The Church on the Move

Daily Devotions | September 28–October 3

Thriving in Babylon

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

Compassion That Moves Toward People

Verse:

“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.”
Acts 17:16

Paul walked into Athens and saw a city filled with idols.

He noticed what was wrong.

But what Paul saw didn’t cause him to retreat from the city. It moved him toward the people.

That’s important.

It’s easy to look at our world and become discouraged by what we see. We can complain about our culture, criticize what people believe, or withdraw from places that make us uncomfortable.

Paul did something different.

Acts says his spirit was stirred.

Something inside him was moved by what he saw. And the next verse begins with an important word:

“Therefore…”

Because Paul was stirred, he went.

He reasoned in the synagogue, but he didn’t stop there. He went “in the market daily with them that met with him.”

Paul’s concern became action.

That’s compassion.

Compassion doesn’t simply notice that someone is lost. Compassion moves toward them.

Jesus modeled this throughout His ministry. He went where hurting, broken, confused, and searching people were. Paul followed that example.

And now we do the same.

There are people who need Jesus who may never walk into our church building.

But you already work beside them.

You live beside them.

Your children play with their children.

You sit near them at school.

You drink coffee beside them.

You interact with them online.

You’re already standing in somebody’s marketplace.

So perhaps today’s prayer shouldn’t only be:

“Jesus, bring someone to church.”

Maybe it should also be:

“Jesus, show me who You’ve already placed around me.”

Don’t allow what is wrong with the world to make you withdraw from the people Jesus loves.

Let compassion move you toward them.

Consider: When I see people who are far from God, is my first response frustration, fear, judgment—or compassion?

Prayer:
Jesus, give me Your heart for the people around me. Don’t let me become so frustrated with what is wrong in our world that I stop seeing the people You love. Stir my heart, open my eyes, and move me toward someone who needs You today. Amen.

Suggested Reading: Acts 17:16–21; Matthew 9:35–38

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Don’t Let Opposition Stop You

Verse:

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”
Acts 16:25

Before Paul walked into the marketplace of Athens, he walked out of a prison in Philippi.

Think about that.

Paul had been preaching Jesus.

He was beaten.

His feet were put in stocks.

He was thrown into the inner prison.

And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and worshiped.

Then God shook the prison.

The doors opened.

The chains fell.

And the jailer asked:

“What must I do to be saved?”

The captive became a witness to his captor.

But perhaps one of the most remarkable parts of Paul’s story is what happened afterward:

Paul kept going.

He didn’t say:

“I tried witnessing once. It didn’t work out very well.”

He didn’t decide he would only talk about Jesus around people who already agreed with him.

He went to Thessalonica.

Then Berea.

Then Athens.

After being opposed for preaching, Paul kept preaching.

After being imprisoned for going, Paul kept going.

Most of us aren’t facing the physical persecution Paul experienced. But we can face other kinds of opposition.

Fear of rejection.

Fear of saying the wrong thing.

Fear that somebody will laugh.

Fear of being misunderstood.

Fear that someone will think less of us.

Sometimes nobody has actually locked the door.

Fear did.

Nobody put our feet in stocks.

Intimidation did.

And maybe God wants to shake some prisons in us.

Prayer and worship remind us again:

Who is God?

Who am I?

What Kingdom do I belong to?

God doesn’t free us merely so we can enjoy being free.

He frees us so we can help somebody else find freedom.

Consider: What fear or past experience has made me more hesitant to talk about Jesus?

Prayer:
Jesus, free me from the fear of rejection, embarrassment, and failure. Give me the courage to keep going even when a previous conversation didn’t go well. Fill me with Your Spirit and help me care more about people finding You than about protecting my comfort. Amen.

Suggested Reading: Acts 16:22–40

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

Your Marketplace Is Your Mission Field

Verse:

“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.”
Acts 17:17

Paul went to the synagogue.

But he didn’t stay there.

He also went into the marketplace.

The marketplace in Athens was more than somewhere to buy things. It was part of the city’s public life. People worked there. Conversations happened there. Ideas were exchanged there. News traveled there.

People were there.

And that’s why Paul went.

Sometimes we unconsciously think ministry happens primarily when we’re inside the church building.

But Jesus has already positioned His Church throughout the community every Monday morning.

