Acts 17&18 Notes:

Acts 17:1-9 Paul reasoned with the people in the synagogue, trying to get them to see that Jesus was the Christ. Notice his methods, verses the methods the Jews used in rebuttal. What can we learn about how to handle conflict through this clear difference in methods?

Acts 17:10-15 Notice that the contrast is made once again, only this time many more Jews are on Paul's side. Notice what the bible says about those Jews, that they received the news with great eagerness, and examined the scriptures every day to see if Paul was speaking the truth! Isn't there so much we can learn from these Jew's example? They not only let their society dictate what they believed, and therefore limit God, but they decided to put all their hope on the word of God. Instead of just rejecting what Paul had to say because it did not measure up to the preconceived idea of what the savior would look like, they measured what Paul had to say using the Bible, the great book of direction.   

Acts 17:16-34 Paul was distressed when he saw all the idols. Do we become distressed when we see idols today? They are all around us, yet do we do anything as radical as Paul did and go preach against them? Do we try to help others learn about Christ? Look in these verses, only a few of the men that Paul preached to came to become followers. This is a realistic image, but it cannot discourage us. A lot of times, people may like what we say but have no motivation for action. This is like many of the people in Athens, they invited Paul to come back and speak again, but only a few of them actually wanted to do the work involved with following The Way. Don't let a lack of response from others discourage you from sharing the message of Christ; it sure didn't stop Paul. 

Acts 18:9-10 This reminds me of "Did you Hear" from "Around the World in 80 Days" at CYT. 

Acts 18:11-17 God is faithful in his promise of safety for Paul here, he is protected from being charged guilty in court.