Everyone knows that a letter carrier has one job—deliver the mail. Apparently a Brooklyn mailman spent a decade avoiding his job by intentionally hoarding over 40,000 pieces of mail over a ten-year period. In September 2014, Joseph Brucato admitted hiding over a ton of mail (2,500 pounds to be exact) meant for customers in Flatbush since 2005, according to a Brooklyn federal court complaint. A postal supervisor became suspicious that Brucato was up to something weird when he noticed his personal car was stuffed with undelivered letters. Investigators pressed Brucato about the letter cache, and he admitted hoarding priority, first-class, and regular mail that had once been headed for Brooklyn businesses and residents in Flatbush. It took five postal agents five hours to remove the massive stash of purloined letters from his apartment. If convicted, Brucato faces up to five years in prison. In Acts 17 the apostle Paul strolls into the great city of Athens, the epicenter of culture, philosophy and art even during the Roman empire. Athens wasn't going to be an easy city to share the good news about Jesus. A plethora of idols and altars adorned the city and the talk of the town always focused on the latest and greatest philosophy's of the day. Needless to say, it was a tough crowd. Yet it didn't deter Paul, he had a message of hope to deliver...and deliver he did! (Acts 17:22-34) The same goes for anyone who carries the name Christian. A disciple of Jesus is in many ways a "mail carrier" of the gospel; delivering good news to the ends of the earth. This means, as followers of Christ we have a very important decision to make: Will we hoard the mail or will we deliver it? In this sermon you will discover the apostle Paul's strategy for sharing the gospel with the people of Athens. In so doing, you can learn how you too can utilize this method of delivering the good news in our everyday lives.
