17:5 - The Jews when things weren't going the way they wanted them to, turned to violent and ungodly men to stir up trouble for the early Christians. Their jealousy blinded them from the truth that was right before their eyes, and they turned to sinful, worldly means of defiance. Don't we sometimes do that too? We talk a good game about being Christ followers, but sometimes when the Way of Christ doesn't seem to mesh with the way we want to do things or the way we want things to turn out, we turn to ungodly behavior. Examples: Something doesn't go our way - so we let loose with a string of expletives or resort to anger. Purity just seems too difficult to chase after so we turn to lust or pornography. Like the Pharisees, jealousy causes you to torpedo the ministry of others. Fill in the blank that applies to your life. What can we do to fight our tendencies to revert the ways of the world as opposed to the Way of Christ?
17:16 - Have you ever experienced what Paul was experiencing here? Actually feeling the spiritual oppression of a place that you have visited? Spiritual warfare is real and Paul through the power of the Holy Spirit could feel the spiritual oppression in Athens due to all the idol worship going on. This summer, for the first time in my life, I will be going to country that is almost completely non-Christian. Thailand is 98% Buddhist. I wonder if our group will be able to feel the spiritual oppression brought on by a country that has worshipped idols for thousands of years. I hope that we can make a positive impact through God in the short time that we are there.
17:19 - Sometimes we need to remember that the gospel of Jesus is so radical and different when actually lived out, that there will be people naturally drawn to it. Paul comes into town with a new message and a new style of teaching and people flock to him, curious about what he has to say. What new style are we bringing to the table as Christians? Do we look like the rest of the false religions of the world as we try to argue people or guilt people in believing, or do they know we are Christian by our love? What is the message of your life? What are you teaching? What am I teaching?
17:22-24 - I love how Paul addresses the people...he doesn't belittle them for worshipping idols, he actually compliments them for being such religious people. He uses their frame of reference to reach them. He says, "I see that you guys have an idol for everything, you must be super-religious (A compliment in the Athenian world), but what really interested me was that you have this idol to the unknown God over here...I know you guys just placed this idol here so you wouldn't accidentally insult some God you didn't know about, but this is actually the God I want to introduce you to. It is this unknown God that is actually the only God." We live in a world of distractions, surrounded by idols around every corner - God please let us see you in the midst of the chaos a Paul did. God let us reach into our culture and find the aspects that guide people towards you as Paul did.
3 comments:
Hey Brandon, I guess I was the only one who read your blog today. I just wanted to let you know that I read it and that it's not a complete waste of your time. Keep up the good work. =)
Jaimee
Hey, it's been really good for me, so if nobody logs on, it's all good - but I do appreciate you reading it.
"And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else." And somehow in the middle of all this, "we are His offspring." It is incredible to me how a being of such great magnitude, who has no need for us, desires us to pursue Him, to the point that He is always near us in case we ever decide to turn to him...
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