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Unstoppable Faith: Unstoppable Faith in a Confused World
May 19, 2026 · 25 min
Pastor John Mark explains that through Paul's courageous journey from Thessalonica to Berea to Athens, we discover that engaging culture requires both boldness and wisdom.
Series "Pastor Talks" with John Mark Caton May 19, 2026 · 25 min · "Pastor Talks" with John Mark Caton
Pastor John Mark explains that through Paul's courageous journey from Thessalonica to Berea to Athens, we discover that engaging culture requires both boldness and wisdom. ...more Show the full description Show less Pastor John Mark explains that through Paul's courageous journey from Thessalonica to Berea to Athens, we discover that engaging culture requires both boldness and wisdom.
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John Mark is the Senior Pastor of the thriving Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas, where he has served since 1995.
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Customs vs. Truth: Lessons from Thessalonica and Berea 0:00 Well, amen moms. Happy Mother's Day. We are so glad that you're here today. If you are new here in person online, a couple of weeks ago we started a series just tracking the life of the Apostle Paul, entitled0:11 Unstoppable, Developing a Faith That Won't Quit. We looked at Paul's conversion, his call. We looked at conflict that he went through. We looked at suffering and today we want to talk about the fact that Paul goes in and0:23 engages culture with the truth. And so what Paul, we're gonna see today in Acts chapter 17, I would encourage you to read all this week. That will be your that will be your homework for the week. We're gonna see that0:35 Paul goes into cultures that are confused about the truth. And he struggles with the idea of how do I engage culture, and then a lot of times when he does engage culture, they0:47 don't like the truth. And so they run him out of town. He starts in Thessalonica, they run him out of town. He goes to Berea, they run him out of town. Then he goes on to Athens. What we're gonna see is a lot of these0:58 cultures are confused. They don't know what truth is, they don't know who God is, they don't know what morality should be or shouldn't be, they're confused politically. And Paul literally shows up and1:10 engages their culture. Now here's the interesting thing. Anytime we go to a different place, there is there are different customs. How many of you know that? When we talk about the1:22 difference, there's a difference between engaging falsities and lies and dealing with customs. Customs are okay, that's not what we engage with. We're gonna see Paul here1:34 in a second. He rolls into a town and abides by their customs. Last week Gina and I went to Boston for a pastor's conference, met with some pastors and some other church leaders1:46 and some church planters in Boston. I don't know how many of you have been to Boston lately, but they do some things different. How many of you know that, right? They like support the Red Sox and stuff like that, and you1:58 never know what's going on there. But if you've been to Boston lately, they park in the middle of the road. Have you noticed that? Now let me tell you how this is supposed to be done. We know2:09 this in Texas, right? The center lane is the turn lane. Everybody say amen. The next couple lanes are the driving lanes. Everybody say amen. And then at the2:21 street you park on the corner in front of the meter, right? Boston doesn't know this. Totally confused. If you're in downtown Boston,2:34 they actually park in the middle of the road in the left turn lane. Then they drive on the next lanes and then the outside lanes are devoted to bikes and2:45 scooters. So, I thought maybe I should go to the mayor and explain to them they've got all this backwards. No, that's not what I did. I was like, that's kinda interesting, it's very different. And then Jean and I were2:57 going to another place. And so we got in an Uber and it took us about 25 minutes to travel about a half mile because there are streets that you have to go up and then we're like, It's just right over there.3:09 As we're sitting in this Uber and we're waiting at lights and in traffic, we're seeing bicycles go by us all the time and all of a sudden I'm going, ah, so that's what those outside lanes are about. And3:21 Jean and I are pretty athletic, so we said we're not taking Uber anymore, we're going to start riding bikes. And so then my thought was, when is the last time I've been on a bike? It was when my3:32 kids were little. And we were, Gina and I were just hoping that that old saying about riding a bike is true. Once you know how, you can always do it. Because last thing I want to do is come back with a sling and a broken3:43 shoulder and have to explain to you I rode a bike. How embarrassing would that be, right? So we rented and