THE LIVING CHURCH
Meditations in the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 17:16-23

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WHILE PAUL is waiting for the arrival of Silas and Timothy to join him he does not waste any time. He buys up every opportunity to preach Jesus and the resurrection (v.18). In the Acts Jesus and the resurrection was the essential message that was preached. Paul may lead up to this, as he does here in Athens, but he always arrives at this essential message of Jesus risen from the dead, and all that is involved in this. The business of the church is to bring people to see Jesus. We are not in the business of teaching people religion. There was plenty of religion in Athens as there is plenty of religion today. Religion is not good news. Jesus and the resurrection is good news.

It distressed Paul to see so much idolatry in Athens. In Athens this was evident from all the different idols, temples, and altars around the place. The world is full of idols today, but perhaps they are not so evident. There are still all sorts of temples and altars, but there is also the following of ideologies and concerns, such as is represented in the green movement. There is also the following of the occult and astrology. Then there is the worshipping of money and power. The fact is that whatever people may say, human beings must worship at some shrine, even if it is some object like one's car.

Paul was distressed when he saw the people in Athens given up to idolatry. He was concerned for the glory of God. In the sermon he preaches at the Areopagus he makes it plain that we are God's creatures, created to give him glory, and that we owe everything we have and are as human beings to God. It is a great sin and slight upon God when we give glory, which is due to God alone, to other things and to false gods. Denying God in this way is rebellion. We are created to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and body. Any falling short of this is a terrible offence to our creator and a great evil. The most terrible part of it is when we do not see this.

Then Paul is distressed at this idolatry because of what it means to those who engage in it. To give ourselves to idols is to give ourselves to Satan, and to be under the just wrath of God. Paul cares for the souls of his fellow human beings. Having been brought from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God himself, and so appreciated what he has been saved from, Paul feels the pain of the loss and death of those yet unsaved. The question every Christian needs to ask themselves is - do we care as Paul did, and are we distressed at idolatry, and humanity lost, without hope and without God in the world? Do we care enough to pray and witness as Paul did?

Paul's life was characterised by the fact that he availed himself of every opportunity to tell people of Jesus and the resurrection. He reasoned with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, but that was not enough. When opportunity opened to speak in the market place, he engaged in witness here. We may not have the same opportunities as Paul, but do we look for opportunities, and do we put ourselves in the hands of God daily, so that he may open up opportunities for us. Then are we looking for these opportunities, and not wasting them if they come our way. Do we seek God in prayer to give us courage and words to say, when opportunities present themselves. Christians must learn to gossip the Gospel, and never to be ashamed of Christ.

Such witness will not be easy. Paul experienced here that people sneered at him (v.10) and he found himself verbally abused. He also found that people listened to him, not because they wanted to know the truth about life and salvation, but because they were simply interested in new things and new ideas. This is more common than we may suppose. There are people in our churches who love to hear sermons, and can talk in a well informed way about what is good or bad, what is true and false. However they are not interested in the truth concerning salvation and to follow God, but are interested in Christianity simply as any other interest in life. As others take up music, or cooking, or philosophy, etc., they take up religion. It is there particular interest, but it does not make them love and serve God.

Lastly in verses 22 and 23 we see Paul not allowing himself to be put off by this false interest. He uses the opportunity that it presents to preach the Gospel. He uses these people's interest in religion, and turns it to good use. He has seen this altar to the unknown god, and starts there to preach the truth about Jehovah, Almighty God and Creator, and to go on to challenge people to repent and believe.

There is no doubt that we must be challenged by this example of the apostle Paul. Would that more Christians were distressed as Paul was, and more of us were moved to defend the glory of God, and more of us cared about souls and seek to win them from a lost eternity. We can but start to pray and to seek God that we may be given grace to be witnesses and to care as Paul did.