Soul-Winning Attitude: Why We Still Speak (Acts 17:16–34)

September 30th, 2025

We speak because idols still remain, truth still matters, and Jesus still saves.

Not a Tourist—A Soul Winner (vv.16–17)

Warren Wiersbe said Paul entered Athens not as a tourist but as a soul winner. Surrounded by beauty, brains, and endless shrines, Paul’s heart was provoked—stirred to holy anger—by the city’s idolatry. He didn’t admire the architecture; he proclaimed the gospel in the synagogue and the marketplace. Soul-winning attitude: A stirred heart leads to a speaking mouth.

We Speak Because Idols Still Remain (Acts 17:16–21)

Athens had statues everywhere; we have streamlined idols—self, status, success, screens, and “my truth.” Even churches can idolize buildings, preferences, personalities, or comfort.

Paul’s response wasn’t silence—it was witness. He reasoned where people were (synagogue and agora), and it drew attention all the way to the Areopagus. Idols still blind; therefore, we still speak.

We Speak Because Truth Still Matters (Acts 17:22–29)

Paul begins with common ground (“I perceive you are very religious”) and bridges to revealed truth:

God the Creator: Lord of heaven and earth, not contained by temples.
God the Giver: Life, breath, and everything.
God the Governor: Appoints times and places so people might seek Him.
God is Near: “In Him we live and move and have our being… we are His offspring.”

Therefore, if we are God’s offspring, God is not like gold, silver, or stone. Truth is not curated fantasy or “live your truth.” Truth is created reality under a sovereign, personal God. Clarity matters: Real evangelism doesn’t flatter; it clarifies.

How to follow Paul’s model:

Start where people are (affinities, questions, poets/culture).
Correct what God is not (idols), then declare who God is (Creator, Lord, near).
Move from curiosity to accountability before God.

We Speak Because Jesus Still Saves (Acts 17:30–34)

Paul lands the plane with urgency:

Command: God now commands all people everywhere to repent.
Reason: God has fixed a day of judgment.
Assurance: He will judge by the Man He has appointed—Jesus—proved by the resurrection.

Responses vary—mocking, delaying, believing (Dionysius, Damaris, and others). Not everyone says yes, but some do—and that’s why we keep speaking. Good news: Jesus still saves. The empty tomb still stands. Grace still rescues.

Live This Message: A Soul-Winning Attitude This Week

Pray for a provoked heart (v.16) and open doors (Col. 4:3).
Engage one person where they are—listen, ask, and bridge to truth.
Explain the gospel with clarity: Creator → Fall → Christ’s cross and resurrection → Response.
Expect varied responses—keep sowing.