Acts 17-18 | The Gospel Confronts Culture

Acts 17–18 | The Gospel Confronts Culture

In today’s episode of The Bible Made Real, Kathy Abraham walks verse-by-verse through Acts of the Apostles chapters 17 and 18 as Paul carries the Gospel into some of the most intellectual, political, and spiritually confused cities of the ancient world.

From Thessalonica and Berea to Athens and Corinth, we see Christianity confronting culture, exposing idols, and transforming lives through the power of truth and the Holy Spirit.

This episode explores:

• Paul preaching to different audiences
• The Bereans’ hunger for Scripture
• Paul’s sermon at Mars Hill
• Modern-day idols and “unknown gods”
• Ministry exhaustion and perseverance
• Priscilla and Aquila’s model of discipleship
• Apollos and the importance of teachability
• How ordinary believers helped spread Christianity

Key Themes in This Episode

The Gospel Turns the World Upside Down

Christianity was never meant to stay hidden inside church walls. Real faith transforms lives, challenges idols, and confronts darkness with truth.

The Bereans and Biblical Discernment

The Bereans searched the Scriptures daily to test what Paul was teaching. Spiritual maturity requires depth, study, and discernment—not shallow emotional Christianity.

Athens and the “Unknown God”

Paul speaks to a culture filled with philosophy, idols, and human wisdom. He reveals the God they are searching for without knowing.

Modern-Day Idolatry

Though we may not worship statues today, many people still worship:

• success
• money
• popularity
• image
• comfort
• self

Ministry in Corinth

Paul ministers in one of the darkest cities of the ancient world and grows weary in the process. God reminds him:

“Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you…” (Acts 18:9–10 NKJV)

Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos

This chapter beautifully models discipleship, mentorship, humility, and spiritual formation.

Scripture Covered

• Acts 17:1–9 — Paul in Thessalonica
• Acts 17:10–15 — The Bereans
• Acts 17:16–34 — Paul at Mars Hill in Athens
• Acts 18:1–17 — Ministry in Corinth
• Acts 18:24–28 — Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquila

Patristic & Theological Insights Mentioned

John Chrysostom

On the Bereans:

• true nobility comes from searching the Scriptures
• discernment is spiritual maturity

On Corinth:

• the spread of Christianity in Corinth revealed the power of God because the city was spiritually chaotic

Athanasius of Alexandria

Humanity falls into idolatry when it turns from God toward created things.

Augustine of Hippo

“Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

A reflection on humanity’s longing for God.

Practical Takeaways

• Don’t outsource your spiritual growth.
• Study Scripture deeply for yourself.
• Understand culture without becoming consumed by it.
• God still uses ordinary people to change the world.
• Ministry faithfulness often happens in ordinary life.
• You can be called by God and still feel tired.
• Your influence matters more than you realize.

Memorable Quotes from This Episode

“Christianity should turn the world upside down.”“Do not outsource your biblical knowledge.”“We live because He gives us breath.”“Repentance means you are not your own god.”“God often strengthens us in the middle of our assignment, not before it.”“Your faith should not stop with you—it should multiply.”

Reflection Questions

1. What “unknown gods” might be competing for your devotion today?
2. Are you studying Scripture deeply or relying on shallow spiritual content?
3. How can you engage culture without compromising truth?
4. Where might God be calling you to remain faithful even through exhaustion?
5. Who are you discipling—or who is discipling you?

Connect with Kathy

Visit Kathy Abraham Official Website for:

• Bible studies
• prayer resources
• devotionals
• teaching tools
• discipleship materials

Follow Kathy on Instagram and TikTok:

• @kathyabidinglight on Instagram
• @kathyabidinglight on TikTok

Welcome to The Bible Made Real.

Be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes.

