Acts Chapter 17
Showing all 34 verses for Acts Chapter 17.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: "
"After travelling through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they arrived in Thessalonica, a city with a Jewish synagogue."
Wherever you go, look for the people who are already asking the big questions - your message will land best with an already curious audience.
"And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, "
"As he usually did, Paul went into the synagogue and spent three Sabbath days discussing the scriptures with them, building his case step by step."
Real conviction is built through honest reasoning and dialogue, not by shouting louder - take time to genuinely engage with people's existing knowledge and questions.
"Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. "
"He explained and proved from scripture that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that this Jesus he was telling them about was that promised Messiah."
When your ideas challenge what people already believe, show them how what you're saying builds on what they already value, rather than dismissing their history and starting from scratch.
"And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. "
"Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of Greek God-fearers and quite a few prominent women."
Good news is for everyone regardless of status or background - don't assume truth only appeals to people like you; be ready to see it land in unexpected places.
"But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. "
"But the Jews who didn't believe grew jealous, recruited some troublemakers from the marketplace crowd, and stirred up a mob that attacked Jason's house looking for Paul and Silas."
When people feel threatened by change, they sometimes reach for outrage rather than honest conversation - recognise that pattern in others, and resist it in yourself when you feel envious of someone else's success.
"And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; "
"When they couldn't find Paul and Silas, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting that these men who had turned the whole world upside down had now come there too."
Living out real love and inclusion will sometimes look disruptive to people invested in the old order - don't be afraid of that reputation if it's earned by doing good, not harm.
"Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. "
"They said Jason had welcomed these men into his home, and that they were all defying Caesar's laws by claiming there was another king called Jesus."
Living by different priorities than the world around you - putting people over profit, humility over status - will sometimes be misread as rebellion. Stay true to what you actually stand for rather than what your critics accuse you of.
"And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. "
"This accusation alarmed both the crowd and the city officials."
Don't let fear-driven rumour dictate your judgement of others - always look for the truth before joining a crowd's alarm.
"And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go. "
"After making Jason and the others post a bond, the officials released them."
Even amid chaos and injustice, look for and appreciate the people who still act fairly and calmly - not everyone caught up in a mob mentality loses their sense of justice.
"And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. "
"That night the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, where they went straight to the synagogue as usual."
Love in action sometimes means practical protection, not just kind words - look out for the safety and wellbeing of people you care about, especially when they're under pressure for doing what's right.
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. "
"The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica - they welcomed the message eagerly, but also checked the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was actually true."
Don't take anyone's word for it, including any preacher's - be genuinely open to new ideas, but always check them against real evidence rather than accepting or rejecting on reputation alone.
"Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. "
"As a result, many of them believed, including a number of respected Greek women and quite a few men."
Careful thinking and genuine faith aren't opposites - when you actually investigate something honestly, real conviction is often the result, not doubt.
"But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. "
"But when the Jews from Thessalonica heard Paul was preaching in Berea too, they came there and stirred up trouble among the crowds as well."
Don't be surprised when doing good, honest work still attracts hostility from elsewhere - keep going anyway, and don't let other people's determination to oppose you become your excuse to give up.
"And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. "
"The believers quickly sent Paul off towards the coast, while Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Berea."
Wisdom sometimes means knowing when to separate rather than insisting everyone stay together - protecting each other can mean different choices for different people in a crisis.
"And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed. "
"Those escorting Paul brought him all the way to Athens, and then went back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him there as quickly as possible."
Even when circumstances force you apart from people you rely on, keep working to reunite and support one another - isolation doesn't have to mean giving up on connection.
"Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. "
"While Paul waited in Athens for the others, he was deeply troubled inside as he walked around a city absolutely full of statues and shrines to different gods."
Let injustice or emptiness you see in the world move you to action, not just judgement - real concern for people, even when their choices differ from yours, is what should drive you to speak up.
"Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. "
"So he went and discussed things in the synagogue with the Jews and religious Greeks, and also debated daily in the marketplace with whoever happened to be there."
Don't wait for the perfect platform to share what matters to you - meet people in the ordinary places of daily life and be ready to have honest conversations there.
"Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. "
"Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers started arguing with him. Some called him a rambling amateur; others thought he was pushing some new foreign gods, because he kept talking about Jesus and the resurrection."
