Have you ever heard of a man named Dionysius? How about a woman named Damaris? They’re not well-known bible characters but they both came to faith in Christ during a sermon the apostle Paul preached in Athens, Greece. For the next few moments, let’s get acquainted with Dionysius so that if you meet him in heaven, you’ll know how he got there.
Dionysius’ parents named him after the Greek god of wine and drunken parties so he definitely did not grow up in a godly home. However, since he lived in Athens, he kept abreast of all of the interesting philosophies and belief systems that passed through the ancient world. And, as a member of the Athenian judicial system, he would have been a member of the upper middle class who was responsible for maintaining civil order. In other words, Dionysius sounds a lot like many people here in Perth. A man who had everything going for him and didn’t need a thing. A man at the top. Until one day he heard someone talking about a man named Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead. That sounded interesting, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to listen. What did Dionysius hear?
The first thing he heard shattered his view of Greek mythology. Paul taught that only one God existed, and this one God created the entire universe. Furthermore, this one God didn’t need the universe, but the universe needed Him to sustain it and care for it at all times. In fact, Dionysius learnt that his very breath was a gift from this one God. Second, Paul taught that this one God cannot be worshipped according to the art or imagination of mankind. He discovered that we are designed to worship God and designed to seek God, but we must rely only on His revelation to us in order to think about Him correctly. What a shock for Dionysius to learn that after all of his training he was profoundly ignorant of the one thing he needed to know! Even worse, was the teaching that God held all mankind accountable for their ignorance and on Judgment Day He would punish everyone who failed to come before Him in righteousness.
But in Paul’s message, Dionysius did hear some good news. He heard that God the Son, joined our human nature to his divine nature as the man Jesus Christ. This Jesus had lived a perfect life that was acceptable to God. In addition, this righteousness is available as a free gift to all who come to Christ in faith and repentance. But how could Dionysius be sure that God had accepted Jesus’ righteous life and sacrificial death for the sins of all God’s people? Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving that God was pleased with Jesus’ work of salvation for all who trust in him for salvation.
Not all who heard the sermon that day believed it. But Dionysius did. And if you believe Paul’s message, you can meet Dionysius in heaven and worship Christ with him.
— Allen Beardmore