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22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 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. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:22-31 NIV)
Several years ago, in a community where I was serving, the ministerial alliance wanted to bring Dr. Billy Graham to do an evangelistic campaign in our city. This set in motion the machine that is The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. They immediately did a study and determined that we were not large enough to host Billy. They said that maybe, perhaps, we might get Franklin. And if they determined that we were still not large enough we would get William Graham, the son of Franklin. A series of meetings were set up to discuss all that would be involved in getting such an event to happen. Gone are the days of most revivals, but also gone are the days of a traveling evangelist just showing up to preach the Gospel in any city or town. Shewd was the mind of the Apostle Paul, who, thanks to God's Holy Spirit, knew his audience and their setting. As he works among the Greeks in Athens, Paul knew where he was and who he was among. He knew the Greeks loved to learn and discuss, and he knew that they had a central place where they gathered to hear new and exciting things or to discuss known things amonst themselves. The Areopagus was that place. It's an outcropping of rock and is also known as Mars Hill. It served a judicial role as well in Greek government, but it allowed for whoever wanted, a place to present their ideas. Paul was that person on that day.
Paul knew that the Greeks believed in many gods, thus him calling them "religious in every way." As he walked around Athens he came upon their objects of worship and found an altar dedicated to; AN UNKNOWN GOD. The Greeks covered their bases with this altar, "In case we've missed one!" And so Paul sees this as his opening. Paul says you're already worshiping the God that I know, and He is the God who made the world and everything in it. And our God does not live in temples built by human hands, nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything. God gave Himself for us so that we might have life, and breath, and everything else. This God made all humans from one man, so that we might inhabit the whole world. This same God marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of our lands. All this, Paul says, is so that we might seek Him out, reach out to Him, and find Him, even though He is never far from us. He then says this about God, "For in Him we live and move and have our being." And then quotes a Greek poet who said, "We are His offspring," and he continues,"Therefore since we are God's offsrping, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone - an image made by human design and skill...and He calls all people everywhere to repent, for the day is coming when we will all be judged by the Man (Jesus) He has appointed, with justice. And as proof, God raised Him from the dead."
I admire and am humbled by the valor of this man to stand in front of strangers, as a foreigner, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus, when many of us blush as thinking we should share a word of faith or pray out loud in a Sunday school. I dare say, those who accept God's Holy Spirit will be able to share all things in front of all people. May we seek the boldness of Saint Paul's faith.
PRAYER: Come, anoint me, Holy Spirit, and let us serve You in all setting in front of all people, to let them know about You; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord, YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be bold in your faith!
Receive my blessing of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