we decided we're going to ride all over town. If you've been to Boston, how many of you know 1 of the best things3:53 you can do is do the Freedom Trail? So we went to the Freedom Trail. Let me tell you, we've got some pictures of us biking around. I loved this is the second time for us to be at the freedom trail. The first time where4:04 our kids were little, took us about 4 hours to walk it. In the last half our kids complained the entire time. We actually heard Jace look at his little sister Jordan about halfway4:16 through, the freedom trail and Jace says, Who's going to tell mom and dad they're the only ones having fun? So this time we were on bikes and and then it becomes4:28 like a competition to me. And so I'm just riding by going, there it is, there it is. And Gina's going, don't you want to stop and look? Nope, there it is, there it is. Man, I just want to get to the end, touch the red4:38 button. How many of you know? So we didn't enjoy it, but we rode all over the place. And then 1 time we rode by a merry-go-round and I said, You stopped, you know like a squirrel looking for a nut. I said, We're gonna4:47 ride that thing. She goes, Really? So we went and rode that. And then there was a time that I came up and I took this picture of just her behind me and I just thought, we're in a Hallmark movie.5:01 We are. And so I just turned around and said, Hey, babe we are in a Hallmark movie. Well my wife's an English teacher, so she had a follow-up question. She said, What's the plot?5:13 I said, It's a Hallmark movie, there is no plot, right? And then I thought, Wait, here's the plot of every Hallmark movie. The dorky dude gets the hot chick and I nailed it,5:25 right? I'm like nailed it. So, we took on the customs of Boston, but we would never compromise the truth of God's word. That's what Paul does. We're gonna see when Paul goes into a different city,5:37 he's this Jewish man that grew up in a Jewish society. He was a Pharisee. He- as to the law, he was perfect. But once he got saved, his conversion on the road to Damascus, when he started preaching the gospel5:49 outside of Jerusalem, he would go in, adopt their customs, and say, where do you talk about the important things of life? Where should I go and preach the gospel? And so he adopted the customs, but he never compromised6:01 the truth. So let me show it to you. We're gonna start off with Thessalonica in Acts chapter 17 verse 1. It says, when Paul and his companions, they arrived in Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue,6:13 as was his custom. Everybody say custom. Paul went into the synagogue on 3 Sabbath days and reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that the messiah6:25 had to suffer and rise from the dead. This Jesus is the Jesus I am proclaiming to you that he is the messiah. So Paul wasn't attacking their customs. He was saying,6:37 listen, I want to attack you with the truth. I want you to know who the Messiah is. He's talking to Jews at this point, but notice he gets bigger than that. Then you fast forward. He's preaching some of the Jews and the6:48 Greeks. It says, and some of the Jews were persuaded and they believed and they joined Paul and Silas as did a large number of God fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women,7:00 alright? But other Jews became jealous. Let me just tell you the truth. When you preach the truth, when you talk about the truth, some people are gonna get mad. How many of you know7:11 that? That's exactly what happened. In this culture, in this space, in this place, when I preach something that is truth, the culture doesn't like they get angry, they get mad, they boo and they hiss, but7:23 that can't cause us to become quieter. Because let me tell you what, if the church becomes quiet, our culture is lost, alright? We have to be willing to preach God's word and share7:35 God's word in an uncompromising fashion. Now we're not talking about customs. We're talking about truth. We're talking about what needs to be shared and how we need to share it. So it7:47 says a bunch of God fearing Greeks and a few prominent women. But other Jews became jealous, so they rounded up a bunch of bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot. So here's7:59 what happened. The believers that were there in Thessalonica looked at Paul and said dude, it's time for you to leave town. They're gonna kill you tonight. So he moved down to Berea. So notice what happens,8:11 verse 10, all of 17 is him going in engaging culture with the truth of the gospel. He says as soon as night, believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the8:23 Jewish synagogue and now listen to this. The Bereans, the Berean Jews were a more noble character than those in Thessalonica. For they received the message with great eagerness and notice8:35 what they did. They examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul was saying was true. I