Don't let dismissive mockery from people who consider themselves smarter than you silence what you know to be true - stay steady and keep explaining yourself with patience.
"And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? "
"They brought him to the Areopagus council and asked him to explain this new teaching he was talking about."
Stay ready to explain yourself clearly and respectfully when someone genuinely asks, even if their first reaction to you was dismissive - a real opportunity can follow initial doubt.
"For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. "
""You're bringing us some strange ideas," they said, "and we want to understand what they actually mean.""
When people ask honest questions, even about things unfamiliar or strange to them, answer with clarity rather than jargon - meet real curiosity with real explanation.
"(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.) "
"(All the Athenians and the foreigners living there spent their days doing nothing but talking about or listening to the latest new idea.)"
Be wary of chasing every new idea just because it's new and exciting - genuine wisdom is about testing and living by what's true, not collecting novelty for entertainment.
"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. "
"Paul stood up in the middle of the Areopagus and said, "People of Athens, I can see that you are extremely religious in every way.""
When you disagree with someone, start by genuinely acknowledging what's good or sincere in their position - respect opens doors that condemnation slams shut.
"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. "
""As I was walking around, I even found an altar with the inscription 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' So let me tell you about the very one you're already worshipping without knowing it.""
Look for genuine common ground with people who see the world differently from you, rather than starting with everything you disagree on - connection opens the door to real understanding.
"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; "
""The God who made the world and everything in it, and who is Lord over heaven and earth, doesn't live in temples built by human hands.""
Don't try to shrink what matters most in life down to objects, rituals, or possessions - the things that give life real meaning can't be bought, built, or contained.
"Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; "
""He doesn't need anything from human hands, as if he were short of something - in fact, he's the one who gives everyone life and breath and everything else.""
Real gratitude starts with recognising how much of your life you didn't create yourself - your very breath is a gift, not something you earned, and that should shape genuine humility rather than anxious self-reliance.
"And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; "
""From one ancestor he made every nation of people who live all over the earth, and he set the periods of history and the boundaries of where they would live.""
Recognise the shared humanity in everyone you meet, regardless of nationality, ethnicity or background - the divisions we build between "us" and "them" run against something more fundamentally true about where we all come from.
"That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: "
""God did this so that people would seek him out, reaching for him and perhaps finding him - though actually he isn't far from any of us.""
The search for meaning and purpose in your life isn't a hopeless one - keep reaching, keep asking, because what you're looking for is closer than you might think, not reserved for a special few.
"For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. "
""As some of your own poets have said, 'In him we live and move and exist' and 'We are his children.'""
You don't have to reject everything from a different culture or worldview to find truth in it - look for the fragments of real wisdom already present in unfamiliar places, and build bridges from there.
"Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. "
""So since we're God's offspring, we shouldn't think of the divine as something like an object made of gold, silver or stone, shaped by human skill and imagination.""
Be careful not to place your ultimate hope or devotion in things you've made or bought - money, status, possessions - because none of them can ever be bigger or more alive than you are.
"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: "
""God overlooked that former ignorance, but now he's telling everyone, everywhere, to change direction.""
It's never too late to change direction in your life - past mistakes made in ignorance don't have to define your future, but recognising the moment to turn and choose better does matter.
"Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. "
""He has set a day when he will judge the world fairly, through a man he has appointed - and he has proven this to everyone by raising that man from the dead.""
Live with the confidence that fairness and accountability ultimately matter in the universe - it can free you from both despair when injustice seems to win, and from taking justice into your own hands.
"And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. "
"When they heard about a resurrection from the dead, some of them laughed it off, while others said, "We'd like to hear more about this some other time.""
Don't measure your worth by how everyone responds to what you say or do - some will mock, some will want to know more, and both are normal reactions you can't fully control.
"So Paul departed from among them. "
"With that, Paul left the meeting."
You don't have to force everyone to agree with you before you can move on - say what's true, then let people respond in their own time, and be at peace with walking away.
"Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. "
"But some people did join him and became believers, including Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus council, a woman called Damaris, and others with them."
Don't judge the value of your efforts only by numbers - a small, genuine response from even a couple of people can matter more than you realise, so keep showing up with honesty even when results seem modest.