Acts 17.16-34

Paul’s trip to Athens is not the vacation he may have hoped for. Disturbed by the rampant idolatry he finds in the city, Paul can’t help but confront the spiritual bankruptcy of the folks who are there. With a well-reasoned argument, Paul starts with God as the Creator and Sustainer of all that He has made. He is a God who is actively involved in the world and who has made us in His image to worship Him. Some will. For those who don’t, He has appointed a Judge who will judge the world in righteousness.

Is our culture that much different than ancient Athens? Learning, culture, the arts, sports… Maybe we don’t have temples and idols that litter the landscape, but that doesn’t mean we don’t worship false gods nonetheless. Gods of affluence and entitlement, of beauty and popularity, of importance and greed, of you fill-in-the-blank. It’s anything we love more than God, anything we worship in place of God, anything we value above God. What, if anything, is that for you?

I wonder about the folks from the synagogue. Normally Luke gives us a report on their response to the gospel, but not this time…why? The only two people he mentions as believing the gospel seem to be from the Areopagus. So what about the others? Why was Paul’s message so strange and new? Maybe they were no different than the rest of the Athenians. Maybe the culture was having a greater impact on them than they were having on the culture. Can the same be said about us? About you?

Paul is provoked by what he sees. Clearly he shares God’s anger about the things around him. But he also shares God’s love for the folks who are trapped by their own sin. Their objects of worship were evidence that they were seeking God, but their ignorance of Him was leading them in the wrong direction. Are you provoked by the idolatry you see around you? If so, how are you responding? Are you lashing out at it or reaching out to those trapped by it?

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Acts series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @ccclancaster