Read Acts 17
Richie Christie
In Acts 17, we find the Apostle Paul journeying through Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens, carrying the message of Jesus into places where hearts are both hardened and open. Is not Jesus’ message still being carried into places both hardened and open within our own hearts? This chapter unfolds as a beautiful invitation for us to reflect on how we approach God, how we seek truth, and how we respond to His revelation in our lives.
In Thessalonica, Paul’s message meets with resistance, but in Berea, he encounters a group of people whose hearts are open, searching, and hungry to know the truth. The Bereans “received the word with all readiness” but did not stop there; they “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
There are two “words” here:
– Rhema Word, meaning: “The Spoken Word,” which is alive and active, cutting into our hearts. This is the word they received with all readiness.
– Logos Word, meaning: “The Written Word” or the Scriptures they searched.
This is the 1-2 punch we are called to walk in as we follow Jesus. Are we people who have ears to hear His voice and hearts to seek the scriptures, not for mere knowledge but for encounter and
transformation?
In Athens, Paul stands before an altar to an “unknown god” and uses it as a point of connection to reveal the truth of the One who is not unknown but very near—who made the heavens and the earth and desires to dwell with us. The God Paul speaks of is not distant or indifferent but actively seeking to draw all people to Himself. This revelation speaks to the longing of our own hearts: the desire to know that God is near, not just in some abstract way, but personally, intimately. He is the One we were made to seek, the One our hearts were made to find.
Paul’s story ultimately calls us into deeper contemplation. In a world full of distractions and voices pulling us in every direction, are we willing to stop, listen, and truly seek the living God? To search for His voice in Scripture, in prayer, and in the quiet of our own hearts? That is the invitation for a lifetime.
Prayer Prompt:
1. For a Berean Heart: Take a moment to ask God for the gift of an open heart that is eager to hear His voice and search the Scriptures daily, desiring not just knowledge but a deeper relationship with Him.
2. For a Deeper Awareness of God’s Nearness: Invite the Holy Spirit to open your heart to the reality that God is not distant but near. Pray for a deeper awareness of His Presence in your daily life and for a greater hunger to seek and know Him intimately.