You can connect with Kathy on Instagram @kathyabidinglight and learn more at kathyabraham.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Bible Made Real Podcast. I'm Kathy Abraham and we are continuing our study in the book of Acts. Today we'll be going over Acts chapter 17 and 18. So now we see Paul moving the gospel into culture. So Acts chapter 17 actually starts with Paul bringing the word to Thessaloniki and Berea. And in these two chapters, we see how the gospel confronts culture and how people respond differently to the truth. We see how God uses ordinary conversations to help spread Christianity. We see Paul preaching differently depending on his audience, and how perseverance is so important even when ministry is exhausting. Okay, let's begin. So now Paul enters modern-day Greece, right? And he is in Thessaloniki. Now he is no longer speaking to Jews in the synagogues to a completely different audience. He's speaking to people who are highly political, highly intelligent, uh worshiping pagan gods and idols. So now his audience and his tone and his delivery is gonna completely shift based on who he's talking to. Okay, let's read the first uh nine verses here in chapter seventeen. Now when they had passed through Amphilipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went into them and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ. And some of them were persuaded, and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. But the Jews who were not persuaded became envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus. And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they had heard these things. So when they had taken security from Jason and rest, they let them go. Okay, so it was customary that Paul starts in the synagogue, right? He always had to start in the house of the Jewish people first. Before he was to go and preach the Gentiles, he needed to start there. So he did. He went to the synagogue in Thessaloniki, spoke about the gospel, so spoke about Christ. Obviously, he wanted to talk about how the scripture was fulfilled and the fulfillment of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He is the Christ, the one that they preach. He is their Messiah that they've been waiting for. And here we see a very split distinction between those who believe him and follow him, Paul and Silas, and those who completely reject him and actually go and cause this uproar, right? This mob scene that we see here. And notice what caused this mob. It wasn't that uh what Paul was saying wasn't true, or they were uh debating it or saying this is false. They were they were looking at the scriptures and saying this isn't the truth. No, it says that they became envious and jealousy. So their hearts were hardened. There was evil in their hearts, and they were reacting because of jealousy, not because of what Paul was saying was untrue. And notice what they say in verse 6. They say they dragged Jason and they brought them to the rulers, and they said, These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Christianity should turn the world upside down. Are you turning your world upside down? If you aren't, then maybe you are not fully living the gospel. Because anyone who's fully believing in the Word of God should be on fire for God. And their life will not look different. Their world will not look different. Everyone around them will be changed. And we see this a lot today. People are really comfortable with spirituality and self-help and my own spiritual life, right? But they are afraid to actually say Jesus Christ. They are afraid to say that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. This is the real Christian life. This is the life that's turned upside down and completely made. And real Christianity confronts things like sin and pride and autonomy and false worship. And today the gospel is still turning the world upside down. Okay, afterwards we move on to Berea. Let's read the next uh six verses. Verse 10. Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, and that they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessaloniki learned that the word of God had been preached by Paul at Berea, they came also there and stirred up the crowds. Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away to go to the sea. But both Silas and Timothy remained there. So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens, and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed. Okay, what is going on here? So actually, now that they've moved to a different region called Berea, these people were ready to recede them. Many, many more people believed in the truth. Why? Because they searched the scriptures themselves. It says that they searched the scriptures daily to find out if these things were true. They actually had good soil. Their hearts were not hardened, they were soft and eager to receive the word of God and say, wait, is this true? Could this be true? Let me discover it for myself. And they opened the scripture themselves. And so many of them, because it's blatantly clear, right, in the in the Old Testament, when Paul is quoting Isaiah and the Psalms and David, you can see clearly that this is the Messiah, the fulfilled prophet. So now that they actually did the research themselves and they found out for themselves to discover it, they believed. So many more believed. But again, when the Jews heard about this in Thessaloniki and the Greeks in Thessaloniki, they were so upset they went back and kicked Paul out of Berea. And I love this part because I believe it really challenges us Christians today. We are bombarded in a world of very shallow Christianity. You know, it's an instant uh reel that gives us our daily feed of the scripture. It's a little emotional word or a burst that, yes, we found Jesus, we