Acts 17
After looking at three dramatically different towns in this chapter: Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens and their response to Paul's presentation of the Gospel, we were asked which city most closely resembles ours?
The Thessalonians were violent, the Bereans wise and faithful, and the Athenians violent, wise and faithful, as well as contemplative. In my mind, our town, our nation even, reminds me most of Athens. People here either reject the Good News, few are convicted and faithfully follow Jesus, and MANY are sitting on the fence.
It's CRAZY how history repeats itself. Take a look at Athens; it had its Glory Days, if you will, where it was the leader in Philosophy, Arts, and Literature. With one of the top universities in its time, people there valued knowledge and education, although not necessarily the Godly truth and Wisdom, that Paul presented them with. As Luke states in Acts 17: 21 "All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas." No wonder why they thought Paul was a "blabber" or a know it all. Everyone and their neighbor had their own opinions about life. And Americans do too. We're always up for trying the latest craze in fashion, dieting, and technology. Skinny jeans, the paleo diet, and iphones. We're constantly seeking to find that last "piece" to complete the puzzle of our lives. A void we all feel no matter how "perfect" we think our lives are. A void that can only be filled by a relationship with our Creator God: our Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus, our Counselor the Holy Spirit.
One prominent philosophy in Athens was that life is all about happiness. What? Are your sure you're not talking about America instead of Athens? Look at divorce rates today. "I wasn't happy anymore" she said. Well let me ask you this? Whatever happened to "unto death do us part" and "for better or for worse"? Most people make these vows to each other AND to God on the day they say "I do" but they quickly seem to go out the window when we're not "happy" anymore.
Another widely held philosophy in Athens was that life is all about living in tune with nature. In America right now the EPA is trying to shut down all the coal-fired power plants. We Americans (not the Asian or Middle Easter countries) bow down to mother earth and ride round and round on the energy crisis marry go round, trying and re-trying resourses. Well guess what America? The wind doesn't always blow (even in Wheatland!) and the sun doesn't always shine! God gave us coal for a reason...just burn it already.
People in Athens also found value in recognizing their own self-sufficiency and independence. Pick up any business or self-help magazine today and see these popular words in headlines pop up over and over: Independent, Rich, Famous, Control, Free, etc. Our culture teaches us not to depend on anything and especially not on anyone. Every man for himself is our motto. Your possessions, money, career, and talents are all self acquired. Really? Where did we come from in the first place? Who created us? And don't say the big bang and natural-selection. Surely someone has to be doing the banging and the selecting. Bottom line: we're not self-sufficient or independent. God gives us everything we have and He created us to be dependent on Him.
Athenians were religious and worshipped many gods, even an unknown god (a catch-all if they missed one). We Americans are religious and worship many gods. We worship the god of self everyday when we sacrifice thousands of unborn children. We worship money by spending more time working than we do with our families. We worship technology by spending more time on facebook than we do with God. We worship athletes, celebrities, and knowledge. We worship sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. But even with all these ever so time-consuming and ill-focused idols of our lives we still possess that void I talked about earlier. Praise the Lord "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." (Acts 17:26-27). God made us with this void and He planned out each one of our lives so perfectly that we all have the opportunity to seek Him and find Him. And when we find Him, we realize we don't need all these other idols in our lives. We just need God. He's the One and the Only, and through Jesus, who lives again, we can have an eternal and full-filling relationship with God.
So how do we share the Good News about Jesus with Americans? Well for starters we can follow Paul's example and connect with them. Admire their religious behavior and their desire to find the missing piece to the puzzle of life. Tell them what that missing piece is. If they reject the Gospel, keep planting seeds. If they accept and believe, teach them how to follow Jesus. If they're sitting on the fence, let them know the time is near and blessings can be received today. I believe the old woman in God's Not Dead says it best when she compares the average American life to living in a comfortable prison cell. Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVi0kEJT6rQ
No comments:
Post a Comment