love this. So the Bereans begin to fact check8:47 Paul. They begin to say, alright, you reasoned with us that the Messiah was Jesus, that he had to die, and we're gonna check this out according to scripture.8:59 I want you to know that never should cause fear in the life of a believer. When you and I are talking about the truth of the gospel, not opinion, there are to be substance in it that can be found in9:11 scripture. So if someone wants to fact check you, you can say, Don't believe me. Go look exactly what is said. And that's what these Bereans did. They began to fact check Paul which is kind of interesting9:22 and notice what happened. When they found out it was true, verse 12, as a result many of them believed as did also many of the prominent Greek women and Greek men. But when the Jews in9:34 Thessalonica up the road learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, some of them went there to start agitating the crowds and stirring them up as well. So now, the believers in9:46 Berea said, Hey Paul, you've done enough, but you're about to be killed. The people who were trying to kill you in Thessalonica have now come down to Berea. We need to usher you out of town. We want you to head to9:57 Athens. So the rest of the message is gonna talk about Athens. Let me tell you a little bit about Athens. At the time, it was intellectually advanced. Man, the smartest people in all the world were rightBurden for the Lost: Paul's Heart in Athens 10:09 there. It's amazing Jean and I went up on the Prudential Tower where we were in Boston. When we were in Boston we walked around and we began to look, and we looked over to Cambridge and you could see10:21 MIT right next to Harvard. And I thought to myself, there are a bunch of really smart people right over there. How many of you know what I'm talking about? Just right there in Cambridge, there are a bunch of smart10:32 people. And I'd never been invited. I don't know what that says. They probably just hadn't heard of me yet. But anyway, no 1 said, Hey, come talk at MIT or Harvard. But I did. I thought, Man, what a bunch of smart10:44 people. Let me tell you what, had you gone up in the Prudential Tower in Athens of that day, you had looked around and said, there are a bunch of smart people here. They were intellectually the smartest people in the10:55 world. Politically, Athens was amazingly powerful in that day. Also Athens, much like we see today, was spiritually curious. We're going to see here in a second that they didn't11:07 want to write anybody off. We're going to see that they had idols not only to this god and that god. They had idols in every corner. We're going to see Paul even address it. I see you even have an idol to an unknown god11:18 just in case you might leave someone out. So here they were, intellectually advanced, politically powerful, spiritually curious, but they were also morally confused. Does11:30 that sound familiar at all to the society that we live in? Man, we are more intellectual and smarter than we've ever been in the world. Politically, we're still the11:42 powerhouse around the world. Spiritually, a lot of people are curious about everything. Morally,11:55 it seems from time to time depending on who you are people have lost their way. That's why we need to be willing to step back just like the apostle Paul and not become12:06 quiet, but communicate truth in the right way, in the right spaces, and in the right places. So let's pick it up in Acts chapter 17 verse 16.12:19 Paul now look at this. First thing he does, he has a burden for those who are lost and confused. While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed. That Greek12:31 word means burdened. That means broken. It says, While he was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. Look at verse 17. So he reasoned in the synagogue. Notice12:43 how many times Paul said, I'm gonna reason with you. I'm gonna talk about it so you can examine to see if it was true. I want you to know faith is not the enemy of fact. We12:54 don't shy away from facts. We don't shy away from the facts of God's word, the facts of the resurrection, the facts of God's movement throughout history, the facts of God's movement in my life, in our church, all the way13:05 around. I want you to know, God never called us to a blind faith. We have and we have a faith that is filled with facts. And so Paul says, listen, I'm gonna reason13:17 with them in the synagogues with the Jews and the God fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happen to be there. Alright, so Paul rolls in.13:29 Notice idols everywhere. They are confused people. There are idols almost on every corner and Paul as he's journeying forward he says, you know what? I've got to address this culture.13:41 They are hungry. They are longing. Let me tell you what, there's nothing new about living in a confused culture. Christianity13:54 was born in a world with