found Christ, you know, we're we're on this high. It's an emotional clip, you know, we're following influencers. Are we following Jesus? Do we do we take time to study and go deep in our spiritual life and in the word of God? Or are we superficial Christians just sitting at the surface, not doing our own work to go deep? The Bereians encourage us and challenge us. Do not outsource your biblical knowledge. Go deep in your own scripture study. Study the Bible for yourself. Take time to go deep. Don't rely on someone else's spirituality to make you spiritual or to build you acknowledge. You'll never get there. You will waste your time. You gotta do the work yourself. You gotta spend time yourself in the Word of God with the revelation of the Holy Spirit, asking God to speak to you and to teach you as he said he would with the help of the Holy Spirit. Okay, let's finish off this chapter as Paul moves on to Athens. Verse 16. Now when Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshippers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him and said, Some said, What does this babbler want to say? Others said he seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods, because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to Aropagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine is and which you speak, for you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean. For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new. Then Paul stood in the midst of Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious, for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God. Therefore, the one whom you worship without knowing, him I proclaim to you, God who made the world and everything in it, since he is the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he worship with men's hands as though he needed anything, since he gives his life to all, breath and all things, and he has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and their boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord in the hope that they might grope for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, for we are all his offspring. Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by our and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, and now commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, We will hear you again on this matter. So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Aeropigite, and a woman named Demarius, and others with them. Okay, I love this. I love this, I love this, I love this, because Paul is confronting the Athens, people of Athens, who are worshiping an unknown God. How many of us today are worshiping an unknown God? We don't realize how many idols we have put in our life, so many unknown things. It's like when Jesus tells uh his disciples and the others when he's teaching on the Sermon of the Mount, he's saying, You will come and knock and at the last minute on judgment day, and you will say, Lord, Lord, let us in. And he will say, I do not know you. It's as if they were worshiping an unknown God this entire time. There was no real relationship, there was no real knowledge and no real intimacy with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And same here, Paul is calling them out and saying, You have an altar here. Do you even know where what you're sacrificing to? And what did the sign read? To the unknown God. Because inside each one of us, God has created this sort of void that cannot be filled without anything except the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It's like St. Augustine. He says, Our hearts are restless until they find the rest in you, God. We will continuously be searching for something or someone to fill this void that can only be filled with the Lord Himself. So many of us have created these unknown gods in our life, right? Whether that's our popularity, our reputation, relationships, money, wealth, success, whatever it can be, we've created these unknown idols in our life. And then the last day, the Lord will tell us, I do not know you, depart from me. Because it's an unknown person. It's not God. We have not been worshiping the correct and right Lord. And this is what Paul is calling out today. And notice how Paul challenges them. Athens at the time was great in agriculture and they took pride in their beauty and their statues and in material and in buildings, right? And Paul is telling them that he's the Lord in heaven and earth. He is among all, above all, who made the world. And he does not dwell in temple made with hands. He's saying that God doesn't need you. He doesn't need your hands to in order to live or to survive. Actually, it's the other way around. He gives you life. You don't supply the house for him. He supplies the house for you. And in verse 25, he says, nor is he worshiped with men's hands as though he needs anything from you, since he gives life to all and his breath to all. And I love verse 28. For in him we live and move and have our being. God is everything. We live because he gives us breath, because he gives us life. So he is challenging them at their core because again, they are worshiping the gold and the silver, the things of the earth, things that are temporal, the things that will flee and no longer be here. The only thing that will live forever is the Word of God. And though we may not have statues that we worship today, a lot of us have other idols today: money, success, wealth, status, position, popularity. A lot of people take pride in maybe the way they look or their bodies or uh their social status, politics, comfort, self. And then Paul ends with this plea of repentance. He is saying, repent. This is what needs to happen to you. We're okay. We we called out the sin. Now your only solution to this, the only chance