Most of us eat every day, some of us too much, because yesterday's
food is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do
some of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change
all of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need
to live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker, Elle David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good
morning. It is Monday, December fourth, twenty twenty three. Hello,
my name is Elle David Harris. I am your host, and this is
your Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today
is no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series, God's Mission,
my mission, and our caption for today is Paul in the Ariopogus.
Paul in the Ariopogus. I almost got tongue tied there. We'll get back
into that in just a moment, but first I'd like to say welcome to
you and ask you to go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Please
join our online community. Also, let us know where you are in the
world by clicking in that little box that says where are you in the world?
Yes, and also pick up your Daily Portion book at your Daily Portion
dot com. This is the way that we build faith and fellowship. Let's
go ahead and pray, and then we will get underway. Botherin heaven.
Thank you for giving us this new day and for the privilege you have entrusted
to us to open up your word again. Please teach us principles that have
to do with leading as many people to you as possible. In Jesus name,
I pray, Amen and a man again. Yeah, I want you
to attempt, and really I'm saying this tongue in cheek, but attempt to
say areopogus three times in a row without stumbling. Yeah, what is an
ariopogus? Let me just go ahead and click the high Life and then define
And it's right in the dictionary. If you are using an electronic lesson,
you can hold on to that word and then let the thing define it.
And it says in ancient Athens, a hill on which met the highest governmental
council and later a judicial court. And then it gives us some more stuff.
Okay, so it's a hill where the highest government, council and judicial
court would have met. Got it. Okay, okay, okay. Let
me read a quote. Now that we got that big word out of there,
let me read a quote from Acts of the Apostles. There are a
few I'll let you know where the quote begins, but this is out of
the lesson study in Athens. Paul had expected that the Holy Spirit could use
his knowledge and oratorical skills which he had gained in his education under Gameliel.
But in reality it was Paul's at education on the streets of Athens and the
Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit was able to use even more. And here's
where the quote begins. The wisest of the hearers were astonished as they listened
to his reasoning. He showed himself familiar with their works of art, their
literature, and their religion. That's the end of the quote from again the
Acts of the Apostles, page two hundred and thirty seven. One of the
things that really causes a challenge where Christians are concerned is that seldom, well
I shouldst say seldom. It is a challenge for some Christians to really get
to know the people that we're dealing with can I say that again, Sometimes
we don't get to know the people we're dealing with, And you're like,
of course, I mean if we're friends, we can do that, but
if they're strangers, then then we can't. Got it. Apart from that,
though, sometimes we stigmatize people who are of various different faith communities,
from different social classes and communities, and we stereotype them. We stereotype them,
and therefore we're not able to really relate to them. See, the
stereotype is seldom correct. I want to say one, but it's loaded.
I just want to be honest with you. But people from let's call it
my faith community, my faith community, sometimes we say, I don't say
it, but some people in our faith community say that people of a different
faith community don't study their Bibles, don't study their Bibles. And I'm thinking,
well, I'm finding that people of faith communities around the world are actually
studying their Bibles, even if we don't agree on some of the details.
You see, and so Paul, when he had his encounter on Mars Hill,
something interesting happened. I'm going to read beginning at verse eighteen of Acts,
chapter seventeen. He did not stigmatize but he actually observed the reality and
then applied the principle. Well, I'll talk about in a moment, okay.
In verse eighteen, it reads, then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and
of the Stoics and encountered him. Some said, what will this babbler say?
And other some he seemeth to be a setter fourth of strange gods,
because he preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection verse nineteen. And they took
him and brought him into the areopagus, saying, may we know what this
new doctrine whereof thou speakest is? Now they're giving him an opportunity, for
thou bringest certain strange things to our ears. We would know therefore what these
things mean. For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time
in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. And
let me just read one more. Now I'll read two more passages. Then
Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said, ye, men of
Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 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, I declare,
runto you. Let me just stop right there. And so what Paul is
saying is, I have seen your worship patterns. I have observed your intelligence.
I have experienced your philosophical prowess, your ability to create questions and leave
those questions open and dumbfounding your audiences. I have seen an experience all of
that. And how this now relates to your connection with God in air quotes,
I'm noticing that among all of these various gods that you have, there's
one that you have not been able to make sense of. And so in
that moment he is using, by the power of the Holy Ghost, an
opportunity where it exists. He didn't have to create an opportunity. He didn't
have to make up some new thing. He didn't stigmatize, type cast or
stereotype them. He simply observed the environment in which he was and noticed that
they said they didn't know this quote deity. And so he said, this
is a good place to fit in the one who created all things. In
verse twenty four, God made the world and all things. Therein seeing that
he is the Lord of heaven and earth, who dwelleth not in temples,
may with hands, neither worshiped with man's hands. And though he needed,
as though he needed anything, seeing, he giveth to all life and breath
and all things. And then he goes on. He is starting to pick
apart without making an argument. But he's picking apart the different superstitions, the
different misunderstandings, the idioms, and all of the different philosophical things, and
just a very few words, he doesn't dwell in temples, like well,
the one we're in made with hands, and he doesn't need anything like some
of those gods over there that you're giving stuff too, as if those gods
need something. Well, our God, the one that you call the unknown
God, doesn't need any of that. And so what God is doing,
through the power to Holy Spirit in him is to say, like he said,
I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified
in another studying. This is what he said. But that was the tenor
of his life. That was the tenor of his life. He didn't have
to go into the philosophy. He didn't have to have the argument, he
didn't have to try to become quote aeradite. Look that up. You see
how he didn't know what I said at some of you. Yeah, he
didn't need to do any of that. He said, you know what,
you call me a babbler. So what I'm going to do in this context
is simply share the great news about what you call the unknown God, and
that God can transform your life so that you can have it more abundantly,
have eternal life through Christ. A wonderful day, Peace, Thanks for joining
us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but
by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been your
daily portion with El David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,