Teachers walk into schools.

Employees enter workplaces.

Parents take children to activities.

Neighbors walk outside.

Students enter classrooms.

Customers enter coffee shops.

People open phones and enter digital conversations.

The Church scatters into the marketplace.

You don’t have to stand on your desk tomorrow and begin preaching a sermon.

Start by seeing people.

Listen.

Ask questions.

Learn names.

Notice when someone seems discouraged.

Celebrate when someone shares good news.

Offer to pray when someone is hurting.

Share what Jesus has done in your life when the door opens.

Witnessing doesn’t always begin with a microphone.

Sometimes it begins with:

“How are you really doing?”

Or:

“I’ve been praying for you.”

Or:

“Would it be okay if I prayed about that with you?”

Paul intentionally entered places where conversations were already happening.

We can do the same.

Your workplace isn’t an interruption to your ministry.

Your neighborhood isn’t an interruption to your ministry.

Your school isn’t an interruption to your ministry.

The marketplace may be exactly where Jesus has sent you.

Consider: Where is my marketplace? Who do I regularly encounter there whom I could begin seeing more intentionally?

Prayer:
Jesus, help me recognize the mission field You’ve already placed around me. Give me eyes to see people rather than simply moving through my routine. Help me listen, care, encourage, pray, and recognize opportunities to speak about You. Amen.

Suggested Reading: Acts 17:16–21; Colossians 4:2–6

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1

Pay Attention Before You Speak

Verse:

“For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.”
Acts 17:23

Paul had something important to say.

But before Paul spoke to Athens, Paul paid attention to Athens.

He walked through the city.

He observed.

He listened.

He learned something about the people he wanted to reach.

Then he noticed an altar:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

And Paul recognized a bridge.

Essentially he said:

“You’re searching. Let me tell you about the God you’re searching for.”

Paul didn’t compromise truth.

By the end of his message, he spoke clearly about repentance, judgment, and resurrection.

But he didn’t begin by announcing everything that was wrong with them.

He began with a point of connection.

That’s something every witness can learn.

Pay attention before you speak.

Someone at work may mention that they’re worried about their child.

There’s a bridge.

Someone may tell you they’re afraid about the future.

There’s a bridge.

Someone may talk about feeling empty even though life seems successful.

There’s a bridge.

Someone online may post about grief.

Don’t argue with them.

Care about them.

Someone celebrates something meaningful.

Celebrate with them.

Someone asks a genuine spiritual question.

Don’t assume they’re looking for a fight.

Have a conversation.

Good witnesses learn to listen for the spiritual questions hiding underneath everyday conversations.

“I’m afraid.”

“I’m lonely.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“I wish I had peace.”

“I don’t know what I believe anymore.”

Those aren’t interruptions.

They may be altars marked:

UNKNOWN GOD.

The bridge doesn’t replace truth.

The bridge gives truth somewhere to travel.

Consider: Am I listening closely enough to the people around me to recognize where God may already be working in their lives?

Prayer:
Jesus, make me a better listener. Slow me down enough to notice what people are really saying. Give me wisdom to recognize bridges and sensitivity to know when to speak. Help me introduce people to You rather than simply trying to win conversations. Amen.

Suggested Reading: Acts 17:22–31; James 1:19–20

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2

The Person Is Not the Enemy

Verse:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood…”
Ephesians 6:12

Paul entered a city filled with beliefs he strongly disagreed with.

And eventually people began insulting him.

Acts 17 says some philosophers called him a “babbler.”

They dismissed him.

They questioned him.

Later, some mocked his message.

But Paul didn’t become a mocker because people mocked him.

That’s especially important for Christians representing Jesus in today’s marketplace—including the digital one.

It’s easy to forget there is a person on the other side of a screen.

A disagreement becomes an argument.

An argument becomes personal.

Soon we’re trying to defeat someone Jesus died to save.

Paul understood something we desperately need to remember:

People are not the enemy.

The person who disagrees with you isn’t your enemy.

The coworker who doesn’t believe Scripture isn’t your enemy.

The person who mocks Christianity isn’t your enemy.

The stranger who leaves an angry comment isn’t your enemy.

There is a spiritual battle, but Scripture explicitly tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.

That means opposition does not get to determine our character.