you have, the only way to the truth is through repentance. Why? Because repentance means you are not your own God. And then Paul ends with the resurrection of Christ. And there are three reactions to this. The first is some reject this message, right? And uh some delay it, and then some surrender and accept it. And this is still the reaction we see today. Some accept the gospel, some reject the gospel, and some delay it and postpone it, not ready to receive it yet. And in today's society, we worship intelligence, we worship technology. It's a fine line we have to be careful because intellect is not bad in its sense and on its own, but it's bad if it becomes our root and if it becomes our center and it becomes where we are placing our trust and our confidence and uh what we are seeking. So we must understand the culture we live in and just not be consumed by it and not allow it to compromise who we are and who we're called to be in the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, let's move on to chapter 18, where Paul brings the gospel to Corinth. Let's go ahead and read the first seventeen verses. Chapter 18, verse 1. After these things, Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth, and he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had been recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome, and he came to them. So because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked, for by occupation they were tent makers, and he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. While Silas, Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ, but they were opposed him, and they blasphemed, and they shook his garments and said to them, Your blood be upon your own heads, I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles. And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justice, one who worshipped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. And Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord and all his household, and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized. Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, do not be afraid, but speak, and do keep do not keep silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you, for I have many people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. When Galeo was pro counsel of Achaea, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to judgment seat, saying, This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law. And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Galileo said to the Jews, If it were a matter of wrongsided or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. But if it is a question of words and names and of your own law, look to it yourselves, for I do not want to be a judge of such matters. And he drove them from the judgment seat. Then all the Greeks took Sosins, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Galeo took no notice of these things. Okay, there's a lot happening here, so let's go ahead and unpack it. So Paul just arrives to Corinth. Okay, Corinth is a city that is known for its sexual immorality, its paganism, wealth, and corruption. Think Las Vegas plus New York plus celebrity ancient culture combined. And this is where God plans a church. That alone is encouraging. No place is too dark for the gospel. And St. John Chrysostom actually marvels at this. He says, the power of God is made evident and real because the church and the gospel actually was successful and spread in the city of Corinth, because Corinth was a chaotic place, yet grace had entered and settled. This is encouraging for modern believers today. No culture and no city is outside of God's providence. No place is too dark for him to reap. No generation is unreachable. Okay. And then Paul meets this couple, uh, Priscilla and Aquila. Okay, and they are tent makers. They are working with Paul. Notice that Paul was working with them. He said, because they were the same trade and the same occupation. So Paul still worked while he was ministering. A lot of us think that Paul just left everything and only ministered, and he only uh worked in the gospel, spreading the gospel, but actually he was working as a tent maker. And I think this is just so encouraging for all of us because a lot of us have other responsibilities. We have to work, we have to raise children, we have to uh live in society and make a living for our family and so forth and provide for them. But it's so encouraging because so did Paul. Paul was working as a tent maker. And so the gospel is not limited by just those who are in full-time ministry. No, the gospel is spreads in the workplace, in your community, in your home, in your church, just like Paul was spreading it naturally in the way God allowed him to. And kingdom impact usually grows in the faithful ordinary, not on stages, not with microphones, but in the everyday life, in those conversations you're having over dinner with friends, through mentoring, through hospitality, through an encounter or a conversation. Don't think that your area of influence is insignificance for the spreading of the gospel. That isn't true. So here we see Priscilla and Aquila actually developing this friendship and this partnership in the ministry with Paul. And Paul is getting tired. He is getting exhausted here, okay? Even though God has called him to do such this thing, such a beautiful thing, and he has power from the Holy Spirit, he's still exhausted. Those who are in ministry, those who are called to serve, still get exhausted, discouraged, and tired. Doesn't mean you need to quit. It doesn't mean you're not in God's will for your life. It means that you just need refreshment and encouragement. And what does God do? The Lord actually comes and speaks to him in verse 9. He tells them, do not be