competing worldviews. What we do today is just continue to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So thought number 1,14:06 it starts with a burden for those who are lost and confused. So when you look at what's going on in the world today, man, you and I need to be hungry to share the gospel14:18 because people are longing for truth. Thought number 2, we need to engage with competing world views. You say, Pastor, what's a world view? A world view14:30 is basically just a view of the world that has to address a couple of different things. The first thing a world view addresses, whether it's Christianity, atheism, whether it's Islam, or14:42 whether it's Hindu, doesn't matter. Anything else. A worldview has to address origin. Where did we come from and how did we get here? The second thing every14:54 worldview has to address is meaning. What is my purpose for being here? What is my purpose in life? The third thing every worldview has to address15:06 is morality. What is right and wrong? What is true and false? And then finally, every world view has to address where we're going.15:18 Alright? I will tell you, you go look up all the world views, whether it's an atheistic world view, they have no explanation for why we're here. They have no meaning in life or purpose.15:30 They have no way to determine that which is right or that which is wrong, and they don't think we're going anywhere. Christianity, completely cohesive. In the beginning, God15:42 created the heavens and the earth. That's the origin story. What's the meaning? That you and I have a purpose in life to love God and love our neighbors.15:54 What's our definition of that which is right and wrong? It's found in God's word. It's found in the fact that God placed a conscience in everybody's heart. And I love what Paul said in Romans chapter 2. He16:06 says every 1 of us, doesn't matter whether you're in the church or outside the church, whether you grew up in church or you've never been to church, every 1 of us has a conscience. Paul says that conscience is16:17 alternately doing 1 of 2 things. When we do something good, our conscience is saying attaboy, attabirl. When we do something wrong, our conscience is causing us to feel guilty. So here's what we16:29 know. What's right and wrong? Follow your conscience and follow God's word. Where are we headed? Here's the beautiful thing about Christianity. We are headed to a place where there's a new heaven and a new earth.16:41 The old things, the old things have passed away. God says, behold, I am making all things new. I will wipe wipe away every tear from their eye. There will be no longer any death or dying16:53 or mourning or pain because I'm making all things brand new. That's the origin story. But also, explain, why does evil exist? Atheists have no17:05 explanation. So if you're an atheist, which by the way they used to say that that the universe was eternal until we found out the universe wasn't eternal17:18 and sounds more like Genesis 1 1 than an eternal universe in the beginning God created. But then you say, alright, atheist, explain good and bad. Well, you know we really don't have this. Then there really17:29 is. If you're an atheist and there is no God, there is no good, there is no bad. But for us the origin story is that sin came into the world and will be dealt with17:41 someday. So I want you to know you have to understand Christianity was born in competing world views, and Paul didn't shy away from it. So let's pick it up and start reading verse 18.Engaging Philosophers: Proclaim Truth Boldly 17:54 So here it is. So Paul's speaking there, he says, A group of Epicureans and stoic philosophers begin to debate him. Some of them ask him, what is this babbler trying to say? Let's be honest, how many of you have ever18:05 asked that about 1 of my sermons? Right? Just be honest, you can raise your hand. What is this babbler trying to say? Others remark, He seems to be advocating for foreign gods. They said this because18:17 Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him into the meeting of the Areopagus. Now, let me just tell you what that is. That would be your town hall. That would be18:28 your debate center. That would be your debate club. I'm gonna explain it more in a second. Where they said to him, may we know what this new teaching is that you're presenting to us? You're bringing some strange ideas to18:39 our ears and we would like to know what they mean. Look at verse 21. All the Athenians, alright, and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and18:51 listening to the latest ideas. So, competing world views. 