We can disagree without dishonoring.

We can have conviction without cruelty.

We can correct without humiliating.

We can tell the truth without treating people as enemies.

Sometimes the strongest Christian witness isn’t merely what you say.

It’s the Spirit of Christ people encounter while you’re saying it.

Before responding—especially when you’re angry—ask:

“Will the way I’m about to respond help this person see Jesus?”

Paul didn’t enter Athens to win an argument with Athens.

He went because Athens needed Jesus.

So does our marketplace.

Consider: When someone disagrees with or disrespects me, do I become more interested in winning the argument or reaching the person?

Prayer:
Jesus, remind me that people are not my enemy. Guard my words when I feel attacked or misunderstood. Give me conviction without cruelty, truth with compassion, and boldness without arrogance. Let even my disagreements reflect Your character. Amen.

Suggested Reading: Ephesians 6:10–18; 1 Peter 3:13–17

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3

Don’t Let the Mocker Make You Miss the Seeker

Verse:

“Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed…”
Acts 17:34

Paul faithfully preached Jesus in Athens.

And then something happened that every witness needs to understand.

People responded differently.

Some mocked.

They heard about the resurrection and ridiculed the message.

Some wanted to hear more.

They weren’t believers yet. They simply said:

“We will hear thee again of this matter.”

Something had opened.

They were thinking.

The conversation wasn’t finished.

And then:

Some believed.

Luke even tells us their names.

Dionysius.

Damaris.

And others.

Three responses to the same witness.

Some mocked.

Some listened.

Some believed.

That teaches us something liberating:

You don’t control the response.

Our responsibility is to faithfully represent Jesus.

Especially in public and digital spaces, don’t allow the loudest negative response to become the only response you see.

One person mocks what you believe, and you can spend the next two hours arguing with them.

Meanwhile, somebody else is quietly listening.

Someone is reading.

Someone is thinking.

Someone is searching.

Someone may be wondering:

“Could Jesus really change my life?”

Don’t let the mocker make you miss the seeker.

And don’t assume that someone who says, “I’d like to hear more,” has rejected Jesus.

Seeds take time.

Conversations develop.

Questions matter.

Keep loving.

Keep listening.

Keep praying.

Keep representing Jesus.

Success in witnessing isn’t everybody agreeing with you.

It isn’t winning every argument.

It isn’t becoming the loudest Christian voice in the room.

It’s faithfully representing Jesus wherever He sends you and trusting Him with the results.

Some may mock.

Some may want another conversation.

And somebody may believe because you were willing to go.

So go.

Go into your neighborhood.

Go into your workplace.

Go into your school.

Go into your community.

Go into the marketplace.

Go into the digital public square.

Go where the people are.

Consider: Is there someone I’ve stopped witnessing to because I expected a faster response? Is there a seeker I’ve overlooked because a mocker captured my attention?

Prayer:
Jesus, release me from believing I have to control people’s responses. Give me courage to sow faithfully, patience when someone needs more time, grace toward those who reject the message, and eyes to recognize the person who is searching. Send me where the people are, and help me faithfully represent You when I get there. Amen.

Suggested Reading: Acts 17:22–34; 1 Corinthians 3:5–9

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THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE

GO WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE

Daniel taught us how to stand faithfully in Babylon.

Paul shows us that sometimes faithfulness requires us to go.

So this week:

Let compassion move you toward people.

Don’t allow opposition to imprison your witness.

Recognize your everyday marketplace as a mission field.

Pay attention before you speak.

Remember that people are not the enemy.

And don’t let the mocker make you miss the seeker.

You don’t have to force a conversation.

You don’t have to manufacture an opportunity.

You don’t have to have every answer.

Start by asking:

“Jesus, where are You already working around me, and how can I join You?”

Then pay attention.

Someone may need encouragement.

Someone may need prayer.

Someone may need you to listen.

Someone may ask a question.

Someone may be ready to hear what Jesus has done for you.

We gather to be strengthened.

We gather to pray.

We gather to worship.

We gather around the Word.

We gather to be filled with the Holy Ghost.

And then we go.

GATHERED. FILLED. SENT.

Daniel stood.
Paul went.
Now it’s our turn.

NOT OUR HOME. BUT OUR MISSION.

Thriving in Babylon