afraid, but speak and don't keep silent. He doesn't tell them stop doing what you're supposed to do. He tells them continue, keep going. And you see this a lot in very holy and pious people. They struggle, but they kept going, right? They would be uh encouraged through a spiritual director or a vision even from heaven of a saint or somebody encouraging them and telling them continue, keep going, don't give up. And notice God gives him this word, yet he continues to face judgment, persecution. Uh they are still, they are still trying to drive him out of the city, but he remains there a year and a half. And God uh reminds him, don't worry, I'm with you, and they will not harm you. So just because there is opposition, you are hard pressed on every side, but you are not destroyed, right? We can feel pressure, we can feel the tension, we can feel the exhaustion. That is real, but it doesn't mean a flee. It doesn't mean a run. It doesn't mean to stop what you're doing. It means you got to dig your heels a little deeper. Stand your ground. Trust that you are where you're supposed to be and continue in your calling. God often strengthens us in the middle of our assignment, not right before it. Okay, let's continue on and meet Apollos. Verse 22. And when they had landed in Caesarea and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch, and after he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Fergia in order, strengthening all the disciples. See now he was strengthening. God encouraged him. He was strengthened by Priscilla and Aquila, and now his mission continues. He continues his missionary journey. This is the actually the beginning of his third missionary journey, and he is strengthening the other believers and the other disciples in the places that he is uh going to, Galatia and Fergia. Okay, verse 24. Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit. Okay, he's on fire, zeal for God. He spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he was knowledgeable, but not fully knowledgeable, partly knowledgeable, right? But he was on fire, and he was faithful, he was a holy man, he was a good man, uh, he was very in intelligent and instructed in the scripture, but he didn't have the full truth or the full knowledge or all of it. Okay? So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, and when Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and they explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he desired to cross to Achaea, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him, and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. Okay, this is beautiful. Now we see Priscilla and Aquila coming in and discipling Apollos. Okay, they are um mentoring him, discipling him. Look how they do it so gently, they take him to the side and they say, Hey, we're gonna minister the truth fully to you, okay, and we're gonna reveal it fully to you. And this is a beautiful model of mentorship in our church, in our communities, in our life. You know, we we mentor up and down and side to side. We have to learn. You have to have a spirit of being uh of teach of being teachable. That's a spirit of humility. uh to be able to learn and say, I don't know everything. I don't know all the answers, but I'm willing to learn and I want to learn because I want to grow my for myself and I want to help other people. And that's exactly exactly what Apollos does. Priscilla and Aquila empower him, equip him, and then he goes on. They write the letter and they receive him there and he continues now to to grow um the gospel and he is bold. He is refuting the Jews publicly and showing them the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. He knew the way of John the baptism. He didn't know the way of Jesus Christ and they gave it to him. So the truth came from Paul to Priscilla to Aquila and then to Apollos. And Priscilla and Aquila also partnered with Paul, don't forget. So when you partner with somebody and then you help mentor people, you are multiplying the discipleship effect. You are creating disciples and that's what we are called to do. Your faith should not stop with you. It should continue because it's a ripple effect. You teach someone, you mentor someone, you help someone, they teach someone, they help someone, they mentor someone you can make a huge impact and make a big difference with just influencing those in your sphere and those around you. And notice Priscilla and Aquila were not celebrities. They were ordinary people. God uses ordinary people to further strengthening the church and to equip the church and women to teach and to minister to those around them. Chapter 17 and 18 shows us that Christianity was not meant to stay inside church walls. The gospel walked into universities, marketplaces, cities, philosophical debates, corrupt culture in ordinary homes. And it still does today. The church didn't grow because the culture was easy. It grew because the believers were filled with truth, courage, conviction and the power of the Holy Spirit. That concludes our teaching for Acts chapter 17 and 18 I hope you enjoy this episode and I'll see you next week when we go over chapters 19, 20 and 21. I'll see you then podcast if today's message resonated with you or encouraged you please like it, share and hit follow so that you never miss a single episode. And make sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts as it really does help us to reach more listeners. You can also visit my website KathyAbraham.com to receive Bibles tools, resources, all the prayer books that you saw today, um, and free devotionals in your inbox every week. You can also follow me on Instagram and TikTok at KathyAbidingLight to get behind the scenes content and daily encouragement. I hope you enjoyed this episode and I'll see you in the next one.