rejection, persecution, and even death in his name. We also need to remember this. Comfort and popularity are not the marks of effective followers of Jesus. If we are to be about the work and witness of the kingdom of Christ, the enemy will oppose us. There is reason to rejoice and persevere, however, and not bow to the pressure of the world. We must not be silent in our generation. With the church in Thessalonica in good hands, Paul and Silas left by cover of night to Berea, where they found that the Jews were thoughtful and eager to examine the scriptures with an openness to believe. For this, they were commended as having noble character. Of course, soon enough, trouble found Paul and Silas again. As Jews from Thessalonica went to Berea to stir up turmoil. We then hear how Paul left for Athens ahead of the others. As he awaited their arrival, he went throughout the city, this magnificent city in ancient Greece. His heart was grieved and troubled as he saw the abundance of idols. It seemed that the Athenians were eager to find meaning, to place their hope and trust in something, even if it was a false God.

They worshiped many gods, but ultimately all of their attempts pointed to simply human desire. It was human wisdom at its worst. Everyone served what they thought made sense to them. And sadly, this sounds a lot like our world today. When everyone is worshiping themselves or something or someone they choose to worship. Paul was surrounded by people far from God, though they were seeking God in their own way. In the synagogues, the Jews failed to see Jesus for who he was, the promised Messiah. And in the marketplace he found Greeks who thought themselves wise, but failed to grasp the deeper meaning of life that was found only in the one true God. Rather than write them off and forget about them as fools, Paul engaged them with a thoughtful conversation and words that they could understand. He had seen their idols and witnessed their many gods. One in particular had stood out. So when they brought Paul to the Ariopacus, the place where the city council gathered to discuss these things, here is what Paul said to them in acts 17, verses 22 to 23. People of Athens I see that in every way you are very religious.

I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship. I even found an altar with this inscription to an unknown God. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship, and this is what I'm going to proclaim to you. He then told them about the God that they could know, the God they could know in the person of Jesus Christ, the God who loved them and sent his son to die on the cross to rise again so that all who believed in him could have eternal life. As a result, some of those gathered came to faith in Christ, even some of the prominent members of the local government. Paul didn't change the gospel message to make it acceptable to these people. He simply spoke in a language and in a context that they could understand in order to point them to Jesus, who is, of course, the known God. The message stayed the same. The invitation to life and freedom did not change, only the way that it was presented. Today's reading reminds us that God gives us wisdom and reason for a reason, and he has given us the Holy Spirit to help us say the right words at the right time.

Using God's word to proclaim the gospel. May our witness be strong and true. And as the scripture tells us, may we be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us through Jesus Christ. Dear God, we thank you for Paul's example of sharing the gospel to people far from you. May we also boldly speak your name in our culture, in the public square, in the marketplace, wherever we go, that people will know who the unknown God is, that you have made yourself known in the person of Christ, and that all who put their faith and trust in him can discover eternal life. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a year podcast. I'm Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas. You can download the Pray app and make prayer and Bible study the priority of your life. And if you enjoyed this podcast, tell someone about it, pass it on. Let others know, because it is our desire to get God's word to as many people as possible, as fast as possible. And if you want to know more about what it means to be a Christ follower, what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, then go to jackgraham.org, jackgraham.org and we have many resources that are available for you there.

I also want to invite you to something very special to join me and my wife Deb on a trip to Israel in 2024. We leave on April the first for a ten day journey, a trip that you will never forget, the trip of a lifetime. We also have a trip to Alaska, a Bible study cruise to Alaska that goes in July. We would love to have you for one of those, or both. Go to jackgram.org or prestonwood.org for information. God bless you.

This episode is sponsored by Medishare, an innovative healthcare solution for christians to save money without sacrificing quality.

Hello, I'm Dr. Tony Evans and I'm excited to have you join me on this new podcast, heroes in the Bible.

Come to me, boy. You and your God will crumble beneath my feet.

He beckoned the giant and said, I.

Come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts and creator of the stars.

You know, we all have giants that we face in our life, and when you understand that the greatness of God affects our ability to handle the giants of life, it will encourage, inspire, and challenge all of us to our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.

Look past his height and appearance, Samuel, for man sees the outward appearance. They see the strength of the man's arms, but the Lord looks into the heart.

Listen to heroes in the Bible with Dr. Tony Evans on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

I'm Cheryl McCollum, host of the Cold Case podcast Zone Seven. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long island serial killer.

You show genuine interest and you can't fake it. These guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be prepared. If you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call you out.

Listen to zone seven with Cheryl McCollum on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hello, I'm Bishop TD Jakes and I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray called Sleep Songs he is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to sleep psalms with Bishop T. D. Jakes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Pray com's meditative Prayers podcast is the best way to bring God's perfect peace into your night. Each meditative prayer helps you focus on God, fight anxiety, sleep better and more.

As you close your eyes. Ask God to come and have fellowship with you. Open yourself to the Holy Spirit and ask him to minister to you.

Listen to meditative prayers on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get.

Your podcasts, immerse yourself in the most extraordinary narrative in history with pray. Com's podcast stories of the Messiah with me, Rabbi Kurt Schneider.

Revealing the agony of the Messiah's face. In that moment, people beheld the full weight of God's judgment release onto his shoulders.

Listen to story to the Messiah on iHeartRadio app, the Apple Podcast app, or wherever you get your podcast.