2 are mentioned here. Epicureans and stoics. Let me tell you the difference, alright, in them.19:03 Epicureans, if you took them in today's society, they would be the left. They would be progressives. They would say there are no rules, live any way you want to be, you be you,19:15 if it feels good do it. Those are the Epicureans. The stoics are more about living a life of self discipline, rational. You say there are some things that are good, some things that are19:27 bad. And so Paul is literally addressing them just like you and I would address people today. Now, here's what we know. When you say someone's on the left today, it becomes political and someone's on the right. But let19:38 me tell you, it's been that way from the beginning of time. And if we shy away from sharing the truth, we're gonna compromise the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And19:49 so Paul begins to speak to them about that which is right and that which is wrong and probably got some boos from both sides. So if you're gonna speak into20:01 someone else's world view, maybe there's someone that's not a believer, not a Christian, maybe maybe there's someone that's left and advocating for things that don't seem to be biblical or godly. How do you share your20:13 faith with them? Look at what Peter says. First Peter chapter 3 verse 15, here's how we do it. Says, but in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. It starts20:25 there. Always be prepared. Say prepared. Always be prepared to give what? An answer. We want to be prepared, we don't want to panic to everyone20:36 who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. Here's what Peter reminds us. You and I20:48 have to know our faith, know what we believe, and we have to be willing and prepared to give an answer. But notice what he said. He says when we give an answer, we do it with gentleness21:00 and respect. Let me just kind of put that in John Mark speak. Being loud doesn't make you right,21:12 but we look at our culture right now. There are a lot of people that when they don't have an argument they just raise the volume. How many of you notice that? You see this often times21:24 someone's just speaking, someone will come in screaming. Being loud doesn't mean you're right, but what we want to do is with gentleness and respect just21:35 proclaim the truth. The third thing we need to do, just tell the truth. Just proclaim the truth. And Paul shared with them about the beauty of the21:47 death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But then he led to another 1. And once you hear the truth, you have to make a choice.21:59 If you go read, continue your homework, Acts chapter 17, Paul said at 1 time God forgave you for your ignorance. But now, you have to make a choice.22:12 You're either going to choose to accept Jesus Christ or you're going to reject Jesus Christ, and God's gonna let you choose. Which leads to the final point, when you share your22:24 faith, when you engage in culture at the office or at your school wherever you are, expect different responses. If you go down to the end of the22:36 Athens conversation there, and Paul has shared with the Epicureans and the Stoics and everyone else around, the Jewish Jews in the synagogues, said they had 1 of 3 responses.22:51 Some people rejected Jesus Christ and the teachings of Paul. And I'll tell you, if you're gonna share truth, some people are gonna say no. They're gonna gonna reject your message and23:03 you. Says the second group, they were open minded. They said, you know we hear what you're saying, we're just not there yet.23:15 And they said, hey can we hear you more in the future? And I love what Paul says, absolutely. And maybe there's some folks in here today, or maybe online that you haven't23:27 rejected Christ, but you're willing to listen in. I want to invite you Cottonwood Creek is a place for you. Every time you show up here we're just gonna preach23:39 the truth and preach the word. So keep coming back to listen for more. So some rejected, some were open minded, said we want to hear more on this matter. But then there was a third group that said yes.23:52 Folks, when we engage in culture, it's something we are called to do. So as we close today the question is, which 1 are you? Are you 1 that rejects24:04 the truth of the gospel? Are you 1 that's open minded? Are you 1 that's accepted? Maybe today you're 1 of those, you're open minded but24:16 you want to accept. Maybe this is your day, that you just say, yes, Lord. I want to invite us just to bow our heads in prayer.24:28 Wherever you are on that spectrum rejection, I invite you to pray, God just open my heart again afresh and anew, because truth is not hateful, it's just truth.24:41 Maybe you're open minded, say, God help me take a 1 step closer to accepting. If you've accepted, I'm gonna invite you, Lord. Just pray,24:52 Lord, Give me the boldness and the courage to engage culture and others with the truth. In Jesus name we pray. Amen and amen.In this video 0:00 Customs vs. Truth: Lessons from Thessalonica and Berea9:58 Burden for the Lost: Paul's Heart in Athens17:54 Engaging Philosophers: Proclaim Truth Boldly
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